Someday.

 

Bob, you can help me next....lol.

 

Damned if I know..

Just to point out, between my GF and I we now own 3 products w/ Mazda transmissions..


At least one of us is finally getting things right!

 

Thanks, Mark. Something like that is definitely in the 4R70W's future. I've also heard good things about Baumann kits and upgrades:

http://www.becontrols.com/products/products.htm

 

Might be a dumb question What about the emissions a 99 in an 2003. Will it pass. or do you not have to worry about that.

 

haha michigan is great, we have no emissions.

the downside to it, theres POS cars everywhere.

 

It will have full emission equipment and the 4 OE Explorer cats. As long as the used cats have any life left in them, it should pass a state I/M tailpipe test. We do not currently have a state inspection program in Michigan, though.

 

Fan clutch:

The fan and fan clutch on my used engine were damaged during what wrecking yards jokingly refer to as "handling". A replacement for the special, unique "short" clutch for the 5.0L Ex is about $150 and doesn't include the fan. So, I ordered a used "5.0L" fan and clutch from a guy I've done business with before. However, by the time it arrived, my $30 bargain had morphed into a 4.0 Explorer assembly - argh.

The 5.0L Explorer uses a whole array of special parts on the front of the engine to shorten it up for the cramped Explorer engine bay (virtually identical to a 98+ torsion bar Ranger). The stock 4.0 SOHC Ranger fan/clutch assembly is about 1/2" longer than the 5.0L Ex. I found that there was 0.265" extra room inside the Ranger nut so I shortened it by 0.250". That mod leaves it only 1/4" longer than the 5.0 part and I think I can work around that.





Oil cooler:

I got an engine oil cooler from a 96 5.0 Ex and mounted it on the 99 engine. All I had to mount the right angle adapter was the 99 center bolt but it had to be shortened about 1/8" to fit. No problem. This is the oil-to-coolant type of cooler that is commonly found on police vehicles, hipo models and some trucks.





Transmission mount:

The stock 5.0 Explorer tranny mount is a very wimpy piece. The one that came mounted on my used transmission was already thoroughly fragged. The F150 T-case I'm using is way heavier than the Ex AWD unit so it was a no-brainer to predict that the trans mount will live an even harder life. I considered buying a "Lifetime Warranty" OE style Explorer mount from AutoZone and just replacing it annually but decided that wasn't the way I wanted to go.

So, I dug around in my collection of semi-useless stuff and found two identical, nearly new 1992 F150 4x4 tranny mounts. The bolt pattern matched the 4R70W but there was an interference between the mount and two of the extension housing bolt heads. That was easy enough to fix by countersinking and substituting flat head bolts. Now I have a legitimate 4x4 trans/t-case mount ... and a spare!

The beefier mount on the right is the one from the 92 F150. The crossmember was cut and modified to keep the trans at the stock angle while using the taller mount:

 

Does michigan have a law like CT where the donor engine has to be from the same year vehicle or newer?

 

It's possible or we may fall under the EPA's federal umbrella. I'm not very worried about it since we do not have an annual safety inspection or a state I/M emissions program. Basically, nobody official ever bothers to check what's under the hood.

 

Why don't you just run an electric fan Bob?

 

My E-fan worked very well on the V6/manual but I'm not sold on the idea for this swap. Some folks who have gauges installed have reported higher auto trans temps with an e-fan. So, for now at least, it retains the belt driven fan.

 

Must be nice.

I can't wait to see the finished product as the progress pics just build more anticipation. Another job that'll look OE?

 

when are you planning on starting the swap?

 

When I (hopefully) have all the pieces ready. No definite timetable.

 

Bob, is the rear driveshaft behind your current 4.0/manual combo going to work with the new 5.0/auto configuration?

 

Will a 5.0 fit the stock 4.0 transmission.

 

So your going from a 5spd-auto? how come you didn't go with a another manual?

 

Nope.

I'm pretty sure he said something about it earlier in the thread.

 

There ya go.

 

The original rear driveshaft will not work for 2 reasons. First, it is too long. Second, the 4x4 Ranger has a built in slip yoke. The slip yoke I will be using slides into the tail housing of the BW4406, similar to how a Ranger 2WD is set up. So, I need a driveshaft that is shorter overall and does not have an integral slip yoke.

 

Interesting, are you going to have a custom one made or is there a DS out there that you think will work?

 

I've been trying to locate a chart of Ranger driveshaft lengths without any luck. I may have to go to a dealer and measure a few trucks.

I'm hoping that there is a 2WD regular cab Ranger (or other) shaft that is close to 48" eye-to-eye. Preliminary measurements say that is about what is needed. I'll know exactly what I need when the transmission and t-case are in position.

If I can't find one that bolts up, I'll have a Ranger or Explorer shaft shortened. 96~2001 4.0L 2WD Explorer 4-door automatics are 50".