1999 Ranger 3.0 upgrade to 5.0 *ADDED* for a rear wheel drive "coil springs on the front" truck | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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1999 Ranger 3.0 upgrade to 5.0 *ADDED* for a rear wheel drive "coil springs on the front" truck

allmyEXes

Elite Explorer
Joined
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Messages
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City, State
No. Alabama USA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Blue Ex 4.0 SOHC
Callsign
KAGG 3611 (CB)
I have a 1999 Ranger that electrically and mechanically is a very good truck. I do want to upgrade it to 5.0, which I do have a 1997 GT40 (edit corrected) engine and a 4R70W out of a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer, also an 8.8 if necessary for any PCM requirements. However, I'm not going to be using the FoMoCo OBD2 and waste spark coil set-up but an entirely different Drivetrain Management System.
Does anyone have or access to the 1999 wiring schematics and/or the wiring color codes and pinout of the PCM?
ADDED: 11-3-23.
I now have a collection of several years of Ford electrical wiring diagram books, so i pretty much have the electrical covered.
wiringbooks.jpg
 



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97 GT's had 4.6 engines I thought. Is your truck coil sprung or torsion bar?
 






1997 GT 5.0 out of an early 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. FoMoCo messed up when they quit using them in the Mustang. An OBD2 controlled 5.0 small block Mustang would have, could have been a good one.
 






The 97 Explorer engine is a GT40 engine, not GT like the actual car Ford made called the Ford GT.

All 96-01 302 Explorers have a stand alone wiring harness, it plugs into the engine bay harness at the back, very close to the PCM in the firewall. That covers the engine and transmission, one harness, aside from the AC clutch harness, which also has the battery and starter wires in it.
 






Why do you want to use some different computer, and which one? The stock PCM is good enough for most anything, only when you get to serious modifications like high boost etc, is another PCM a worth while upgrade. I'm aiming to use a 2003-06 big car PCM, from the 03/04 Marauder or the other models(TC,CV, GM). Those are a faster computer, easier to tune for more wild engine combinations.
 






@CDW6212R
OK GT40 to be correct. Do you remember my 1997 Mercury Mountaineer that just shut down on me, that I wasted several weeks and 7, 4 pack coils trying to fix? I couldn't ever figure out what was burning up the coil packs. I burnt up 7, I counted them and even burnt up my diagnostic pair out of my toolbox. I looked at used computers for over $100- but said to my self "What if I buy a used PCM and it doesn't make any difference?". I was fed up with my MM. Rolled it back out inline with the other broken Fords on my lot. Took off my "brand new" $90- set of Motorcraft plug wires for the exact application, so that the rats wouldn't eat them. Left the new plugs in it an stuffed the tailpipe with a ball of foil, so the dang mice wouldn't crawl up in there. Maybe the squirrels wont eat the wiring harnesses. Yes I have wildlife near my Shop. And I usually can fix any of my vehicle problems. But I give up on the MM as it is configured. I'm going with the Holley Terminator X and a coil near plug set-up or some other similar PCM when I do have the money to have the '97 GT40 engine properly machined and will be using in my Ranger project. It's good to here that the PCM harness is stand alone in the MM and leads to another Question.
Question: Does the 1999 Ranger have a stand alone PCM harness too? I haven't disassembled either vehicle yet so I don't know...
 






Id get another harness and run the explorer 5.0 harness. It's not too far from plug n play compared to anything else. I've put 40k on my v8 ranger since the swap without an issue. The 3.0 was gutless before
 






Ditto, the wiring is not plug and play, but the things you have to rewire to merge the engine/trans harness to the engine bay harness are not that bad. Most of the Fords after the early 90's have much better wiring, modular for disconnecting different sections. So the 99+ Rangers do have a separate engine harness, engine bay harness, body, dash, doors etc.

Your 97 MM probably has something wrong with the wiring that kept burning up the coils.

The Holley EFI systems are great for any non stock engines, but if you don't really get far from stock, the Explorer PCM's are very good. The 03/04 computers are a popular PCM for more modified Fords, those have a bunch of support from EFI programmers etc. I'm looking at that as a more feasible path than the aftermarket systems.
 






