2.3 to 4.0 swap?

[paperman]

i have a problem and it seems that i have come to the right place to ask.I've looked at some of the other swaps on here and got alot of good information.

I have a 94 ranger 2wd with a 2.3 five speed(i don't remember the type of transmission) in it. its got 205,000 miles on it and runs fine but lacks power.

I also have a 93 aerostar with a 4.0 automatic.i use this for work and it has pretty decent power compared to my ranger. I was wondering if i found another cheap but good running aerostar with a 4.0 could i use that as a donor?

I know the one of the hardest things will be lifting the vehicle off the body to remove the engine? but it could be done right? I just thought that with the wiring and outher things on a donor vehicle it would be cheaper? the reason i asked about the aerostar is that a donor ranger in my area still go for a pretty good penny and aerostars in good condition in my area are cheaper? about half as much as a ranger.

 

[thump690]

I am looking at doing the same swap on my 96 xlt 2.3 I am looking for any informtion i can get. Should i get a junkyard donor or spend the money and get a new one. The only are i am short on knowledge is the electrical area. from what i have seen everyone is saying to pull the puter and all wiring from the donor and is "plug and play" Fom what i have seen thus far you should be able to use the areostar as a donor just pull everything the computer with all the wiring as well. good luck

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Explorer's are the most common donors. I see plenty of them in junkyards around here with "good 4.0, bad auto trans" painted on the windsheilds. One time I asked a junkyard what they wanted for a 4.0 and they laughed and said "50 bucks if you pull it"!

As for the manual transmission, the 2.3 and 4.0 ranger use the same model trans but the 4.0 has a different bellhousing and larger clutch. So you'd need to get a 4.0 trans to go with it.

As for the wiring, since all ranger based vehicles (rangers, explorers, aerostars, bronco IIs) have almost identical wiring harnesses, you'll just need to grab the 4.0 computer and wiring harness. Just use pieces of the explorer harness as you need them to convert the 2.3 harness to a 4.0 harness. Much of the existing harness will be reused (mostly stuff having to do with the dash). I'm pretty sure there are some write ups about 4.0 swaps so you should look around.