4.0 power...engine mods...swaps? suspension plans...

[BMXunleashed]

So I have a 94 E.B with 4x4 and 80k miles....its a good truck and im getting like 19-20mpg highway and 17-19 in the city unless i get a little throttle happy haha then its like 12mpg...The truck has only had synthetic motor oil in it. I replaced the stock sub with an 8" kicker sub wich sounds GREAT. I also have som nice Tenzo front seats...

For now all i have goin is intake, just a cone filter i got from autozone bolted on to the stock intake. I also have a Magnaflow muffler with a dump off before the rear wheels...actually felt a HUGE difference on hills and highway passing.

I plan on doing suspension up front, probably something from camburg like a 13" travel kit and doing leafs and shackles for the rear. Glassworks fenders are on the way. I also have some decent welding experience so im gunna build a nice roll cage and front bumper and skid plate. going to procomp wheels and tires, 33's on 16's


My real problem is finding power for this thing because I want to tow with this thing in the future because i dont want to get a big truck or anything...I like my little X, I also just want more power for hill climbs and other wheelin...

I read on that other post about the power mods for the 4.0 and the ....I had considered going to a V8 but I dont know if the 4.6 or the 5.0 will fit...I know the 5.0 is a much more simple engine I basically just want to know what had to be done to fit 5.0's in the explorers with TTB because I know that suspension is a big issue with different engines...also whats the real advantage to goin to a 5.0 rather than rebuilding the 4.0 because i dont need CRAZY power numbers just enough to pull a 2 axel trailer with a reg cab baja ranger or baja bug...

want to give me some advice?...these are future plans because for now its my DD and toy truck....i wont need to tow for a while, i am starting as an aprentice electrician job that will end up pretty good for me so ill be ok with buying a toy or 2 ....

Thanks guys

 

[Creager]

The 4.0 produces plenty of torque, the problem is the transmission. The automatic transmission seems to be downright problematic (I’ve never owned one, but I've I read a lot of horror stories). A c5 from an earlier BroncoII or ranger can be rebuilt with c4 parts (small block tranny) and made to be TOUGH, much cheaper then rebuilding the stock auto-tranny at that. Also a 700r4 (GM 4.3 tranny?) can be adapted for a price.

If you have a manual tranny, just gear the axles low and have at it. The shift-rail plugs are known to fail (rubber type, replace with brass/metal type) which causes a fluid leak, usually the syncro's are the first to go. But if you keep oil in it, the manual tranny should be able to take the abuse.

As far as power out of the 4.0, the MAIN thing is going to be gears. You can be like me and go all out on the motor, but it’s a lot of work. Lower gears get the 4.0 in a good power band; don’t be scared to go overkill here, especially if you have the manual tranny. Swapping to a 5.0 might be easier. Depending on how much work is needed under the hood overall, would determine if you should swap to 5.0 or not. If you got new A/C and power steering...ect... keep the 4.0 and get v8 power out of it. But if everything needs to be replaced, you might as well go get a donor explorer with a 302 in it from the factory.

As far as getting more power out of the 4.0, the most common thing you probably see around the net is a naturally aspirated motor with higher compression (10:1). 422 Comp cam (overlap), new stock lifters, new custom length pushrods (5.525" for 410/422 comp cam with unmilled heads or deck), Delta-Cams rocker arms, Dual valve springs from comp cams, rocker spacers to replace springs on rocker-arms. A set of ported/polished heads with a matched intake and depending on what model head (90TM, 93TM, 95TM, 98TM) a set of pistons from a different 4.0 to up the compression. Add in a nice set of headers and a bigger throttle body and you should be over 200 hp, I dunno, ill find out in like a month =)

 

[spindlecone]

You can get 210 to the wheels and 235 TQ with boltons and a flasher tune no problem.
For alot less than a built engine.

 

[BMXunleashed]

ok right on, I wasnt aware there were so many mods for the 4.0's i mean i know i could do ignition, plugs, wires, port n polish....but i didnt know cams were out there, i had a hard time finding one on the net....as far as naturally aspirated, its fuel injected now....you can get more power without the EFI? or is it not fuel injected and im just misinformed...


Creager you look like your gunna get some big power out of that thing and in a lil sport X, that thing should scoot pretty good....i think youll push way more than 200 HP maybe not 300 but it will get you up there....

Ive been keepin an eye on your post i cant wait to see what kinda power you get out of that...anyone know stock power numbers for the 4.0's?

 

[skoobydoobiedew]

I believe the stock power rating for the first generation explorers (4.0 L OHV 245 CI ) was 160 hp and 230 ft/lbs torque. That's if I can remember right.

 

[Jason94sport]

You can get 210 to the wheels and 235 TQ with boltons and a flasher tune no problem.
For alot less than a built engine.

Not on a 4.0 OHV without getting into the motor. Cams, port & polish, heads etc.
Or custum Super charger.
I'd do the 5.0 swap & a better tranny.

 

[BMXunleashed]

hhmm...id love to have that v8 sounds and some big power....but is it more work to do a 5.0 swap or rebuild the 4.0....Creagers rebuilt 4.0 is lookin good from what ive seen...
the beefier tranny for the 5.0 is a 5spd auto isnt it?

everyone runs 89 in thier X huh? i run 89 as well but my dad had a 93 X that he ran 87 and that thing got NASTY goin up hills or after runnin the motor on long trips...everyone else has this problem too?