@CDW6212R 03-04 Crown Vic and it is COP, I guess. I'm really trying hard to get away from the twin 4pak '97MM set-up. I permantly have an unjustifiable grudge against that set-up. Would converting from the twin 4 coils be easy to convert to the coil near plug that I want to do?
@boominXplorer Well I've been overthinking the whole wiring situation from the beginning. I just need to swap in the whole 1997 5.0 Mountaneer harness.
Here's another one for y'all, Does anyone make a different profile upper plenum (intake) that fits the stock lower intake manifold. I think the upper might would interfere with the coil near plug set-up but maybe not. Just dreaming at this point. I still have a lot of miles left in the 3.0 for now. But I do miss driving my MM, but it is very worn out. 300,000 hard miles.
 












@CDW6212R 03-04 Crown Vic and it is COP, I guess. I'm really trying hard to get away from the twin 4pak '97MM set-up. I permantly have an unjustifiable grudge against that set-up. Would converting from the twin 4 coils be easy to the coil near plug that I want to do?
@boominXplorer Well I've been overthinking the whole wiring situation from the beginning. I just need to swap in the whole 1997 5.0 Mountaneer harness.
Here's another one for y'all, Does anyone make a different profile upper plenum (intake) that fits the stock lower intake manifold. I think the upper might would interfere with the coil near plug set-up but maybe not. Just dreaming at this point. I still have a lot of miles left in the 3.0 for now. But I do miss driving my MM, but it is very worn out. 300,000 hard miles.

The GT40 lower intake doesn't have any choices for the upper except the Explorer and Cobra uppers. You would love the tubular one for sure, but those seem to cost $500 used. That big one you link to is a TFS R upper, that will only work on the TFS R lower, which I own to build my supercharger for. I would stick with the GT40 intakes, for best overall performance, and they are set up for the Explorer vacuum lines etc. Change later if needed.

The COP began in 1999 for modular engines. I've read that the older Mustangs PCM's can handle COP with an EDIS module I believe. I don't think the Explorer PCM can do that, but I really don't know. I'd like to think it can, but for that I'd ask decipha, the well known online tuner of OEM Ford systems. He has posted here on the forum a small number of times, he is much bigger on the EFI forums, and the Corral.

For your 99 truck I'd suggest using a 99-01 Explorer 302 PCM. That is most compatible with the truck's fuel system, so it'd be easier for the swap. The 99-01 wiring harness is a decent amount different from your 97 harness. It could be modified, but ideally you should try to find a 99-01 harness, which would drop onto your engine/trans, with the same matching fuel rails/injectors, and cam synchronizer. The rest would be to adapt that harness to your Ranger engine bay harness.
 






@CDW6212R Excuse my ignorance, what makes the 03-04 PCMs so desirable for a COP (near plug actually) swap. It is OK then to find a passenger 2003 CV to get the engine/PCM harness and PCM? I assume with gearing of the P71 equipped CVs that would be an issue. I have 3:73s.
So for the donor vehicle find a stock passenger 2003-04 Crown Vic or Maurader that is missing the engine to get parts from?
 






The later computers are more powerful and handle more modifications, being easier to tune. So the 03+ CV is a nice PCM that tuners like, but it's not needed for a moderate NA 302.

The wiring to make that work would be the biggest part of the project, I would avoid that. My 92 Lincoln that I'm going to put a 347 into, I plan to use a 97.5 PCM, but also a whole set of Mustang harnesses to make the wires fit the car better than Explorer wires would. That's the direction you would have to go, the engine and bay harnesses would need modifications, big changes.

I suggest if the 302 is the must have engine, do that with the least wiring needed, modifications etc. Keep the coil packs at least to start with, then if you must, do that next, not all at once.

Think on the labor involved with the wiring changes, it's best to stick with a system and harness which is made to work together, so the main power etc, to the engine bay is the hardest part(which many have shown is not that bad with these truck cousin Fords).



Personally I've decided against a 302 swap for my 99 SOHC truck. I'm planning to learn more about the latest Ford V6's, and stick one of those in. The 2018ish 3.7 is my current best choice, I think that it's dual direct injection, which would make it very reliable, besides being over 300rwhp. I would like to be caught up on many projects, and then pull the 4.0 so I can slowly spend time test fitting etc. If the newer 3.7 can fit with the Explorer steering shaft, and AC box, then the rest of the swap would be long, tedious, but straight forward. Not many people would ever consider that due to the cost and the vehicle value, but I might. I can see it being $4-$5k depending on used engine and trans costs, fabricating a trans extension adapter(I want AWD), plus drive shafts and ring/pinion gears.
 






