im lookin to do a HO swap this tax season. my motor's starting to sound like its about due for a rebuild plus i'm just lookin for a little more power for when i'm in the deep mud. i'm doing some research and i know its a simple swap and bolt in but i'm confused about the ECM. i know the firing order is different on the HO meaning the fuel injectors are different too. could i just swap ECMs? or should i just rewire the fuel injectors or what? anyone else done this before?

also i can get a motor out of a 90 GT for $300. thats why i'm considering this swap. or would it be easier to just swap the cam in my engine for like a B or E cam? would i need to tune my ecm? this whole electronic fuel injection system is not my area of expertise. i'm an old fashion carb guy. so any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

No, the injectors aren't different, and the EEC has nothing (directly) to do with the firing order. The only effect it has is that the EEC relates certain oxygen sensor readings to certain injector trims. The injector banks are the same; the cam is the same; the crank...

Swapping to an older engine will give you the same power at best, but more likely LESS (and less reliability). If you want a true upgrade, swap to MAF or even OBD-II/EDIS (from a ~98-02 Explorer/Mountaineer). But even that probably won't be worth the effort or cost. Your best move is to just keep that one tuned & maintained until it dies naturally. Then rebuild it or swap in something newer.

No matter which way you choose to go, you'll be a WHOLE lot better-off if you keep the entire engine & control system together from ONE donor - don't mix & match. Plenty of mixes will work perfectly, but MOST won't. Until you have a firm grasp, keep it simple by keeping one whole system together.

 

i guess you're right. i looked up the specs on a 90 GT and its basically the same as what i have. by converting to a MAF setup what advantages do i have? well now that the 5.0 HO swap is out of the question how about just buying a rebuild kit and going with a B303 cam and GT40 heads while i got it apart? would i need to tune the ECM or can i just adjust the timing and go with it that way? i'm just looking for some extra power. i'm tired of getting stuck in thick mud and not having enough power to get out and i know those ECMs are sensitive

 

There is no "tuning" of an OBD1 Ford EFI system.

What is your current gear ratio?

I'ma thinkin' yer gonna need mo' bigger motor to do what you want to do.

Adrianspeeder

 

If you are getting stuck in mud, you need TORQUE, not HORSEPOWER. The HO engine is built for horsepower. Maybe regearing would be a better idea.

 

i have 3.55 gears on 33s. i know i could definitely use bigger gears. 4.10s would be awesome for what i'm looking for but i dont really want to mess with that ttb front end. thats why i was looking into cams or a stronger motor. also because i'm going to be looking into a rebuild soon since i have 220k original miles

 

You can't build a vehicle that will take you anywhere. You could spend a few million on a proven race-winning off-road truck, and you could still get it stuck. It's more about the driver than the vehicle. Learn to drive your truck, and you won't waste nearly as much time/money/blood/sweat/tears on "upgrades". Mine has the smallest engine (4.9L) and the most weight (Bronco w/lots of mods) with oversized tires (33s) & the 'worst' gearing (3.08), and it'll still throw mud, climb mountains, tow other trucks on the highway... Just spend some time on maintenance & read about driving techniques. It's cheaper, easier, and produces better results than spending lots of loot.

 

i know how to drive my truck. ive gotten stuck twice. last time it was crossing a little creek that seemed harmless but once i got in it, it was like quiksand and i could literally get out and watch my truck sink. it was so thick my wheels were barely spinning and i overheated my tranny. if i would've been going fast enough i would've made it but i didnt think it would be such an obstacle. i was just curious about beefing up the engine. i'm going to have a few grand just laying around and i would like to beef up the motor. i just want a little more power. i'd rather put it into my truck than waste it on something i cant enjoy as much

 

So a more-powerful engine wouldn't have helped you in that situation, right? It would have just destroyed the trans faster.It's already as beefy as it needs to be. Just maintain it properly.Buy a winch, a bumper, straps, chains, cables, & an anchor (Pull-Pal). If you have any $$ left, add a battery & tire chains (yes, for mud). Swap to a 130A alternator. They'll take you a LOT farther for the money than another engine.

 

Adrianspeeder, I believe there is now a way to tune an obd1 Ecm. superchips has a "chip" that allows total access to all EECIV and EECV for complete tuning ability. I saw it on the troyer performance site.

 

What would I need to do to swap a 1992 f150 5.0 to a 1995 mustang 5.0?
Just the intake and ECM?

 

I would bump the timing and add a PunisherValve Body instead of a chip. You will need 91 octane or higher fuel with the timing bumped.