3.0 to 4.0 swap

[Fireball]

Hello, first time posting anything on this great site but here we go.
I have a 1994 ford Ranger 3.0 4x4 with a M5Od transmission and want to swap the 3.0 with a 1994 4.0.
Can anone tell me what all I will have to change to make it work?

 

[adsm08]

Pretty straight forward on a 94. You need an engine, trans, wiring, computer, and probably a Y-pipe.

 

[Fireball]

Thank you Hillbilly Deluxe. I have one more question. Will the M50d transmission work on either engine? The 3.0 and 4.0

 

[RonD]

No, as adsm08 said you need 4.0l and trans

M5OD-R1 has integrated bell housing, doesn't come off
3.0l and 4.0l have different bell housing patterns, so no they won't interchange.

Transfer case from the 3.0l trans will bolt to 4.0l 4x4 M5OD-R1 trans
And because speedometer cable hook up(1994 was last year of speedo cables) is on the transfer case you could use any 4.0l 4x4 M5OD-R1 transmission from 1990 to 2012 I would think, that includes the M5OD-R1HD 4x4 transmisions

Needs to be a 4x4 trans, 2WD trans could be converted using tail shaft and housing from your 3.0l M5OD-R1 though, just an extra layer of work

 

[Fireball]

4.0 for 3.0

Thanks for the valuable information. Will I have to make any changes for the 4.0 engine wiring to hook up in my truck that had a 3.0?

 

[adsm08]

You need the engine harness, the dash and body harnesses should be ok to keep.

 

[AllanD]

saying "the engine harness" could be kind of misleading...


After you find a donor you start by opening the hood and starting at the engine management computer which is mounted in the firewall on the drivers side.
take the computer and the 60-pin connector and disconnect the big square connector
at the bulkhead Connector to the dash harness and take it ALL

And work your way around the engine compartment and disconnect EVERYTHING because
you basically need every bit of wiring in the engine bay, it is essentially all-one-piece.

Done this way an engine swap usually works first try with no aggrevations

As it happens I have a '93 3.0 supercab I need to convert myself...

Be aware there is no difference in the "main harness" between an Auto or manual trans
the difference there is made in the sub-harness that connects the engine instruments,
Oil level, Oil Pressure, Coolant temp guage and the transmission connections.
This "daughter" harness also contains the bypass wire that eliminates the auto transmission Neutral safety switch.

 

[Fireball]

3.0 to 4.0

I really do thank all for the information that was given. This really helps when you aren't sure about what it takes to do this job. Now I know what I need to do the job. I wasn't sure how to hook the engine wiring harness to the wiring harness in the engine compartment. I knew I had to change the computer but that was it. Things look a lot better now. I will probably have to ask more questions after rounding up everything and get it all installed. Now I feel like I stand a good chance of making this work without a lot of hassle. Thanks

 

[AllanD]

Well, aside from the bell-housing pattern not being the same between the 3.0 and the 4.0 engines, there is another issue...

I converted my 1987 to a 4.0 and I had already been running an '88-91 2.9 M5OD-R1, and as you may have already read the 2.9 has the same bell-housing pattern as the 4.0
so I kept running the 2.9 trans, which worked fine for about two years until the 4.0 engine literally twisted the output-shaft off in the T-case input.

In the case of the 1993 I'm about to swap, I already have an 4.0 M5OD-R1HD
to put in the 1993 when it goes back together.

People who know me well are generally aware I am a parts scrounger/packrat
who usually has enough parts on-hand to build an entire truck from parts
(I actually have a spare FRAME and a spare Cab for my gen1)

And as a note that's why I have to get the 1993 running, so I have something to drive while I replace the cab on my 1987 Supercab.



You will need some things like a radiator, radiator hoses and throttle cable,
but the motor mounts are the same...

 

[Fireball]

Hope you don't get tired of me asking questions about the 3.0 to 4.0 swap for the 94 ranger but could you tell me the years of trucks that the wiring harnesses would work out of or would it only work out of a 1994? I just want to try to get it right the first time. If I"m not mistaken, my truck is an OBD1. Would an OBD2 wiring harness work in it or should I try to stick to OBD1?

 

[AllanD]

'93-94 are the only years that would be a direct fit.

And depending on the specific donor engine you might specifically want '93 or '94.

Also for the record '93(California) or late 1994 might actually be SEFI.

If you have EGR, you also have SEFI...


Frankly I'd recommend avoiding SEFI, Like I'd recommend avoiding bending over
in a prison shower... or sharing a needle with a junkie whore...

SEFI is not the issue, but several of the sensors to make it work are the opposite of reliable... specifically the cam position sensor which is difficult to install correctly.
Additionally SEFI automatically also means EGR, not that I have a problem with EGR,
but the sensors that tell the engine that the EGR is working correctly (especially the DPFE) and the way the SEFI computers go absolutely ape-shit when fed erratic readings...

IMO, STAY AWAY from SEFI.

EEC5 is another can of worms that is best left unopened... especially since it also absolutely requires a dash swap to make it all work..

I specifically chose a 1993 Non-SEFI Explorer as the donor for my project for the stated reasons....

Also the Batch fire engines seem to run better and get better mileage, than the 1994 SEFI engines

 

[Jacobstokes]

Hello, first time posting anything on this great site but here we go.
I have a 1994 ford Ranger 3.0 4x4 with a M5Od transmission and want to swap the 3.0 with a 1994 4.0.
Can anone tell me what all I will have to change to make it work?

I have a 2004 ranger with a 3.0 with an automatic and it originally and I’m converting it to the Four point now with a manual transmission I am wondering if the wiring harness is where the engine plugs and the main harness if the pin outs are the same because I don’t wanna have to pull that other body wiring harness off the donor truck if you guys could help me out I would greatly appreciate it

 

[bobbywalter]

I have a 2004 ranger with a 3.0 with an automatic and it originally and I’m converting it to the Four point now with a manual transmission I am wondering if the wiring harness is where the engine plugs and the main harness if the pin outs are the same because I don’t wanna have to pull that other body wiring harness off the donor truck if you guys could help me out I would greatly appreciate it

Is it 04 to 04?

If so interfacing just the eec harness is workable iirc.

 

[Jacobstokes]

Is it 04 to 04?

If so interfacing just the eec harness is workable iirc.

I’m not understanding what your saying

 

[Ranger850]

I’m not understanding what your saying

What year is your truck and what year is the donor motor.