4 cylinder engine swap?

[Randomusername]

Hey I’m thinking about getting a 2002 sport trac v6 4 liter. But I was wondering is there any way to swap the engine to get better mpg? A easy, fast and cheap swap and brand of engine won’t matter

 

[RangerX]

You would spend way more to do the swap than you could ever recoup in the marginally better gas mileage.

 

[Randomusername]

You would spend way more to do the swap than you could ever recoup in the marginally better gas mileage.

Is there things I can do to get better gas mileage

 

[410Fortune]

yes air up your tires
keep your foot out of it
clean oil and clean air filter
always run synthetic in the rear axle

 

[94Eddie]

Trucks and larger SUVs just don't get good gas mileage. Some of the newer ones can but even then it isn't all that great. If MPG is really important then buy a low cost car that gets good mileage and drive it as a supplement vehicle to the Sport Trac. Even then the cost of the car, maintenance, insurance etc. probably would be more than just using the Sport Trac. Especially considering the low price of gasoline these days. How many miles do you drive in a given year?

 

[boominXplorer]

Check wind direction before leaving, a tail wind will help mpgs. Also only drive downhill, it will get 30 mpg.

 

[410Fortune]

agreed with these guys
If you put a 4 cyl into a heavy sport trac then you will likely get worse mileage then the stock V6 because you will always be mashing the fuel feed pedal in order to get the heavy SUV up to and maintain speed. This is why they come with powerful V6 from the factory.
In fact many v8 conversions can get better mpg then the v6 because the v8 would not always be running at such high RPM in order to maintain the same speeds as the 6 cylinder

So if you really wanted to convert to a different engine for better MPG then you should consider a 4 cyl turbo diesel... like the Cummins bt4

 

[koda2000]

Is there things I can do to get better gas mileage

There are no direct bolt-in 4 cyl engines a Ford 4.0L SOHC. Even if there were you'd need to get a 4 cly ECU and wiring. Any engine can be made to fit in any vehicle (look at what people do in Cuba) but this swap would be way more money that you could save on gasoline.

The 4.0L SOHC engine doesn't get good fuel economy (there are also a lot of other negatives to this engine, which are all timing chain related). The best you can hope to get for fuel economy would be a city/hwy combined 16-17 MPG depending on diff gear ratio. Many have 4:10 gears which will not get you good fuel economy. 3:73 or 3:55 (?) would get you better but still not great fuel economy, but gear sets and setup aren't cheap either.

If you main goal is good fuel economy I suggest you buy a small 4 cyl car (like a Honda Fit).

 

[Mbrooks420]

Start with a better vehicle. This is NOT something you do to save money.

 

[drakon543]

sometimes an intake and a catback can help slightly with mpg but the cost of parts and the maybe 1 mpg better you might get will take a while to pay off. the best easiest things you can do is keep a proper tune up with good parts. you can also switch to a tire that has more of a highway tread and is listed as a low rolling resistance tire. not sure what kind of tire your using now but tires and tread style along with proper inflation can play a big part in better mpg. also im not sure how well they work on more modern engines but an old school mpg vacuum style gauge could help to train yourself how to increase your mpg with better driving techniques. im generally a more aggressive driver but when im actually trying to keep a higher mpg i can usually get higher than the rated mpg in everything ive owned.

 

[MNgopher]

As others have stated, your best bet is to look at another vehicle entirely. The Explorer (and Sport Trac) are old school, body on frame SUV's. Competitors went to unibody setups in attempts to be more carlike and provide a better ride and fuel economy. There are reasons for sicking with body on frame, but if fuel mileage is a major concern, then this is not the platform for you.

 

[jr230]

Hey I’m thinking about getting a 2002 sport trac v6 4 liter. But I was wondering is there any way to swap the engine to get better mpg? A easy, fast and cheap swap and brand of engine won’t matter

either try a few yr older explorer sport my 99 got 20 on mix city hwy when i used it 40 mi day back and forth to work
it was the 4l ohv 5sp manual.
bets bet if you need pickup would be a ranger had 3 engines 4cy 3l v6 and the 4l in both ohv and ohc but all were best with the 5sp man trans for best milage. newer 4cy used in explorers are twin terbo. which requires a lot of extra electronics sensors computer etc i though of similar swap on a 60s pickup which were much lighter than todays trucks but if it has factory efi causes problems

 

[reansor]

Hey I’m thinking about getting a 2002 sport trac v6 4 liter. But I was wondering is there any way to swap the engine to get better mpg? A easy, fast and cheap swap and brand of engine won’t matter

It wouldn't be easy or worthwhile. You would have to also get a different transmission to match the engine, and then you open a whole can of worms on getting PCM to work right. Not to mention that you're alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor will probably not be mountable on a 4 cylinder engine.

 

[reansor]

It wouldn't be easy or worthwhile. You would have to also get a different transmission to match the engine, and then you open a whole can of worms on getting PCM to work right. Not to mention that you're alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor will probably not be mountable on a 4 cylinder engine.

Not to mention the fact that it probably will not improve your gas mileage and may actually make it worse. They are heavy vehicles and a 4-cylinder would have to be working really hard to keep it moving.

 

[J_C]

Use it as-is till gas prices go back up, then decide whether to keep it or sell for about what you paid for it.

 

[MrQ]

The 4.0L SOHC engine doesn't get good fuel economy (there are also a lot of other negatives to this engine, which are all timing chain related). The best you can hope to get for fuel economy would be a city/hwy combined 16-17 MPG depending on diff gear ratio. Many have 4:10 gears which will not get you good fuel economy. 3:73 or 3:55 (?) would get you better but still not great fuel economy, but gear sets and setup aren't cheap either.

Disagree a lot with these statements. Timing chain issues aside (why bring that up at all?), the SOHC gets great gas mileage for a V6 in a 2 ton (almost 2.5 in a Sport Trac) SUV for the era that it was designed in. (you can't compare today's engine technology with one that was designed over 20 years ago) You can get up to 20 mpg if you drive properly, in town you gotta keep your foot out of it. Check out user @aldive ( he passed away a few years back) and he made 20's in his 4 door. It's all about how you drive. It's not gonna be a Prius, but you get a a lot more utility out of an ST than one of those anyway. That's the tradeoff.

Sport Tracs came with 3.73's or 4.10's. Considering the weight you are moving you are better off with those than re-gearing.

 

[MartyD]

There is a K&N FIPK available for the Sport-Trac. When I put one in my Sport I noticed a 1-3 MPG increase. For the cost of that mod alone it paid back fairly quickly.

 

[Mbrooks420]

There is a K&N FIPK available for the Sport-Trac. When I put one in my Sport I noticed a 1-3 MPG increase. For the cost of that mod alone it paid back fairly quickly.

3 mpg is highly suspect. Most likely there were other factors adding to that.

 

[donalds]

I use MMO for better gas mileage
And it works

 

[Stephen Cannon]

Hey I’m thinking about getting a 2002 sport trac v6 4 liter. But I was wondering is there any way to swap the engine to get better mpg? A easy, fast and cheap swap and brand of engine won’t matter

They did make a four cylinder version of the Sport Trac for 2002......it’s called the Ford Ranger!