Just did the swap successfully. Here are some considerations..

Vehicle is a 2001 Escape 4WD with a Duratec 3.0 on which the bottom end let go inexplicably. Lots of metal in the pan but still had oil pressure. Bad rod knock and screeching. Toast in any event.

Donor was a low mile 2001 Sable Duratec 3.0 from a reliable local salvage yard.

Swap took a while (about 15 hours by myself with no lift - if I had to do it again, could probably do it in 10-12 hrs.) but was not too hard. Here are some things to consider.

You will need to swap all of the following:

Upper intake
EGR plumbing
Timing chain cover and crank and cam position sensors
Both exhaust manifolds
Oil pan
Oil pickup tube
Dipstick and tube
Crank signal wheel
Crank pulley
Oil cooler at base of oil filter

Of particular note:

I COULD NOT get the passenger engine mount out without removing one of the heads on the old motor. No big deal if you're scrapping it. You CAN get the passenger mount back in on the new motor by grinding a little off the back passenger end of the mount and a tiny bit off the rear head by the valley where the power steering pump mounts. You can see where if you try and sneak it in. With a little work with a grinder, it just barely fit, but it DID fit. Since mount is cast iron, a little grinding won't affect anything.

Don't waste time trying to figure out how to separate the engine from the trans. You'd have to separate the transfer case bracket from the block. To get to that, you have to remove the rear exhaust manifold and to get to that you have to remove the alternator. Not worth the trouble.

If you leave the engine, trans and transfer case intact, that means the assembly won't come out the top. Actually, the motor, trans and transfer case assembly is much easier to remove from beneath than above. I did it without a lift by jacking up the front of the car on jackstands. Bottom of bumper needs to be 26 inches off the ground to allow sliding the motor out. I used an engine hoist to lower and raise the engine down through the engine bay.

If you do it this way, you do not need to remove the radiator, fans or AC condenser core. Note that it is very tight and takes some wiggling but I was able to do it myself. You may need to remove the water pump tensioner to get needed clearance. I did. Note also that the block and trans are pretty light permitting the use of ratchet straps and a hoist to lift the motor. Makes positioning it much easier.

You do not need to break loose any of the ball joints to pull the axles. Just the two bolts holding the steering knuckle to the strut and the ABS sensors. By turning the steering wheel to the left you'll have enough room to remove the right axle and vice versa. On the passenger side, it's easier to remove the axle and center shaft with the support bearing as one unit.

The driveshaft to the rear wheels will not come out or go in with all the engine mounts in place. Rather than disturb the driveshaft center bearing, it's much easier to ONLY connect the driver and passenger engine mounts first, leaving the front and rear engine mounts unconnected. This way you can rock the engine forward slightly and get the rear wheel driveshaft in place. Then bolt down the front and rear engine mounts.

Compared to a RWD swap, it's a pain in the neck. Compared to a FWD swap, it's about average.

As with all computer controlled cars, pay very close attention to all sensor leads and label EVERYTHING.

For me, it fired right up, ran fine and no check engine light. Nothing like instant gratification.

For those of you thinking about this swap, it's not that hard, but you need to be patient and careful.

Thanks to all who posted on prior swap threads. Your information was most helpful.

Hope this info helps the next person.

Steve2ManyBoats

 

Thanks for the post, Steve.

 

As you can see I'm new here, but it seems like you have a great forum. Lots of helpful folks. I searched and found lots of helpful info that got me started on the swap. Just figured I report back and try to consolidate useful info for folks that might want to try a Duratec 3.0 swap on an Escape.

Just trying to help and and pass info along.

Steve2ManyBoats.