sport trac to a ranger

[charlie brown]

i just bought a totaled 2002 sport trac with the 4.0 sohc. it has everything on it, cats, computer, wiring, trans.
i am going to swap this in to my 88 ranger and i want to keep it cali street legal.
can any body direct me where i can get some info on this type of swap?
thanks

 

[Ranger44]

Idk if there is any info on it at least in the tech library. I'd searh around on the forums. If i remember correctly AllanD posted to a simular thread on a simular swap. If I can find it later I'll post it up.

You CAN do the swap. It's just how patient are you? How sick and twisted are you to put yourself through this self torture???? OBD-II is gonna be a picky management system. Your gonna need every little sensor and system that the orig. vehicle had on it. That means every sensors from the fuel tank to the exhaust or you're gonna get a CEL. (EVAP, VSS, HO2S)etc.) Not to mention a functional 16pin test connector.

I think the hardest part of the swap will be wiring the engine compartment back into the dash wiring. For gauges, and the OBD-II test connector. That's going to be a nightmare. It'd be a must to obtain wiring diagrams for a 2002 sporttrac and 88' Ranger. The easiest plug and play you could have would be to perform some firewall surgery and retrofit a 95' up Ranger dash in. The HVAC system is different, and the bulkhead(firewall) is cut out differently. Yet I do believe this will get you the best results.

Now that I've scared you with the 4.0 OHC swap, may I suggest to you a 4.0 OHV swap? OBD-I, an explorer harness, and with your 88' the engine compartment to dash plug should be compatable. My suggestion would be to just find a 93 or 94 Explorer and just swap everything from one truck to the other. Maybe even including the dash as it shares(IIRC) the same HVAC system.

AllanD may weigh in on this soon enough.

 

[charlie brown]

thanks for the reply. i have been searching this site for info but, i haven’t found much. i am very set on this because i want the more hp higher "R"s and ca smog legal. i got a great deal on the sport trac. he is giving me the hole truck minis the suspension. so i am getting the motor, trans, cats, computer, wiring, gas tank and all for 800.00

 

[Jspafford]

If your going to part out the interior and it has the power rear window (where the slider usually is) let me know, I need the motor/regulator out of it.

Thanks!

 

[crbnunit]

The short answer is yes... But it is going to be a bastard. You will have to almost completely rewire your truck inside and out to accommodate all the new sensors and instruments. Easiest way would be to swap in the new dash as well.

 

[AllanD]

I wouldn't touch that swap with a tenfoot pole

LATE EEC-V into a gen1 truck?

AD

 

[charlie brown]

O.K. since i am not geting much info here, i will document this swap and post up dates as i go. i should be picking up the sport trc next weekend and then the fun will begain. depending on how i get it, i will sell the other parts.

i know i will have some problems with the "pats" system.

i dont know how to post pict. on here, any body help?

 

[BlackBII]

As long as you swap EVERYTHING it should work and not be too difficult.

You have the entire donor truck, so just swap over everything, I would completely gut the 88 Ranger and use all the sport tracs' components.

On the legality I'm not sure, in Utah you could get away with it, but in Cali...I dunno.

 

[sniper141]

Dude, good luck, those motors are beasts, I had a 01 and it tore everything up in it's sight!!!! Loved that truck!I wanna see pics as you go through on here! There is a test thread and a thread on how to put up the pics, check em out, you can do IT!!!

 

[charlie brown]

thanks for the tip. i went to the "test" thread and it says that i dont have the o.k. to post attachments. is that the way to post pict? if so, how do i get the ok to post them?

 

[charlie brown]

bringing this back up from the dead. after many set backs, i am finally moving forward with this. as soon as i get back from baja 500, the motor change will start.
i got a new intake since the other broke in the flip and a new air box. got the auto fab motor mounts and tranny mounts. i may not use them, i like the old school drag car chain to the motor. it holds it down pretty good and keeps the vibration down.
too bad i dont know how to post pict. looking for some CARB smog legal headers.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Talk to a member by the name of Bent Bolt on here, he swapped an SOHC and added a supercharger into his 87 ranger, along with the 5r55e transmission.

I might also be doing this swap soon here as well into my 91 ranger....got a good line on a complete rolled 03 fx4 lvl 2.......

 

[charlie brown]

got the 2.9 motor and trans out. sold the motor. sold the trans. sold the JBA headers. need to sell the cats.
hit a 2 week stall because i wanted the steering box rebuilt and have the pump tweaked out for more pressure to handle the 35" tires.
took it to tommy at LEE MFG. he is the best in the country.

still looking for some ca smog legal headers (JBA).

question? i am not sure of the trans i have with this motor. it came from a 2001 sport trac auto. is it the 4r44e or the 5r55e 5 speed. i took the dash out of it before i had it crushed and it goes up to 4th on the dash.

found out that i have a 5 speed auto trans. so i guess a 5r55e. its funny because the gauge cluster only says 1 2 D then there is a button at the end of the shifter for the overdrive.

 

[charlie brown]

just got back from powertrain ( tried jaunco, bam but could not everget a hold of them). steve seems to be a good guy that knows the SOHC and his is a rock through away from my work. sometimes it sucks being in soca becuase of all the laws and people but there are a lot of performace companys aroud to help.
steve at powertrain gave me some good tips like i should get a computer from a 2000 sport trac (mine is a 01) because ford changed some things and he is more limited on what he can do with the truck computers. and he can disable the pats on the 2000. thought i would pass that along. i could just remove the little transmitter from the key and wire up the pats box in my truck and just tape it to the box, then i can use my old key. its a thought.

so i am on the look out for a 2000 sport trac computer. already check all ford but they don’t have any.

Also saw California performance trans down the street so I stopped in to talk about there shifter I have with my new trans. They don’t have a kit for that so I will have to make my own linkage mount and may have to make a new shifter plate. Has anybody done this yet with this trans. 5r55e

 

[cammeddrz]

i want to keep it cali street legal.

correct me if i am wrong but cali emissions laws require all engine swaps to be done with the same year or newer engine so you are ok there, and utilizing the same emissions controls as the recipient vehicle originally came with (so if yours had an air pump the new motor needs an air pump, and if your had an egr valve the new motor would need an egr valve too etc) but they also require all swaps to be with the same displacement or smaller engine as what were options for that model/year.......and 4.0 is much bigger than the 2.9 which was the largest engine option for a ranger in 1988. but they may offer you a variance though. either way if you want it to be legal, i think you need to talk to the state and get all of your ducks in a row before you do all of this just to find that you have painted yourself into a corner