Lack of power

Hello, I live in Colombia South America and have a Ford Ranger 2.3 pick up truck. It has had two engine rebuilts due to overheating due to a faulty radiator and temperature gage.



Currently it has a severe lack of power going up a steep hill when starting from a stop. However, this lack of power has existed ever since I have had the car, even immediately after the engine rebuilds; but it is getting more notorious.



The new mechanic says it may be the motor gasket. I am not sure…



I would appreciate any help on the matter



Not much you can do. You can add a turbo since this engine was also used in the T-Bird Turbo Coupe and SVO Mustang. You can also see if there are are any small turbodiesels that will directly swap in. In either case you’ll want to have the transmission beefed up. You may also want to consider a rear end gear change. If you don’t do alot of highway driving a 4.10 or 4.56 rear end will help with the hill climbing.