- Joined
- Sep 27, 2016
- Messages
- 245
- Reaction score
- 136
- Points
- 43
- Vehicle Year
- 2000 Supercab
- Make / Model
- Stepside
- Engine Type
- V8
- Engine Size
- 5.0L GT40
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 2WD
I have a 2006 FX4 Level II that I am almost done swapping that has a couple snafus.
I have been buying Level II trucks to strip the black interiors out of, and I picked up an extremely nice black interior truck the other month that had the typical broken timing chain cassette problem with SOHC, which allowed me to get a super clean truck for real cheap.
I was going to fix the timing chain and resell the truck but once I pulled the engine and checked it out, internally it was more than f***ed. Then I ran across super low mileage 2000 5.0 expo with a completed rusted under body for $700, same price I paid for the last one I bought, and decided to build a 5.0 AWD Lowered Level II street truck (blasphemy for a level II I know...) for my daily driver since it was such nice clean truck otherwise and I got it so cheap. Buying a whole Explorer is the way to go, and as I found on this project I am sure glad I have the entire truck at my disposal because I sure needed it. The truck started, ran, drove, and shifted great. Another reason to buy the whole explorer for a swap instead of a pullout motor, you are able to test it to see how it runs and shifts before you go through the trouble of the swap.
There is a fair amount of info on 2001-2004 v8 swaps but almost none on the 2006 and newer models. What I have read as the major issues being the Cluster and PATS.
Well, as I have found the Steering rack is different, as the hose connections have switched from threaded to o-ring quick connects. Luckily I had the explorer to take the rack from, and the ranger and explorer take different part number inner tie rods. And for anyone that has removed the rack/pinion from a 4x4 frame you know it is HELL to get out from inside the frame. And you really need to remove the inner tierods first to shimmy it out anyway, so I installed new MOOG Ranger inners on the Explorer rack since they were off and reinstalled it into the Ranger so I won't have to do it again.
The 2006 has different fuel line connections, so the 5.0l fuel line does not plug into the Ranger. The Explorer manifold-to-filter hardline is much to short to use, so you really need one from a pre-05 Torsion bar frame truck, I pulled one from a 02 Edge at the junkyard which was a direct swap.
The fuse boxes are COMPLETELY different. Along with the charging harness that connects to it.
So everything mechanically is now swapped into the truck currently, and I will be starting to investigate the wiring today. The charging harness is very different, and I have not approached looking at the motor to chassis plug yet to see how different that is. I know the interior GEM/Gauge cluster situation is updated and not the same setup anymore.
So I do not know what I'm getting into just yet, all the info I find just basically says, 'it's different and it doesn't work'... Although I read one thread (I will find it again and link it here later) where the guy had a 2006 and it 'SEEMED' like he was saying that he just plugged the motor harness in and everything worked, even the speedo, but his temp gauge was a little off. But I did not see any mention of the different charging harnesses.
PATS is of course the other issue, in the previous trucks I just swapped the key cylinder and pats module behind the dash. On the 2006 since it's integrated into the 4.0 ECU, I'm not sure the wiring is there for the PATS module or if I can simply transplant the explorer harness over? Worse case I will run a Quarterhorse or SCT to deal with PATS, but I'd rather keep PATS if it is transplantable.
I will add some pics and more info on what I find out on the wiring today, but just wondering if anyone here has done a 06+ swap or has any knowledge of the charging harness, pats, and cluster. And is the consensus here that the Motor-to-Chassis (connector 115) plug still works without any repinning?
.
I have been buying Level II trucks to strip the black interiors out of, and I picked up an extremely nice black interior truck the other month that had the typical broken timing chain cassette problem with SOHC, which allowed me to get a super clean truck for real cheap.
I was going to fix the timing chain and resell the truck but once I pulled the engine and checked it out, internally it was more than f***ed. Then I ran across super low mileage 2000 5.0 expo with a completed rusted under body for $700, same price I paid for the last one I bought, and decided to build a 5.0 AWD Lowered Level II street truck (blasphemy for a level II I know...) for my daily driver since it was such nice clean truck otherwise and I got it so cheap. Buying a whole Explorer is the way to go, and as I found on this project I am sure glad I have the entire truck at my disposal because I sure needed it. The truck started, ran, drove, and shifted great. Another reason to buy the whole explorer for a swap instead of a pullout motor, you are able to test it to see how it runs and shifts before you go through the trouble of the swap.
There is a fair amount of info on 2001-2004 v8 swaps but almost none on the 2006 and newer models. What I have read as the major issues being the Cluster and PATS.
Well, as I have found the Steering rack is different, as the hose connections have switched from threaded to o-ring quick connects. Luckily I had the explorer to take the rack from, and the ranger and explorer take different part number inner tie rods. And for anyone that has removed the rack/pinion from a 4x4 frame you know it is HELL to get out from inside the frame. And you really need to remove the inner tierods first to shimmy it out anyway, so I installed new MOOG Ranger inners on the Explorer rack since they were off and reinstalled it into the Ranger so I won't have to do it again.
The 2006 has different fuel line connections, so the 5.0l fuel line does not plug into the Ranger. The Explorer manifold-to-filter hardline is much to short to use, so you really need one from a pre-05 Torsion bar frame truck, I pulled one from a 02 Edge at the junkyard which was a direct swap.
The fuse boxes are COMPLETELY different. Along with the charging harness that connects to it.
So everything mechanically is now swapped into the truck currently, and I will be starting to investigate the wiring today. The charging harness is very different, and I have not approached looking at the motor to chassis plug yet to see how different that is. I know the interior GEM/Gauge cluster situation is updated and not the same setup anymore.
So I do not know what I'm getting into just yet, all the info I find just basically says, 'it's different and it doesn't work'... Although I read one thread (I will find it again and link it here later) where the guy had a 2006 and it 'SEEMED' like he was saying that he just plugged the motor harness in and everything worked, even the speedo, but his temp gauge was a little off. But I did not see any mention of the different charging harnesses.
PATS is of course the other issue, in the previous trucks I just swapped the key cylinder and pats module behind the dash. On the 2006 since it's integrated into the 4.0 ECU, I'm not sure the wiring is there for the PATS module or if I can simply transplant the explorer harness over? Worse case I will run a Quarterhorse or SCT to deal with PATS, but I'd rather keep PATS if it is transplantable.
I will add some pics and more info on what I find out on the wiring today, but just wondering if anyone here has done a 06+ swap or has any knowledge of the charging harness, pats, and cluster. And is the consensus here that the Motor-to-Chassis (connector 115) plug still works without any repinning?
.
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