Yeah, I had the same thought. I figured it'd be the same as an F150...

 

I think it has to do with the body style change for the Expedition in 2003, followed by the F150 change in 2004. I looked at Autometer and some others and have not found a "crossover" part that fits both. Looking at photo ads on the Autotrader site or others, there are some apparent differences between the pillars on 2003 Expeditions and 2004 F-150s. If anyone knows of an F150 3-hole pillar that will work-- please chime in.
CR

 

Digging the stainless exhaust & custom cobra head. Again - nice work!

 

really great job man....very solid fab work.

I've got an h1c turbo and an hx35 sitting around for cheap if your interested (saw something you said about changing turbo)

 

I just took my 4.6 out of an 03 F150 and have a 4bta to put in it. I am wondering what it cost to get the balancer machined so that the stock tach works? I'm gonna add a gauge pod with oil temp and will add a boost gauge and an EGT gauge. I'm using an A518 Tranny. I have 3.73's and will probably have to go to 3.08's

Any further pointers appreciated.

 

The machining cost me a couple of lunches for the machinist at work. He is an ace programmer and made quick work out of it over a couple of lunch breaks. So I took him out to lunch and we were both happy.

The biggest time-suck was getting the oil pan sheet metal re-arranged and laying out for the motor mounts. If you have 2WD or a body lift I think this part would be a lot easier. Once I got the engine in the final position, the other stuff seemed to go a lot faster.

Best of luck with your swap!

CR

 

I am getting ready to do this to a 2004 Lincoln Aviator. Can you give me any advise. I am using a Cummins QSB 3.3. So the dimensions are a little smaller and should be easier to get in the bay. It has the same specs hp/torque wise.

I am mostly concerned about the electronics; such as injectors and coils that you removed or the abs, does that have a problem with the how the computer is reading it now? How did that affect your computer; do you get codes? How did you get around all the computer issues that can arise?

I am planning on using the stock transmission. I found an outfit called Phoenix adapters and they will make a kit to hook the two together for $600. Do you think I would have an issue with the computer controlling the transmission at that point?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

I do have a check engine light all the time, since there are so many sensors and the injectors are missing. There is no affect on the ABS, cabin temperature control or security system.

I do get an "advance track" error message shortly after leaving the driveway. This may be due to a couple of things related to my manual transmission. I hard-wired the leads going to the transmission connector on the PCM to report a neutral condition all the time. This is so I can shift into 4L through the dashboard rotary switch (my transfer case is stock). The PCM will not allow the Xfer case to go to 4L unless the vehicle is stopped, the transmission is in N or P and the brake is applied. So one source of my Advance Track error could be that the AWD module is getting information that the vehicle is moving but the transmission is reporting a neutral condition. The other thing could be that the AWD module has some means of measuring (or inferring) engine torque through the auto trans. Since the sensors in the transmission aren't reporting for duty, this could also be the source of my error condition.

Since you are using the original transmission, you will likely avoid this problem. From what I have read on the 4BT Swaps web site, you will have to do two things to get your transmission to work with the lower-rpm diesel. You will need an aftermarket transmission controller to change the shift points (~$600). I don't know how these controllers interface with the vehicle PCM, or even if they need to. If they do not, then there could be some of the same error messages generated. You will need to fabricate some sort of TPS that was on the throttle body and will now need to be re-located to the throttle arm on the injection pump (or maybe the QSB already has a drive-by-wire throttle?). The other thing you will need to do is have your torque converter re-worked, so that it will "engage" at the lower rpm of the diesel. If you do not, then the fluid will overheat from all the slippage. You will have to talk to a transmission shop that knows how to do this-- I don't even know how to specify the work that would be needed. In my initial research, the cost of this was about $700-$800. These two reasons plus the cost of a Destroked transmission adapter convinced me to use a manual transmission. I like shifting my own gears anyway.

I'm curious-- where did you find your QSB engine? The older 4BT's are harder to find now and only seem to be going up in cost. Seems like as time goes on, the QSB's will become easier to find and pioneers like yourself will pave the way for people to swap them in. Good luck in your swap and please keep us posted on your progress.

CR

 

Here are a couple of other threads that my be helpful reading material. First, a short one on the 4BT Swaps site:4bt vs. 3.3 liter , which references another one-- 72 pages where the 3.3L goes into jeeps:

B3.3T Jeep YJ - Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums

There is a whole section on the 4BTSwaps site for the 3.3 engine (and others, but some excellent tech for the 3.3): Cummins B3.3, 6AT, & Cummins Variants - Sponsored by Proffitt's Cruisers

Best,

CR

 

So, if I wanted to do a 4BT swap in an expedition but wanted to have an experienced shop do the work in lieu of my house garage, who in the country is the authority on this?

 

I would recommend Rob Bonney Fabrication in the west:
Rob Bonney Fabrication

The above link requires you to be a member of the 4BT Swaps site. His FB page is here:
Rob Bonney Fabrication | Facebook

In the East, I would recommend Tennessee Diesel Conversions:
Tennessee Diesel Conversions | Your Diesel Conversion Resource

I have not had any business dealings with these guys-- my only interaction has been observing how well they support others on the 4BT Swaps site, and the photos of their work speaks volumes.

Here is another list:
Shops that do diesel conversions in the USA?

Best,
CR

 

Here is another swap shop that many people have used:
fordcummins.com - Increase Horsepower with Ford Cummins Diesel conversion kits

They will sell parts, kits, manuals as well as do the whole thing.

 

I recently bought an 2003 Expedition and am in need of a 5.4l motor. I was wondering if you might still have the one you removed from your expedition.

 

Sorry alicat. I sold the original engine and transmission sometime in 2011.

CR

 

Any updates? Still running good? Performance mods?