FOr the past few months ive been looking for a beater to run around and get parts with and someone i know has a 98 ranger. The 3.0L came stock in it and it locked up when his wife was driving it. He doesnt want to fix it so he kind of wants to dump it off on me.. haha. So what i wanted to know is how hard it would be to swap in a 4.0L. Are all the connections pretty much the same? And will i just have to swap out the ECU or is there anything else that i need to do? Are there any extra things i would have to get out of the donor? Thanks, John

 

For starters, you'll need the motor, tranny, computer and wiring harness from the 4.0L.

 

+ engine mounts, 2 row radiator...

this job is not so difficult as looks..

there are two different 4.0 engines. Both of them are made in Kohl, Germany, they share bolt patterns with other European V6 engines (2.4, 2.8, 2.9 ....), but not with 3.0 so you need a 4.0 tranny ore bellhousing for tranny.

i like 4.0 SOHC... really good engine but works with OBD-II EEC-V PCU only. This PCU controlls tranny too, so you can use this engine with 5r55e only... (well, it runs with A4LD but with dozen of uneraseble codes, so you need Fort VCT tool to reprogram PCU).

To get no this problem look for '98-2005 engine+tranny+PCU+wiring harness... some PCUs have TC parametrisation working with Bosh ore ATE ABS/Traction controll unit. But as I remember late model only with electronically controlled throutle and 4-ch ABS. I'm not sure, but seems to me this is EU option not available in the USA and you will not get this problem....

 

For the use you intend, it looks like you don't need a powerhouse. Why don't you take the easy route and replace the 3.0 Vulcan engine with the same thing? It will fit without adaptation, its durable and its a common engine. There ought to be a lot of them around. The swap should be quick, easy and fairly inexpensive.

 

Yeah, i guess it sounds like too much work. 3.0 it is.

 

I called my friend who used to visit some JYs in LA last week and he told me that good 3.0 is about $450-600. all 3.0 are compatible with swaping some parts. really, engine block and heads were not changed from '87. Air intake, ignition system, wiring, oil pans manyfolds may differ but you have a donor and you can easily swap some parts, just get gasket kit....

 

It's not that much work, no guts, no glory. Just get a complete donor vehicle, it will have all the parts you need. It would have to be a heck of a lot of work for me to keep a 3.0 over a 4.0 hee hee. The 4.0 is so much more superior performance wise than a 3.0, it's well worth the work.

 

Oh geez... now your making me want to do it again.. haha. Ill scour the wrecking yards and cragislist for a wrecked 2wd with a good 4.0. I guess since ive gone that far, why the hell not go that little extra!