Most bang-for-the-buck power increase for a '94 3.0L?

mephiska · Jul 8, 2013

I've got a '94 B3000 with 160k miles. I've had it for a few years and mostly used it for hauling stuff around town. Recently I have needed to take it on trips to Tahoe, which means climbing from roughly sea level to 7000+ feet, something this 3.0L just doesn't do well without a lot of effort. I usually end up with a line of cars behind me until I get to passing lane.

I plan on keeping this truck and making these trips, so I'm looking for ways to help it climb those hills without spending too much money. Air filter kit, exhaust, or maybe some overlooked maintenance on something that's been robbing power?

With 160k on this engine I know not to expect miracles, but I'd like to be a little more confident on these trips.

Surrey · Jul 8, 2013

How about some taller gears?

If you've got, say, 3.45s in there now, some 3.73s or 4.10s should do wonders going up hills. It'll hurt your mileage a bit, but you'll get that power to the ground you want.

kryptonitecb · Jul 8, 2013

Full tune up will help you get it close to the power it had stock. After that I agree that gears are the best option, unless you can turbo it. Under 5 lbs of boost usually you can keep an engine stock. With the altitude changes it would bring your A/F ratio to what it would be at sea level.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

mephiska · Jul 8, 2013

You're right, I forgot that the altitude would have the biggest impact on power.

My google-fu & forum searching aren't turning up what the rear axle ratio is on my 94 B3000 though. Is swapping the rear gear something a shadetree mechanic can do?

Surrey · Jul 8, 2013

There should be a code on the inside of the drivers door frame that tells you the axle code.

Take that code to the tech library here, and figure out what you've got.

Changing the gears themselves isn't easy, but changing out an entire axle sure is.

RonD · Jul 8, 2013

If engine's base horse power(HP) is 150 at sea level then at 5,000ft the power loss is only .02hp, at 7,000ft it's .03hp loss

So it ain't nothing but it ain't much either.
I would clean the MAF just because.......
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/CleanMAF.html

Most rear-ends now are setup for best MPG not load carrying or going up long grades.
So if you do change it out then MPG will go down, so keep that in mind.

Do you have an automatic or manual transmission?

An electric fan is a nice addition, especially if you 4 wheel at lower speeds, but for power it takes away the hp required to run the water pump fan and gives it back to the wheels, which isn't much but it ain't nothing either, lol.

stmitch · Jul 8, 2013

First of all, modding a poorly maintained engine is really a waste of time, so a tune up is a great recommendation.

Also, there's a difference between "bang for the buck" and cheap. If you think of "bang for the buck" as hp per $, then power adders like boost or nitrous can't be beat. You'd gain much more hp/$ than anything else, but power adders are far from cheap.

If power adders aren't in your budget:
The throttle cable mod is basically free, and usually provides a noticeable difference on older trucks or high mileage trucks.
You can also buy Underdrive crank pulleys that will free up a bit of hp/tq, and can actually improve fuel economy too. An e-fan has similar benefits. You can easily do either for under $200.
The 98+ 3.0 had a different upper intake manifold and larger throttle body that would help it flow better. And can be done with junkyard parts

mephiska · Jul 8, 2013

First of all, thanks for all the responses guys, it's really got me thinking.

Tune-up - I'll look into doing this. Overall the motor runs fairly smooth, but I don't know when the last tune-up was. Last I checked the spark plug wires looked fairly new when I bought it.

Clean MAF - This I'll do today, seems easy enough

Throttle Cable mod - I'll also do this today. I've got tons of zip ties, and my throttle pedal does have a significant dead spot.

The 1998+ 3.0 upper intake manifold idea sounds good, and I do have a pick n pull parts place close by. Do you know of any threads with other people who've done it? I searched for intake manifold swap but don't see anything related to a truck this old, nor can I find anything about it in the technical section. Not sure what parts I'd need, what I'd have to modify if anything.

Underdrive Pulley set - this sounds pretty reasonable. It looks like I can get a Jet performance kit for around $160.

I'm not adverse to some sort of FI, though it looks like going the supercharger route might make more sense. It seems there's less custom work that would need to be done for it.

Surrey · Jul 8, 2013

In my opinion, supercharging a 3.0 just isn't worth it.
Superchargers require HP to work, so they are more effective on a bigger engine. Probably can't put a lot of boost into the engine without a full rebuild either... I would be looking at other options first.

mephiska · Jul 8, 2013

I wouldn't be putting a lot of boost into it, that's for sure. I don't want to put too much strain on the A4LD, really just some extra power to get up those hills without causing a traffic jam. My goal isn't really HP but more Torque.

