Switch issue and more power

[stumped]

Anyone had trouble with intermittent failure of the electric door lock on a 96 Bronk? Sometimes it locks and sometimes it won't... bad switch or lubrication?

Also, I want to squeeze a little more horsepower out of a 302... don't tell me to replace the engine... it's too darn good.. it will pull my cargo trailer with 6,000 pounds, only very slowly... it pulled this load plus trailer weight from the mountains of Colorado to Lake Havasu ... I have added a magnaflow muffler and a cold air snout and gained some... would high perform heads boost compression too much on a 125K engine and cause oil leaks? It doesn't use a bit of oil. Or, would gearing the front diff and rear chunk be the best route? thanks for any suggestions..

Terry

 

[Tiha]

Door lock issue, do they both act up? Or just one door?

If they both act up, most likely the switch.

Power can be aquired in every way you mentioned. Sounds like the bottom end is still good, so maybe cam and heads? Depends on your power goals.

 

[johnnyreb]

Anyone had trouble with intermittent failure of the electric door lock on a 96 Bronk? Sometimes it locks and sometimes it won't... bad switch or lubrication?

Also, I want to squeeze a little more horsepower out of a 302... don't tell me to replace the engine... it's too darn good.. it will pull my cargo trailer with 6,000 pounds, only very slowly... it pulled this load plus trailer weight from the mountains of Colorado to Lake Havasu ... I have added a magnaflow muffler and a cold air snout and gained some... would high perform heads boost compression too much on a 125K engine and cause oil leaks? It doesn't use a bit of oil. Or, would gearing the front diff and rear chunk be the best route? thanks for any suggestions..

Terry

Lower gears (have to be changed in front and rear) would help alot--going to lower gears. Do you have big tires or regular size will make a difference. Sometimes a tune up helps alot. How,s the exhaust system? Maybe its half stopped up. I knew a guy who had a late model chevrolet. It lost alot of power .Just so happens a uy came in and had the same kind of car. After hearing about the car on the rack. He said he bet the exhaust had COLLAPSED. They had another pipe inside one and it was collapsed. Replaced it with a single pipe and it ran good. Anything is possible. Check the timing. Make a list of what it can be and mark it off as you check things out.

 

[stumped]

Anyone had trouble with intermittent failure of the electric door lock on a 96 Bronk? Sometimes it locks and sometimes it won't... bad switch or lubrication?

Also, I want to squeeze a little more horsepower out of a 302... don't tell me to replace the engine... it's too darn good.. it will pull my cargo trailer with 6,000 pounds, only very slowly... it pulled this load plus trailer weight from the mountains of Colorado to Lake Havasu ... I have added a magnaflow muffler and a cold air snout and gained some... would high perform heads boost compression too much on a 125K engine and cause oil leaks? It doesn't use a bit of oil. Or, would gearing the front diff and rear chunk be the best route? thanks for any suggestions..

Terry

must be the switch- it affects both doors - I got some great advice from an engine builder about cams. Not a good idea on a 96 which has a primitive computer. The computer will constantly be trying to smooth out the loping idle... makes sense.. he said on older motor without a computer it would be fine

 

[stumped]

Lower gears (have to be changed in front and rear) would help alot--going to lower gears. Do you have big tires or regular size will make a difference. Sometimes a tune up helps alot. How,s the exhaust system? Maybe its half stopped up. I knew a guy who had a late model chevrolet. It lost alot of power .Just so happens a uy came in and had the same kind of car. After hearing about the car on the rack. He said he bet the exhaust had COLLAPSED. They had another pipe inside one and it was collapsed. Replaced it with a single pipe and it ran good. Anything is possible. Check the timing. Make a list of what it can be and mark it off as you check things out.

The magnaflow muffler and tail pipe are in good shape visually... wonder how you could test the rest of the system to check for blockage... I think its just that they sucked out horsepower down to 200 in 1996 for the gas crisis and environmental reasons. Run great and idles fine. Good pressure at the tailpipe... I do have larger snow tires after living in Colorado... i guess gearing is the best idea.. wonder how you calculate how low to go on gearing?

 

[Tiha]

Any aftermarket parts like camshafts will only get the most gains with custom chips or tuning.

