Engine replacement issues! SOS

[LowFlyinSVTf]

Let me lead off with I do not own a Sport Trac or 4.0L powered ford of any kind so I'm not super familiar with the what swaps into what. My friend brings me an early build (pre 7/24) 01 Sport Trac with a blown up engine. I find a said good used engine at a used parts seller I use frequently and purchase it. I notice when it came to me it had metal valve covers instead of plastic and a little black box in what would be the lifter valley. Being no stranger into making different years of engines fit in the same kind of vehicle, I assumed I could re-route some things and make it work. I got all timing components replaced and into the vehicle, plumbed it how it made sense to me got it running. He drove it for a week and complained about it dying at low rpm like turning or backing into a spot etc. I tore the intake off to install the proper fuel rail/injectors(because i left the return style setup that came with the engine on it and blocked off return), put it back together and now it does dumb thing like run good cold then get hot and miss and try to die amongst other similar things. I have mostly out ruled an intake leak. After farther diagnosis i think my problem lies in the plumbing of the PCV system, but it worked ok the first time so im not sure. What is that black box in the back of valley under the intake? The sport Trac engine didn not have one. How is the pcv plumbed on the newer engines with metal valve covers? The engine i installed came out out of an 01 Explorer if that helps. Any pics or advice would be super helpful!

 

[boominXplorer]

Still have the plastic valve covers? Put them on and plumb the pcv like factory. Pull the black box out from under the intake and block the hole with a freeze plug (exactly what they do mid 01 and newer)

 

[LowFlyinSVTf]

Still have the plastic valve covers? Put them on and plumb the pcv like factory. Pull the black box out from under the intake and block the hole with a freeze plug (exactly what they do mid 01 and newer)

The one plastic driver side vc i have is busted. On the other Sport Trac we have here, it came to me with metal vc's, and the hose out of the black box plugged and a drilled hole in the driver vc for pcv valve. After i wrote this last night i went and found the other intake (newer one) pulled some of the vac piping and elbows off of it and started trying things. Found a combo that works, just have to make it presentable. So the best remedy is keep the composite vc's and just eliminate the box under the intake. Or obviously if you have fab skills put the pcv valve in the driver valvecover and eliminate the box. Thanks for the insight dude.