Explorer Sport 4.0 to 5.0 Swap

[W.C. Legere]

I realize this topic has been covered quite extensively but there is so much info out there I'm not sure what to believe or trust as fact. This is what I "think" I know about doing this conversion. (Please don't post that this swap isn't worth the time or the trouble because I really don't want to hear it... thanks) I need FACTS!

1) The 5.0 from the 96 to 2001 4-door will fit into my 96 sport - Yes or No?
2) Can I use my M5ODR2 from the 4.0 to the 5.0 - Yes or No?
3) If I CAN use the M5ODR2, then I would assume I can utilize the BW 4405 as well
4) If the M5ODR2 from the 4.0 will not bolt on the 5.0 will the same 5 speed from an F-150 fit this block and is the tranny the same dimensions as the M5ODR2 from my 4.0 - Yes or No?
5) Can a manual BW 1354 mechanical shift bolt into this sport - Yes or No?

Thanks for the help guys...

 

[roscoe 0202]

1 the 5.0 will fit
2 the trans behind a 4.0 is a m50r1 not an r2
3 you can use an m50 r2 behind the 5.0 but the r2 has a 6 bolt with 31 spline output you could put a 4406 behind that
4 the m50r2 is a bit shorter than the r1 and that tranny was used in the f150 with 5.0 and 4.9 six
5 if you get a m50r1 from an earlier 4.0 you can bolt the 1354 to it
roscoe

 

[delexploder]

You can also use the 5spd from an f150 with the 4.2 v6 , you will need to have the trans functions delt with by a tuner , also if your 96 has the vaccum disconnect on the front diff it will interfere with the 5.0 oil pan , and if possible use a 96/97 or late 97 v8 so you dont have to deal with pats...passive anti theft system

 

[W.C. Legere]

delexplorer - What do you mean by "trans functions"??? It's a manual transmission, not an automatic and why would the vacuum disconnect on the front diff have anything to do with the oil pan? It's no where near that area? It's way off to the right front of the axle shaft? I do know that most all 5.0 Explorers were AWD and did not offer the switched 4WD option (did they?). I'm not sure why. Is that part of the upgrade problem? I've read that the M5OD-R1 is not heavy duty enough to take the output HP and torque from the 5.0 without having significant problems and it won't bolt up to the 5.0 anyway, will it? So I'm assuming the mechanical BW1354 will not bolt up to the M5OD-R2? What I need to know is what parts I will need to do the initial swap and do away with the AWD and/or the electronic shifted tranfer case set up (if possible) using existing available factory Ford parts without having to by a bunch of expensive after-market bolt on crap. My desire to do away with the electronic shift transfer case is secondary to this project. It seems the BW 4405 really doesn't like water so I need to find a suitable mechanical alternative. Is there a combination of parts that will work here or not?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

what he means when he says trans function is this. no 5L explorer came with a 5sp standard trans, therefore the pcm will always think there is suppose to be one there. when you put it all together, and there is nothing telling the computer you now have a manual trans behind the motor, it will throw a book full of transmission codes at you, and my also cause other runnability problems. you would have to get a hand held tuner, with at program in it to delete anything in the pcm for the automatic trans. however because they also came as awd, there was nothing in both the computer, or gem telling it, it was a 4x4 because there was nothing to select it into or out of 4wd. this means that you can either go 2wd, awd, or 4x4 and use which ever transfer case you would like to put into it.
now for the pan part that he is talking about. all v6 4x4s had selectable 4wd. the way it was done was by both the transfer case, and also engaging the front axle. once again, because the 5L's didnt have a selectable they didnt have that box on top of the diff axle. the oil pans on the 4L and 5L were different sizes and the 5L pan will hit that box. you can do 1 of 2 things. replace the front diff with a 97 and up explorer (they will both bolt in, just make sure you have the same axle ratio) or get a steel pan (96 and maybe 97, not sure on the 97 however had cast alum pans) from a 98 and up, and dimple it.

