Explorer Sport 5.0L Swap

[Jawlsey]

My 1998 Explorer Sport 2WD is starting to get the dreaded death rattle after 174,000 miles. The body is good, very little rust underneath the vehicle, and i've upgraded 90% of the stock suspension. My options are to either rebuild the 4.0L SOHC / transmission or to drop in a 5.0L, if I go that route I will also have the 5.0L rebuilt beforehand. I've located a 1998 Explorer V8 that was rolled 80,000 miles into its lifetime. The engine and transmission are good and I can pick up the vehicle for $750 OBO.

My question is this, I know approximately everything I will need parts wise in order to do the swap, from looking around on here and Google. I know that my vehicle has the PATS system factory, as will the V8 and i'm concerned about the wiring issues. If anyone can provide some insight as to the wiring changes that are necessary I would be extremely grateful, as that is 100% the biggest worry I have with this whole endeavor.

Not including sweat equity i've priced out both options, and aside from the scarcity of Torque Monster headers i'm looking at about $1000 more to drop in a rebuilt 5.0L vs the 4.0L SOHC rebuild. The stock transmission in my vehicle is automatic, so I suppose I will need to stay with an automatic transmission if available, however 4WD / AWD is not necessary for my usages. It never snows here, and this is purely for a street truck.

My goal is 240 - 270 RWHP. I'm anticipating a new cam, new headers, programmer, intake, and custom exhaust to wake the engine up a bit and give me a little more oomph. Any suggestions?

 

[2000StreetRod]

wiring diagrams

I was going to replace my SOHC V6 on my 2000 Sport with a 5.0L V8 but opted to install a supercharger instead. For the V8 swap I generated a spread sheet of the wiring differences. You will need wiring diagrams for both vehicles. It will save you time and money if you get the complete donor vehicle. Torque Monster headers are better than the poor performance stock exhaust manifolds but in my opinion do not qualify as high performance headers. Unless the body is lifted there just isn't enough room for truly high performance headers. The 5.0L/4R70W drivetrain is more robust than the 4.0L/5R55E drivetrain and there are a multitude of performance options for the former combination. There are several active forum members who have successfully performed the swap and hopefully they will contribute to your task. You'll need some other form of transportation during the swap because there will be numerous, unanticipated problems to resolve. Good luck and post your ideas and progress.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

wiring is almost plug and play. you have to change a few wires for your a/c, and play around with your oil gauge. other then that, i think page 8 on my registry starts at the swap.
and i hate to break it to you, you will need more then the parts you have planed if you want to reach 240 hp at the wheels.

 

[delexploder]

Awesome I think with yours being 2wd you will have more room for a nice exhaust

 

[Jawlsey]

wiring is almost plug and play. you have to change a few wires for your a/c, and play around with your oil gauge. other then that, i think page 8 on my registry starts at the swap.
and i hate to break it to you, you will need more then the parts you have planed if you want to reach 240 hp at the wheels.

I have other parts in mind, however i'm not looking to go too crazy with it. Its my toy and occasional daily driver. I have my wifes 2009 Camry and my bike to use during the swap, so i'm not too worried.


Thank you for your help everyone, i'm relieved to hear that the wiring is closer to plug and play than I had anticipated. I plan on lowering it slightly so that removes the option of true performance headers, so it looks as though something along the lines of the torque monster headers are my best / only available option.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

heres an example of what it would take for 240+ at the tires
my truck
eaton m90 supercharger running at 9 lbs of boost
42 injectors
255 pump
90mm maf
TMH
2 1/2 duel exhaust
tuner
stock fox mustang cam
mild port on heads, and everything else is gasket matched
dyno'd at 251 rwhp.

 

[Jawlsey]

heres an example of what it would take for 240+ at the tires
my truck
eaton m90 supercharger running at 9 lbs of boost
42 injectors
255 pump
90mm maf
TMH
2 1/2 duel exhaust
tuner
stock fox mustang cam
mild port on heads, and everything else is gasket matched
dyno'd at 251 rwhp.

I appreciate the heads up, I suppose 240 RWHP is a pie in the sky number. Truthfully I wasn't sure what it would take to rouse that many ponies out of the 5.0L. I was planning on doing the majority of those modifications, aside from the S/C specific alterations. That or I will be rebuilding the 4.0L SOHC with a 422 / 410 cam, head work, etc... Either way I will be replacing the factory exhaust with 2.5" mandrel bent and a new intake within the next couple weeks hopefully.

I am by no means itching to tear this all apart, hopefully the 4.0L SOHC will last a good bit longer in its current form. I just want to have all of my ducks in a row so that when the time comes I can order everything I will need and start the process. Thankfully I have a buddy who has an indoor climate controlled shop and damn near every tool I could hope for.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

realistically, if you have a complete donor truck sitting there, you can rip it apart and prep everything that you want to do to the motor and trans while you still have your sport drivable. then when you are ready you can tare into your truck. if your buddy has a lift, this job becomes way easier. if you go at it hard, minus the driveshaft for the rear and the exhaust, you can realistically have the swap done in around 5-6 days running.
when i did mine, it took me around 10-14 days. the reason why so long was i was hung up with the rear drive shaft for about 2-3 days, and i had major back problems, so it ended up sitting for a few days when i was to sore to do anything. my buddy had a lift at his place, so doing anything under it was a breeze. the only help i had on it was lifting the trans on the trans jack, and he grounded the oil gauge and did the wires for the a/c for me.
once you dig into it, it really isnt to bad to do. its just like replacing a motor and trans.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

oh, and one last thing. when you get it all together, chances are your tac will read to fast. you need to chance around 2 wires that go into the cluster. i also have that in my thread

 

[jd4242]

I appreciate the heads up, I suppose 240 RWHP is a pie in the sky number. Truthfully I wasn't sure what it would take to rouse that many ponies out of the 5.0L. I was planning on doing the majority of those modifications, aside from the S/C specific alterations. That or I will be rebuilding the 4.0L SOHC with a 422 / 410 cam, head work, etc... Either way I will be replacing the factory exhaust with 2.5" mandrel bent and a new intake within the next couple weeks hopefully.

I am by no means itching to tear this all apart, hopefully the 4.0L SOHC will last a good bit longer in its current form. I just want to have all of my ducks in a row so that when the time comes I can order everything I will need and start the process. Thankfully I have a buddy who has an indoor climate controlled shop and damn near every tool I could hope for.

Just a fyi the 422 or 410 cam is for the ohv not sohc..they dont make a off the shelf cam for sohc.