93 Explorer TDI Swap

[Fix4Dirt]

Hey, cigarette smoking is making a comeback! ! Or as the lead-in to my vehicle thread "3 ashtrays, 2 doors, 1 cupholder, 0 airbags. . ." Awesome work so far, super clean wiring, and great spot for the switches - - having experimented with the door switch panel, under dash facia, etc., something like what you made is the way to go . . .

Only (super minor) issue - - green rig with green dash lights - - why not green switch lights ? ? ?

Looks great.

no, theres at least one airbag in the car whenever its driven! kiddin kiddin

 

[timtimtimajim]

Hey, cigarette smoking is making a comeback! ! Or as the lead-in to my vehicle thread "3 ashtrays, 2 doors, 1 cupholder, 0 airbags. . ." Awesome work so far, super clean wiring, and great spot for the switches - - having experimented with the door switch panel, under dash facia, etc., something like what you made is the way to go . . .

Only (super minor) issue - - green rig with green dash lights - - why not green switch lights ? ? ?

Looks great.

I’m holding onto the ashtray just in case

Thanks for the compliments!

The green versus blue switches came up as one of those 3 a.m. wake me up thoughts… I guess I stuck with blue because that’s what I’ve been using. Green would look really good though. May have to make the switch!

 

[Paul]

Blue Rig (RIP) = Blue Switches

Green Rig = Green Switches

All good, keep up the great effort. . .

 

[timtimtimajim]

Well this thread has been a bit quiet… still waiting on the adapter kit. We’re 10 weeks into the 8 week lead time so, I emailed TD Conversions. Sounds like they’re just finishing up the adapter. Barring any delays, they say it’ll ship early next week.

I’m on vacation the first week and half of June. As long as the kit ships next week I’ll have 12 straight days to work on getting the motor in!

 

[Rick]

I'm glad you are still on this project. Eagerly awaiting a video clip of it running.

 

[Josh P]

Well this thread has been a bit quiet… still waiting on the adapter kit. We’re 10 weeks into the 8 week lead time so, I emailed TD Conversions. Sounds like they’re just finishing up the adapter. Barring any delays, they say it’ll ship early next week.

I’m on vacation the first week and half of June. As long as the kit ships next week I’ll have 12 straight days to work on getting the motor in!

Long wait times and slow progress, sounds just like my build thread. I'm excited to see your project come together!

 

[timtimtimajim]

Oh yah we’re in business now!

 

[Josh P]

They must be walking from Denver with it. Least there is a scheduled delivery window.

 

[timtimtimajim]

That’s what it feels like. I guess it’s all coming from British Columbia

 

[Josh P]

That’s what it feels like. I guess it’s all coming from British Columbia

I've ordered from them. I want to use the np242 transfer case with the ford transmission so they made me a 31 spline input for the 242. It took a few weeks to arrive.

 

[timtimtimajim]

Some fresh machined aluminum showed up today!

 

[Mbrooks420]

If only you were local I’d toss it on the old laser scanner and bang a few spares out.

Looks like a quality piece.

 

[timtimtimajim]

After having it in hand it is definitely worth the money! Plus the engine mount kit I got is super nice and should make install fairly easy

 

[410Fortune]

Wicked cool!!!!

 

[timtimtimajim]

Too rainy to work on landscaping my backyard, so got to play around with the adapter kit! This kit is super sweet! Allows for 0, 10, and 15 degree clocking of the motor. VW factory spec in Jettas/Golfs is 15 degrees. I'm gonna start with clocking at 0 degrees and see how everything fits. I have a feeling zero will work the best in the Explorer's engine bay. I loosely assemble the engine, adapter kit, and transmission together so I can set it all in place and work on building motor mounts. Everything will come back apart at least one more time for the new clutch, Loctite, and proper torque. I have a feeling it'll all come apart a couple times.

Engine block plate

VW crankshaft to Ford flywheel adapter

Bellhousing plate

Starter motor installed. Starter is for a Toyota 4.7 V8.

All one unit!

Only problem I've hit so far... nipple on the coolant flange for the oil cooler line is aimed right at the top of the bell housing. Had to order a "low profile" coolant flange from TD Conversions to remedy this.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Beautiful hardware.

 

[410Fortune]

Does the low profile part have a 90
Elbow on it?

Wicked cool to have an engine on a table to work on and it’s not an atv!!! Lol

 

[timtimtimajim]

Does the low profile part have a 90
Elbow on it?

Wicked cool to have an engine on a table to work on and it’s not an atv!!! Lol

Sorta… the nipple gets moved entirely to the right side of the flange. So 90 degrees from where it was originally. There’s also a nipple that comes straight out the back on the stock flange that ends up going away entirely. The oil cooler outlet and heater core outlet have to be teed together for the new one.

Having it on the table has saved my back and knees for sure!!

 

[timtimtimajim]

Well the engine is sitting in the engine bay ready to start mocking up mounts. It’s amazing how much room there is now!

Looking at everything I think I’m going to have to shift the engine forward about two inches. In the couple Rangers I’ve seen with this swap they move the engine forward two inches so that the high pressure fuel pump clears the firewall. That’s not my issue at all as the firewall bumps out and clears the pump just fine on the Explorer. I need the two inches because the hard coolant crossover line runs right into the heater box and the fittings for the power steering pump hit the engine crossmember. It’s a bit more work to move it forward but in the end it makes everything fit even better.

Will probably need to convert to a remote oil filter and figure something out for the oil drain plug as the engine crossmember will interfere with both once shifted forward.

I also bought a kit for hydraulic style motor mounts but I don’t think there’s enough height for them. So will probably go for some poly mounts. It’ll be a bit more vibration but it’s all I’ve got room for.

Power steering pump fitting issue

 

[Josh P]

This is making me excited to get my engine back from the shop.