Hey guys, new member here, I have an 00 ranger 4x2 that is totaled with a mint engine. I bought a 03 ranger 4x4 that needs an engine. What obstacles will I run into doing this swap? Any tips/advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to the forum

You would be much better off selling the 4.0l OHV and using that money for a 4.0l SOHC
4.0l OHV is 160HP
4.0l SOHC is 207HP
Almost 1/3 more Horse Power


But it is doable in a 2003, 2004 and up no
2003 is still analog
You need to swap the 2000 engine and its wiring harness and computer to the 2003
4.0l's both used same motor mounts and transmission bolt patterns

Manual or automatic needs to match, i.e. both manual or both automatics, or the computer swap won't work

You will need the PATS module above the glove box in the 2000 and its wiring also the PATS keys for the 2000 and its ignition cylinder
2003 had PATS inside the computer so had no PATS module

There will be some wire splicing needed
I would get a Ford "Wiring Diagram" Manual for 2000 Ranger and 2003 Ranger
Ford makes these for every year and every model and sends them out to every Ford Dealer Shop as part of the "Factory Manual Set", they used to be called EVTMs
These are sold separately on Ebay, and they are basically FREE, you buy them, use them, then re-sell them for what you paid, or even more if you get a good deal, lol
People are always buying and selling these

Example here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174495038988


Its almost the same swap as doing a V8, you just need to swap the transmission as well if you swap in a 5.0l V8
Engine/trans, Computer and wiring

 

do you have to swap the cluster as well? Will I run into any issues with the 4wd? I have been thinking about just swapping the whole cab whenever I swap the motor to keep from having to remove pats module and wiring from one dash to the other. I’m not sure what is gonna be easier/smarter.

 

1996 to 2003 Ranger use the same Clusters, so 2003 cluster is fine to use with any engine swap and 1996 to 2003 computer

PATS just has 3 wires that would need to be changed between 2000 and 2003 and of course ignition cylinder and keys
So a cab swap would be OVERKILL to the max, lol

I would sell the 2000 4.0l OHV and use that money to replace the 2003 4.0l SOHC, way better and way cheaper

 

believe me I have thought about just buying a sohc, but my grandfather that passed had this totaled 2000 model with 90k that the OHV came out of. It’s all that I have left of my grandpa.. so I’m gonna continue with the OHV in the 03 4x4. We are going to do the swap next weekend.

 

Here are the 2 diagrams for PATS in 2000 and 2003

You are using the 2000 computer and its engine wiring harness
So you need to pull out the 2000 PATS module from above the Glove box as it is Matched to the 2000 Computer

The fuse used are the same but in 2000 the 12v power runs to PATS module, and PATS module powers the Transceiver(key ring)
In fact all 4 wires on transceiver run to the PATS module

2 wires from PATS Module to computer(PCM), pins 15 and 16 on PCM, 2003 won't have these wires in the cab

The dark blue/orange stripe wire on the 2003 wiring harness in engine bay is the Ground for starter relay so can just be grounded in engine bay, you should encounter that wire as you pull out the 2003 computer and its wiring harness, its connected to pin 44 on 2003 computer(PCM)

 

thank you so much for your help. I will let you know how it goes!

 

We got started on this swap yesterday. So the engine harness in the 2000 4.0 is a quite a bit different than the 2003 we are putting it in. The 2003 is 4wd so the engine harness goes all the way to the transfer case. What should I do? Also I noticed there is 3 total harnesses in the 2000, and 2 in the 2003. The 2000s main engine harness does not have the battery hookups. The 2003s main engine harness has the battery hook up, and much more. Should I order a new harness for a 2000 model ohv with 4wd? I’m stuck.

 

You're going to have to separate the harness's you have down to their basics, and then build the custom harness you need out of the parts.

And even after you do that there will be a lot of wire splicing to do.

You are going to need the wiring diagram books "EVTM" for the 2000 and the 2003 to help figure out what wire goes where, should be available on ebay.

This project is do-able, but will be a wiring nightmare, I doubt anyone here has ever done this project, so you will pretty much be on your own.

 

+1 ^^^^

Ignore the 4WD part of the harness for now, it is a separate system in all Rangers, not connected to engine computer

In 1999 and up the EVTM manual was renamed Wiring Diagrams by Ford

2000 looks like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/26545432908...4AAOSw7r5huivH

2003 looks like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/153290340669

Ford makes these every year for every model and sends them out as part of the Shop Manual Set for each model to all Ford Dealer shops
So Ford Techs can diagnose wiring issues on "new" cars

Has all sub-models and options
Must be EXACT YEAR you have or may not be acurate

And they are basically "free" to use, you buy them from someone who has used them, then resell them to someone else who needs them, so "free", there will always be a demand for these

As 2011Supercab said, you are swapping in a lower powered engine which would not be a popular swap, to say the least, lol
Yours is a labor of love, and good for you, but you won't find any similar swaps with info and not sure how much help we can be since its also year to year specific, so not general knowledge on Rangers
But ask away and we can offer what we do know