5.0L swap in Indiana

[$300DangerRanger]

Here goes another one in Indiana! I went down to Tennessee to pick up a 2004 ranger with the 4.0L that had a blown head gasket at 81,000 miles and not a speck of rust. Got this green beauty for a cool $1000. But I only bought it because I was the proud owner of a 1998 mercury mountaineer with a 5.0L (got it from Michigan for $200) and I’ve been waiting to swap it into the perfect donor. Now that I have the two trucks, it’s time to get to work. I already pulled the engine out of the Ranger did the head gaskets on it, had the heads worked, resealed the whole engine with new gaskets, did a new set of timing chains and tensioners and put it back in the truck just to make sure it was a good motor to sell, now it’s time to pull the entire powerplant out of the Ranger and get it sold for project support! Check out the pics, you can see my process.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

You may want to sell the 2004 Ranger now that it's running well and get a 1998-2003 Ranger instead
In 2004 Ford added Digital dash(HEC) to Rangers and a CAN Bus data network
This creates a problem for engine/computer swaps, an extra layer of complications, which really don't add anything to the end result, 1998-2003 Rangers and 2004 Rangers are pretty much the same except for the HEC and CAN Bus

People DO swap in other engines/computers to 2004-2011 Rangers just can be a pain to get the electronics to work together
HEC cluster(dash) is a "2nd" computer, with key on it needs to "handshake" with engine Computer, these 2 components were both given a "secret code", called RSA encryption, so they can "talk", its unique to the 2 components, called "marrying" and is done using Ford Security software on a laptop at the Factory when other vehicle specific parameters are loaded, if either one can't pass the "handshake" then engine will not work, no fuel injectors is the big one
Ford did this to prevent people swapping in Lower Mile Clusters to high mile Rangers(Fords)

 

[$300DangerRanger]

Welcome to TRS

You may want to sell the 2004 Ranger now that it's running well and get a 1998-2003 Ranger instead
In 2004 Ford added Digital dash(HEC) to Rangers and a CAN Bus data network
This creates a problem for engine/computer swaps, an extra layer of complications, which really don't add anything to the end result, 1998-2003 Rangers and 2004 Rangers are pretty much the same except for the HEC and CAN Bus

People DO swap in other engines/computers to 2004-2011 Rangers just can be a pain to get the electronics to work together
HEC cluster(dash) is a "2nd" computer, with key on it needs to "handshake" with engine Computer, these 2 components were both given a "secret code", called RSA encryption, so they can "talk", its unique to the 2 components, called "marrying" and is done using Ford Security software on a laptop, if either one can't pass the "handshake" then engine will not work, no fuel injectors is the big one
Ford did this to prevent people swapping in Lower Mile Clusters to high mile Rangers(Fords)

Is that something ForScan is capable of with a Extended License?

 

[RonD]

I am not sure, but I would say no, the problem would be the older computer won't have the ability to do a "handshake" at all, so nothing to update or change

If you were swapping similar year computers or clusters I would think Forscan could do that, since both would have the "handshake" capability

 

[$300DangerRanger]

Well sh*t….that puts a dent in my day. But thank you for your knowledge and time responding.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Microsquirt...

 

[RonD]

Not sure Microsquirt would help as the instrument cluster relies on the engine computer for a lot of its display data in 2004-2011
So basically a dead dash without the factory PCM(engine computer)

$300DangerRanger
I would research further into swaps in 2004 and up Rangers, there were no 302/5.0l OHV computers after 2001 but another V8 computer from a Ford with CAN Bus and digital dash might be able to be re-programmed to operate the older engine, its just software, lol
Ford did change from a 1 connector 104-pin PCM to a 3 connector model in 2007 so if you could get a V8 digital PCM with the single connector you could use Explorer engine harness, and add a few wires to it
Ford didn't change the wiring for most devices just added to the system/computer with the Digital conversion, well, until they changed to 3 connector PCM, lol

 

[$300DangerRanger]

Not sure Microsquirt would help as the instrument cluster relies on the engine computer for a lot of its display data in 2004-2011
So basically a dead dash without the factory PCM(engine computer)

$300DangerRanger
I would research further into swaps in 2004 and up Rangers, there were no 302/5.0l OHV computers after 2001 but another V8 computer from a Ford with CAN Bus and digital dash might be able to be re-programmed to operate the older engine, its just software, lol
Ford did change from a 1 connector 104-pin PCM to a 3 connector model in 2007 so if you could get a V8 digital PCM with the single connector you could use Explorer engine harness, and add a few wires to it
Ford didn't change the wiring for most devices just added to the system/computer with the Digital conversion, well, until they changed to 3 connector PCM, lol

You think this would have capability?

 

[RonD]

No

Microsquirt and other EFI units run just the fuel system and sometimes spark
The issue on the 2004-2011 Rangers is the Digital Cluster interface, also digital Module interfaces
Running the engine is the easy part, its the digital interface with the rest of the vehicle thats the hard part in 2004-2011 Rangers
2003 and earlier Rangers were analog, vehicle systems and engine computer had very little communications
And if you stick with an automatic trans you also need a controller for that if you don't use factory PCM for that model trans