What's involved with putting a 5.0 Explorer in a 97 Ranger?

[97ranger11]

I already looked and didn't see any stickies. Are there any good links or threads that go in detail about doing a 5.0 swap from a explorer or mustang to a 94-97? I have a manual transmission and 2wd.

Also, what all bolts straight up and what requires fitting (like radiator, fans, what headers will work, speedometer/odometer, AC lines, hydraulic clutch components, stuff like that)?

[cgrey8]

You said:

...Are there any good links or threads that go in detail about doing a 5.0 swap from a explorer or mustang to a 94-97?...

Are you referring to 94-97 Ranger years? There's quite a bit of change in those year ranges, mostly from 94-95. With the exception of body, the 93-94 Rangers have more in common with the older Rangers under the hood than they do with the 95-97 Rangers. The 95-97 Rangers are almost identical.

Given your username, can I assume you have a 97 Ranger?

And what year Explorer 5.0L are you working with? Include ALL pieces you have access to. For instance, is it just engine, or engine, sensors, accessories, wiring harness, computer, intake snorkel, MAF, air filter box, etc etc?

Be as detailed as you can about what you are working with or wanting to work with.

I can say right off that you won't likely be able to reuse your Ranger transmission. You'll either need to convert to using the Explorer 4R70w automatic OR run a 5.0L friendly manual like the tried-n-true WC T5.

[97ranger11]

Yes I have a 1997. I'm not going to be doing anything soon. I just want learn as much about the swap as I can so when I am ready to do it I am prepared. I will probably get a complete engine with all the components from the junkyard and either buy a rebuilt transmission or pull one out of a vehicle that will work with an explorer 5.0 (f-150). I want to stick with a manual.

[cgrey8]

Will you be building the engine at all or running it in 100% stock form including stock exhaust manifolds? I ask because the Explorers from 97-01 have GT40p heads which can't take just any 302 header. They require special headers made for GT40p heads. However the 96 Explorer had GT40 heads and takes standard headers. However if you will be building the engine with aftermarket heads, then it matters far less which engine you go with.

As for compatibility of things, the 97 Ranger is probably one of the easier swaps. There are many threads here talking about what is required for this swap. Just search around. Hopefully the titles will be clear enough to get you going. But the 95-97 Rangers have similar wiring harness, similar dash, similar engine bay, etc to the 96-97 Explorers, making the swap far far easier. The biggest difference in the engine bays between the Ranger and the Explorer in these years is the fact that the Rangers still used a steering box vs the Explorer's rack-n-pinion. So you'll still need an oil filter relocator kit. I highly recommend the L&L kit.

I would not recommend an F150 manual transmission. The manuals in F150s were OK, but they weren't built for performance duty at all. The T5 is a far better transmission to go with and is what most manual Ranger guys choose. If you have really deep pockets, there are other aftermarket options such as the Tremec TKO, 3550, or the T56 Magnum. However if you go with the tried-n-true T5, there is plenty of coverage as to what you need to make that swap work. Regardless which manual you go with, I doubt any of them will use the same shifter hole in your floorboard that the stock transmission did so be prepared to cut/modify the tunnel for the new stick position. It's not hard to do, just something that'll need to be done and to make it look right, buy new carpet meant for an automatic, then cut a hole in the carpet where your new shifter location is. Complete carpet solutions are not that expensive off eBay and generally a 15+ year old vehicle's looks are improved by new carpet. And it's your opportunity to change the color if you like.

If you have AC equipment, make sure to get as much of the tubing from the Explorer engine as you can. I don't know if the connections on the Ranger and Explorer are the same from the compressor to the condenser. If they are not, you may want to swap your Ranger condenser for an Explorer condenser just so everything is compatible. I believe everything related to the heater/AC box is identical between 95-97 Ranger and 96-01 Explorers.

Definitely make sure you get all the wiring harness and computer from the donor Explorer so you can reuse all that. Being you'll be manual trans, you will need to get the computer reprogrammed. You can either do that yourself with DIY equipment or you can have it done for you. If all that needs to be done is have settings turned OFF, then you can get someone on the EECTuning.org site to probably do that for a very nominal fee. However if you decide to delve into engine mods and you want to tune it yourself, this will be an investment you'll want to be aware of that may give you sticker-shock. If that sounds interesting to you, there's an FAQ about what you should know before buying tuning equipment over on the EECTuning.org site that I administer.

[97ranger11]

Wow, thanks.

I'd do the swap with a stock engine, with engine mods coming as my budget allows.

[cgrey8]

There are a number of other oh-by-the-ways to be aware of.

