2006 FX Level II 5.0L AWD swap, and the lessons I'm currently learning during this project...

[2Krngr]

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?



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[rubydist]

My understanding is that anything Ford that has a digital odometer, the PATS is integrated into the cluster. The cluster and the pcm talk to each other at the time of a crank request, and if they odometer readings don't match or the PATS signal is not received by the pcm, the engine does not start. My take on that is it will be impossible to use the 06 cluster. I would either try to use the cluster from the Exploder, or else find a 98-03 cluster at the jy to put in there.

I think you will be swapping a lot of wiring from the Ex to the Ranger to make this run. If you don't already have the factory wiring books for both vehicles, I would get those next.

 

[2Krngr]

My understanding is that anything Ford that has a digital odometer, the PATS is integrated into the cluster. The cluster and the pcm talk to each other at the time of a crank request, and if they odometer readings don't match or the PATS signal is not received by the pcm, the engine does not start. My take on that is it will be impossible to use the 06 cluster. I would either try to use the cluster from the Exploder, or else find a 98-03 cluster at the jy to put in there.

I think you will be swapping a lot of wiring from the Ex to the Ranger to make this run. If you don't already have the factory wiring books for both vehicles, I would get those next.

I have couple of the white face and the silver face clusters. I pulled the 06 cluster and the connectors and wiring is 100% different than the earlier style. Looks like it just may be the best route to transplant the entire explorer cabin/dash/engine bay harness over to the ranger. Which I can do since I have both, and just completely turn this damn Ranger into a 2000 Explorer and be done with it. Which I may do, but rather not. I'd really like to figure out the truth about what works and what doesn't, and what it takes to quickly and easily complete the swap in these final generation of rangers for the rest of the people out there that want to do it also.

I have all the volumes of the ford factory 2000 ranger and 2000 explorer books, but do not have the 2006 yet, this swap was kind of a spare of the moment thing I spontaneously jumped into after randomly acquiring both trucks so dirt cheap. I did get both trucks stripped and everything physically installed last weekend, and I would have been driving it already, that is, if it was a 98-2000 haha...

One thread I read someone was saying to plug the PATS module to the 06 harness and it would work insinuating that the harness is still there it just doesn't have the module plugged into it. Which seems unlikely to me, but I have not pulled the airbag or dash in this truck yet so I'm not sure whats back there.

 

[rubydist]

I am telling you with 100% certainty that there is not a way to "quickly and easily complete the swap in these final generation of Rangers". You will not be able to make the 06 cluster work with the Ex pcm.

 

[2Krngr]

Looking through alldata last night I see what you mean about the elimination of the seperate PATS Module.

The data lines travel between the Cluster and the PCM, instead of the PATS and PCM. I pulled the dash and there is no PATS module or harness, not that I expected one.

But the implementation of the Explorer PATS seems simple enough as it just need communication over the OBD data lines which are the same and pinned the same. So possibly transplanting the PATS module, with the Transceiver (as the wire colors are different and 2 go to the PCM), and tapping them to the OBD Data will be sufficient to enable start on the Explorer PCM. Since you would be skipping everything in the 06 truck's PATS setup.

I hooked up the 115 Engine harness last night and connected a Solus Legend to the OBD port and it read the Explorer PCM just fine, for fun I turned the Key and obviously a no start with a No Crank at all.

Since you seem to know a bit about the PATS system can you verify if the 2000 Explorer PATS induces a No Crank at all or just a No Fuel / No Spark but still Cranks? I've read all kinds of threads of people claiming different outcomes of a PATS 'no start'.

There was no Theft/PATS indicator on the cluster at all, so I have no info on it blinking or not.

The Odometer did light up and indicate the trucks real mileage.

Obviously the rest of the Cluster working is a whole different senario and has no bearing on the possible success of getting around PATS.

Below are the Type B and Type E PATS diagrams.