To figure gearing you need to have a goal in mind. Like 2800rpms at 60 mph or something.

If you just want OEM rpms, we can probably calculate that.

With a custom engine gearing may change based on new HP and Torque RPM ranges. You want to be in the power band when cruising but at the bottom end for best mileage.

I had a bronco and towed way too heavy loads with. I had it setup with a 460 and can't remember cruised at like 2100 rpms at 55. The entire power band was available if I went to pass or pull a hill.
But if I started into the hill just a little slower, like 50 mph I was below the power band and could not pull the hill without downshifting.
So cruising at 55 was higher rpms, but the engine was making more power. To make more power you often are making it more efficient. So it was more efficient at 55 mph and 2100 rpms, vs 50 mph and whatever those rpms were.
Make sense?

Kind of goes along the lines of the 70's when ford ******** the timing chains on their 460s especially. They were dogs at lower speeds, or 1/4 mile, but dang they cruised awesome at 75 and got decent mileage.

 

[johnnyreb]

The magnaflow muffler and tail pipe are in good shape visually... wonder how you could test the rest of the system to check for blockage... I think its just that they sucked out horsepower down to 200 in 1996 for the gas crisis and environmental reasons. Run great and idles fine. Good pressure at the tailpipe... I do have larger snow tires after living in Colorado... i guess gearing is the best idea.. wonder how you calculate how low to go on gearing?

Tiha or one of the guys .Who run big tires could help you their. I ran them for awhile. Bout flip it too. They had better grip then I was used to. Went down the inter state on two wheels--scared the crap out of the south bound lane.hahaha,but they seemed to be easier on gas. I also had a couple of small leaks in my tank--so couldn,t really tell.

 

[johnnyreb]

Any aftermarket parts like camshafts will only get the most gains with custom chips or tuning.

To figure gearing you need to have a goal in mind. Like 2800rpms at 60 mph or something.

If you just want OEM rpms, we can probably calculate that.

With a custom engine gearing may change based on new HP and Torque RPM ranges. You want to be in the power band when cruising but at the bottom end for best mileage.

I had a bronco and towed way too heavy loads with. I had it setup with a 460 and can't remember cruised at like 2100 rpms at 55. The entire power band was available if I went to pass or pull a hill.
But if I started into the hill just a little slower, like 50 mph I was below the power band and could not pull the hill without downshifting.
So cruising at 55 was higher rpms, but the engine was making more power. To make more power you often are making it more efficient. So it was more efficient at 55 mph and 2100 rpms, vs 50 mph and whatever those rpms were.
Make sense?

Kind of goes along the lines of the 70's when ford ******** the timing chains on their 460s especially. They were dogs at lower speeds, or 1/4 mile, but dang they cruised awesome at 75 and got decent mileage.

So Tiha--without knowing my gear ratio..later on I,ll ask you some information about mine. In case I decide to go to a bigger tire. Thanks

 

[stumped]

Any aftermarket parts like camshafts will only get the most gains with custom chips or tuning.

To figure gearing you need to have a goal in mind. Like 2800rpms at 60 mph or something.

If you just want OEM rpms, we can probably calculate that.

With a custom engine gearing may change based on new HP and Torque RPM ranges. You want to be in the power band when cruising but at the bottom end for best mileage.

I had a bronco and towed way too heavy loads with. I had it setup with a 460 and can't remember cruised at like 2100 rpms at 55. The entire power band was available if I went to pass or pull a hill.
But if I started into the hill just a little slower, like 50 mph I was below the power band and could not pull the hill without downshifting.
So cruising at 55 was higher rpms, but the engine was making more power. To make more power you often are making it more efficient. So it was more efficient at 55 mph and 2100 rpms, vs 50 mph and whatever those rpms were.
Make sense?

Kind of goes along the lines of the 70's when ford ******** the timing chains on their 460s especially. They were dogs at lower speeds, or 1/4 mile, but dang they cruised awesome at 75 and got decent mileage.

very interesting.. thanks .. it funny, i was warned against power chips as well as a cam on the 96 302..

