I just rolled 200,000 miles and have a leaky head gasket on my drivers side. My truck has been over heated a few times, had it right up to the red on the temperature gauge. Well instead of fixing the head gasket risking a warped heads and a 200,000 mile motor in general, I have just decided to swap in a salvage motor. I found a 60,000 mile motor from an 03 that I have decided on. I have been calling around trying to find an install price and I am finding $1000-$1200ish to have it installed out the door taxes, fluids, shop supplies included. Would you guys that is a decent price for the PITA factor.

My buddy is willing to help me out with it, we are both pretty mechanically inclined. My dad used to be a heavy duty mechanic by trade and still has all his tools. So if I decide to cheap out I do have the help available. I will be done finals on the 17th and my buddy is off work till the 3rd of Jan. so we have the time. I went and bought the Haynes manual for it so I could take a look at it and have a guide IF I decide to go ahead and do it myself, also it doesn't hurt to have around either.

If I am going to do it myself I plan on following the Haynes manual for the most part but was wondering if it is possible to remove/install with the intake manifold in place?

Any differences that may or may not be a problems when installing an 03 motor vs my 00. The motor doesn't come with accessories like the starter, alternator, power steering etc. Are there any differences that may be a problem when swapping them over?

Any tricks/tips that may help if and when the time comes. I have OBX long tubes, that will likely become a problem but I am prepared for that.

Lastly is worth trying to do myself or do I just pay the 1000-1200 and have someone else do it for me?

 

the price for the shop to do it doesnt seem too bad but its not that bad of a job if you have the equipment to do it yourself. so its kinda on you what you would rather do. i'm sure you could pull it with the intake on it but you'd have to be careful depending on what you lift the motor out with. the only differences between the 2 motors that i can think of is that some of the 03's had more spark plug hole threads. everything will bolt right up.

 

If you plan on doing it yourself I would recommend following the manual. Removing the intake makes it much easier. There is not a lot of room to fit the intake under the cowl. Expect the collector nuts to require a lot of penetrating oil to come loose. Get a big wrench, I use a 2 1/2 inch crescent, to remove the EGR tube. Again penetrating oil. Find a place that sells PB blaster or liquid wrench. WD 40 doesn't cut it. Canadian Tire in Ontario carries it. Cardboard in front of the AC Condenser in case of a slip with the engine hoist. While you have the intake off check the heater tube that runs in the valley to the back of the water pump for signs of a leak. If your 2000 engine has a metal intake manifold I would use it on the 03 engine. 99 was the first year of the Pi heads and the last year of the metal upper intake manifolds. Some early build 00s may have had the metal one. Some of the lesser quality manuals did not have the correct procedure for removing the fan. It is a normal thread, lefty loosey, righty tighty. You can jam a long flat screwdriver between two bolts and the shaft to hold the water pump pulley in place to loosen the fan. If your PS pump has 4 bolts holding it on you need only use 3 when reinstalling it. The hard one to remove is the one that you leave out. That is a Ford recommended procedure btw. Check the condition of the various sensors on the replacement engine as some bone yards do not care if they break during removal. Take pictures of the vacuum hose routing before removal. If I think of anything else I will post.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

Since you have the time, tools, and help, you should do it yourself. Everything should just swap over with no problems.

 

The build date on my truck is 11/99, I'll have to take a look at it. I think we'll try doing it with the intake manifold on, then if worse comes to worse it'll have to come off. I don't have to worry about the clutch fan because that has been off for a while now. I guess I'll have to get some of that PB blaster. I plan to take ALOT of pictures of everything just for reference and just in case. I will be taping and marking everything off, if this takes us a full week we are both prepared for that. I also plan on keeping the old motor and possibly build it up over time to a moderate build.

What kind of a PITA am I looking at when unbolting the bell housing?

 

Hey ive done this sorta thing so from what i know, you cannot get to the top two trani bolts out unless you remove the intake man., makes everything so much easier. Ditch the haynes, you will not need it for this, because there are TONS of threads of people who have done this and alllll your questions will be answered in a much more simple way. The main struggle with this project is in the grunt work, and the ability to get your hands in tight places to remove bolts and accessories such as your a/c and starter. Other than that, its plug and play, with a little fluids, your done before you know it. Its a little different when you do the trans but just the engine can be cake.

Most people don't search for it before they post the thread but hey, thats alright because it just shows how many people need the sticky.

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