 

[spindlecone]

Not on a 4.0 OHV without getting into the motor. Cams, port & polish, heads etc.
Or custum Super charger.
I'd do the 5.0 swap & a better tranny.

sorry, my bad, thought he was talkin SOHC

 

[Jason94sport]

everyone runs 89 in thier X huh? i run 89 as well but my dad had a 93 X that he ran 87 and that thing got NASTY goin up hills or after runnin the motor on long trips...everyone else has this problem too?

Nothing but 87 here. On 2 of them.

 

[Creager]

Yes, EFI = Fuel injecton. A lot of guys get +250 hp using the stock computer. Ford EFI is great for this actually, it can handle whatever you throw at it, upgrading it is just going to add more power. I've never heard of anyone converting a 4.0 to a carbed engine, but it dont see it being impossible. You would just need to get a custom intake (which could solve a lot of problems), and figure out somewhat to run a distrubtor off of it. The oil-pump shaft on the tail of the camshaft looks exactly where the distributor would/could of gone.

A 4.0 rebuild would probably be cheaper, but it all depends on how much you can get a donor 5.0 truck for.

If you can get a 5.0 explorer with everything there, for like $1500, then the 5.0 could definatly be cheaper to build up.

I think 410 said he spend upward $5500 on his 5.0 swap. He used the nice AA adapter for the 5.0 tranny to retain the BW1354 transfercase (stock explorer transfercase), and some sick conversion heads for the 5.0. Then you gotta think engine mounts...ect... for the rest of the conversion. But you could technically use just about everything out of the donor truck besides the AWD case. So it really depends on how much you can get your parts for.

Ive spent around $4500 for my rebuild, which included new A/C, power steering, cooling system, everything. But I am still ending up with inferior parts compared to what the 5.0 has. 5.0 comes with stronger Power steering pump too.

 

[Jason94sport]

Keep in mind $$ wise if your going to drop $5K into an X you could buy a used running 5.0L X for not much more then that. Depends on what your needs & wants are.

 

[spindlecone]

Keep in mind $$ wise if your going to drop $5K into an X you could buy a used running 5.0L X for not much more then that. Depends on what your needs & wants are.

And you can make more Hp and Tq, than a V8 OEM, normally aspirated,with a SOHC V6, for about 15 hun.

 

[BMXunleashed]

ya im sure you could get stock v8 numbers with a SOHC engine but i have the OHV engine....if i had a SOHC id just dump money into that thing...I know i could go find a 5.0X for not too much money but i want to keep the TTB set up because its just badass for suspension travel and strength....
basicaly i want between 250-300HP and TTB...gas milage doesnt matter too much cuz ima get a scooter (hahahahahaha) for puttin around.... so id want the 5.0 to be super fun

engine mounts wouldnt be TOO hard because my welding is getting pretty good and i know some experienced welders/car guys that have dropped 'vette engines into old pick up truck and stuff

 

[Creager]

FYI, the 5.0 has been mounted to plenty of TTB trucks, look at 410Fortune's Bronco II. You just need the 89 (?) Mustang dual slump oil pan to clear the TTB cross member.

 

[BMXunleashed]

Ill just rebuild the 4.0....itll have plenty of juice


a lot less fabrication and i get to have all the fun Creager had...haha

well thanks for all the opinions guys


i think im pretty set on my 4.0 especially since i already got intanke and exhaust for it and some JBA headers will come soon

 

[charles88tc]

Has anyone ever boosted a 4.0? Maybe with a pair of garrett t3's and a megasquirt, or F.A.S.T. System. Does anyone know of somewhere you can buy good forged pistons for a 4.0. I bet it would be mean as a son of a gun! I post over at turboford.org, i think ill look to see if theres any info over there about a turbo 4.0.

 

[spindlecone]

you could most likly get 500 HP in a full race mode out of the engine.
BUT your limitation is your drivetrain

 

[Creager]

JE makes forged flat-tops.

Hundreds of people have boosted and nitrated 4.0's. The fastest on record is a ranger splash running 12.10, i believe he is running high compression and nitrous with the stock computer. www.8secsplace.net and www.rangerpowersports.com is the web pages you need to be reading up on.

The drivline is a big problem, but can be overcome. The cheapest/easiest thing to do is to swap to the manual tranny if you have the A4LD. Next in line is a c4/c5 hybrid or a 700r4 conversion. The guy running 12.10 is using a c5 build with c4 internals. The c4/c5 is probably the strongest tranny you can get for the 4.0, and its relativley cheap considering the price to build a A4LD.

 

[charles88tc]

What kind of computer tune is he using? I am still relitively new to modding a 4.0. I know from my 2.3t it has a dish piston, for lower compression to aid in preventing detonation, why would (just because I dont know) you want a flat top piston in a boosted application? Or is that just an answer to my previous question?

 

[Creager]

you wouldnt want flat tops in a boosted truck. Nitrous is great, but no boost. He is using the stock computer, with MDS ingition, all his specs are on www.8secsplash.net.