[ZcRaider]

Hey guys this is my first post on the forums! Good to see there are others with this awesome car!

I wandering if someone could help me with a problem. Im trying to upgrade my MAF from the puny 55mm to the 70mm Stock 5.0.

My car is mostly stock, but has a few upgrades. Cherryboom muff/Stock injectors/Air shocks/EGR Valve Blocked/Intake Muff removed.

I installed a CAI on it with the current MAF + Housing. Modified the muffer on the intake. Car is in good condition and is my daily driver. Plan to change the sparks soon. In fact they just got in the mail!

Any who.... Some peps suggested to upgrade to the Stock 5.0 70mm MAF. When i used the stock 5.0 sensor on the new maf, car put out white smoke and sputter.

So i took that one off, and put the original MAf sensor from the power robbing 55mm housing.

The car starts fine. When i drive, it gives me the feeling that it will take off like crazy. But....when i open up the throttle all the way....it just idles.....no acceleration when i floor it. Now when i ease it....it moves like it did with the old MAF and will drive. But if i floor it....it just sits there like theres a block on my rpm meter or something....

What do i have to do to get around that? Do i need need to buy a performance chip or something to allow the computer to use the extra air? or do i need to upgrade the stock fuel injectors? to say 19/ib?

Any other tips for extra power would be greatly appreciated. I know there are plenty of peps out there who have had success. Last guy I saw on the forums had like 177hp out of this engine, which is awesome. Thats my goal too!

THanks guys!

[OHC230]

The larger MAF is not directly calibrated for your car and will require some kind of an after market tuning device, such as a TWeecer or EEC tuner. The upgrade usually isn't much of a help for N/A 2.3's, but is more of a turbo car thing.

Craig.

[ZcRaider]

Shoot....i was kinda hopping its was plug and play. I read online that if you swaped out the stock injectors with the upgraded 19# ones, the computer would automaticaly adjust. BTW...there stock injectors are still installed. Ordered the 19# ones on ebay. Do you think it work then? Here ill show ya the link that im getting these ideas:

2.3L Ford EFI Modifications - Fuel Injectors! - Getting the most out of the Ford 2.3L Engine Website

This is where i have been getting all my ideas for this car. Since it is the same engine, and the author seems to be through.

Im look online for tweecer now.

[ZcRaider]

The TwEECer -- EEC-IV user programmable module

Hmm gettin a lil expensive now.... lol

[OHC230]

If you read any of my posts, I have laid down a repeatable recipe, for making a reliable, honest 175 street HP from this engine, without sacrificing too much in the way of mileage or manners.

Racer Walsh sells a copy of the original Ford Motorsport A-237 roller cam, which works with the stock ECU and will still hold a decent idle.

An increase in compression "10.5:1 is necessary for this power increase and can be done by a simple head re-surface job. While the head is removed, a very minor clean up of the ports, plus some de-shrouding of the valves, will really help the HP.

The small tube headers available for the 2.3, such as the factory Ranger headers, or the small tube Racer Walsh one, which is still much better than the factory one, still fall short of the performance of the large tube headers used for circle track applications. I gained 8-10 HP using the Speed Flow header, available from Speedway, over the ranger header.

The exhaust piping, down stream of the header, is just as important as the rest of the system. On my car, I run 2 catalytic converters, so I used a 3" one, coming off the header and a 2.5" one down stream of that.

A lot of people talk about massive HP gains, form cold air intake systems. I have tried more than a few and guess what? I can't see a difference on the dyno from the stock air-box,

My car made it's best dyno run, with a gutted intake muffler and K&N filter element installed in the stock air box.

[OHC230]

BTW, my engine made 175 HP with the stock injectors.

[blaten22]

Here's a link for you that OHC and myself have been doing with bout the same target HP. Hope you find something useful.

New Guy With probally repeat and new Questions

Joey

[ZcRaider]

Thanks so much for the replies. Shoot i have a lot t think about..... Have to piece all this stuff together hehe. THanks again.

