Aussies I need some help

[OZY EXPLORER]

Hi all I’m after any help anyone can give me,
I’m in the process of replacing the motor in my 1999 xlt with a crated motor from the states, it seems I am having the same problems as this X owner.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144230&highlight=wiring+loomThe problem is the wiring loom .Its not the same as the original motor .Has any one done the conversion before. It seem that every question I ask on this forum is ignored or perhaps this forum is getting to big to answer all the questions. Is there anyone out there that have done a motor swap, if so lets here from you .Any feed back would be appreciated.

 

[Creager]

Have you tried using the wiring harness from the original motor?

Welp, i guess the first thing to do would to compare the actual wires themselves? Do any of the colors match? Before i'd go hack up the wiring harness, i'd check www.rockauto.com or ford to see if they sell any of the wiring harness plugs you need. Then just convert, wire by wire, cant be that hard if they are by chance are the same color...

Knowing the world, there is no way in hell any of those colors match, so you are in for one hell of a puzzle. The first thing i would consider, would be to find out what exactly the donor motor is ment for. Maybe an older 91-94?

I cant say for sure what ford changed from explorers in the states, and what they would sell down under, but i can say that it can't be 'too much different.'

Take pictures!!! Give us something to compare to. None of it may be compatibile, so you might have to use the old harness. I'd say that be your best bet, using the old wiring harness and sensors on the new motor. It should work... maybe?

 

[90ranajo]

Another idea is since you got a crate motor from the US also get the wiring harness and computer too. Ford AU may have calibrated the computers differently than Ford US does due to different emission standards.

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Well after searching and searching this sight I found out that the motor I bought is for a 2004 Ranger manual not an
auto explorer. Well at least I have somewhere to start now.

The motor on the top is from a 2004 Ranger, the motor on the bottom hasn’t got the alternator or aircon on but they are the same.

The two wiring looms are different .The biggest difference is the injectors and how they are wired up.
I'm going to try and combined the two wiring looms and if I can’t wire the injectors correctly I’ll just swap the injector
rack over from the old motor and buy some new injectors to suit the loom.
All of the sensors seem to be the same, the only on that I can see that is different is the crank sensor.
I’ll keep posting my progress on this as I go.

 

[Aussie Explorer]

Mate I believe what you have is the same engine that will be in the new V6 Couriers as well as the later module Explorers if I am not mistaken.

You probably need a Good experienced auto sparkly to change the 2 looms over and a wiring diagram for the old and new loom would be a big help too I would think.

Just by looking at the loom on my car you are in for one hell of a fight to get it all right.

There shouldn’t be any difference in the engines between the Auto and Manuel, only the ECU that runs em.

Why did you opt for a new engine instead of Just Rebuilding the Old engine?, that’s an idea the 2 engines should be just about identical if might be possible to swap all the wiring and even sensors over from the old engine to fit the new one if you go slow and mark were each wire came from and goes too, don’t know without actually looking closely at it

I would of opted for the back shed rebuild, but then when it comes to electrics I am hopeless.

If you were in WA I would offer to give you a hand.

Good luck and keep the photos coming.

 

[Creager]

ahh the wiring loom shouldnt be that big of a deal. Its all plug and play, you would be surprized how easy it actually is to take it all apart and figure out where it goes. The problem is running the loom in the right spot, so it doesnt bind up or hit something its not supposed to, like headers or something =P

i guess the worse thing that would happen is you would have to swap lower intakes and fuelrails (and maybe upperintake aswell) to make it all work with your harness.

