swapping 1998 V8/4R70W/4406 into 1999 SOHC 2wd

[ahuggins6]

it helps to put the shifter cable on first, so the transmission gets put in park....

Yes, FORScan. Trying one more time for the day with Tranny in the park.

In the process of getting the shift cable on and off, i've messed something up in the column so that the shifter will only come out of park with the key halfway between off and run.

Feeling cute. Might burn an explorer to the ground later....

 

[ahuggins6]

I keep coming up with a B1213. Had to buy a second key this morning at the Ford place because no one else in town would sell me one with programming it. They couldn't program it because the car was not at the store. I'm starting to think the key I got this morning may not be good??

 

[ahuggins6]

I keep coming up with a B1213. Had to buy a second key this morning at the Ford place because no one else in town would sell me one with programming it. They couldn't program it because the car was not at the store. I'm starting to think the key I got this morning may not be good??

I've also got a P0500 for a VSS problem. I do have the Transmission speed sensor plugged in, but IDK right off where it goes in the harness. The PCM is the 98 so it should be wired for a rear axle vss, correct?

Also, do you initialize the PCM and PATS before or after programming the keys? I've obviously changed the PCM, but after several failed attempts at this I also swapped the PATS module too. I went thru the initialization process, but then it wanted to erase and program the two keys afterward. Great, right? Except they're not programming or storing...

 

[ahuggins6]

Alright folks, I figured out the chime/bell thingy contractor that tells you the key is in the cylinder was broken. So I used electrical tape to hold it in its place. THAT allowed FORScan to program the keys. There was one catch: the new key had to be stuck in the hole then pulled back just slightly so it would turn the cylinder. Then some delicate operating while FORScan did it’s thing, so as not to jam it up and have to start the time delay over.

Next up was figuring out why I couldn’t pull the shifter out of park with the key in the run position. I figured out the shifter had worn out bushings but the problem turned out to be some kind of security lockout feature.

Dorman 905-107 bushings

In the end, I have the old keys programmed with a newer ignition switch housing.

 

[ahuggins6]

In other news, I went ahead and fired it up using a starter I got from the JY. The starter sounded horrible so when I went to get the bushings, I got a new starter. $$$$$ the engine stumbled for a bit until the air in the fuel lines cleared out. It does have a slight vibration to it. Found a vacuum port open so I put the hose one it like it’s supposed to be. Maybe something will show up when I start driving it?

I haven’t put the top radiator hose on the radiator yet. I want to run water thru the block to clean any dust or junk out of it since I have a brand new radiator. (I also realized tonight that I had the radiator from the white explorer I could’ve used and not sat around for a week waiting on a new one!)

I also got enough trans fluid in it to get it to go into drive. It’s still on the lift, barely off the ground. I had put the t case in 2wd, or what I think is 2wd!? When it was spinning the rear tires I had to put some brake peddle to it to make them stop spinning. Maybe I need new brakes on the rear? Or it it actually in 4low??

Time will tell. It’s been a busy, HOT weekend and Sunday is coming. We’ll see what the wife has me doing tomorrow!

 

[410Fortune]

Well done!!

98 pcm the vss signal to the computer actually comes from the abs module

The abs module is hooked up to the rear axle vss and sends the signal to the pcm gem and speedometer

The vss in your trans tailhousing will only confuse things

 

[ahuggins6]

I'll disconnect the Trans VSS when I get the thing home and jacked up. I did not get that code once I got the keys programmed, tho, so....

I'm going to drop the crossmember and rebuilt it with the better mount, and mount it a little lower to get body clearance.

Taking the wife to a movie and a little shopping today, so it might be next weekend before I do anything else with it. I've got a ton of WORK work to get done this week so I'll be working late every night so no time for the explorer, even though I REALLY want it back on the road.

 

[ahuggins6]

Was really hoping to be back on the road tonight.

But instead, I found I have no brakes. Hoping they got some air in the lines with the fluid that leaked out while body was off the frame.

There’s a growl in the drivetrain, but without brakes I really can’t drive it to find out where.

The engine has a miss. I think the plug connections are broken on both coil packs, so I’ll have to look into that more.

Rolling down the driveway, it feels like this engine ways about as much as a 6.0 PSD! Acts like there are no shocks. It just bounces. Going slow down the driveway!

My left front tire is low, but I’m thinking the growl may be a BAD hub Assembly because it’s pulling HARD left.

But on a good note. I spent some time flushing the engine before connecting the top hose to the radiator. After I started getting mostly clear water, I stuck it on the spout and clamped it down. Seems to be cooking filing but that’s just at idle so far.

I’m so ready to be driving this thing!!!

 

[ahuggins6]

Bled the RR brake caliper and it’s better with brakes now. I’ve got a clunk somewhere underneath on each side of the frame toward the front going done the road when you let off the throttle. Like something g in the front suspension is moving, but I don’t think it’s torsion bars.

I have new concern. I have 3.55 gears with a pcm programmed for 3.73 and I’ll be goi g to 410 at some point. Can I use FORScan to fix this? When I first tried to pull out the driveway it was flashing randomly the transmission light. So I unplugged the OSS on the transmission. Apparently it has to be plugged in. But when the gem sees a difference between the OSS and the VSS speeds that is not equal to the gear ratio, I think it’s flashing the light.

