crazy idea of 2.5 swap in a 2005

[pjtoledo]

my daily driver 2005 with a 2.3 is getting a bit tired now at 325,000 miles.
a used 2.3 or a rebuild would seem logical,,,but nooo, I want to do it the hard way. More is better, right?

Mazda guys routinely swap 2.5 Fusion motors into 2.3 Mazdas. but: that's all front wheel drive, and they do have to swap several 2.3 parts onto the 2.5.

there are probably enough external differences that a complete 2.5 would not work. intake is different, variable valve timing, coil pack vs COP, mount locations, front timing cover, a couple sensors, exhaust manifold etc.

Sooo,,, if one were to swap just the crank, rods, and pistons it may be possible.

anybody have access to the specs on bearing sizes, rod lengths, and piston height? and the bore too.

with luck the front of the crank is the same.

due to the different intake and variable valve timing I'm thinking the 2.3 head would have to stay. that's good news for the intake & exhaust manifolds.

sounds like a lot of work for an extra 10 ponies, but it needs rebuilt anyway.

 

[pjtoledo]

I found a few numbers.

2.3 bore 3.445", 2.5 bore 3.504". with a 3.780 bore spacing that doesn't leave much for the cylinder walls, barely over 1/4". safe to say I won't be boring out the 2.3 to fit 2.5 pistons. are these blocks siamese?

2.3 stroke 3.701", 2.5 stroke 3.94" (?) that's about an extra 1/8" at both the top and bottom of the crank swing. that probably requires a longer connecting rod with a different piston pin location. that brings up the issue of deck height. I found 9.094" for the 2.3 deck height, but cannot find the 2.5 height. anybody know it?

so it would appear swapping the entire motor might be the way to go,,,, IF the cylinder head with the variable valve timing, front timing cover with different oil holes, bigger intake manifold with throttle on wrong end, and whatever issues can be worked out.

with all this thinking my brain hurts, time for some Vernors.




question: did Mazda put the 2.5 I-4 Duratec into anything rear wheel drive?

are the Fusion and Escape engines identical? mostly concerned about the variable valve timing stuff

 

[fangotango306]

I built an mzr duratec in a focus back in 09-10. Fswerks and massive speed were a big help. They both have great tech guys.

 

[fangotango306]

Sorry i have no ingo to help on a ranger swap

 

[Soledad]

One guy has already done this and another is currently doing it on the turbo ranger forum.

 

[pjtoledo]

as usual, I'm late to the party.

 

[cbr600rx7]

2.5 duratec swap and be done with it.

 

[Soledad]

Here's a few videos of a 2.5L Duratec in a 2006 Ranger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-_bmk_NquE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ycveAEDiQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRdwBMY2iY

The consensus seems to be to use the 2.3L Duratec injectors
and the let the ECU open them instead of using the 2.5L injectors
which the ECU can't seem to clamp down on enough.

OR...run the 2.5L injectors with a good tune.

But a lot of good info on this over on the turbo ranger forum site.

 

[pjtoledo]

I am now committed, or at the very least should be committed.


2010 Fusion 2.5 details to follow as I make them up.

 

[fastpakr]

Turbo while you're at it of course, right?

 

[pjtoledo]

nope. beyond my skills and budget. I'll have to admit, a turbo 2.5 would be a screamer in a reg cab 2wd like mine
what I'm looking for is that 8-10 hp & torque from the displacement increase.
sounds like a lot of work for those small numbers, but my 2.3 now has over 325,500 miles on it and is starting to complain. plus this gets me away from the wiffies honey-do list.

 

[pjtoledo]

question about VCT, what mode is default?

considering intake cam options for the 2.5 Duratec. it's from a 2010 Fusion so it has the variable cam timing setup. this is going to be a 2WD daily driver so the most used RPM range will be at or below 3000.

I will most likely keep the PCM from the 2.3, and injectors. so no VCT power.
anybody know what position the VCT will be in with no input to the solenoid?
low RPM, hi RPM, or just floats around wherever it wants to??
what if the solenoid is hard wired on?
and if I use a switch to turn it on/off at full throttle?
hook it up to a shift light to turn it on at specified RPM?

will my 2.3 PCM be able to read the sensor tabs at the rear of the cam?
(probably not)
can I grind off the extra tabs to make the 2.5 cam appear as a 2.3?
(nice try, now try again)
and when the VCT is manually activated, how will the 2.3 PCM react to the shifted tab?
(whoa, say that again)
I haven't pulled the cover off the 2.3 yet, don't know what the tabs look like on it.
the 2.5 has 5 tabs on the rear of the cam, they appear to match valve events.

or, I could install a 2.3 intake cam & sprocket with the necessary oil system modifications.
(nah, that's too easy)



FYI, these are definitely interference engines. once the harmonic balancer is off the chains no longer move and the a piston does hit whatever valve is open.

 

[Soledad]

You may want to read through these threads. Tons of good information. I really love the idea of a 2.5 Duratec in the Rangers. Decent power and torque and still great fuel mileage. Throw in a set of Crower Stage 1 cams and get even a little more power.

http://turborangerforums.com/showthread.php?t=7724

http://turborangerforums.com/showthread.php?t=7651

http://turborangerforums.com/showthread.php?t=7940

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/mss...68&sid=fc444d4f8c70a75083e23513444b444a#p8968

 

[pjtoledo]

I think I've read most of those, but being on 'ol geizer I've already forgotten whatever it was we are talking about.

on the VCT control it appears the solenoid switches oil flow between 2 circuits that feed the VCT unit on the intake cam. there isn't any mid-range, its one way or the other.
spent most of today taking pictures of the 2.5 in various stages of disassembly.
now I have to figure out how to post 40 or so oversized pictures.

 

[stmitch]

Are you planning to maintain the balance shaft assembly from the 2.5? I have no idea how a 2.5 would run without them, but the 2.3 in the Ranger never got the balance shafts, and is much lighter because of it. I'd hate to see you go through all of this work for a 10hp dyno gain that feels like even less in the real world thanks to more parasitic draw and increased overall weight from balance shafts.