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Creager
You are right all the sensors are the same plugs. Except the injectors.
Now that I’ve compared the two looms the task is not that difficult. The easiest way to go
would be to completely swap the old motors parts
Two piece manifold
Tappet covers
All plumbing pipes
Injector rack
wiring loom
And old injectors
The thing is the new motor puts out more power and torque than the old one.
This I suspect is the difference in the manifold set up which also has a bigger
throttle body and is a total different design. I’m after as much HP as I can get so I shall
persist and change over as little as I can get away with. I’m not real keen on putting the old parts
on the new motor if I can help it.
Aussie,
The reason I did not rebuild is , Ford wanted $10000 for rebuild plus removal and refit. This was
because in there words “the rebuild parts where very expensive”.
Ford wanted $33000 for a new motor installation
(which I found out later is the same as the one I bought from Eagle Motors In Brisbane.)
No one on the coast here was interested in doing the rebuild
The motor exchange mod where not real sure either
So I took a punt on the new motor.
The courier motor and the explorer motor are similar but I’m not sure they are the same.
http://www.carpoint.com.au/DesktopD...031202.16:57:57&TabID=501130&Alias=carpointau

 

[Creager]

WOW! those prices are INSANE!! i put ~4000 into new everything. Rings, flatop pistons, bearings, highend cam, ported heads, melling oil pump... ford water pump, new power steering lines and pump and expesnive flaming rivershaft... airconditioning! litterally everything under the hood minus the wiring harness is brand new! I can't believe they wanted 10000!! Well, i guess thats about right, 6000 labor.

The new motor has more HP? Is the cam meant for the auto you know? I didnt remember if you said you had the manual or the auto. Ford used some 4 different cams in these motors (aussies might have more!). But, some of the older cams esspecially ones designed with the manual tranny in mind usually get tossed, since they dont work well with the auto's TC. The cams designed for the auto's work fine, more power with the manual. I guess ford did this to squeek out more gas mileage...

But what i was getting at, that any change in HP from the older OHV and the newer OHV should be completely computer related. in the USA we have two styles of injectors. The older needle point style (usually more expensive), which can operate under higher pressures better... and the three hole nozzle, which helps the fuel atomize better. Either one should deliever the same amout of power, unless you torque curve doesnt get into full swing until ~3200 rpm like my cam'd motor. So my suggestion is, if you wanna squeek all the power out of that newer motor, you probably want the newer computer in there too. But that might require MUCH more work then what ya want.

Good luck man, my advise is to do as you said: and use all the older injectors, fuel rail, lower, and upper intakes (pluming too). I would suggest replacing all of those injectors if you can, but this can be very expensive! $100each! I got a story with my new motor that could of been a very big problem! (IE injector fell apart, and was leaking gas all over the manifold... Hot manifold+gas = boiling gas! and i thought i had a coolent leak!

Just be VERY keen to make sure the lower intake gasket you use is from FORD! The Felpro gasket will work, but its known to have problems. The ford gasket is metal, with rubber around the water jackets and under the intake. The felpro gasket is cork, with no rubber around the water jackets, and nothing to go between the manifold and the block. So you have to rely on silicon a little more.

Good luck.

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Creager
Thanks for the advise. We have very few people here that can work on these motors.That’s why Ford can charge what they want. Could you tell me where I can buy new Injectors from for a 1999 sohc motor. I found it heaps cheaper to import parts from the States than buy them here. I just received a pair of front wheel bearing assemblies from Clickon Auto Part for $800au for the pair delivered, where here in Aust Ford wanted $1100 per side.
Cheers

 

[foxy]

mate ,May I ask you just what happened to your old donk as I too have a 9/99 build xlt sohc ? Iv'e been able to increase my hp and torque heaps just by getting rid of the oe exhaust system I converted to a single 3" cat system and the difference was huge .Those figures you cited man is that ever scary, it sure made your decision quite easy to make.It would be nice to know how you get on yours foxy south australia

