5L to 351W motor swap

[Muzzym]

I have 96 F150 XL 4x4 automatic with the 5L engine. It has a lot of miles (181K).

Have located a low miles 351W, 92-98 vintage. Does anyone know what would be required to swap this engine? Truck is in MA so the emission controls will need to work to pass inspection. Will all of the electrical and other plumbing / mechanicals work? I would expect that the computer or at least the chip would need to be replaced? I at this point, I'm not sure if I should rebuild or just replace.

Any help is appreciated.

muzzym

[tylus]

wrong forum, but here ya go

the 95-96 302's have the 351 firing order. in terms of ecu, the 5.8 will plug right in...and the since the 302 ECU has the correct firing order, it should run

the 5.8 is wider than the 302 (head width)...so you'll need new exhaust piping

the transmission will bolt right up

new motor mounts

this can be done, but I think you're better off just rebuilding the 302, or just getting a cheapie junkyard engine...I highly suggest a Mustang 302 HO. I dropped one in my 93 Bronco when the motor blew. It would spin the 33" and 35" tires with no problems. Just make sure to note the firing order of the engine you have now vs. any engine you install. the 60's-94 302 firing order is different from 95-96 302

[FTE Trigger]

Thread moved from '04-'08 F-150 forum... these guys in the Engine Swap forum should be able to help out a bit more, Muzzy...(in addition to what Tylus has thrown in)
Welcome to Ford-Truck Enthusiasts!

Originally Posted by Muzzym

I have 96 F150 XL 4x4 automatic with the 5L engine. It has a lot of miles (181K).

Have located a low miles 351W, 92-98 vintage. Does anyone know what would be required to swap this engine? Truck is in MA so the emission controls will need to work to pass inspection. Will all of the electrical and other plumbing / mechanicals work? I would expect that the computer or at least the chip would need to be replaced? I at this point, I'm not sure if I should rebuild or just replace.

Any help is appreciated.

muzzym

[Kemicalburns]

easiest would be to grab the entire 5.8 motor from 92-96, in either bronco or f150. you can find them also in 97 f250's and some 350's.

reuse your 302 harness and computer. make sure the 5.8 has the proper flexplate for your current tranny. Do Not Use the 302/5.0 flexplate. also get the Y pipe from a 96 f150/bronco running a 5.8 due to it being wider. some have taken heat to there 5.0 y pipe and spread it out some to get it to fit properly with good results.

this is a great swap. good luck

[tylus]

Originally Posted by Kemicalburns

make sure the 5.8 has the proper flexplate for your current tranny. Do Not Use the 302/5.0 flexplate.

I knew I was forgetting something

[krewat]

Originally Posted by tylus

Just make sure to note the firing order of the engine you have now vs. any engine you install. the 60's-94 302 firing order is different from 95-96 302

I'm more of an FE guy, but didn't the 302HO when it came out in like 1982 or so have the 351W firing order?

[tylus]

yep, but the trucks had the normal 302 until 1995, then they got the new cam which had the 351 firing order (aka 302 HO setup)

[zempman]

I've got a '92 F150 that had the 5.0 and I put in the 351W. I got a complete donor engine that had both intake manifolds, upper and lower(5.0 and 5.8 are different not interchangeable. I got exhaust manifolds at the salvage yard as they are bigger even tho the bolt pattern is the same. I purchase a new cat forward y pipe from catco.( y pipe has bigger spread and has larger diameter pipes.The price for a new cat and y-pipe was about 200, cheaper and easier than a muffler shop, and bolted right on! Also with exhaust pay attention to cat exit diameter and your existing exhaust as there was a variation(can't recall exactly). I used my existing vacuum harness but had to cut and splice in tubing on the crossover portions as the spread on the 5.8 is wider. I used my existing wiring harness with no problems. The firing order was not an issue since the truck engine uses bank(batch) firing for the injectors, that is one side fires all of its injectors at once and then the other side does so. 1 or 2 cylinders that have a different firing order doesn't matter since it's not sequential FI. That was the case on my '92 and I suspect it is the same with your '96. As far as I know the only difference is SD vs MA. My '92 is SD. I used my 5.0 computer with OK results. I did find a 5.8 comp at a salvage and the only noticeable difference was shifting. Since you have MA, the comp should be less of an issue since air is actually being measured rather than estimated as it is in the SD. Accessories bolted right up since the bracket has holes for use on 5.0 and 5.8. You will need a new belt as well. For some reason the 5.8 belt was tight so I installed one 1/2 inch longer than stock 5.8. You will need a new distributor since the oil pump rod and the outside shaft are bigger in the 5.8. Pay attention to where the ignition module is located; some have it on the base of the dist and some have it located on the left fenderwell. 5.0 and 5.8 had it both ways as far as I know. The 5.0 had a knock sensor that the 5.8 doesn't have; I left the connector disconnected with no problems. Motor mounts are not an issue. Bolts up no problem. Same with tranny. Great swap to do. 40k miles later with no problems and more power.

[Kev F.]

I have a 96 that had a 5.0 I recently changed this to a 5.8 from a 95, I went thru all the changes and everything went beautiful until we started it and now its missing. Ford shop says that 96 has a firing order different from the 95 I don't know my truck is still sitting in the shop

[Kemicalburns]

Kev F.
the ford shop is dumb. your 96 is obd-II vs the 95 motor was obd-I. i hope you just reused your 96 harness and got the 95 5.8 motor to 96 specs. also you would need a 96/5.8 ecu.