[sn95foxlover386]

.

[ZcRaider]

Sup guys! Figured I would give an update, just in case some others are trying to do the same thing i did!

Well i finally installed the 19# injectors, as well as the 70mm Mass Air Housing, with original sensor.

To my surprise the ECM automatically adjusted just like peps said it would. The car runs pretty good now!

Still working on a few issues. There are random times when I floor it, that the car acts sluggish. I think that maybe some old problem codes. I have disconnected the battery once again, and i plan to let it sit for a few hours.

All in all, during my test runs i noticed substancal power on the top end.

Still have more plans for the car. Having a hard time trying to find mechnics that care enough about Foxbodys to help a 2.3L 4cyl out..... They all keep telling me drop a 5.0 or a SVO. But i dont have the $$ and I like the milage.

More or less around the lines of what OHC230 was talking about I still have things to do:

Future Upgrades:
Ford Motorsport A-237 roller cam upgrade
Compression managment, port de-shrouding
Speed Flow Header replacement
Exaust Piping / Magnaflow Cats

My current setup:
Iriduim Sparks / New coils / Wires
Blocked EGR
TRUE CAI (Filter ourside engine bay + Homemade Air scoop)
5.0 MAF Housing (70mm, Orignal sensor)
Cherry bomb Muffler / Chome tips
19# Fuel Injectors (5.0 Fuel Injectors)
Punisher Performance IAT tuner (Still testing to see if the $19.99 Piece of crap actually works ... =/ )

All in all this car is considerably faster than when i first picked it up off Craigs list for $1300.

One thing that is still bothering me tho is the fact that i still have little low end power. I remember when i could spin my wheels when i floor it before i started seriously upgrading, however when it shifted to 2nd gear....bullet time begins ;_; Now after the upgrades it builds in power. No instant power. But no doubt it is faster....considerably .It just has to get to 3 - 5k and then im burning rubber.....crazy. And i dont like to neutral drop, just replaced my Trans =/

Anyway thats it for now. I'll keep you guys updated. Any extra tips / experiences would GREATLY BE WELCOMED!

T

[ZcRaider]

Ok! Here is my next update ^^

Pretty much spent half a day taking apart the Throttle Body. One suggestion as a probabal cause of the hesitation at WOT(Wide Open Throttle) is the TPS (Throttle Postion Sensor).

So i checked it...and guess what...the screws where warn like somebody didnt know what they where doing.

Hooked up the Volt meter says it was 1.05. From what i have read it should be .98 - .99 volts on 93 mustangs. So i replaced the screws on the TPS, adjusted it, cleaned and rebuilt the Throttle body.

Car runs so much smoother. However, when i really JAM the gas petal, the car skips or hops, then jumps to 2k and takes off like a late bat out of hell.

Does this mean i need a tune up? Did i miss something? Maybe i should take it to the shop to check for some error codes...i dunno... Problem seems to have slowly creeped up on me...cant really figure it out.

Anyhoo ... car runs fine when i go 3/4 throttle and WOT after 25mph. Wierd.

Any suggestions?

My current setup:
Iriduim Sparks / New coils / New Wires
Blocked EGR
TRUE CAI (Filter ourside engine bay + Homemade Air scoop)
5.0 MAF Housing (70mm, Orignal sensor, Orginal Throttle Body)
Cherry bomb Muffler / Chome tips
19# Fuel Injectors (5.0 Fuel Injectors)
Punisher Performance IAT tuner (Currently Removed, will try again later)

[ZcRaider]

Well... Just did some more test driving. Still the wierd WOT hesitation. Mostly when im at a stop light and i want to gun it.

There can only be one thing i can think of and its the exhaust. Ive pretty much added the ability for the engine to take in more Air and Fuel.

I think my problem is that it cant exit quick enough. So when I gun the pettle, it retards a lil bit. Thats the only thing i can think of...