 

[Tiha]

very interesting.. thanks .. it funny, i was warned against power chips as well as a cam on the 96 302..

there are good chips and bad chips and good tuners and bad tuners. It really is a guessing game.

Friend of mine had like a 2007 F150. He bought the software to do custom tuning. He started playing with E85. He got some really good power and economy gains out of it.
There is a risk if you don't know what you are doing.

Engines from OEM are built in bulk for the masses. They build them safe and dependable operation. They never really try to push the limits. They just don't have time to tune each engine idividually. There is always some power and economy left to gain even on a stock engine, IF you have the know how to tune it properly.

 

[Tiha]

So Tiha--without knowing my gear ratio..later on I,ll ask you some information about mine. In case I decide to go to a bigger tire. Thanks

Gear ratios are pretty simple.

You need to know mph at RPMS, top gear ratio, Tire diameter or revs permile and you can work through a couple different ways.

2800 rpms, 0.68 overdrive means the driveshaft is spinning 1904 rpms. If your rear end ratio is 4.11:1 means axle is turning 463 rpm.

35" tire is about 576 revs per mile. => Circumference = 2 pi Radius. Radius 35/2 = 17.5 so 2 x 3.14 x 17.5 109.9 or aprrox 110 inches per rev. Mile is 5,280ft or 63360 inches
63360 inches divided by Circumference of 110 inches equals 576 -> revs per mile.

So every reveloution of the axle is 110 inches of travel and it is doing 463 of these every minute. So in one minute the truck travels 50,930 inches.
Every hour (* 60) it travels 3055800 inches. So that is 3055800 inches an hour is the speed currently traveling at 2800 RPM
3055800 divided by 63360 (inches in a mile) equals 48.2 miles per hour.

Now lets change the gear ratio only to 3.73:1
Drive shaft sill spins at 1904 rpms. But now 1904 divided by 3.73 means the axles are turning 510 times every minute. rpm.
Now every minute our 35" tire with a circumference of 110 inches is now moving 56100 inches every minute.
Multiply by 60 for hourly rate which is 3366000.
Divided by 63360 inches in a mile equals 53.1 miles per hour.

Now let's change tire sizes and see what happens.
We already know that 35" tire is 110 inches around it.
So lets take a 31 inch tire to compare. 31 divided by 2 is 15.5" that is the R or radius.
C= 2 pi R (Pi is like 3.14256 something. I just use 3.14)
C= 97.3 inches.

Let's plug our 31 inch tire into the above equation with 3.73 gear ratio.
axle is spinning 510 rpm correct?
Every minute the tire travels (510rpm X 97.3") or 49623 inches.
Convert to an hour. 49623 X 60 = 2977380 inches per hour.
Convert to mile per hour. 2977380 divided by 63360 inches in a mile = 46.9 mph

So at the same RPM a 35" tire moves you at 53.1 MPH and a 31 inch tire moves you 46.9 mph. 6.2 mph difference.

But what really throws this all off? a 35" tire is never 35" and same for a 31. But in theory that is what happens.
That is also assuming you have a manual trans or a lockup torque convertor (overdrive trans)

 

[johnnyreb]

there are good chips and bad chips and good tuners and bad tuners. It really is a guessing game.

Friend of mine had like a 2007 F150. He bought the software to do custom tuning. He started playing with E85. He got some really good power and economy gains out of it.
There is a risk if you don't know what you are doing.

Engines from OEM are built in bulk for the masses. They build them safe and dependable operation. They never really try to push the limits. They just don't have time to tune each engine idividually. There is always some power and economy left to gain even on a stock engine, IF you have the know how to tune it properly.

Had a cousin. That bought a new 4 door Ford pick up. He was at the garage one day. Had new tires put on it. Went to take off and set them on fire. Man he smoked them bad-then backed up and asked us how did we like it? His nephew told him he loved it. Keep it up and I,ll sale you another set of tires. The he was telling us. Before he took in in for a oil change. The dealer told him. They had to take the custom chip out and replace it with a oem. The CUSTOM CHIP was to help sale trucks. I told him I would have told the dealer the chip stays. If they took the chip--they could have the truck back. They took it. Wouldn,t have done it on me--or they would have the truck back. I,d think Ford was committing fruad .

