Motor swap

[ApolloMocha]

I've got a 97 ford ranger and a 99 Ford ranger.
The 97 runs and drives great but has major body damage, has been wrecked and has a warped frame, looking to swap the motor and transmission over into the 99, wanting to know if it's doable, and if so what will it take to do so. It's a 3.0 v6 motor so I know it's a good motor, looking to rebuild some parts when I swap just to make it stronger since it has almost 500k miles on it. Reason for swapping is because I don't have the money to buy a motor otherwise I would

 

[stmitch]

Swaps are done all the time. The more that's similar between the two trucks, the easier it will be.

What engine and trans was in the 99 originally?

 

[ApolloMocha]

I'm not sure I bought it without one

 

[ApolloMocha]

Swaps are done all the time. The more that's similar between the two trucks, the easier it will be.

What engine and trans was in the 99 originally?

If it had a 4 cylinder would the 3.0 fit is what I'm mainly asking, I don't know what size motor was in it but worse comes to worse it was the smallest motor and just trying to see if I could still make it fit

 

[pjtoledo]

decode the VIN to find what engine was in it. I think the 8th digit (letter) denotes the engine.
are they both 2WD, 4WD, or a combination?
coil springs or torsion bars for front suspension?
what transmissions are involved? in Rangers the transmission must match the engine family.
with the correct mounts any V6 engine should bolt into a Ranger frame., not sure about 4 cylinders.

the 99 will have PATS, Passive Anti Theft System. that is built into the computer and will require the same engine.

do a search on user RonD for details on PATS.

 

[Blmpkn]

The absence/presence of a clutch pedal would tell you what trans came in it. I think there should be a sticker somewhere in the engine bay that said what motor it had in it.

 

[stmitch]

If it had a 4 cylinder would the 3.0 fit is what I'm mainly asking, I don't know what size motor was in it but worse comes to worse it was the smallest motor and just trying to see if I could still make it fit

Of course the 3.0 can be made to fit. The issue is that there are a hundred different little things that might be different between a 97 with a 3.0 and a 99 with ??? engine and trans originally.

If you're going from auto trans to manual (or vice versa) it makes the swap more difficult. Still possible, but more work and money.
If you're putting a 3.0 into a truck that had a different engine originally it makes the swap more difficult. Still possible, but more work and money.

We can't tell you just how much work and money it will be with nothing but some exterior pics and very few details. If you can share more details about both trucks, then we can be more detailed in our responses. What I can tell you, is that the 3.0 has a unique bellhousing bolt pattern, so you'll need to take both the engine and trans from the 97. There were some significant changes to Rangers in general in 98 (new front frame sections) that could impact engine mounts, exhaust routing, and wiring.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If it had a 4cylinder or 4.0 in the 99 the wireing, motormounts, and trans will all be different.

However that being said, besides styling and moving to SLA in 98, there shouldnt be alot of difference between the 97 and 99, so you should be able to (mostly) just unbolt stuff outta the 97 and bolt into the 99 regardless of what was originally in then99

 

[ApolloMocha]

decode the VIN to find what engine was in it. I think the 8th digit (letter) denotes the engine.
are they both 2WD, 4WD, or a combination?
coil springs or torsion bars for front suspension?
what transmissions are involved? in Rangers the transmission must match the engine family.
with the correct mounts any V6 engine should bolt into a Ranger frame., not sure about 4 cylinders.

the 99 will have PATS, Passive Anti Theft System. that is built into the computer and will require the same engine.

do a search on user RonD for details on PATS.

I'll take some more pictures including vin numbers and all for everyone to look at, but bottom line I'm more less trying to get the motor from the 97 since it's all worn out, warped frame and all. motor and transmission are still great and work like a dream just need a new body for them both which is why I bought the 99 hoping it would match up, but I feel the 99's bay is smaller than the 97's

 

[ApolloMocha]

If it had a 4cylinder or 4.0 in the 99 the wireing, motormounts, and trans will all be different.

However that being said, besides styling and moving to SLA in 98, there shouldnt be alot of difference between the 97 and 99, so you should be able to (mostly) just unbolt stuff outta the 97 and bolt into the 99 regardless of what was originally in then99

I'm looking to change all the wiring if needed. I know it's doable just time consuming

 

[ApolloMocha]

Of course the 3.0 can be made to fit. The issue is that there are a hundred different little things that might be different between a 97 with a 3.0 and a 99 with ??? engine and trans originally.

If you're going from auto trans to manual (or vice versa) it makes the swap more difficult. Still possible, but more work and money.
If you're putting a 3.0 into a truck that had a different engine originally it makes the swap more difficult. Still possible, but more work and money.

We can't tell you just how much work and money it will be with nothing but some exterior pics and very few details. If you can share more details about both trucks, then we can be more detailed in our responses. What I can tell you, is that the 3.0 has a unique bellhousing bolt pattern, so you'll need to take both the engine and trans from the 97. There were some significant changes to Rangers in general in 98 (new front frame sections) that could impact engine mounts, exhaust routing, and wiring.

Both transmissions were automatics luckily, and 2wd. Both trucks ran the same way pretty much, just idk about what size motor or trans was in the 99, if there's a easy way of finding out for both I'm open to listening as I've never actually owned or worked on a ranger before.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I'm looking to change all the wiring if needed. I know it's doable just time consuming

Shouldnt be *that* bad.
Just pull the harness as a piece and reinstall

 

[don4331]

Both transmissions were automatics luckily, and 2wd. Both trucks ran the same way pretty much, just idk about what size motor or trans was in the 99, if there's a easy way of finding out for both I'm open to listening as I've never actually owned or worked on a ranger before.

Take pictures of the door (federal) sticker. We can decipher them for you in matter of moments.

 

[stmitch]

I'll take some more pictures including vin numbers and all for everyone to look at, but bottom line I'm more less trying to get the motor from the 97 since it's all worn out, warped frame and all. motor and transmission are still great and work like a dream just need a new body for them both which is why I bought the 99 hoping it would match up, but I feel the 99's bay is smaller than the 97's

The size of the engine bays should be nearly identical. They put the 3.0 in Rangers until 2009. There won't be any issues with physical size.
There's a pretty decent chance that the 99 had a 3.0 or 4.0 originally (extended cab 4 cylinders were uncommon).
Ideally, the 99 would've had a 3.0. Then you can keep the 99 PCM and wiring in place and just switch over the engine. Things will get a bit more involved if the 99 wasn't originally a 3.0, but still doable.