2003 FX4 4.0-5.0 swap couple questions

[JUSTA40RANGER]

well guys my computer skills are killing me on this project i have been over on the fordrangerforum and they don't know much about v8 swaps i hear you guys are a lot more knowledgeable on the topic i have a 2003 FX4 i have blown up 2 4.0's now i swapped the first one my self (biggest mistake of my life should have just done the 5.0 swap then and saved 1200 dollars for the price of the 4.0 i put in it that already blew up) so now i am looking for a doner explorer, i hear a different year explorer too buy from everyone, what really is the best year explorer to swap into an 03 4.0 thats my main question(98?). is there a automatic 5 speed i can bolt up to a 5.0? and should i literally just gut the whole ranger and explorer and put the entire explorer wire harness into the ranger does that work or do i have to cut bits and pieces out? im looking for an eddie bower explorer i want to have push button climate control and everything to be similar to rwenswing's truck i have tried talking to him about his truck but he seems like he does not want people knowing about it which is completely understandable not a single person knows what my cobra puts down or whats done to it so i see where he's coming from i just need someone that will talk to me for a bit and let me pick at there brain and answer a couple questions i have about this swap my truck is torn apart and i plan on starting to put the 5.0 in this week (i have a couple donors lined up) it is going to be a frame up restoration right now i have everything off the truck besides the cab,but the fenders bed motor ETC... is all ripped off and out. the plan is to have a full baja ranger with a blown 5,0 and full interior i know my way around a car and expessially rangers i have a 10 second 94 cobra its just time for the main Daily Driver to be fast haha im just new to V8 swapping them any information would be amazing!! im not some idiot you will have to explain what a spark plug is too just want to make sure everything i think i know is right so i don't mess this up and make it a super expensive driveway imprinter...

 

[V8 Level II]

....im looking for an eddie bower explorer i want to have push button climate control and everything to be similar to rwenswing's truck i have tried talking to him about his truck but he seems like he does not want people knowing about it which is completely understandable....

Really?

 

[JUSTA40RANGER]

Really?

woah wasn't expecting that haha yeah back in the day when i was planning for the swap i messaged you on fordrangerforum and it just seemed like you didn't want to tell about your truck, do you still have your famous truck i have the same exact truck just an off road not a levelII i constantly look at pictures of your truck it is exactly what iv dreamed of since the ranger came out

 

[V8 Level II]

IMO, 99~01 Ex 5.0 is most compatible with your 2003 Ranger. Same fuel system, many wiring similarities but a few differences.

98~01 Ex have a PATS that is not compatible with the 03 Ranger PATS. So, you'd have to deal with that if you swap any of those years. Either convert the Ranger from type E to type B PATS or use a tuner to turn PATS off in the Ex PCM.

96~98 Ex have a different fuel system that requires plumbing in a return line if used in a 98+ Ranger.

96~97 Ex do not have PATS, so using a donor from one of those years removes that complication. On the other hand, these do have a very different AC logic that is not compatible with the 5.0 Ranger system without modification.

So, any year 5.0 Ex you choose could be made to work in a 2003 Ranger. Each has strengths and weaknesses and, despite what you may hear on forums, none are 100% plug and play. I'd say that 98 is least desirable because it has both PATS and return fuel.

IMO, the best automatic to use is the proven Explorer 4R70W 4-speed electronic overdrive transmission from the 5.0 Explorer. The engine and trans are controlled by the same PCM. Over the years, there were changes in the wiring, controls and internal hard parts so the safest bet is to use the exact same year as the engine. The internal hard parts got important upgrades sometime around 98 or 99 model year so, in my opinion, that makes another good argument for using the 99~01 engine and transmission combo. Get a 4R70W in good condition and install a mild shift kit and you should be happy.

The Ranger harness needs changes to work with any of the 5.0 Ex engine/transmissions. However, more is alike than different between the two. Yes, you could swap over all of the electrical from the Ex. It's a lot of work and could create a few new issues to deal with. I found it easier to simply use the Explorer transmission and engine harnesses and mate them to the Ranger engine bay harness at the 42-pin and 12-pin connectors. Then fix up PATS and do some repinning. Either way should be workable though.

No matter what, you'll be way ahead if you get the Ford Wiring Diagrams manuals (AKA EVTM's), one for the exact year Ex donor and one for the exact year Ranger. Usually cheap and easy to find on eBay.

To make things go as smoothly as possible, these parts should be from the same or a 100% compatible year Ex donor:

Engine
Engine harnesses
Transmission
Transmission harness
Fuel rails and injectors
Cam position sensor
MAF sensor
PCM

There might be a couple more but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

Best to work from a complete donor Explorer because of all the odds and ends needed. I did mine piecemeal and it was slower and more expensive than it would have been from a donor.

EATC climate control - Several years ago, John Griggs (N3ELZ) posted an excellent and very thorough write up on the EATC conversion on his CarDomain site. UNFORTUNATELY, it appears to have been lost when CarDomain revamped their format a couple of years ago. John is no longer active on the Ranger boards and I have not been able to find his write up anywhere else.

Speedometer: When you remove the 2003 Ranger transmission and PCM, you no longer have a speed signal or the module to condition/adjust it. There are different strategies to deal with this but all that I've seen involve using the signal from the rear axle ABS sensor and wiring it to an aftermarket or Ford module.


The above is not everything everyone ever wanted to know about a 5.0 swap but it should give you somewhere to start when thinking about a donor.



Stuff to look at:

The ultimate 98+ Explorer-based 5.0 V8 swap thread.

2001~2003 Ranger 5.0l Swap Wiring Guide!!!!

Swapping An Explorer 5.0L In To A 1998-Up Ranger

Bob's swap project: Level II meets 5.0L - Ford Ranger Forum - The Ultimate Ford Ranger Resource





A suggestion - take it for what it's worth. A question written in one long rambling sentence without punctuation may make sense to you but it is VERY difficult to read. I'm sorry that I don't remember your note on the other forum but I get lots of requests for info and do my best to answer them. If you take the time to compose your questions in a form that's easier to decipher, I think that you'll get more and better information from myself and others.

 

[RangerSVT]

Rwenzing, I recorded an EATC writeup from cardomain on my computer, it could be the same one you're talking about. I can dig it up and send it if you need/want it...

SVT