5.0 Manual Swap into 2000 Ranger

[Mkcday23]

Hello I am new to this form so I apologize if im in the wrong section or if these questions have been answered a million times.

Im looking into swapping a 5.0 out of a 2000 explorer into a ranger from around the same year and theres a few things im uncertain about.

First off how easy is it to get one of the 2000 5.0 to around 300 hp and 300 ft lbs (mainly care about torque) without stroking or boring the cylinders. In my mind if I put a cam in it and upgrade valve springs Id be around 250.

The second thing Im trying to figure out is the transmission. I beleive the M5OD R2 (keep it rwd) will bolt to the 5.0 and I should use a clutch and flywheel out of the f150s that had the M5OD R2. My question is how do you tell the computer from the explorer that it has a manual transmission.

Thanks for any help.

 

[franklin2]

My question is how do you tell the computer from the explorer that it has a manual transmission.

You will run into the same problem with the computer and a hotter camshaft. It doesn't like changes and will set the check engine light.

 

[Mkcday23]

So do you think I should use an aftermarket pcm? Or out of a different vehicle?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

If you’re doing a manual transmission and modding the motor… yeah, I’d go aftermarket PCM.

 

[Mkcday23]

Any recomendations?

 

[Brain75]

megasquirt seems to be the go to...

 

[Northidahotrailblazer]

I wouldn’t mess with any tuners unless you personally know a guy that has a good reputation. The efi guy I contacted was a joke. Don’t recommend him. Like Brain75 said. Megasquirt is the go to.

Im running a 98 f150 4.2 M5OD-R2 behind my 97 explorer 5.0. Used 96 flywheel, clutch, starter. I also went with 93 mustang engine management system partly because I got a great deal on it. I’m also doing this swap in a 89 bronco II.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I have no experience with any efi tuning... But have been looking for awhile online. This caught my eye because it seems cheap and doable.

 

[JoshT]

You don't need an aftermarket PCM to get rid of the autotragic programming from the ECU. You just need a qualified tuner to write a tune for your ECU. You'll also need something like a SCT X4 to flash said tune to your ECU.

Now the X4 isn;t cheap, but considering that you won't be using the built-in tunes, look for an unmarried used one.

Did similar swap 2000 5.0 into 99 Ranger. I'm keeping the autotragic, but engine is modified enough to require tuning. I'll be using either Lasota Racing, or Decipha (EFIDynoTune.com) for my tuning needs.

If you are doing all of your modifications at once and getting it tuned and being done, Lasota might be the better choice. Their service is cheaper and, from my experience so far, easier to work with. I want someone to tune what I have, not tell me what I need or how to do it myself. I might try to learn later, but I've got too much going on right now to pick that up and just want my stuff driveable. That is what they do and why I'm probably using them.

If you're going to alter it over time and/or dip you fingers into self tuning, Decipha would probably be better. His tunes cost twice as much, but he seems to provide support for the long haul and will tune for modifications down the road. Allegedly he's also got a stock of Moates Quarterhorse units that he'll sell which might be a better option than the X4, especially if you want to try DIY tuning. That is Decipha's whole shtick, teaching people to DIY tune. He tunes, but his goal is getting people interested in and knowing how to do it themselves. A side affect of that is that he's a little more irritating to work with, and you might pick that up from his website.

 

[JoshT]

As for your power goals, your #1 problem with getting anything out of that Explorer engine will be the exhaust. Unless you get rid of the Explorer manifolds you will be limited in what you can do. I can't give you a recepie for your power goals. After exhaust, you need to look at H/C/I (heads, cam, intake). You can definitely hit your numbers (at the crank) on the stock bottom end. If you are a 2wd and willing to spend the money, I'd probably go for a set of aftermarket heads, an intake, and a talk to a cam grinder about a custom camshaft. Being in a truck, you might not want the camshafts commonly sold for car applications.

On the intake the Explorer intake is actually a very good unit, but it can be improved. If you want to keep the Explorer intake, look into having them ported. I'd recommend trying to find a porter by the name of Tmoss that goes around the Mustang forums. Mine (heads & intake) were done by a company called Big Dog Porting and they did a good job, but not without their issues. The work is done now and I'm running it, but if I were to start over, I'd go tmoss for the intake and aftermarket aluminum heads.

Saying all of this, also keep in mind what you will need to do to meet emissions and inspection requirements in your area. Tha could place limitations on what parts you can run, and modifications you can make. Of note is that no professional tuner these days is going to delete emissions equipment on a street legal vehicle for fear of kickbacks from EPA.