Next up, I just feel WAY too much vibration inside the vehicle. Like something is badly out of balance in the power train. And it sounds like the ps pump needs some Lucas ps fluid conditioner badly!

I just dont feel safe leaving home in it. It sounds like something could come apart soon.

What do y’all think?

 

[ahuggins6]

This morning, I got the shop cleaned up enough to get the explorer far enough in to work on it. I’ve got the cross member out, let the jack down a bit, and cranked it up. SOUNDS SOOO much better!! Now it’s time to build a cross member and I’m gonna use the 2001 f150 mount that came with the t case.

T case: I feel like im gonna find out it’s junk even tho it looked good inside. I finally worked up the courage to drive it to town for the inspection I had to get before I can renew the registration. (Side note: dont let Texas vanity plates go more than 60 days over expiration or they become invalid and you have to reapply for them. Luckily someone had made a mistake in the system and they were able to renew mine without the hoopla!)

When I let of the throttle, I get a clunk as previously mentioned but I think it’s in the t case. It’s consistent. BUT, a bit of hope: I found the passenger side trans mount bolt missing (probably forgot to put it in) and the drivers side threads are stripped so that one was loose. I have a method of getting them tight before getting done.

Here we go!

 

[410Fortune]

No clunks allowed!
5.0 power steering pump should be quiet,
They are noisy until they are bled and during the bleeding process the fluid can aerate, you gotta let it sit before you can adjust the level once it aerated

Keep up the good work!
The flashing od light is not good
The
Gem does not control the od light the pcm does… you should pull codes if you have a flashing od light you have a trans code

For the trans crossmember basically I just remove some height, cut a new top plate and drill in new holes

 

[ahuggins6]

If I didn’t know better, I’d say you copied my cross member. See attachments.

The light only flashed a couple times and hasn’t done it again.

It runs great down the road, tho it’s hard to tell how great. Lots more getupandgo power than the old V6 had!

But I think there’s something out of balance somewhere. Could very well be tires, but it might be the driveshaft I had shortened.

It’s got a slight miss that I can’t find. The coil packs didn’t fix it. Also, it will stay idled up a lot as if it’s a vacuum leak, but spraying starter fluid around everything g does nothing for rpm. I had having a miss. It drives me crazy because the whole car just shakes ever so slightly and I get tired of it.

 

[ahuggins6]

Also, I bought a HeliCoil kit for that stripped hole, and fixed it right. That does away with the clunking.

 

[410Fortune]

Check your firing order?
Dead miss can be so many things
If it’s an injector it will likely set a code after a few drive cycles
If it’s in the ignition then you will have to find it
Also check the codes
Flashing od light there is a code stored

 

[ahuggins6]

Edit: yesterday I drove this thing and could it wouldn’t idle down while driving. So I shut the ac off and within a few seconds it was idling nicely around 650. So I thought it was something wrong with the ac telling the pcm to idle the engine up like it should…just not that high.

But I t’s not the ac idle circuit. It just takes forever to idle down. Then it sits at 650 or so do as long as it takes me to type a few words here and it revs back up.

So I’m thinking it’s MAF related. I’m pretty sure I used the MAF from the donor on the bronco years ago so I left the 4.0 MAF on this one.

If not the MAF, maybe it’s the TPS?

And I JUST realized I have a BlueDriver obd2 reader that Mike let me monitor the sensors. MORE LATER! (Sometimes I just have to talk it out with myself!?)

 

[ahuggins6]

This morning started out to go to town... Trans light started flashing, so I backed it up and parked it. Went to town in another vehicle.

I just pulled the codes using FORScan.

All of them seem to be linked via reference voltage. So I guess I've got some voltage tracing to do.

And in case ya'll don't know, it's been running over 100 degrees in Texas for a long time. I don't have an air conditioned shot I can fit this car in....

EDIT: Doing some probing in the heat, I get 5.42v on Signal Return and .42 ref volts while running. I feel like these are within tolerance, so IDK what the problem is.

 

[410Fortune]

1118 ect circuit high
401 egr flow insufficient
720 oss circuit malfunction
713 trans temp sensor circuit
1117 ect sensor intermittent
1783 trans over temp

I think you have some wiring mismatched?

 

[ahuggins6]

All the diagrams in the books match. I think it's a bad sensor that's shorting out and messing up the voltage on the VRef and the signal return. I'm going to clear the codes and drive it some more, check for codes often.

Note: The harness and computer came from the donor. There was no swapping pins or anything. All these sensors are in the engine/transmission harness, not related to other stuff in the engine bay.

 

[ahuggins6]

I reset the codes, drove to the store and back yesterday. Nothing comes up when I read them again.

Today, I pull out the driveway and get this code.

So if this is the first code that comes up, how does it affect the rest that I had yesterday?


I feel like it’s burning a lot more gas than it should, but I’m not really sure yet.

 

[410Fortune]

Insufficient egr flow usually bad dpfe

Clear it see if it comes back
Visually inspect all egr hoses and connections