4.0L swap...could use a lil help...

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I'm beginning to think that I got in a lil over my head on this one... I'm getting so fed up with the truck sitting for so long that I'm about to yank the 4.0L out, put it up for sale, and drop a 2.9 back in.

The engine is out of who-knows-what. The computer is from a 91 ranger. The wiring harness for the engine and computer is out of an early 90's ranger (90-92). The vehicle this whole mess is in is my 1988 Bronco II Eddie Bauer 4x4 with a4ld auto trans.

What it comes down to is that everything is hooked up except for the electrical connections on the drivers side up by the firewall. I know how to work on electronics but have difficulty identifying some wire colors at times and almost always am working by myself which makes tracing wires slightly more difficult now that I got it all installed.

I can read wiring schematics, but those "wiring diagrams" that hanes and chilton manuals provide are, as far as I'm concerned, terrible. I've studied them for awhile and I can't seem to make enough sense out of it all. I've looked over the stuff for 4.0L swaps that I can find and haven't seemed to have had much luck figuring out the wiring part, everyone just says to get some good wiring diagrams... I'd be better off with a schematic than a diagram...

So I guess what I'm asking is either for someone who may have a better wiring schematic/diagram than what is offered by hanes and chilton to copy/scan the stuff an send it to me. I would assume that a factory shop manual would have such a creature....but I don't have a factory shop manual yet.

The other possibility that I can think of is if someone could either physically help me with putting it all together or if they can identify which connections I have to make for me. I have a list somewhere of all the wire colors on each side of the connections....


So...help? Please??

 

[crbnunit]

All I can say is good luck. I just had a similar experience with a 3.0/4.0 swap. Opening the harness is a PIA and I had the schematics!

 

[HareRazor]

Not related to your wiring problems, but were the exhaust Y pipe and fuel lines the same from the 4.0 and the 2.9? I am assuming not but i am just curious.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Y-pipe bolts up fine, fuel lines need to be adapted though. I ended up creating my own adaptors with the help of a local parts store.

 

[Will]

You have to be methodical. For me, that means a list of what wires on the truck aren't mated in one column and a list of what wires in the engine in a second. Then figure out what they are for in both and draw lines across to match them. Any missing parts will be quickly identified as well during the process.

Tracing wires is not an option. Or even possible. Make the two lists and we'll all see what we can help identify. Don't mind the connectors--just wire color and stripe color. A good 3-cell mag will be a boon to reading them as you can't identify color in the dim; your eyes aren't made for that.

Schematics take patience. The Haynes ones are copies of Ford stuff, but they are tiny. The Ford ones are large. Confusing and requiring tons of patience to follow through several pages without getting lost, but a lot better. I've loaned a few out but should have them back soon. I have some I could help with. But you need your two columns first.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ok, here's the details... if any clarification is needed, just let me know.

The truck is a 1988 Bronco II 2.9L a4ld 4x4 Eddie Bauer.

Engine is a 4.0 out of something, engine and computer harness are from a 1991 or 1992 4.0L Ranger, not sure what the trans harness is from, it came with the engine. (Engine was supposed to be from a 1991 4.0L Explorer, but the engine harness that was on it matched neither a 1991 Ranger or a 1991 Explorer harness.) Anyway, below is the list of the colors I have to match up, any questions I’ll try to answer as best I can. I’m going to try to retain the stock starter solenoid because the starter I got with the motor had a fubar solenoid. Colors are solid first, stripe color second.

There’s one plug on the passenger side of the truck, on the computer harness that ends by the battery, no idea where those wires are supposed to go.

