2wd to 4wd swap
 

I ahve a motor from a two wheel drive vehicle and I i found a for wheal drive vehicle i was wondering i I could put the motor and tranny in it. I is a 2.3 from a 01 ranger. sorry for all the question about motors.

were gonna need a little more info bro

need to know the year of your truck the parts, lift if any, and what your MOTOR/Tranny setup is now. along with the motor/Tranny type you wanna swap with.
Example. (98 2.3 2wheel drive swapping with 2000 4.0 4wheel drive.MANUAL, AUTOMATIC, stuff like that.)

2001 2.3 manual no lift. The motor is out of a trashed truck my father bought at his work. The motor would go into a 2001 or newer 2.3 I was wondering if I should look for a 4x4 or just stick to a 2wd. thanks

if you want 4x4.. its a lot less trouble to find a cheap one.. or sell your current truck and grab a nicer 4x4 for dd

x2

Thanks, what would I have to do to put it in a 4x4. There is not much to sell o the truck. maybe a the seat but he hase sold some of the bed section that were good to his boss to put on custormers trucks. This thing is trashhhed.

lol sucks. well, always remember, what was taken out can be replaced with performance;)

I don't follow

This is an interesting question.

It'd sure be nice to have one of these nifty 16 valve DOHC 2.3 motors in a 4x4--be a lot better on gas than the 3.0, and almost has the same hp. I used to have an old 2.3 4x4 and it had enough jam in it for off road, especially in low range. And it kept up to traffic just fine on the highway. You can still by a Tacoma with a 4 banger in a 4x4, and probably would perform similarly, and be a little better on gas too.

Probably the biggest question is if it would bolt up to the 4x4's transmission. If it does, probably the computer, wiring harness, hoses, etc from the 2x4 you are taking the engine from would plug in. But I really have no idea.

Does anyone on here have an answer for this guy? If it would work and what year/specs of 4x4 would accept the engine the easiest?

This has been covered so many times the logistics and money it would take is insane unless you just have to keep this truck dont try this .
but heres a taste of what you will need a 4x4 trans , tranfer case , all of the 4x4 suspension and front (spindle , brakes , springs , hubs , CVs half shafts)
Electrical - wire harness , computer , switch , sensors , all gauges
ungodly amounts of tools and knowledge and fabrication
its a 3K option on trucks for a reason there is alot to make it work it would be easier cheaper to just buy a 4x4 like a old bronco or something .

I was wondering, what is the difference between the transmision in a 4x4? If I did swap the motor to a 4x4 couldn't I just use the transmision out of it. Why would I have to change the spindels if I am just puting a motor or a motor/tranny combo in it. Thanks

You wouldn't need to change the spindles or anything else he is saying. He thinks you are trying to convert a 2x4 to a 4x4, not put an engine out of a 2x4 into a 4x4.

A 4x4 transmission has a transfer case bolted onto the back of it, and so the easiest thing would be to bolt your engine on a 4x4 transmission, and hopefully someone here will be able to tell you if your engine will fit onto the transmission that comes with the 3.0 and if so what years. Otherwise there might be a way to mate the transfer case onto the back of your transmission, but it'd probably take some mucking around with the output shaft...

Thanks, did they make 4x4 w/2.3 and if so what years and would they be aesy to swap with a 01 motor. I would like something reletively easy.

They did make a 4x4 with a 2.3 until the mid 90's--I used to have one--but it was with the old Lima 8 valve 2.3. A great, dependable engine but not as good on gas or as much power.

It is a totally different engine block and wouldn't think its trans would accept the duratec 2.3 or the truck would have a place for the more advanced computer and sensors and gizmos. It'd be way easier probably to mate the new 2.3 to a similar model year 4x4 because the electronics would be almost the same and the wiring harness and computer etc might just be able to be swapped in easily. But it all depends on if the engine will bolt to a 4x4 transmission. It seems likely that there should be a way to do that.

You know, the easiest thing you could do though would find a 01 or so 2x4 with a blown engine and just plug the new engine right in. And then, if you want traction, to install a detroit truetrac limited slip in the rear end. The truetrac is great and doesn't use clutches that wear out and it doesn't lower fuel economy because the limited slip doesn't engage unless its needed. Whereas putting the engine in a 4x4 would probably bring your highway mpg down about 5 mpg.

here is a review:
http://www.offroaders.com/reviewbox/...hp?product=252

and a better review from a guy who put one in a Titan and tested it with one wheel on gravel:
http://www.titantalk.com/forums/tita...an-review.html

so the 90's 2.3s were limas and not duratecs then. Thanks for the information.

yeap sorry didnt catch that , research and see if anybody makes an adapter to fit that tranny to your motor . But your still missing the picture because the above mentioned way is possible .

Let me throw this question out there , its a fuel injected engine and an auto tranny right hence he needs a computer and they dont make a computer for the new 2.3 engine calibrated to mate up to a 4x4 tranny . I dont think I could very well be wrong on that but I think thats going to be his biggest problem plus he is going to pretty much have to build a harness they dont make . but then again this bord has taught me anything is possible .


ps a 2x4 is a hunk of wood used to build stuff a 4x2 is a truck

can I put the 2.3 motor ina truck that has a 3.0 in it, with out having to rewire it.



P.S. please don't say anything is possible to this question. Thanks

um, you will still need a transmission to mate up to the engine, and I don't believe there are any 4x4 transmissions with the bellhousing to match 2.3 duratec, unless of course the 2.3 duratec has the same bellhousing as the 2.3 Lima...

As for wireing you would need to wire in the entire engine wireing harness for the 2.3 along with matching the ECU from the 2.3 to the wireing of the 3.0

I have kind of a similar deal going on..i have a 93 ranger 4x4 with a half blown A4LD and I'm trying to figure out if I can get away with pulling the extension housing off the automatic and putting it on in place of the tail housing on a 2wd manual trans to bolt up the transfer case?? Will this work? Btw 4.0 ohv