Just to let you know, I know nothing about Rangers. I work on Honda's. Just trying to help my friend out so please correct me if I'm wrong.

My friend bought an unfinished project. Its a 97 Ranger 4x4. The person told me that there's a 94 motor in it, so I'm guessing it has obd1 sensors and stuff. And I think I found out that the obd2 motor has a coil pack instead of a distributor. So is there a way I can convert the sensors to make it work with an obd2 computer? Or is there certain sensors on the 0bd2 block that aren't on an obd1 block. Any advice or tips would help a lot.

oh its a 3.0 vulcan motor

 

They did not change much from year to year the 3.0 vulcan never got much love from 94 to 97 shouldn't be much difference. Just compare the 2 and see what needs to be changed out. It will never run correctly unless it has a matching 94 computer so if your stuck with a 97 PCM id take some pics and go to the junkyard for reference and grab the parts you need block and heads should be the same should be simple as swapping over some peripheral stuff.

 

So '97 wiring harness and computer, if so I would stick with that and change engine parts, too bad you don't have the old engine

3.0l had a distributor from '91-'94
'95 and up used coil pack as pearl said

AND..........you will need a Cam syncronizer in place of the distributor, it runs the oil pump so very important part.
You will need to get a Cam synchronizer and the CPS(cam position sensor) that sits on top of it.
Good read here: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...n_sensor.shtml

And you will also need the main crank pulley/harmonic balancer, and CKP(crank position) sensor, hopefully there are holes in the timing cover to bolt the CKP sensor on to.
If not you may have to switch to the old EEC-IV computer and wiring, as engine won't run without CKP sensor.

Stopping by a wrecking yard wouldn't be a bad idea, blown 3.0l 1996-1998 would have all the parts you need

Get all parts referencing '97 Ranger with 3.0l.

Only other sensors on the engine are TPS(throttle position sensor), IAT(intake air temp) sensor, ECT sensor, dashboard coolant temp sender and oil pressure switch, and they should match up.

Generally speaking when doing an engine swap you only swap the block and heads, you get the intake/exhaust , oil pan and valve covers from old engine
Honda(cars) are not any different, same sensors and requirements and same changes based on model year.

 

Is that computer you're talking about obd1? Whats the difference in the harmonic balancer, And can I just put a timing cover on it with a ckp sensor hole on it?

 

And do all the blocks have a ckp to mount by the crank pulley? Or just the obd2 motors.

 

The crank pulley/harmonic balancer from a '95 and up will have the ring "gear" that the CKP sensor reads, it isn't really a "gear" since it doesn't drive anything but it has teeth that make it look like a gear, it is also called a "tone ring".
This gear tells the computer when crank is at #1 TDC via CKP sensor and the RPMs of the crank.
On pre-'95 the distributor was set for #1 TDC and single coil was used for RPM signal, this isn't compatible with newer computer

Not sure if 3.0l has CKP mount on pre-'95, just needs two bolt holes to attach sensor, but they have to be in the right spot for #1TDC to be correct and maintain corrcet distance to ring doesn't hit sensor and close enough for sensor to read teeth on the ring.

OBD1 is a protocol for talking with a computer, but yes EEC-IV is the Ford computer used prior to 1996 and most used OBD1 protocol, EEC-V is the computer used after 1995 and it uses OBD2 protocol
ODB2 is more detailed
There was no OBD1 until OBD2 was introduced in 1996, it was call just OBD, on-board diagnostics or assembly line diagnostic link (ALDL)
OBD2 was mandated as the standard protocol for North American sold cars/trucks in 1996, that's when the original OBD became OBD1, there is also OBD1.5, lol.

 

So if I can figure out if the ckp will bolt up too an older motor, I could easily just do wiring conversion and replace all the sensors with new sensors, correct? Is there any sensors for the intake that the older motors dont have?

 

I assume you have the '97 wiring harness so no changes will be needed.
You won't need new sensors

These controls/sensors on the intake should be the same, i.e. IAC valve, ECT and TPS(throttle position sensor)
And the temp sender(1 wire) should be the same.

There was only 1 other sensor on the intake, the IAT(intake air temp) sensor but Ford added this sensor to the MAF at some point, don't know the year.
MAF sensor with 4 wires will have IAT sensor on upper intake
MAF sensor with 6 wires won't, just leave IAT on '94 intake as is, with no wires connected, or remove it and plug the hole with a bolt, your choice

MAF(mass air flow) sensor is located on the air filter housing with the big air tube that goes to the intake, most fuel injected vehicles use MAF sensors these days.

 

I believe I have the 97 wiring harness. Two came with the truck (a BUNCH of spare parts were in the back). Everything on the harness that we found that was in the back, fit most of the things that was on the motor already in the truck (The 94 motor). The harness in the truck that was connected to the ecu seemed like it was different.. And some of the wires didn't want to reach where they needed to be. We found kkb1 on the ecu if that gives any clues. And the biggest difference we could tell in the harness was that where the ecu connected on the harness in the truck, it was one long plastic plug, and the other harness had 3 plastic plugs instead.

And still haven't got the chance to figure out about the ckp sensor yet.

 

kkb1 would be the ECU for a '97 Ranger with 3.0l so is the stock ECU for that truck, an EEC-V computer using OBD2 protocol

EEC-IV('94) connector has 3 rows with total of 41 pins
EEC-V('97) connector has 4 rows with total of 104 pins