Well next pay check im a put a 5.0 single exhaust system on it. Maybe that will fix this wierd problem.

Car runs fine if dont dart of more than 3/4 throttle at dead stop!

Anyways thanks for the help guys. Any more tips would greatly be appreciated.

[OHC230]

It sounds like you covered most of the possibilities, except for one and I tell you this from experience, not try to deter you from upgrading your ride, but the larger MAF will definitely change the fuel calibration of your car. Try putting the stock MAF back on and see what happens.

[ZcRaider]

Ya i tried that. And still does it. Just not nearly as much. Its been slowly creeping up on me. I kinda thinking it could be a fuel pump or filter issue. Even tho i changed the filter bout 6 months ago. I dont think the fuel Pump has been touched since the factory. And ive been increasing driving on a lower tank levels....economy in such, in a 14 year old car mind you. Thats the last thing i can think of, and I did put some bad regular gas in not to long ago. I normally put 93 in. Tanks full of 93 now.

But i do have an update!

I raise the rev limit and reset the battery / computer. I have been reseting the computer regularly. Everytime i tune or changed something, I reset.

Ive been told that it takes a week plus for the computer to relearn the way i drive, fuel air calibration, etc etc.

So...today i took it out driving. Mind you, i havnt touched the car in a full day. Ive been nonstop on this car for the past couple of days, tuning trying to figure out this annoying problem. Calibrated TPS, cleaned salt pepper shakers, raised rev limit, cleaned and rebuilt Throttle body, replaced most of the ignition system, etc etc etc.

So... i took it to work and back. On the highway etc etc. Car didnt hesitate near as much as it had been. It still lags just a bit when i floor it at a stop light. But if i ease up to full quickly. It actually takes off quiet nicely. A ray of hope has shined....

Maybe i just need to give the car time to adjust to the settings and upgrades?

The raised idle seemed to help too. I have it set to just below 1k. 200 rpms higher than the defualt 700rpms.

The car seems to be slowly getting better at acceration.

Only time will tell. But my car was killing on the highway man. Shoot, i pinned the needle at 85+ i guess 100mph. Ive never really done that before. So im getting power from my mods. Just cant spin my wheels anymore....wierd.

Anyhoo im gonna get my car checked for error codes next week. The same time period i have to let my car relearn itself. Maybe the problem might go away!

I'll keep ya updated.

[skippy84]

i have a 93 mustang that i started to do some mods too. one thing you might want to try but might be a bit spendy is get the msd ignition kit for it. this will inprove your spark. looks like you have the air and fuel covered already. so why not take it a step up. the 4 basic elements are air fuel spark and conpression. dual spark helps a lot on its own. you can inprove your compression by shaving your head and getting a racing cam too. good luck. keep us informed.

[ZcRaider]

Well its been a few days now, havnt touched or tweaked anything.

Here is an UPDATE:

Car is running much better now. If i ease it up to full trottle quickly, i can achieve very good accel.

Still tho...when i flat out WOT is does two things.

1.)Bloggs or retards for a sec, then jumps in power

2.)Skips for a sec, then jumps in power.

Its crasy..its almost like i initiated a late NOS shot or something LOL. Kinda fun..but not normal.

Skippy / OHC

That is an area if have not touched much. Compression. Not sure where to find a place that will install a better cam for cheap right now. Still doing some research.

However one thing i can do is take apart my TB / UPPER and LOWER intake. Do a sand job, and take a look at the valves. I havnt done that yet. I just took it apart and cleand the TB but didnt touch the Upper and LOWER intake to the engine block. Maybe thats where my problem is... I havnt upgraded my Exaust Header yet either...

Another thought. When i eventually upgrade to a better TB. I noticed the hole size on the UPPER intake is small. Just as small as the orginal MAF Housing....what like 50mm or something? You think i will get positive results if I shave it to a bigger hole....say 70mm? Or will that throw the system off?