 

[2Krngr]

So I had a chance to test it, I stopped by the junkyard and cut out the PATS wiring from an explorer as to not mutilate the Explorer harness I have in case I do end up transplanting it.

I swapped the 06 Transceiver Ring with an Explorer (The explorer one is the White connector in the pic), plugged in my Explorers PATS module and Ignition Cylinder/Key, connected a ground, power, hot in start, and plugged the Tan+Pink data lines into the matching OBD port pins and then when trying to start it still did not crank.

I did not have the Dark Blue/Lt Green Theft Light hooked up to anything so I don't know what the blink activity was, which would be useful so maybe will hook and LED to it tomorrow to give me some indication of what whats PATS is doing.

 

[2Krngr]

Ok, so with a few quick trys at some stuff it does seem like the explorer PATS is being Satisfied. I added an led to the explorer PATS module and it does the normal ~2sec blink with key out, and when you turn it on the light goes out.

Although that is the pattern it should do, I wanted to test it further, when I swapped the old key cylinder/key back in, I would get very rapid blinking with the key in the on position, so I replaced the explorer cylinder/key back in, and swapped out the PCM with another 5.0 explorer PCM I have laying around and it too gave rapid blinking. As soon as I put the correct coded 5.0 PCM back in the PATS led satisfied normally. So it does seem with good confidence that everything is good there.

The truck still didn't start, there is no power with the Key on Start coming from the Yellow/LT GRN starter wire in the small subharness on the fender liner that has the AC and Starter feeds.

Then I got to thinking that since the Cluster/Key/PCM is the PATS in the truck, just because I have satisfied the 5.0 PCM doesn't mean the Cluster/Ignition PATS is satisfied and it is still actively killing the Ignition output from the cab.

So just a random thought here, if I power up the 4.0 PCM and also tap the 2 Data wires to it so its on the bus, and plug the 4.0 key Transponder with the cylinder laying in it, then it may satisfy PATS for the ignition?? Who knows, I may mess with it later tonight.

Not that running 2 full PATS systems separately is an ideal way to go, just trying to learn as much as possible, for everyone, while I have been messing around with it after work this week.

 

[2Krngr]

Ok, it has been a week, and I've dug alot deeper into this. I tried a Snap On Triton D10 to see what would happen if I tried to program the 5.0 ecu to the original PATS system/keys in the truck. Didn't work, and I have now verified the Cluster has absolutely nothing to do with a Type E PATS system. PATS is controlled by the PCM, for fun I verified this on a 2004 Level II truck I also have here by removing the cluster and starting the truck. Still started....

The Cluster has 2 CANBUS wires going to the OBD port, which you need to communicate with the cluster to set the mileage with, but the PATS is actually still the standard OBD databus directly between the transponder and the PCM on pins 13 and 14, all Ford has done is intergrate the external standalone module the Type B had into the PCM. The PCM then sends out the Theft light to the cluster bulb and has a ground output to the starter relay. That's all there is to the PATS.

With the Explorer Type B module and key transponder hooked up in the cabin and tapped into the obd port and pin 28 (starter relay wire) of the C110 grounded, the truck started. (this also included some other C115/C110 wiring changes which I will detail below)...

SIDE NOTE: from the previous discussion to clarify with a definitive answer, Type B PATS kills spark but allows the starter to still CRANK. Type E kills spark, and it ALSO KILLS CRANK by not providing ground to pin 28.

 

[2Krngr]

NOTE: (5.0 42 pin plug is called the C115, but on the 4.0 it is called the C110, they will however physically plug together)

One issue with the swap into this truck is that the C115 engine plug does not reach the C110 plug on the chassis. You can stretch the living hell out of them and make it connect for testing but you wouldn't leave it like that. So you really need to extend it before you are done, but it's need some rewiring as well.




So since the C110 needs to be changed around some anyway I just went to the junkyard and cut off an 5.0 explorer PCM harness, and then cut the 4.0 C110 connector/wiring out of the engine side harness from the old motor I pulled out.