 

[johnnyreb]

Gear ratios are pretty simple.

You need to know mph at RPMS, top gear ratio, Tire diameter or revs permile and you can work through a couple different ways.

2800 rpms, 0.68 overdrive means the driveshaft is spinning 1904 rpms. If your rear end ratio is 4.11:1 means axle is turning 463 rpm.

35" tire is about 576 revs per mile. => Circumference = 2 pi Radius. Radius 35/2 = 17.5 so 2 x 3.14 x 17.5 109.9 or aprrox 110 inches per rev. Mile is 5,280ft or 63360 inches
63360 inches divided by Circumference of 110 inches equals 576 -> revs per mile.

So every reveloution of the axle is 110 inches of travel and it is doing 463 of these every minute. So in one minute the truck travels 50,930 inches.
Every hour (* 60) it travels 3055800 inches. So that is 3055800 inches an hour is the speed currently traveling at 2800 RPM
3055800 divided by 63360 (inches in a mile) equals 48.2 miles per hour.

Now lets change the gear ratio only to 3.73:1
Drive shaft sill spins at 1904 rpms. But now 1904 divided by 3.73 means the axles are turning 510 times every minute. rpm.
Now every minute our 35" tire with a circumference of 110 inches is now moving 56100 inches every minute.
Multiply by 60 for hourly rate which is 3366000.
Divided by 63360 inches in a mile equals 53.1 miles per hour.

Now let's change tire sizes and see what happens.
We already know that 35" tire is 110 inches around it.
So lets take a 31 inch tire to compare. 31 divided by 2 is 15.5" that is the R or radius.
C= 2 pi R (Pi is like 3.14256 something. I just use 3.14)
C= 97.3 inches.

Let's plug our 31 inch tire into the above equation with 3.73 gear ratio.
axle is spinning 510 rpm correct?
Every minute the tire travels (510rpm X 97.3") or 49623 inches.
Convert to an hour. 49623 X 60 = 2977380 inches per hour.
Convert to mile per hour. 2977380 divided by 63360 inches in a mile = 46.9 mph

So at the same RPM a 35" tire moves you at 53.1 MPH and a 31 inch tire moves you 46.9 mph. 6.2 mph difference.

But what really throws this all off? a 35" tire is never 35" and same for a 31. But in theory that is what happens.
That is also assuming you have a manual trans or a lockup torque convertor (overdrive trans)

 

[johnnyreb]

Well I liked math in school,but see you talk and must be a mathamatesion. Thanks Tiha

 

[johnnyreb]

I have a new tack to put in ,but misplaced the mounted piece that holds the tach to the column. I,ll probably make one and raise it up a little for better viewing.

 

[Tiha]

Well I liked math in school,but see you talk and must be a mathamatesion. Thanks Tiha

There are otherways to achieve the same information, that was just what I came up with basically to see if I could still do it LOL
I am sure other people can explain it better.

You can calculate your RPMS if you have all the other information, gear ratio of trans and rear end. Tire size. Or at least get close.

 

[johnnyreb]

There are otherways to achieve the same information, that was just what I came up with basically to see if I could still do it LOL
I am sure other people can explain it better.

You can calculate your RPMS if you have all the other information, gear ratio of trans and rear end. Tire size. Or at least get close.

Well IF you think it caused my hed to SPIN. IT DID-HA HA

 

[cpb81]

Anyone had trouble with intermittent failure of the electric door lock on a 96 Bronk? Sometimes it locks and sometimes it won't... bad switch or lubrication?

Also, I want to squeeze a little more horsepower out of a 302... don't tell me to replace the engine... it's too darn good.. it will pull my cargo trailer with 6,000 pounds, only very slowly... it pulled this load plus trailer weight from the mountains of Colorado to Lake Havasu ... I have added a magnaflow muffler and a cold air snout and gained some... would high perform heads boost compression too much on a 125K engine and cause oil leaks? It doesn't use a bit of oil. Or, would gearing the front diff and rear chunk be the best route? thanks for any suggestions..

Terry

 

[cpb81]

I have a 96 Bronco, and running 10/50/31 tires, and after replacing gearing to a 4:10----like 50 more HP. Gearing would me my first choice for sure!