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Need info


Stormtrooper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2015
Messages
99
City
Tyler, Texas
Vehicle Year
1994
Transmission
Manual
Need info and opinions 5.0 swap or turbo 4.0? My 94 has nearly 300k and I'm wondering if its cheaper/better to rebuild the 4.0 for a turbo or swap in a 5.0 any helpful info is appreciated

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5.0l swap would be money better spent in my opinion.

You can do more to/with a 5.0l engine once it is in, and while stock it will be very reliable.

As far as the 4.0l mods, you would probably be better off supercharging current 4.0l and run minimal boost until something breaks.
4.0l OHV supercharging kits are available new and used.

Supercharger is an easier install and gives a much steadier power curve, but it's down side is a limited boost pressure.

Turbochargers are easier/cheaper for factory's to install because parts are less expensive and they design the engine bay for the piping, this is why there are more stock turbo-ed engines/models than supercharged.

4.0l OHV turbo was never a factory option so you have to build it from ground up.
Even though turbo parts are less the cost of turbo-ing or supercharging ends up costing the same.
Benefits of turbocharging is boost can be increased higher than supercharging, but above 8psi stock stuff can start to fail.
Downside is a sharp unsteady power curve as boost changes when waste gate opens and closes, you do get used to it and can adjust it a bit.
 
Outside of a custom driveshaft, my 5.0 conversion for my 02 Ranger was essentially free.

Bought a crashed/complete/running 5.0 Expo for $650 delivered.

Sold over $200 worth of stuff out of it -- seats, window motors, etc
Sold the Ranger engine/trans for $375. ($575)
Scrapped the Expo for $415. ($990 -- call it $340 in the black)

The approx $340 paid for the exhaust, fluids and gaskets and custom engine mounting plates.

Went with an all new, two piece driveshaft for $550 but probably could have found a less expensive path.

Still, not a bad way to refresh and have some fun with a rather tired 3.0 Ranger with 170K miles on it.
 
Not that I'm opting out the 5.0 but the reason I was considering the turbo setup is because I haven't seen many higher hp 4.0s

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There is a reason you don't see much for the 4.0l..................
It really isn't a good candidate, maybe better than the 3.0l but that isn't saying much.
Your money your choice.
 
This is only my second ranger if I had the money it would be cummins swapped without a doubt but I know the engine alone is probably as much as the whole 5.0 swap

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A boosted 4.0 OHV is a torque monster. There have been a few over on RPS through the years. They're not common, so parts and knowledge can be hard to come by, and expensive when you do find them.

The cheap "Explorer 5.0" swap that people do isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's easy to find them, and typically cheap, but they're not great engines out of the box. They made 215hp at the crank when they were brand new. It's more than other Ranger engines, but it's pretty terrible power for an engine that size. They can make some power, but you have to spend some money to get there, on top of whatever it costs you to do the swap.
 

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