has any body done this swap will i beable to used my stock wireharness and distributor my truck is an 88 ranger 2.9l and i can get a 4.0l ohv motor cheper than rebuilting the 2.9 the 2.9 has 187.000 miles on it i thank i have a crack head of block its putting air in the coolent system

 

2.9s are prone to cracking heads. There's an aftermarket head available from World Products but they're about 300 bucks each.

The 4.0 will bolt up to the 2.9 bellhousing but you will need to change the computer and do a little other rewiring. The 4.0 doesn't use a distributor, it uses a coil pack with cranck trigger ignition so no, your 2.9 distrubutor wont work. If you have an auto trans, you'll need to think about updating that as the 2.9 version won't hold up for too long with the greater torque of the 4.0.

 

I'm currently in the process of investigating "an easier 4.0 swap" in place of a 2.9. I've noticed that at least the earlier 4.0 OHV blocks have a plug where the distributor would go, and some used a cam position sensor there. The things I have left to investigate are which block casting/head casting combination(s) might allow for swapping over the 2.9 intake to the 4.0 or whether or not a 2.9 distributor will fit with the 4.0 intake in place, and which 4.0 cam has the gear on it for the CPS/distributor and the interchangeability issues. One drawback I can think of, at least on the EGR-equipped 2.9 trucks, would probably be the necessity of getting a non-EGR ('88-'90?) 2.9 computer and wiring harness (if necessary) to mate up to the 4.0 IF the distributor will "bolt right in".

Just swapping in the 4.0 is fairly straighforward, but the big drawback is the wiring harness and computer swap. Certain model year Rangers/Bronco IIs are more compatible and ideal for the swap. The big thing with the wiring is having the diagrams and pin-outs for the computers and having a lot of patience. Otherwise, it's bolt-in and you'd definitely want all the accessories and brackets that come with the 4.0. I was also reading about which year 4.0s are better than others, and I can't remember casting numbers or interchangeability information, but some of the 4.0 heads are also prone to cracking as well. If I remember right, there are 3 different "versions" of the 4.0 OHV block, heads, cams, cranks, pistons, etc. Here's the link for the info I read: http://www.answers.com/topic/ford-cologne-v6-engine

Hope this helps somewhat