Anyhoo, next pay check ill workin on the exhaust and fuel filter!

So far things a getting better, and i see a ray of hope from the mods I have done to this car. Its just not 100% where i want it.

Take care guys, ill keep ya updated.

P.S THANKS FOR THE REPLIES! Im learning a lot!

[jetpack6]

I recently got a new set of Accel coils + plugs + wires for my 93', and I noticed a significant speed increase.

Thanks ZCRaider for putting your thoughts up here, it's been nice to see other people going over some of the same things I am. From what I can tell, there are any number of upgrades I can do to my Mustang, but the $$ per HP varies wildly.

I did have one question, though, regard the 5.0 MAF. The MAF has a wire mesh inside of it that cools down as air passes over it; that drop in temperature is converted to an electrical signal that is sent to the computer. Is the wire mesh on the 5.0 MAF housing larger than the 2.3?
This is all theoretical, but the larger mesh could be causing a larger elecrical signal to be sent to the computer. You may be able to fix that by cutting the wire mesh to be the equivalent size of the 2.3, or you could install a resistor. Any thoughts on this?

[ZcRaider]

Hey guys! Figured i'll give an update! Wow its been ages!

Hey Jetpack! Good too see other rockin da 4banger! hehe!

WEll from what i can tell there same....as far as the wire mess on the Sensor....

Howerver i did have a break through. Guess what it was? Its a three letter valve!

You guess it! EGR VALVE.

I realised that the computer was missing out on the extra air flow (Exuast Air flow mind you).

So, i pain-stakingly constructed a ram air system that subsitutes exaust for unfiltered - But strained through wire mess air directly to the valve.

When i did this i got higher RPM power but the car ran like crap in lower rpms.

Then i found out that the air was going around the MAF sensor and the car could not figure out what to do at lower rps (pre 2k)

So i reconstructed my system to feed into the intake. Intake and EGR have equal chance for volume air.

Car's idle is diffrent now. Kinda reminds me of a Idling carbed 5.0 ROFL.

Car jumps like crazy now. Still cant floor it off bat...but shoot i dont need too. Just push it 3/4 down at pre 2k, then WOT after.

I think this cant be helped because of the increased air and fuel mix on a stock ECU.

But still, the improvement is way better than stock. I can confidently say that im rocking a 30+ power boost. I burnt a chevy 4x4 v8 the other day. I was like....holy crap....4banger for the win. Im sure if i was on the open high way...he would have caught up to me tho LOL.

But ya. Still have more plans tho. I want to put that racing cam in that OHC was talk about.

Shoot when i do that i wont even need a turbo! LOL. My car is fast now before the cam! LOL

Anyways, when i plan to get a racking cam i'll post up.

Oh btw..... im still on stock throttle body...its crazy.

Peace out guys!

[ZcRaider]

Hey on the subject....im not to familar with taking apart the engine past the upper and lower intake.

I was wondering. What cam should i get with my current setup:

19ib Injectors
Cold Air Ram air system
Cherryboom muff
Stock Throttle Body
Stock Automatic Tran

And..how much would it cost to have it installed. I reckon i might have to hvae the valves shaved or whatever.

So if you can, share you wisdom OHC. I know your pro at this. My target hp is 150 - 200hp. Honestly i might be at like 150 hp now....it feels fast. Really need a dyno run.

IF you can please give some part #'s

Peace out man!

[OHC230]

I would suggest you start with the Racer Walsh stage 1. If you try to put anything more aggressive in your engine, it may not even idle with the stock computer. This cam works much better if you use it with a 2.5" exhaust and a Speedflow/Dynatech header. Picture is of the Dynatech header, which sells for under $140.00
I really think you should install the cam yourself. I can post step by step pictures to do this, as I know a lot of guys are interested in this.

Follow the links below:

Header
2.3 Ford Pinto Late Model Headers

Cam
Racer Walsh Stage 1 Hyd. roller camshaft Ford 2.3L OHC