 

[W.C. Legere]

vroomzoomboom - Ah...Yes! I see that now! Didn't think about the PCM changes. That complicates things a bit. I suppose no one makes an updated EEPROM or PCM for the Explorer to deal with these changes? Can you tell me where I might be able to find a hand held tuner that I could use to reprogram the PCM? What I have at the moment is my 96 2-door Code X with the 4.0 and the M5OD-R1 (I realize now that it's not the R2) and a 98 4-door with the 5.0 and a blown auto trans. Everything else is good on the 98. So if I decided to stay with the auto trans to simplify the build can these be built to be able to hold up under extreme off-road conditions or would I just be wasting time and money? I really would like to utilize the M5OD-R2 and a mechanical shifted transfer case but I'm beginning to think that this swap really isn't very practical and really WOULD be more trouble than it's worth in terms of $$$ and time. It would be nice if there was a list of interchangeable components like trannys and transfer cases that would bolt up under this thing.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

for tuning and handheld's i recommend don lasota at LaSota Racing Ford Tuning & Training. he can sell you both a handheld and a tune you would need. also, if your doing a v8 swap, you will need the pcm from the donor truck, as well as some other things. you can find what you will need for a v8 swap in the link in my signature, but you may face some repinning because you have a 96 truck, and your using a 98 powertrain. as @delexploder mentioned, you can use a 5spd AND a bw4406 manual from a 97 and up v6 f150. a member here did do this, with a write up with all the parts you would need. that you will have to do a search on, i cant remember where it is on the forum. as for holding up to extreme off road conditions, anything can hold up as long as you build it right. there are some members here with some pretty nutty off road trucks. it just depends on what your definition of "extreme" is.

 

[W.C. Legere]

vroom... Thanks for the info!!! It helps. I've found a few threads on here and elsewhere that deal with this swap and one of the problems that seems to be almost universal in all these threads and how-to's are significant wiring and CPM issues ones the 5.0 is installed even with the donor PCM and wiring harness. Someone also pointed out that this 98 has the passive entry system (keypad on the driver's door) and that's another issue. Soooo... I think I'll just keep the 4.0 and look for ways to squeeze a little horsepower and torque out of her. On my wish list is a Lock Rite front locker for my D35, Headman 89400 shorty headers with a Thrustmaster exhaust, a cold air intake with a better MAS and possibly a chip mod as well. Is it true that these Cologne push rod engines have the GT40 heads on them? I read that somewhere. I also read that the same heads have problems with cracks. Is that something I need to worry about?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

the tuner can program the PATS out of the truck if you request it (as well as turning off the speed limiter, rear o2's, program the auto trans out ect).
chip mod?
as for the heads, v8's only have the gt40(p) heads on them. i am guessing you have a 4L ohv. yes, they are prone to cracking. there is a better head for them.
check our @Dono's old truck Another OHV M90 build
and @jd4242's ranger M90 rebuild (rudy)

both were (are) supercharged, but they go over a lot of problems they found warming up a 4L ohv

 

[roscoe 0202]

want a 5.0 get a computer out of late 80's or early 90's mustang one good number is a9l this is on the computer then just use obd1 senders and control the engine separately.
roscoe

 

[vroomzoomboom]

want a 5.0 get a computer out of late 80's or early 90's mustang one good number is a9l this is on the computer then just use obd1 senders and control the engine separately.
roscoe

actually he has a good point. if i remember correctly, when getting a custom tune done, one of the questions they will ask you is what computer are you using. with that said, your not limited to a explorer computer.

 

[239]

So how bad is the wiring portion? I want to go 5.0 next year and don’t mind buying the engine and AWD parts, I just don’t want to enter into a wiring nightmare.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

if you find a donor the same year as the truck you are putting it into, its pretty much plug and play.

 

[239]

So the OHV and 5.0 have the same engine connector? I imagine I would have to repin some wires at least.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

you need the motor harness from the 5L. look in my sig. there is a link to how to do a v8 swap

 

[MurderedSport]

So how bad is the wiring portion? I want to go 5.0 next year and don’t mind buying the engine and AWD parts, I just don’t want to enter into a wiring nightmare.

As long as your 4.0 Explorer Sport is an '01 early production model or older, then the wiring isn't bad.
Before I get into everything, a '99 - Early production '01 Explorer Sport is basically a straight swap with a '99 - '01 5.0 donor engine. As a quick rundown, a 2001 Explorer Sport built prior to 7/24/2000 is considered an Early Production 2001 model. A 2001 Explorer Sport built after the 7/24/2000 date is considered a Late Production 2001 model. This is important because the Sport's used two different PATS (anti-theft) systems before and after that date.