Wires:
Black-green
Black-purple
Yellow

Transmission harness plugs:

Small plug:
Green-yellow
Red

Black plug:
Red
Green-yellow
Green-yellow (thick wire)
Orange
Purple-yellow

Gray plug:
Pink
Red-light blue
Dark red-white
White-red
White-pink
Purple-light purple
Purple-yellow

Computer harness ends on driver’s side:

Small plug:
Red
Green-yellow

Black plug:
Red
Purple-yellow
Orange
Light purple-yellow
Gray-purple

Black plug:
Black-white
Green-black
Pink-black
Pink-orange

Grey plug:
Red
Red
Orange-black
Grey-purple
White-pink
Green
Purple-yellow
White-yellow

Plugs in the truck on the driver’s side:

Small gray plug:
Green-white
Black-light green

Small black plug:
Purple
Green
Black-light green

Large gray plug:
Red-light blue
Red-white
Purple-light green
Black-white

Black plug:
White-red
Black-white
Red-white
Green
White-green
White-red?black?(stripe is nearly completely worn off)

Grey plug:
Red-light blue
Purple
Black-light green
Pink-black
White-black
Green-yellow
Fusible link Red-light green
Fusible link Gray-yellow

 

[Will]

All I have right now is my '83 diagram. My '91 4.0 and '89 2.9 diagrams, plus the EVTM book are on their way back to me from bronc. When I get them back I'll send them to you but I need them back again. Sound good? Just stay on my ass about it because I mean well but I tend to forget things unless I trip over them constantly.

see this post:
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246

 

[AllanD]

If you want to come and take notes you can come over and look at my wiring harness.

I have a 93 4.0 explorer engine and most of it's wiring harness installed into my '87 supercab.

I'm also in pennsylvania but I don't know where Butler PA is.

AD

 

[stegomon]

ever thought of swapping in a gen 2 dash so the wireing that plugs into the fire wall will just plug in...then all you have to do is deal with head lights.....just an idea....but i will tell you this is why i will not swap in a 4.0 into a gen one...gen 2..done it twice..no spicing...but i think i was lucky

good luck bud

 

[Will]

Well, I did a Gen2 > Gen2 and there was definately splicing. It was a '91 into an '89. I left the big firewall connector that came with the '89 and plugged the '91 harness into it. It took about 12 splices right near that connector to make it work.

SInce things are always changing, and in '89 there wasn't a 4.0 yet, the wiring isn't provided for it in the basic harness. If you did a '90 B2 and put in a '90 4.0, I think it's likely everything could plug right in.

 

[Will]

By the way, it's easy to swap all the crap over into a Gen 1. I did it to put a Gen2 2.9 setup into an '83. And that's the cab I'm going to put on my B2. The computer is in the same spot so all you have to do is rip out all of the engine wiring and put the new stuff in. The layout is easy. It's the detail work that takes time.

 

[arrabil]

I'm also in pennsylvania but I don't know where Butler PA is.

Having visited both of you I can safely say you're 400 miles apart.

 

[351ranger]

All I can say is don't get rid of the 4.0. I just got mine back from getting wired up from bobby walter and my god is it amazing the power difference between the 2.9 and 4.0. I can burn the hell out of my 36's without a problem. Do what ever you have to do to keep that 4.0 in there.

 

[AllanD]

I've got mine running now and I can tell you that anything
the 2.9 could do Wide OpenThrottle the 4.0 will do just by
taking the slack out of the throttle cable....

or atleast that's the way it seems...

No, it isn't really all that much faster or that much quicker,
but it seems like the 2.9 had to be howling to do it's job
while the 4.0 just seems to loaf along effortlessly....

Mind you this is a truck I've had for.... twelve or foruteen years
and I've put more than a quarter million miles on it
(and I got it from a friend who was the original owner) with 120K on the odo

so trust me, the 4.0 is WELL WORTH IT! (Sorry Rusty)

AD

 

[CopyKat]

Like Will said you need to separate the wireing. Make a list that has truck side and a list that has engine side.

Plug colors mean nothing, I'm not about to look through 30 lines of wire colors baised on plug color.

There are only a few wires that need to be spliced to get the engine running. Everything else is guages.

Now if you want to get this running. Listen/read and get to work! When you get stuck ask a question. Not "I have 30 wires, which are what and where do they go?"


FWIW I used the Haynes diagrams. I had the Chilton ones untill my Dog ate them. But everything is there, you just need to interpret them right. The more diagrams you have the more confusing it is.