5.0 Engine Replacement

[OLDJIMMYBONES]

i have a 98 XLT with a blown motor, can i have this swaped with any 5.0? or does it specifically have to be from an explorer?

i have one mechanic saying a 5.0 is a 5.0 and any one will work and another saying it has to be from an explorer...

thanks

 

[tonkatruck]

Late model 5.0 blocks are the same. The variations happen in the internals with piston & camshaft variations being the biggest differences (for the short block). There are a slew of heads found on 5.0’s with the explorer gt40p’s being the best of the factory supplied part. The explorer 5.0, being the last of the breed, makes it the most refined.

The best solution is to use another explorer engine. They are easy to get from a bone yard.

 

[chriswells78]

Explorer 5.0 would be the easiest swap. Others can be done but you are looking at buying a lot of Explorer 5.0 specific stuff for it such as headers and what not. The explorer intake is a cast variant of the Cobra intake, the headers are explorer specific, the explorer has the same cam as the last couple years F150/E150 cam, the 96-97 heads are GT40, the 98+ are GT40P and require different headers. The Explorer 5.0 also has a different timing cover and oil pan than other 5.0 variants. You will also need the 5.0 wiring harness and PCM to go with your new engine as well as the intake tubing and the 4R70W tranny. If you have 4x4, you need the AWD transfer case or swap to a 4406 Transfer case.

Cliff notes, it's not a hard swap but do your research because there is a lot of differences and a donor truck would be the easiest and cheapest way.

 

[OLDJIMMYBONES]

thanks for the info, i have 1 other question my motor is not actually blown, it has a very bad top and bottom knock, is a rebuild worth looking into or should i just go for a junk yard engine? im trying to fix this as cheap as possable, and does anyone have a rough estimate of what these should cost? i was told if i supply the engine it would be 700 for installation which seems a little high to me but i dont know

 

[chriswells78]

700 doesn't sound too bad considering the time that it will take.

 

[CDW6212R]

If your truck is a 302, then you can use any 5.0 roller engine to swap the shortblock from. The camshaft is different, but you need the Explorer heads, intake and all other external parts. Using a Mustang or Lincoln 5.0 HO cam may be a good thing instead of the Explorer cam. I haven't heard of anyone trying that yet.

Shop around and see if you can find a rebuilt shortblock, or a new one for a good price. How long you can wait/hunt will decide how much you might save. Good luck,

 

[TedJ]

IMO You might be better off using something from an explorer if its used, I would bet on most used Mustang engines having been beat on a lot more than one from an explorer.

 

[CDW6212R]

True, don't waste any money on a manual trans 302.