DURATEC V6 30

[mikkelstuff]

Just wondered if anyone installed the 3.0L DURATEC 30 in a Ranger? Seems like it ought to fit since the Taurus and Sable came with either the DURATEC or Vulcan 3.0L engines.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Not that I know of.

Get after it!

 

[Ranger850]

Just wondered if anyone installed the 3.0L DURATEC 30 in a Ranger? Seems like it ought to fit since the Taurus and Sable came with either the DURATEC or Vulcan 3.0L engines.

iirc , it has been discussed here, but never executed. You would need a manual trans from a lincoln LS V6. As that is the only rwd trans that will bolt to that motor. Basically needs a manual shift lincoln v6 ls as a donor.

 

[stmitch]

I've never seen it done, but it's been discussed many times.
The trans bellhousing bolt pattern is different than any Ranger trans. A 3.0 Duratec bolt pattern does not = a 3.0 Vulcan bolt pattern
In general, DOHC V engines don't fit well in Rangers because they're so wide. You run into clearance issues with the HVAC plenum on the passenger side, and steering shaft on the driver's side. Most DOHC swap attempts that I've seen have eliminated the heat and AC, and have custom steering shafts and exhaust headers for the driver's side.
The internet tells me that the Duratec V6 is about 26.5" wide, which is about an inch wider than a 4.6 SOHC, and half an inch wider than a 460 big block. So you could look for 4.6 SOHC or 460 swaps to get an idea of what might be involved in making a Duratec 3.0 fit into a Ranger engine bay. It's 1.5" narrower than a Coyote, and 3.5" narrower than a 4.6 DOHC though, and both of those have been swapped into Rangers.

 

[19Walt93]

It's a great engine if you can fit it in there. I bought a new Taurus with a duratech in 99 that would shift 1-2 at WOT at 6000 rpm's without breathing hard. I gave it to my daughter at 46,000 miles, she ran it to 195,000 miles and bought a new Flex so I sold it to one of my techs and he ran it 2 more years and traded it for a Mustang. The valve covers never came off.

 

[Dirtman]

Seems to me it would be the same amount of work to put a 2.7 or 3.5 ecoboost in it.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Highly impressive build using a 2.5 duratec in a Ford Sierra platform

Supercharged 2.5 V6 Duratec

Hi All Trying something different across here in Scotland, I have Supercharged a 2.5 V6 Duratec from a Ford Mondeo into a Ford Mk1 Escort shell grafted...

www.superchargerforums.com

 

[Ranger850]

Seems to me it would be the same amount of work to put a 2.7 or 3.5 ecoboost in it.

but those EB motors don't last long at the JY. I've watched several Lincoln LS's rot away at my JY. NONE have had a Manual tranny tho. Right now they have a V8 LS, almost untouched.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

This *has* been discussed before, and I posted information at that time showing that both engines were mated to both transaxles available for the Taurus. I even posted links to information backing up my claim. I've asked over on a Taurus forum that I belong to how Ford managed to do the impossible, so I'll post back when I get an answer.

I still think that if both engines can mate to the same transaxle in the Taurus, there has to be a way to swap the Duratec into a Ranger that currently has the Vulcan engine.

 

[19Walt93]

The Duratech and the Vulcan transaxles have different cases with different bell housing patterns, it's just the internals that are common. The 6F60 is used by GM, too, with common internals in different cases. Anything can be done if you're clever enough and willing to spend what it takes.

 

[adsm08]

Seems to me it would be the same amount of work to put a 2.7 or 3.5 ecoboost in it.

After some of my recent experiences with the 2.7 I will be advising everyone I know to stay FAR FAR FAR away from them.

Like, don't even buy an F-150 in case the 3.5 or 5.0 that was in there when you looked at it the first time accidentally turns into a 2.7. We can't seem to keep oil pans in them. I've seen reports of misformed or damaged block stiffeners leading to whole engine replacement for oil pan leaks. They have a non-reusable oil pan too. The goons at the factory can't seem to get the oil pan to seal properly in near-laboratory conditions, but somehow Ford expects us to be able to get it right in the field with oil still dripping out 12 hours later.

I have one that if it comes back again with the oil pan leaking I'm going to take the engine out, put it on a stand, and turn it upside down to put this pan on. I know it will take all week, and the job only pays 4 hours, but that would be round three with that truck, and I won't have a round four.

 

[Boss5096]

Not that I know of.

Get after it!

I am not actually new here, I had joined The Ranger Station along time ago but through moves lost the login info so like some others that are wondering and looking for a yes or no to this quetion, Will The 3.0 DURATEC bolt upto the Ranger 3.0 VULCAN transmission???

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I am not actually new here, I had joined The Ranger Station along time ago but through moves lost the login info so like some others that are wondering and looking for a yes or no to this quetion, Will The 3.0 DURATEC bolt upto the Ranger 3.0 VULCAN transmission???

The short answer is that it depends on who you ask. The collective opinion here is NO. It's not possible. HOWEVER, Ford did it in the Taurus. In the Taurus, during the years that the Duratec was offered, there were two different transaxles. The AX4N is the transaxle that is usually bolted up to the Vulcan. The AX4S is usually bolted to the Duratec. HOWEVER, the AX4S can also be had with a Vulcan engine.

I asked this question on a Taurus forum that knows their stuff, and even there there seems to be conflicting information. One poster said "no, the bolt pattern is different on the two engines", and that was that. Another poster suggests that the bell housing on the AX4S and AX4N seems to be the same, so it bolts up. So, the collective opinion over there is "Ford did it, but we can't seem to agree on how".

There was a thread here a while back, somebody talking about making adapter plates so that a VW engine could be dropped into a Ranger. Here it is: https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?threads/tdi-conversion-kit-for-ranger-want-one.156289/. Another thread here says that one of the Ranger transmissions has a removable bell housing, so to mount it to an engine other than the one that it was meant for, you use the bell housing intended for that engine/transmission combo.

My answer: Yes, it can be done. But, it will require some custom work. Actually, probably A LOT of custom work. Frankly, as I said above, if Ford used the same transaxle with two entirely different engines in the Taurus, I don't see why it couldn't work.

For the record, here are the answers I got on that other forum: https://www.taurusclub.com/threads/question-from-another-forum.351852/#post-3469975

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Here's the thread I referenced above: https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?threads/vulcan-vrs-durateck-3-0.182489/

It notes some other interesting ideas, that might be a better fit.

 

[8thTon]

For Ford it's not that big a deal to cast the housing or adapter to mate to a different engine with a different mounting pattern. For the rest of us that could be a bit of a project.