5.0, is it worth it?

[JollyGreenGiant]

well here it is, i have a 95 4dr xlt 4xr4, with the faithful 4.0 in it, buttttt.... i pull horse trailers and campers and the 4.0 just won't cut it, i love my truck, i have got it just the way i want it, but i need more power, so, do i do a 5.0 swap? i don't want my truck down and out for a month and a half, adn i need something that is reliable. i like the 97-03 f150s, but the cost could be a factor, but is the stress worth it? how much $$ is involved with making the swap and making a engine that can pull. thanks all for the help.

 

[Rhett]

If you REALLY really love your Explorer, and like to do wrenching, then you can do the 5.0 swap; otherwise, I would recommend you look for a 96-01 Explorer that comes with the 5.0 in it to begin with. Or an F150 like you said. This will save you a lot of time and effort.

If you want to do the swap, your Explorer WILL be down for at least a month, I'd estimate. And cost wise, I would give a wild ballpark estimate of $5000 if you did most of the work yourself, more if you pay someone to do it. If you want to build up the engine at all, you can easily double that figure. The three big things are that you'll need the 5.0, a new transmission, and a completely new wiring harness and PCM to go with it.

The good news is that your 95 Explorer's engine bay can accomodate the 5.0 with very little modification, since Ford designed that body with the 5.0 in mind from the start. (it was introduced the very next model year).

 

[RiverRat]

I don't think it is worth it if all you are doing is pullin' trailers. The F150, 250, 350 will all be better than a 5.0 Explorer.

Butttt, I did it for other reasons and am very glad I did the swap. It took me a few months doing most all the work myself and solving all the little problems that came up.

While it tows much better than a 4.0 with a manual trans I know i'll have to break down and buy a F350 PSD someday. Got an extra $40K I can borrow?

 

[james t]

consider this if you really want an explorer- used explorers are dirt cheap right now. this is bad if you are selling one.... good if you are buying one. i think you could sell your 95 4.0 and buy a 96 5.0 ALOT cheaper than the cost of the swap. also, the 5.0 truck will more than likely have 3:73 gears; it really all depends on what you want to do.

i agree, the 5.4 F150 would make a better tow rig. however, the 5.0 explorer does a pretty good job towing- especially compared to the 4.0. i use my 5.0 to tow with all the time. unless your pulling a six horse trailer, i would imagine my early bronc + trailer is a little heavier than what you would normally tow.

 

[BadBrad]

I agree with the advice to find a used 5.0 Explorer. I tow about 4000 lbs with mine, and it does a good job for a mid-size SUV, even in the mountains.

The 5.0 AWD Explorers came with 3.73 gears, heavy duty cooling, and tranny coolers, so they are already set up pretty well for towing.

BB

 

[Barney]

As Ive just found out today, Without paying someone to swap it in for you its roughly $2000 to swap in a 5.0 and thats for the engine and extras.

Im going to be doing it here very soon. Probably even beef it up more. Although, Im going for a street scene look so instead of a supercharger, Im turboing it.

I can imagine some pretty good power out of that.