PATS TYPE B, used on:
Explorer Sport's from 1998 - 7/24/2000 and 5.0 Four Door Explorer's from 1998-2001.
This PATS system had their own PATS (anti-theft) computer module that talks to the engine PCM (engine computer) to verify the correct key was being used to start the vehicle. This system will disable the fuel pump if the correct key is not used to start the vehicle. There is one difference between the four door and Sport Explorer's with this PATS system. On the four doors the starter will turn over even if the wrong key is used, but the engine will not start because PATS will disable the fuel pump. However, on the Explorer Sports with this PATS system the STARTER and fuel pump are disabled. This is an important detail because if you were to swap a 5.0 from a '98 - '01 four door Explorer into a '98 - 7/24/2000 Explorer Sport you need to send terminal 86 on the starter motor relay to a ground. This will enable the starter to turn over after the swaps completed.

PATS TYPE E, used on:
Explorer Sport's from 7/24/2000 - 2003.
This PATS system did not have a separate PATS module. PATS was built into the engine PCM eliminating the need for a separate PATS module. In this system the PCM would verify if the correct key was being used to start the vehicle. If the wrong key is detected PATS will disable the fuel pump and starter. That means the Explorer Sports with this PATS system also need terminal 86 on the starter motor relay grounded because the 4.0 PCM used to send the ground signal to the starter relay to enable the starter once PATS verifies the correct key is being used. The 5.0 PCM will not do this as explained above.

The reason I have all the info gathered above is because I swapped a 5.0 from a 2001 four door Explorer into my late production 2001 Explorer Sport. This meant that my late production '01 Sport did not have any wiring for the 5.0's PATS module to plug into since it never had a PATS module. I had to run new wires from the 5.0's PATS module to the 5.0's engine PCM once it was swapped into my Sport (because like I said, the PATS module wires did not exist and I only swapped over the 5.0's engine harness, not the 5.0's body harness which includes the 5.0 PATS module wiring). I also had to ground terminal 86 on the starter relay since the starter was not being commanded on anymore by the 4.0 PCM. If you are swapping a 5.0 into a 7/24/2000 - 2003 Explorer Sport and do not do this, then your engine will not start (unless you disabled PATS + ground the starter relay). The best thing to do is get the same year 5.0 as the Explorer you are swapping, and don't be clueless like me and think your 2001 5.0 will work in your late production 2001 Sport. I learned a lot from that mistake since the two Explorer's I had used two completely different PATS systems.

If anybody is trying to swap a '99 - '01 5.0 engine into a late production '01 or after Explorer Sport message me and I can send you the Excell spreadsheet I made of where all the wires will go and other little changes. It might take a while for me to message back, but I'll get to it eventually. Like I said previously, my Excell spreadsheet may not work 100% with a 2002/2003 Explorer Sport since there were a couple little changes, however if you made the stupid mistake like me and have a late production '01 Sport my info should get you in the right direction.
Also shout out to vroomzoomboom for covering the basics of the swap! Check out his thread for the basics of the swap.

 

[WormsExplorer]

vroom... Thanks for the info!!! It helps. I've found a few threads on here and elsewhere that deal with this swap and one of the problems that seems to be almost universal in all these threads and how-to's are significant wiring and CPM issues ones the 5.0 is installed even with the donor PCM and wiring harness. Someone also pointed out that this 98 has the passive entry system (keypad on the driver's door) and that's another issue. Soooo... I think I'll just keep the 4.0 and look for ways to squeeze a little horsepower and torque out of her. On my wish list is a Lock Rite front locker for my D35, Headman 89400 shorty headers with a Thrustmaster exhaust, a cold air intake with a better MAS and possibly a chip mod as well. Is it true that these Cologne push rod engines have the GT40 heads on them? I read that somewhere. I also read that the same heads have problems with cracks. Is that something I need to worry about?

View attachment 156101

Nice looking Ex. It is the same color as mine. Is your Interior Blueish? I hope you are able to get what you want on your Ex. You can get the 1354 hooked up and it will get a little more power as then you will be true 2wheel drive. Also you can hook up the Front Disco to be Manually disconnected. I did it on mine. Mine though is a 97. Look forward to seeing more from your build.