For instance, the 97 Ranger has a return style fuel system and Explorers from 98-01 have returnless fuel systems. It's no big deal to convert the engine but it is one of those things that will take you by surprise if you aren't expecting it.

Another is 98-newer Explorers have Passive Anti-Theft Systems (PATS) that will prevent the new EEC from cranking the engine without the same dash lock or something that the PATS is keying off of. The PATS functionality can be turned off in the EEC. But if you don't know about it, it is one of those things that you'll scratch your head over. Most people, even if they have a newer Explorer engine just swap the EEC out for a 97 Explorer 5.0L EEC to avoid it particularly if they are going to run the engine in stock form.

If you do get a 96-97 Explorer, the exhaust manifolds absolutely suck. Search around for threads talking about them. Ford started putting decent cast iron manifolds on the engine somewhere around 99??? If you do anything, get rid of the POS crappy tube manifolds and upgrade to the cast iron manifolds. If you got money for it, upgrade to real headers. Again 96 Explorer will take a regular header. But 97-newer has the GT40p head which will require a special header to fit them due to the altered plug angle. If you are lucky, you can find some of the FMS Explorer headers used off eBay (not sold new anymore). MAC still makes Mustang GT40p headers. And for deep pockets, go with Torque Monster headers. If my engine bay had room, I'd be running them. But since my Ranger's engine bay is the more cramped engine bay, there's simply no room for more than the Explorer headers.

There's also a fairly old thread that details the small changes in the Explorer 5.0L over the years too. Some of those details are interesting. Others are relevant. It just depends on your setup and how each of the changes might affect your plans.

You can't foresee everything, but there is a good bit you can avoid just by reading and educating yourself...and of course thinking about the swap & asking specific questions about things you don't know or things you think about. The only stupid questions are the ones not asked.

[97ranger11]

I just looked up a picture of the 96 and 97 explorer exhaust manifolds- holy crap! What a bad design. So if I were to run headers, my best bet would to be get an explorer with gt-40 heads that way I wouldn't have to shell out 700 bucks on torque monsters to fit the gt40p's, and if I ever upgraded the heads down the road my headers would work with AFRs, trickflows, or whatever aftermarket head I went with, correct?

There are a number of other oh-by-the-ways to be aware of.

For instance, the 97 Ranger has a return style fuel system and Explorers from 98-01 have returnless fuel systems. It's no big deal to convert the engine but it is one of those things that will take you by surprise if you aren't expecting it.

Another is 98-newer Explorers have Passive Anti-Theft Systems (PATS) that will prevent the new EEC from cranking the engine without the same dash lock or something that the PATS is keying off of. The PATS functionality can be turned off in the EEC. But if you don't know about it, it is one of those things that you'll scratch your head over. Most people, even if they have a newer Explorer engine just swap the EEC out for a 97 Explorer 5.0L EEC to avoid it particularly if they are going to run the engine in stock form.

If you do get a 96-97 Explorer, the exhaust manifolds absolutely suck. Search around for threads talking about them. Ford started putting decent cast iron manifolds on the engine somewhere around 99??? If you do anything, get rid of the POS crappy tube manifolds and upgrade to the cast iron manifolds. If you got money for it, upgrade to real headers. Again 96 Explorer will take a regular header. But 97-newer has the GT40p head which will require a special header to fit them due to the altered plug angle. If you are lucky, you can find some of the FMS Explorer headers used off eBay (not sold new anymore). MAC still makes Mustang GT40p headers. And for deep pockets, go with Torque Monster headers. If my engine bay had room, I'd be running them. But since my Ranger's engine bay is the more cramped engine bay, there's simply no room for more than the Explorer headers.

There's also a fairly old thread that details the small changes in the Explorer 5.0L over the years too. Some of those details are interesting. Others are relevant. It just depends on your setup and how each of the changes might affect your plans.

You can't foresee everything, but there is a good bit you can avoid just by reading and educating yourself...and of course thinking about the swap & asking specific questions about things you don't know or things you think about. The only stupid questions are the ones not asked.

[cgrey8]

That is true. Although I don't believe GT40p headers are married to GT40p heads. I think they will also work with standard heads. But I say that with reserve because I don't know that to be a fact.

[plowboy34]

They do make headers to fit the "P" heads in Mustangs cause so many people are running them but I do not know if they will work in a Ranger or not. If I ever build another one I will probably order a set just to see if it will work.

[cgrey8]

The MAC headers are the most common Mustang GT40p header. And I expect you'd have the same issues you have with other Mustang headers in Rangers...clearance with the passenger side frame of which is fixed by cutting a notch out of the frame to let the exhaust pipe land on the flange.