92 7.3IDI into 98 5.4L SOHC

[Dejomo]

I'm new here...

and since this is my first thread I figure I'll just jump in with both feet...

.... so I threw a connecting rod bearing in my 1998 E350 that has a 5.4L SOHC triton engine. The quotes that I have gotten for having the engine pulled and another of the same engine put in it's place has ranged from $5.5K to $6K.
This seemed like an excellent opportunity to tear out the little gas engine and put in a diesel.

So I bought a 1993 E350 based ambulance that has a 7.3L IDI in it as a donor vehicle.

I've never been big on computer controlled vehicles. And have always had a place in my heart for diesel since I drove my first diesel powered vehicle(RSOV).

So my question is since the two vehicles are so common(same trans even) what "gotcha's" should I be aware of in attempting such a swap?

Oh and here is the van that is trying to be saved.

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[MUDKICKR]

is that van 4x4? i know i dont see any lock in/lock out hubs but just hoping it is. either way its going to be some work, but that is all in what you are willing to do. so if you have a complete donor vehicle, and both vans are 2wd, i would take the diesel van and remove its body, install a 4wd frt axle under it while it was bodyless, then switch bodies with the one you want to save, and scrap the rest of the parts. take 2 make one and make it 4wd at the same time. just buy a divorced mount transfer case so you dont have to but another transmission.

 

[Diesel JD]

Gotta swap in everything from the E350 ambulance, transmission, wiring, gauge cluster. It'll be a lot of work but with a complete donor vehicle it should be doable.

 

[NapaBavarian]

ambulance a van body or cutaway? not that I'm looking for an ambulance....

 

[gunz]

Nice van. I dig it.

 

[Dejomo]

the ambulance is a van with a fiberglass top on it.

So the gauge cluster has to be changed out too?

Both vans are 2wd.

 

[Clayton]

Get an aftermarket controller for the diesel e4od, No need to swap wiring harnesses.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

Heres what i would do since i did the swap 2 years ago for a commercial customer of mine.

BTW what happened to the 5.4? Run low on oil? I maintain a bunch of them in vans and they are tough as nails.

the transmissions while they look identical are actually different. The older diesel van has the E4OD, the newer gasser is a 4R100. Valve body and some internals are different. the bolt pattern is different. The wiring pinout on the transmission is different. the cooler lines are a different size too.

Swap the diesel fuel tank over if you can. It may or may not fit depending on what config the ambulance was. The one i converted was a cab chassis unit so i just took the electric high pressure pump out, ran a piece of hose off the pickup and down to the bottom of the tank with a t on it. I took out the stock high pressure gasser lines and ran my own hardline, i bought dorman's quick connects for the fuel pump which allow 3/8 and 5/16 fuel hose to slip over. I left the stock gasser instrument cluster (since the years differences, the whole dash harness needed to be changed) and just took power off the main engine harness. the gasser harness will remove with 1 10mm bolt. I cut the excess off, like for fuel injectors, crank sensor. Theres 12V key on power thats hot in the start position for the injectors (gasser pcm grounds injectors for control) and i powered the IP with that. The oil pressure and water temp wires i left stock. I just put the gasser oil pressure switch and water temp sensor in the diesel. The glow plug controller, i ran key on hot power to, then ran a wire inside the cab for a indicator. The transmission controller, i used the optishift.

 

[reklund]

Have you looked into the legalities of this yet? Most states won't let you put a diesel engine into a chassis that was originally a gasser, or an engine out of an older vehicle than it's getting installed into.

Not tryin to be discouraging, just asking.

Ryan

 

[Dejomo]

the 5.4 had a good run...it had about 135K on it. Mostly Arizona outback conditions(hot). I ran it with 3.55 and 33 inch tires for a while then jumped to 4.10's with the 33's, after that I went to 37's with the 4.10 gears. After a couple of years I jumped to 4.88's and that is what is in it now.

One of my concerns about going from gas to diesel is the operating RPM range.

I'm hoping that the 37" tires are going to help with that.

I'm not sure about the legalities in Arizona of putting an older drivetrain in a newer vehicle or vice versa.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

the 5.4 had a good run...it had about 135K on it. Mostly Arizona outback conditions(hot). I ran it with 3.55 and 33 inch tires for a while then jumped to 4.10's with the 33's, after that I went to 37's with the 4.10 gears. After a couple of years I jumped to 4.88's and that is what is in it now.

One of my concerns about going from gas to diesel is the operating RPM range.

I'm hoping that the 37" tires are going to help with that.

I'm not sure about the legalities in Arizona of putting an older drivetrain in a newer vehicle or vice versa.

Technically its illegal to put an older motor in a newer chassis. The EPA will allow gas to diesel or motor swaps so long as the swap was in the same year or newer vehicle with the same configuration that was certified. So in my case by doing the gas to diesel swap with a 7.3 IDI, i'm legal because the same vehicle was produced by ford and certified by the epa.

btw, 135K for a 5.4 atleast for the ones i see is very low mileage. Infact one of my limo companies buys them around 100K from various cities or other fleets and will pile on another 400K. We don't even touch the spark plugs in them till 300K.

 

[Dejomo]

I believe you about them making it to much higher miles than what my van was at...

I was under the impression that my 98 van still had a E4OD in it since it was a "Early" 98 model. But I could be wrong...

I've done searches on their vins and off the door tags...and they both come up E4OD...but if someone wants to double check me then I'm game.

So as long as I use the vin for the 92 everything should be legal?

 

[itsacrazyasian]

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/civil/caa/mobile/engswitch.pdf

The 98+ trucks are all 4R100. The trans pan, tailhousing etc are all the same between the two. That gasser one will not bolt up behind the diesel. No way at all, not even close. The sad part is, that gasser tranny is most likely stronger than the 92 e4od was stock. Now the question is, is the tranny in your donor van stock. Back when i did fleet work for the city, those e4OD's died early till i upgraded the cooler lines, put a big ole cooler in the front and ditched the thermostatic valve on the lines.

97 was the funky year for the tranny. by 98+ they are all 4R100's.

 

[Dejomo]

alrighty....so I need to upgrade the E4OD's internals and just use the Body from the newer van?

If that is the case I'll have to switch rear axles and cut the stock suspension mounts off the 92's frame and use all the suspension components from the 98.

let me know if any of this sounds crazy...or incorrect in any way.

I was also looking at the Hypermax turbo system...are those worth a damn?

I figure if I keep it all under $6K I should be alright... which would leave me with $2600 left after the purchase of the Ambulance.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

theres a VERY good chance that the tranny in that van has been gone through. I know AEV spec's a HD tranny in all their Ford chassis. Alot of their later stuff they build now has the 5.4 gasser in it instead of that POS 6.0 but they still have transgo kits installed when they are being built.

Have you driven the donor yet?

you could very well stuff your body on that chassis. I just think it would be easier to stuff the motor and tranny in your truck and convert the fuel system over.

Literally the motor has 3 wires, IP power, oil pressure and water temp.

The glow plug controller is 1 ignition hot power and you'll add a indicator for wait to start.

Fuel system, well if you can use the diesel tank thats great. if not converting your gasser tank over is easy, just take the electric pump out.

Any turbo makes a HUGE difference on these motors. I think hypermax is the only one that makes a van turbo anyway. Anything else would be custom fabbed.