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Foxy
My Explorer had a LPG conversion on it and about six months ago while at Fraser Is it back fired .The air cleaner box cracked and it sucked in a gut full of sand ,which totally stuffed the rings. It was using 2lts of oil a week , I had to remove and clean the plugs on the 1999 explorer every few days just to keep it going. What a mission that was.
It had done 170km but I had a 5year 160km warranty with ford .They replaced the transfer case, indicator stork, and replace the front timing chain cassette adjustor .
One thing I did find when I dismantled the old motor was the rear timing chain was very badly stretched and the adjustor was completely stuffed. It would not have been long before it broke and destroyed the motor anyway.
After the warranty run out the rear chain started to rattle and ford wanted $2000 to replace it.
So the new motor at around $4000 sounded like good valve to me.
I received your email but I’m off to Fraser Is for two weeks , so I’ll answer any other questions ,If you have any when I get back.
The motor I bought was from Brisbane Eagle motors , they import heaps of American motor and other stuff.
Cheers

 

[foxy]

Thanks Mate have a great trip I'm envious as in green with envy .

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

foxy
Fraser Is has not changed beautiful one day and perfect the next. .Here’s a few pics of the place. The only thing is I couldn’t take the explorer, it’s still :roll:
Hopefully it will be back on deck soon.

http://au.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gazzhick/album?

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/Stewart_Hickin/?action=view&current=P1000489.flv

 

[Positive Vibes]

OZY, this is off topic but what kind of whales are those breeching?

You guys don't have a fishing limit over there? And what type of fish are those?

And what kind of shark? Thresher? That sucker is close to shore and pretty big!

Oh and whats up with the poor doggys?

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Positive Vibes


The whales are humpback they come to the inside of Fraser Is every year to mate.

Yes we do have fishing limits here .We are aloud to keep 30 of these fish for the one week we were on the Is.

We call these fish tailor and I think these all called blue fish in the United States.

The dogs in the photo are Dingos .They are native dogs of Australia . The ones on Fraser Is are the purest ones left in Aust because they have not been crossbred with other dogs. They have killed people in recent years

 

[Positive Vibes]

Are those sharks dangerous???

Very cool pics! I'd love go and visit!

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Positive Vibes
These sharks are attracted to the surf by the large schools of tailor that feed in the surf.
When large amounts of fish are caught they are usually cleaned on the beach, where we either have to bury the frames in the sand at mid tide point our dump them at the low water mark away from the fishing areas .
These sharks are in knee deep water and the big ones are about 10ft long.
They are either bronze whalers ,grey nurses or thrashers sharks..
Over the years with thousands of fisherman fishing in waist deep water there has been no recorded shark attacks on Fraser Is.
Fraser Is is 100miles long and is the biggest sand island in the world.
There are three small towns on the island mostly holiday houses and units. There are also many camping areas on the island with toilet and shower blocks.
It’s a great place to go camping and fishing well worth a visit if you are ever over here.

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Back to the motor.
I’ve pulled the manifold of the old motor and found a crankcase breather, which is not on the new motor. There was a plug in the hole where the breathed sits. I removed the plug, cleaned the breather an installed it.
I placed the old wiring loom in position. The injectors are wired different and there is an extra sensor in the block. I’m going to try and keep the new injector set up. So I’ll change the wiring to suit. I’m going to change the manifold rubbers but over here they cost a fortune so, I’ve ordered some from Click On Auto Parts. So now I wait.

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

I’ve changed the manifold, rewired the injectors and changed every thing that needs to be changed over. Now I have the motor in the engine bay but I can’t seem to line the gearbox up to the flex plate on the motor. There seems to be no room to drop the motor into place on the engine mounts with out moving the gearbox back.
Is that what I have to do to get the motor to fit? Or do I have to leave the engine mounts off, drop the motor in and then try and install the engine mounts later. There doesn’t seem to be enough room to do it that way. Could some one please let me know the right way to do it is.
It is a 1999 XLT 4lt SOHC 4x4 5 speed auto.

 

[OZY EXPLORER]

Had the motor in for about a month now , but I just can't seem to get it to idle right. The mechanic has done a computer test and nothing showed up. I went for a long run and now the engine symbol has lite up. So its back to the mechanic for more computer work. I suspect the MAF is not right. Not a lot changes when it is disconnected, I'll give it another clean this time with contact cleaner, I searched the site for info on MAF and found more than I could read. So I might get that tested first.