I need to know which engine to go with...

I work in Germany for the US Army and have a 2000 Ranger 4X4 with a 3.0 V6 (not sure which long or short block), standard trans. Both heads are shot, valve seats etc. Truck is sitting at a German shop which works regularly on US vehicles mostly Chrysler products. My only choices at present are order new heads, a rebuilt engine or buy a used one local. I have found two engines here local. One is a 4.0 EFI out of a 98 Explorer (sitting on the ground) and the second a 3.0 still in a Taurus wagon. If it would be a straight forward swap I would rather go with the 4.0 it is like the one I had in a previous 95 Ranger. The 4.0 has an automatic trans attached which I don't need and the 3.0 sits sideways in the Taurus wagon. How much/what would have to be done to swap with the 4.0? The 3.0 in the Taurus also has an auto trans.

I really need some advice on this one, I will deploy soon for a bit and the work will be done by German Chrysler mechanics... scary huh! Can someone possibly spell it out how to do it? I would feel more confident if the mechanics had a set of instructions telling them exactly what they would need to do. My previous experiences have been swapping out engines of same type and configuration or pulling/rebuilding/reinstalling the same engine so i'm a little lost here myself.

 

I would suggest you get new heads and have them put on. I would think the mechanics should be able to do this.

Getting a rebuilt engine will be more expensive and, possibly, more complex for the mechanics.

Making a 4.0 swap would be more involved. Among other thing you would also need to swap the ECM and some of the wiring as well as making new engine mounts. A parts source becomes a complication and the job is more complex for the mechanics.

The Tarurs engine swap will probably require different engine mounts (custome made) and the tranny would not swap from FWD to RWD.

Let us know what you decide.