 

[2Krngr]

The two 42 pin plugs for the swap do need some wiring changes, so what I decided to do was to make a jumper/extension harness that will allow me to route it down behind the intake manifold for a cleaner look and be an easy way to rewire them to match up.

Below is 5.0 on the left, and 4.0 on the right.

Went through Indentifix and Alldata and labeled all the functions and made a spreadsheet to share with everyone.

 

[2Krngr]

Below is the spreadsheet first draft, do not consider this final, but it was enough to get truck started.

The items in GREY are the pins that require no changes, they are the same function and the same pin position on both plugs.

You will notice it has the same pin 42 Yellow/White Alternator Sense wire issue that other year have, so that fix is the same as any other swap guide for getting the alternator to charge.

But the only change that is stopping it from starting is the Pin 1 Power to ignition coils. The 4.0 powers it's 1 coil from the PCM power, but the 5.0 has 2 coils on dedicated 25amp fuse, so I wouldn't want to just tap power for that pin from the Red Pin 9 like the 4.0 uses. So I had jumped a wire to the battery for the startup test and will loom in a feed for it.

The circuit number column allows you to search alldata, identifix, or the oem service manual/EWD books for the full diagram of that particular function. Maybe this will be helpful to others in the future doing this swap.

 

[2Krngr]

The next issue is the charge harness body connector. The 4.0 has a bunch of wires my 5.0 did not, although the wiring diagrams showed more functions in the connector for 5.0 mine didn't have.

In the column on the left the 3 grey lines are the only populated pins in my 5.0, which were Starter trigger and AC Clutch +/-

 

[2Krngr]

You cannot just plug the C125 and C139 connectors together like you can the C115 and C110. So I will have to change out one side to matching plug from the explorer. You can see the low oil pressure light and the battery/alt light for the 4.0 come through this harness, where the 5.0 both come from the PCM connection through the C115. I will feed these through the now unused pins 13/14 in the C115 that goes straight under the cluster area from original PATS Transceiver connection, no additional wires to run to cabin, easy enough to move those up from the old transceiver to the back of the cluster for the 2 light connections.

My explorer did not have digital message center in the center console, and I assume why it is missing so many pins.

Explorer:

Ranger:

 

[2Krngr]

So everything works the truck is done, I finished it that weekend but never posted an update. So for the sake of threads ending with no resolution here is a recap of what was done. It's actually a pretty easy swap.

So just making the jumper harness was pretty straight forward and gave the length to tuck it behind the motor.

 

[2Krngr]

For the typical required pin 42 Alternator charge wire mod needed, I just decided to add the proper wire on the truck side, and since the coilpack power wire needs to be added as well it made more since to take the time to just open up the truck side harness add the wires from the fuse box, instead of doing any additional wires and fuses externally.

And while the harness was open I just rerouted the oil pressure gauge/light wire from the charge harness back into the c115 where is needed to be.

The 2006 Fuse box has different pins underneath than the 99-01 Explorers did, so having the explorer box didn't help much so I went to the junkyard and depinned some wires from a newer ranger fusebox and added them into two empty spots in the Rangers fuse box, this allow OEM fused inside the OEM box to power up the Alternator Charge wire and the Coilpack Power wire like it would be from the factory. (There are many open/empty fuse locations in the Ranger fuse box, but there are no wire/pins in those locations, so if you add the pins into you can then use the spaces for more active fuses)

I then removed a module from the Explorers fuse box housing which snapped into the empty back right corner of the Ranger box to add the ECU Power DIODE and wired it inline after the ECU power relay already in the box. (The 99-01 Explorers use a Diode (essentially a one way check valve) on the ECU and the 2006 ranger does not (maybe it has one built inside the ECU I'm not sure), most people never use the diode when swapping Expo 5.0s into other vehicles, but I had it and it was super easy to do so I decided to add it in for a layer of protection against any possible shorts from frying the ecu.