5.0 HO in 98 XLT

[ericautopart]

So my 98 has a slight knock at idle. I'm thinking the days are numbered. Instead of a rebuild I was debating on a 5.0 HO out of a 91-93 Mustang. I don't want step by step instructions..but I know there has to be a thread on this somewhere..Just can't find it.

Will this work somewhat easy or is it MUCH easier to do a rebuild?

 

[96eb96]

5.0s in my experience can sometimes have lifter ticks at idle. Sure its not that?

 

[ericautopart]

It may be. I don't hear it on acceleration..just at idle if I'm sitting at a drive through window or something. I know the truck wasn't taken care of before I got it..it's got evidence of sludge and the coolant looks like chocolate milk and it's been flushed recently. I was thinking to just start over w/ the motor.

 

[96eb96]

It may be. I don't hear it on acceleration..just at idle if I'm sitting at a drive through window or something. I know the truck wasn't taken care of before I got it..it's got evidence of sludge and the coolant looks like chocolate milk and it's been flushed recently. I was thinking to just start over w/ the motor.

That don't sound good. Knowing that you are probably thinking right.

 

[techieman33]

It's going to be a pain in the ass to swap. The explorer is balanced for 50oz. a mustang will be 28oz. The problem is there is a tone ring on the balancer for the ignition timing, so to swap in a mustang motor you would have to have a custom piece made. CDW6212R has had a couple of them made so it is possible to do, but will add an extra couple of hundred dollars onto the swap. I think the explorer motor is a better motor anyway, it's just a cam and headers away from being a real beast.

 

[ericautopart]

Yeah, I'm thinking a rebuilt explorer engine will do then. They are cheap enough anyway...I'm still going to run the truck until it dies.

 

[Joe Dirt]

My thoughts- a removed 80k junkyard Explorer motor > 80k rebuilt Explorer motor... Rebuilds for some reason never seem to run like a factory sealed engine. Even when we were racing them in our Mustangs, we always got junkyard P motors rather than rebuilt ones, or even rebuilding the original Mustang motor. Just my .02

www.car-part.com they're everywhere.

 

[ericautopart]

We've got ties into the engine world all over. I may be able to even get something factory for a good price. To be honest..the thing runs so well. It just gives visual signs that it's on the way out.