Regardless I'd have to compare the cost of doing a supercharger with the cost of doing a 4.0 swap.

kryptonitecb · Jul 8, 2013

4.0 swap will be cheaper, find one at a junkyard with the trans still attached to make it even simpler. Or get a vehicle from craigslist so you have everything you need ready to go.

If power and not fuel mileage is your goal gears is the best bang for your buck. You're looking at ~$300 for gears and considerably more time and money for anything else.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

mephiska · Jul 8, 2013

kryptonitecb said:
If power and not fuel mileage is your goal gears is the best bang for your buck. You're looking at ~$300 for gears and considerably more time and money for anything else.

Okay so I checked the door code when I got home, the axle code is F6, which means it's a 7.5" rear with 3.73 ratio. So going with the gears from an F7 would give me a 4.10?

Also, I just cleaned out the MAF sensor, it didn't look very dirty but the truck seems to idle a little better now. I also dumped a bottle of Seafoam into the tank. And lastly I did the throttle cable mod, very easy and it definitely made it more responsive. Thanks for the suggestions on those guys.

edit: So the more I look into it, the more intimidating it's looking to change out just the gears. What approximately should it cost to get 4.10 installed at a rearend shop, including the gears? $300? Maybe this is a question for the Axle forum...

Surrey · Jul 8, 2013

4.10s are around 10% deeper than your current gears.
The advantage to this option is you can find a 4.10 axle in a junkyard, and swap the whole thing in, which is much easier than doing gears for most.(cheaper too, depending what you sorta price you can get) Might as well look for a Ranger 8.8 for a small upgrade in strength too (they come out of anything with a 4.0)

edit - if you really wanna notice the difference, get 4.56 gears. They are around 20% deeper than what you've got now. Cant find them in a JY axle though, would have to buy gears and get them set up.

mephiska · Jul 8, 2013

Thanks for the info. I've got a couple pick & pull places nearby. According to the website it's about $250 for the complete rear axle at these places. It's just a matter of finding the 4.10 axle, so knowing the 4.0 models had them makes it easier to narrow things down. I'll definitely have my iphone with me to check door codes and find what I need.

I'm going to drive this thing to work a couple days this week (Sorry STI, you're in the garage) to see how the seafoam, MAF cleaning & throttle cable mod are working out. Perhaps that's enough, but if not I think the rear axle would be the most definitive upgrade to get me over these hills.

Edit: So anything with a 4.0 engine will have a 8.8" rear with 4.10 gearing? I'm not so concerned about the 7.5" vs 8.8", mostly I want the gearing advantage of a 4.10 for hill climbing.

James86 · Jul 9, 2013

mephiska said:
Thanks for the info. I've got a couple pick & pull places nearby. According to the website it's about $250 for the complete rear axle at these places. It's just a matter of finding the 4.10 axle, so knowing the 4.0 models had them makes it easier to narrow things down. I'll definitely have my iphone with me to check door codes and find what I need.

I'm going to drive this thing to work a couple days this week (Sorry STI, you're in the garage) to see how the seafoam, MAF cleaning & throttle cable mod are working out. Perhaps that's enough, but if not I think the rear axle would be the most definitive upgrade to get me over these hills.

Edit: So anything with a 4.0 engine will have a 8.8" rear with 4.10 gearing? I'm not so concerned about the 7.5" vs 8.8", mostly I want the gearing advantage of a 4.10 for hill climbing.

First off, do you have a 4WD? If so, you'll need to factor the cost of gearswapping on BOTH axles so they match or youll tear something apart. I'm also not teribly certain a 4.0 will necessarily have 4.10s since the torque is lower down in the RPMs on those motors. When climbing long hills, I'll often kick the O/D off so I'm more in the powerband of the 3.0, and it saves it from kicking down anyways (peak HP is about 3700rpm on my engine, not sure on an older one with different intake runners.) I did a bit of driving around the Minnesota River valley this weekend, which has a lot of ups and downs in grade - you can feel your ears popping repeatedly - and it held speed just fine with OD off and A/C cranked. Tune it up first. Plugs, wires, oil, filter, transmission fluid change, etc. It will make a world of difference. It might also not be a bad idea to clean the throttle body out. Every car I've done it too ran noticeably better as well, and carbon can build up pretty bad around there.

Most bang-for-the-buck power increase for a '94 3.0L?

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