2.9 to 3.0 litre swap

[mikeE72]

hi took the truck out again today and as usual something else is broke. this time its a decent knock and no one agrees on where its coming from. at this point i am ready to ditch this motor and through something else in. a 5.0 litre would be great but i really dont need all the power and i think id wind up tearing the rest of the truck up but i do have a 8.8 rearend with 4.10 gears laying around which will be swaped into the truck regardless of what motors in it. the five litre is still being considered but i found a 2000 3.0 L motor out of a rolled truck and was wonderin if that would be easier to swap and what i would have to do to swap it.

thanks
mike E
also any information is helpful

 

[Psychopete]

They're both a pain, but IMO, an OBD-I 5.0L would be easier.

Best bet would be to find distributor style OBD-I 3.0L,

or even better a OBD-I 4.0L. Search the site for more info on that for the best donor for an easier plug and play swap.

The eariler 3.0L would dodge the CPS syncro issue and would be an easier transplant (and maybe even cheaper?).

Pete

 

[AllanD]

on an '88?

It's no different from swapping a 4.0 into any other '86-88 ranger.

MEchanically the 4.0 is an EASY "bolt-in" where the difficulty lies
is the electrical stuff.

On an '89-92 Ranger swapping in a '90-94 4.0 is literally a matter
of getting the PROPER wiring harness to match the donor engine.

This sounds straight forward, but 90-91 use one harness, '92, '93 & '94
are all different from one another complicating things quite a bit.

Add to that the differences between Rangers and explorers...
particularly the difference between the '93 & '94 explorers
relative to '93-94 Rangers.

I think I have it all straight in my head but my attempting a
full data transfer to someone on this subject has not met with
any success yet....

Even little things like changes in the connector shells,
Ford switched from a round connector to a squarish one
between '91 & '92 where the management harness connects
to the "On-Engine" harness.

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[mikeE72]

would a carburated motor be easier to instal or should i just stick with efi and does anyone know of a step by step instal or a manual that covers the swap. i found a 92 4.0l how different would the wiring be on that. and also would a 5.0 work out of a thunder bird
thanks

 

[AllanD]

a carburetor is a device that under any given circumstances provides
the WRONG ammount of fuel to the engine.

People who have driven EFI engines for any length of time have
usually forgotten just how annoying carbs can be.

Let me give you a hint, the very last vehicle I owned with a carb
(other than my riding mower) was my 1979 Toyota 2wd with it's
prepped 20R with sidedraft Mikuni/Webers.
And that wasn't really a daily driver.

I have ZERO intention of owning another carb.

AD

 

[mikeE72]

thanks allan i understand where you are coming from i am a semi pro motocross ridder and do all work on mine and my dads bike and yes carb are more of a pain with the adjustment but i figured the instalation would be much easier

 

[mkpecor]

ill never own a cab any ever again. why wast your time with a 3.0? they make almost no more power than a 2.9. , i would go 4.0 or a 5.0.

 

[mikeE72]

its decided im going with a 4L that im getting from a friends junkyard tomorow. i think its coming from a 91 or so explorer does anyone have any tips on this swap. the reason why im doin the swap so soon is because i blew my 2.9 today

 

[mkpecor]

just start researching. tech section is a good start.

 

[Mechanickid]

Mcpecor is right. tech section is great for the 4.0 swap. I do believe the exhaust y pipes on a 2.9 is the same as a 4.0 so thats a help. Wiring is your biggest problem on a 4.0 swap. Plus what trans do you have? Make sure you have a stout trans for that 4.0.

 

[mikeE72]

i have the manual trans. iwirring is deff going to be a issue. but im confussed i did some research on the tech section but i still dont know do i need just the engine harness or do i need everything under the hood from the explorer. brought the engine home today it actually looks pretty good but looks can be decieving and the guy who i bought it from gave me a written 90 day warranty. also do i need the compressor even though i wont be running or hookin up the rest of the ac
thanks

 

[Hahnsb2]

Well, you can use the entire harness and dash from the sploder (this sucks on 88-down since the dash doesn't bolt up with existing holes, also have to swap steering collum and pedal assembly, ect) or you can just do the engine harness and splice away like I'm doing. I suggest getting a chiltons manual for both rigs to help with wiring.

 

[mikeE72]

great thanks so sll i need is the engine harness and ill gave to do some work splicing

also will the computer and power dist box from a 94 work on a 91 and how can i be sure my engines a 91 is there a code or something

thanks

 

[Hahnsb2]

No, the 94 engines are quite different from 91, you shouldn't need the power box if you're only using the engine harness.

 

[mikeE72]

thats what the swap article said i needed how can i tell if its truely a 91