Hi guys, My name is Chris.

I recently obtained a 2006 Ranger from a family member that had a bad engine. I thought about fixing the engine but my relative who had it tried to do a timing chain replacement and re-used the diamond washers and tty crank bolt, which led to the bolt backing out and the valves getting bent.

So i decided to go engine hunting, further research led me to the 2.5L Duratec out of a 2015 ford escape. I would have picked up another 2.3 but the high mileage of them and the cost pushed me more toward the 2.5L.

The 2.5 I picked up from LKQ on ebay for $610 with 4500 miles on it. I decided being that they are pretty much the same engine that I might get away with using all the rangers parts to make it fit. There where a few snags along the way, but nothing too difficult.

Obviously i had to use the valve cover, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, oil pan, pickup tube, accessory drive, and mounts. what i didnt count on was having to replace the oil pump, intake cam and tapping and plugging a hole under the timing cover.

I did have to purchase an intake swap plate from another forum. which helped fitting the 2.3 intake to the larger port 2.5 head. The 2.5 injectors were reused to help the 2.3 ecm compensate for the larger displacement. I also installed a vvt and balance shaft delete from massive.

So after a little bit of time and replacing worn out old parts that I would have used from the 2.3, I now have a 2.5 duratec ranger. As far as I know I may be the only one.

 

Very interesting! Glad it worked out for you and yes, you MAY be the one and only 2.5L Ranger out there! Congratulations on a successful engine swap!

 

Hey Chris,

I know this is an old thread. I saw your videos on youtube where you had trouble with the check engine light and suspected the O2 sensor. I assume you got it figured out. Do you recall what caused the trouble? Thank you!

 

I was trying to use the fuel injectors that came with the 2.5L. I got around it buy using a maf tube that has removable calibration inserts, with a k&n cone filter. I made an intake tube from the modular intake pieces you can get from autozone. The maf adapter I used is a spectre 9405. I used the 2.25" calibration.

this was the setup i copied.

 

I see, thanks for the info. I assume you re-used the 2.5 injectors to be in better harmony with the bigger displacement of the 2.5. Do you think I'd run into the same issues if I'll try to re-use the 2.3 injectors of the Ranger engine and keep the stock intake pipe? I'd like to avoid having to mess too much with the intake. It's just gonna be a daily driver.

 

I tried to use the 2.3 injectors with the stock maf. Driving it with them seemed like it had less low end torque. I decided to use the 2.5 injectors because they were new and came with the 2.5L, so they where the correct injector that fit that engine. I did not have access to a programmer at the time, otherwise I would of had it tuned. I had to use the calibration tube to trick the computer into thinking the injectors were stock from the 2.3L.

Overall if you can, I would suggest getting it tuned.

 

Thanks again for the info. I will see what to do going forward. I just really don't like the rod knock on my engine ... Custom tunes are expensive and hard to get around here (Canada) so an adjustable intake may be the way to go. The wild card in my setup is that my truck is a 2002 (the 135HP version of the Duratec with swirl runners, a different exhaust manifold, different cam and probably a different PCM/ECU). I'm still willing to try the 2.5 over the 2.3 because of the better torque.

 

Good job. Keep us posted with how it shakes out performance and fuel efficiency wise.

 

Hey Chris, anther question:
in this post it was mentioned that a 2.3L EW engine (such as for focus or Mazda3) has a different coolant flow through the head, requiring a change of the head gasket. Was there a similar issue on the 2.5?
I know the coolant is an issue in the 3L vulcan when replacing a NS layout with an EW. Maybe it was just confused?

 

tobbik... did u ever get this to work in your 02?... will it work with 01,5-03 2.3 duratec rangers with older ecu &maf?..

 

This is a late reply, but if anyone was concerned, there is no change in coolant flow from an EW configuration to a NS. Coolant flow is the same no matter what the engine orientation, whether 2.3 or 2.5 duratec.

 

hey khrys771, what calibration tube did u use?.. or did u just get a 2.5l duratec maf sensor out of another car?

 

Spectre Performance 9405 is what I bought, I have a K&N come filter on it. I think I used the 2.25" insert, but it could have been the 2.5" one.

 

ok thank you khrys771... how come u had to replace the oil pump instead of re-using the 2.3 pump?

 

The 2.3 that was in the truck was junk, I didnt want to take a chance of using the pump and it ruin the new engine. Also a new pump from ford was only $40 shipped to me.
DS7Z-6600-B is the part number I used. Been driving it since Nov. 2016 with no issues. Getting the intake setup like the one in the pic with the 2.5 injectors and maf calibrated makes the truck run decently on the stock pcm, But I have noticed it pinging when using 87 octane.
I have since decided to swap the pcm out for microsquirt. I have been talking with another guy who has swapped a 2.5 that has already finished his microsquirt setup.
He is on another forum. PM me for the details.

 

oh!.. ok.. the guy who did his microsquirt conversion.. is he running factory coil pack or coil on plug setup?

 

He is running the factory style coil, but has to use an ignition module to make it work.

 

oh ok,.. cool.. theirs one last thing i dont understand about the swap u did.... if u ordered the vct delete kit, then why did u swap the intake cam?.... can i not use the stock 2.5 cam and just swap the cam sprocket and re-use the 2.3 valve cover?

 

vct cam has 6 pickup points for the it to work properly with a vct pcm, the ranger pcm is designed to see only one pickup point. i didnt want to take a chance and confuse the ranger pcm. if you were looking at the mazda3 swaps, those had a vct to begin with, so their pcm can control it.

 

ok, i noticed that,..that the back of the intake cams was completely different from the 2.3 and 2.5... me and my dad started his swap last night.. we got the balance shaft delete kit in and we swap the intake cam complete with the 2.3 cam sprocket still on the cam... along with the vct delete

 

i also managed to talk my dad into getting this little gem for his swap as well, .. where just waiting for the exhaust flange from massive

 

looks like an S2000 exhaust manifold. i have one as well, but never installed. the outlet of that manifold is a little high compared to the stock ranger.

This is Kdogg's ranger from Massive speed. you can see the bend in the exhaust pipe to make it fit.

 

yes, its a s2000 header...

 

oh ok, i see... thanxs for the tip... i was just gonna take measurements from the old manifold cuz its still on the old 2.3 engine and make the s2000 have the same clearance from the block & height... i may just do a pie cut in the exhaust and have it bend to the header


and then just patch the pie cut

 

I am in the process of doing the same 2.5L DOHC swap into the place of my old 2.3L DOHC , in a 2001 ranger. I have done a lot of research on this swap, most of it being from one e-w orientation car to another. Few e-w to n-s, like the Ranger.
Here is what I found; on the frount of the 2.5 head, below the timing sprockets, between the timing chain are 4 holes, 3 are bolt holes for the timing cover/upper motor mount support. The 4th hole is a oil gallery that feeds the VCT. with the original timing chain cover, that gallery is closed off by a machined surface on the back of the 2.5 timing cover. The 2.3 n-s ranger timing cover does not have that machined surface to cover that gallery.

Oil gallery location
I plugged mine with a 3/8 x 3/8 long* socket head cap screw(allen bolt) after tapping the hole. To blow out the shavings, I blew air threw the oil port under cam bearing cap(s) that feed the VCT. Why not a hex bolt? Because the head of the bolt will get in the way of the bolt hole below it. that bolt hole in the cover has a machined surface around it that touches the head, but does not cover the gallery.
*(no longer than 3/8)