CRD Engine Revival – Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger has cemented itself as the quintessential dual-cab 4x4 and a favourite for both tradies and 4x4 enthusiasts alike. With the ever-popular third-generation getting on in its age now, you’ll find that most examples are getting up there in their mileage after years of hard work and adventure. With that, most will be due for a bit of an engine revival.

Recently, we gave a PX Ford Ranger with 100,000km on the clock a refresh with a Ryco Filtration Upgrade Kit, a Ryco 4WD Service Kit, and an intake manifold clean.  If you’ve got a Common Rail Diesel engine, it’s inevitable that sooner or later you’ll have to deal with the issue of black gunk clogging up your intake. After only 100,000km, this Ranger’s intake manifold was in dire need of a good clean. If left unattended for too long, this can cause all kinds of problems for the longevity and performance of your engine, and not to mention, an expensive trip to the mechanic. 

Now why does this build-up happen? This gunk is caused by two emissions control systems inside your engine. Namely, the positive crankcase ventilation valve and exhaust gas recirculation system.  These gasses contain soot, hydrocarbons, water vapour and other impurities that often build up inside the intake. The oil vapour from the PCV valve and the soot from the EGR system don’t cause any harm on their own, but when they mix, the result is a thick black paste that clogs up your engine and leads to power loss along with a multitude of other issues.

To clean the manifold out, a good quality intake cleaner and a parts cleaning brush are used to scrub out the intake runners and clear out all of the gunk. Once it’s all cleared out, the intake manifold is refitted with all new seals.

To keep the issue from resurfacing, a Ryco Catch Can is fitted as part of the Ryco Filtration Upgrade Kit. The Filtration Upgrade Kit part number for 2.2L and 3.2L PX Ford Rangers is X101R. The Ryco Upgrade Kit comes complete with a vehicle-specific mounting bracket and all of the moulded hoses, clamps, and fittings required to install the kit neatly and easily into your engine bay.

The impurities are trapped in the coalescing filter and drip down to the high-capacity reservoir where it can later be drained. This means that the air going back into the engine is cleaner, so when it mixes with the raw exhaust gases and particulates from the EGR system it won’t create any of that thick gunk, meaning smooth running for your engine for years to come.

The Ryco Filtration Upgrade Kit also comes complete with a Ryco Fuel Water Separator. The Fuel Water Separator’s job is to remove water and other contaminants from the fuel before it reaches the engine. This becomes especially important when you start off-roading or touring out to rural areas as water and sediment in your fuel become a far more likely occurrence. Water and sediment can wreak havoc on a diesel engine’s fuel system, so it’s important to do what you can to keep these things at bay.

To finish the refresh, a full service is performed using this Ryco RSK25C 4WD Filter Service Kit. This kit features all of the filters required for a full service, including an A1784 Air Filter, an RCA227P Cabin Air Filter, an R2724P Fuel Filter, and an R2720P Oil Filter. Ryco filters are designed to meet the vehicle manufacturer’s performance requirements, utilising Australia's only dedicated filtration laboratory and stringent testing procedures to achieve that goal. This means genuine protection to suit Australia’s harsh driving conditions with the added benefit of New Vehicle Warranty Protection.