Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a question about my husband's 1995 Ford Ranger. The Ranger has a standard transmission and a four-cylinder engine. When we put the Ranger into Overdrive, the rpm goes down but the engine loses power. In order to climb a small hill, we must downshift to fourth gear. Is this normal? My old five-speed Honda wasn't like that. Can you explain this to me? -- Denise

Ray: It's absolutely normal, Denise. Especially when you have an engine that is -- in purely technical lingo -- a real dog.

Tom: My brother doesn't mean that in a bad way, Denise. He just means that this particular four-cylinder engine is a little on the small side for this particular pickup truck.

Ray: It's also possible that it's geared differently from the Honda, and the Ranger's fifth gear is "taller," meaning it slows the engine more to conserve fuel at the expense of power.

Tom: Whatever the combination of reasons, when you get to a hill, you need the added mechanical advantage of a lower gear to get up it. And there's nothing wrong with that. That's why they give you five different gears to choose from.

Ray: Your Honda, on the other hand, may have had a similarly sized engine, but it probably weighed 1,000 pounds less! That gave it a higher horsepower-to- weight ratio (more horsepower for every pound of car the engine was pushing). But if you got to a steep-enough hill with the Honda, I'm sure you would have had to downshift, too.

Tom: So not to worry, Denise. This is exactly what Overdrive is supposed to do. It's supposed to reduce the engine speed (and save gas) when you're cruising on the highway and don't need as much power.

Ray: And also give those six-cylinder Ranger owners a chance to pass you on hills and feel good about the extra money they blew on their bigger engines.

Wait! Don't buy another car without the mechanic's checklist that's included in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." It will help you get a good used car and avoid the clunkers. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1998 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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