(LIKE) I don't have a like button on my screen to click. This happens only on the Ranger forum that I can tell. I noticed it a few weeks ago when I wanted to like something on Jamie's thread...
 






(LIKE) I don't have a like button on my screen to click. This happens only on the Ranger forum that I can tell. I noticed it a few weeks ago when I wanted to like something on Jamie's thread...

There is a like link at the bottom right of all posts except your own, next to the reply and quote links. You can choose one of five choices with that, like, love, haha, wow, or sad.

For your truck, since you have the whole donor 302 engine etc, I'd use that whole thing and do the minor things needed to get it to run. Any 302 Explorer is better to work with than the 4.0's, as long as you keep up with the water pump and timing cover bolts. Those need to be removed as soon as you buy the engine, and put back in with lots of anti-seize etc. Those are really bad to remove when very old, so that's a weak link of having that engine after 20 years. WP bolts were always a big deal prior to the 90's, but the later engines use shorter and bigger bolts, plus shorter water pumps etc. It's a learning curve and the OEM's are slow to improve things.
 






@410Fortune @CDW6212R 2 and a half years ago I started this thread and me and Don went back and forth about the wiring for this swap, mostly. At this point I would like to focus on the mechanical part of it. I was just messaging back and forth with Jamie about the oil pan for the swap and he asked me if it was a torsion bar or a coil spring Ranger. I had no idea that Ford made both. Jamie, tell me if I understand this correctly. The all wheel drive Rangers have the torsion bars and rear wheel drive only has coil springs up front. If you want to, you can post the pic of the empty coil spring front end I that would be good. I'm going to get a better look at the 3.0 oil pan this weekend. I have those Explorer 5.0 plates would about have to work. Listed below are the '99 Ranger rubber mount part numbers and 99 Explorer rubber part numbers. They generally all look the same except for a stud or bolt being a different place.
anchor2937rangerleftandrightrwd.jpg


Anchor 2937 is the same left and right on the Ranger 3.0 RWD

The 99 Explorer part number are Anchor 2999 front right and left is Anchor 3000. Picture below of the 2999
Anchor2999Explorer5.0right.jpg


They are similar in appearance. Stud and dowel most likely in different positions. A good starting point might be to leave the 3.0 rubber mounts on the cradle and ease the 5.0 down into the engine bay and see what happens.
It may be that a combination of these would end up being used. Or drilling some new holes.
The next part is what kind of oil pan. Double hump Mustang or double hump truck. They may be the same.
RockAuto Mustang double hump Dorman 264006. 1985 Ford truck DOES NOT have a double hump pan. Picture below. Which end is the front?
Dormanoil pan26400285Fordtruck5.0.jpg

Dorman 264002 1985 F150 5.0 oil pan.
So far on the Internet, I haven't found any 5.0 swap in to a '99 coil spring Ranger or the generational year group as the '99 what is it 1998 to 2010?
ADDED: RockAuto showing 2 different pans for the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. Which is 2WD rear wheel drive only?
RockAuto '97 MM v-8 oil pan
 






I also have no good knowledge about the Rangers, I hadn't heard the 98 could have either type suspension.

But, the oil pan you might just hunt the one that gives the most clearance, and install an external filter. That can gain you an easy 1-3 quarts of oil. The filter location is a bigger deal so plan that so it is either easy to service, or not a problem at all because you replace it with an adapter to remote mount the filter. I'm going to do that with my Explorer, run two filters, one on each side of the radiator support(next to the body mount). I can fit a bypass filter(which can be over 2 quarts big), plus the other normal flow and also near two quarts.
 






A remote filter set-up is pretty much always necessary in these narrow frame Ford . Even FoMoCo had to put an angled filter adapter on the 5.0 Explorers and Mountaineers when they crammed the V-8 in them.
 






The stock location of the SBF filter is often a problem in most vehicles like the Explorer and Ranger. The huge cross member under there, or the TTB suspension takes up a ton of space. I've owned two Fords with a remote filter or oil cooler, it is a potential issue for leaks with the extra connections of oil lines. If you might do that, plan those connections very carefully, use the best connectors possible to not have leaks etc.
 



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Why can't you use the explorer oil pan?
 






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