[Dahoopd]

Just wondering how hard it would be to convert it from like 96/97 explorer? I found one thread but no info. Is this something that just wouldnt work?

 

[theterminator93]

Anything 96+ is already OBD-II.

Otherwise you'd need the engine/transmission harness and computer from a donor vehicle.

 

[XR7-4.6]

It surely is possible, just very uncommon. It's just a matter of how much work with wiring and harnesses you're willing to do.

What car is this for? 3.8? 5.0?

I do think the 96-00 Explorer would be a good direct source for 5.0 cars since it has the only factory calibrated 5.0 OBD II PCM Ford made. You could also grab various different sensors coil packs/brackets, cam sensor ect. off it. For wiring and a few various components I'd probably look for a 96+ MN12 as a doner. You'll need the harness that go to the PCM and engine for sure, both will take some mods to work.

If this is a 3.8 car I'd use a 96+ 3.8 MN12 as the doner for everything

 

[MadMikeyL]

Well, it is certainly possible, it just depends how much work you want to put into it and how clean you want the install to be. Our lemons race car is actually running a complete explorer engine, harness, ecm, and full OBD2, but that was done on the cheap, and would not be a setup you would want in a street car. The explorer mounts the ECM up on the firewall, and if you have your HVAC box still installed, you can't mount it there in an MN12. There was never a car with a 5.0 and OBD2, and the ECM mounted in the passenger kick panel. I would have to do some more research into what is needed, but I would think the easiest way to pull this off, and have the install look factory would actually be to have a 94-97 4.6 MN12 donor car, and a donor 5.0 explorer, and re-pin the ECM connector on the 4.6 harness to match the explorer ECM, and then extend or shorten wires and swap connectors on the engine side to make all the connectors match everything on the 5.0 motor.

 

[Roadrunnner]

Wouldnt it be easier to start with a 5.0 car and extend the explorer harness to fit the ecm in the kick panel. I dont see why starting with a 4.6 car would be easier. You would have to swap the whole drivetrain instead of just the manifold and some sensors. I think it would be a cool swap, alittle excessive but cool nun the less.





I could be wrong about what I said. I just dont see huge problems besides the ecm trying to control a trans that isnt there. Im sure gauges could be wired up

 

[MadMikeyL]

I wasn't suggesting starting with a 4.6 car and changing the drivetrain. I was suggesting starting with a 5.0 car, and using an engine wiring harness for a 4.6 MN12, and modifying that harness to have the same pinout as the explorer ECM, and to fit the 5.0 engine. Extending the connector into the passenger compartment means every single wire has to be cut, soldered, and heat shrinked at both ends. That means probably around 150-175 solder joints and pieces of heat shrink tubing, and if you mess up one wire, you will spend a ton of time chasing the problem down. If you use a 4.6 harness, you know that the grommet is there for where it goes through the firewall, you know that the ECM connector goes to the right place, and you know that the wiring going into the engine bay has everything that you need. You would still have to unwrap the harness and lay it out to match the different motor, and some wires would need to be extended and some connectors changed, but you wouldn't have to re-do every single wire in the harness like you would to extend everything going to the ECM. Plus a lot of the wiring would land pretty close to where it needs to be anyway. The injectors are all in close to the same place, as are the TPS and IAC, and the MAF, and the oil pressure sending unit, and the coolant temp sensor, and the crank sensor, and the O2 sensors. Like I said, you would definitely have to unwrap the harness, lay everything out to where it needs to be, and re-wrap it, but most of the sensor locations are pretty close, so I don't think that would be too bad to do. As a matter of fact, this has me thinking I just might do this when I drop the new engine in the 91.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Exactly what I'd do (actually what I did do basically, just with the 4.6). The wiring is easy to find and requires only a few tweaks here and there to work. An EVTM for both years would be a good investment as well.

 

[NetKeym]

Are These Helpful?

1993 Ford Thunderbird 3.8L SC ECM pinouts:

1997 Ford Explorer 4.0L PCM pinouts:

1996 Ford Explorer 5.0L PCM pinouts:

 

[Dahoopd]

I am starting with a 91 5.0 Bird. It would be nice to do the conversion. The downside is I am a mechanical person, not very good on electrical. I want to put an M112 on the car and the distributor makes it difficult to keep it under the hood. There is a guy on the Corral that has done it and sells kits but I think I can massage his idea a bit and make a better set up. It would be perfect if the car had DIS aside from there being OBDII tuning benefits.

Thanks for the harness info, it makes me think it can be pulled off.

 

[Dahoopd]

Can you post the 91 5.0 ECM pinouts please?

 

[NetKeym]

Can you post the 91 5.0 ECM pinouts please?

1991 Ford Thunderbird 5.0L HO ECM Pinouts:

 

[MadMikeyL]

Can you post the 94/95 or 96/97 4.6 tbird pinout. I'm curious to see how many wires would need to be repinned to use that harness with the 5.0 explorer ecm.

 

[NetKeym]

1995 & 1996 Thunderbird 4.6L ECM Pinouts

1995 Ford Thunderbird 4.6L ECM Pinout:

1996 Ford Thunderbird 4.6L ECM Pinout:

 

[NetKeym]

1994/95 ECM to 1996/97 ECM Thunderbird Swap

For anyone who is interested, here is the most efficient procedure I could muster to do the 1994/95 4.6L Thunderbird Chassis to 1996/97 Thunderbird 4.6L ECM Swap (this swap eliminates the ICM which in 1996 is built in to the ECM):


1996-97 ECM Install in 1994-95 Chassis Procedure:

Cooling Fan Control:
Cut ECM Pin #4 (226-R/O Circuit) Wire (Fan Control Monitor)
Move ECM Pin #68 wire to Hole #45 (LFC - Low Fan Control)
Move ECM Pin #17 wire to Hole #46 (HFC - High Fan Control)

TCC Solenoid:
Move ECM Pin #82 wire to Hole #54 (TCC - Torque Converter Clutch)

Crank Position Sensor:
Move ECM Pin #50 wire to Hole #21 & splice ICM Pins #3 & #4 wires
Move ECM Pin #49 wire to Hole #22 & splice ICM Pins #1 & #5 wires
Ground ICM Pin #10

Purge Flow Sensor:
Add to Evap Canister Vacuum
Wire + to ICM Pin #6 wire
Wire - to ICM Pin #7 & move ECM Pin #23 wire to Hole #11

Coil Packs:
ECM Pin #26 wire to ICM Pin #8 Coil Driver #1
ECM Pin #52 wire to ICM Pin #9 Coil Driver #2
ECM Pin #78 wire to ICM Pin #11 Coil Driver #3
ECM Pin #104 wire to ICM Pin #12 Coil Driver #4


For Reference:
ICM Module Wires:
Pin #1 (395-GY/O Circuit) goes to Pin #49 ECM (PIP)
Pin #2 (659 Circuit) goes to Pin #48 ECM (Tach)
Pin #3 (929-PK Circuit) goes to Pin #50 ECM (Spout)
Pin #4 (350 Circuit) goes to CKP +
Pin #5 (349 Circuit) goes to CKP -
Pin #6 (361 Circuit) goes to Pin #71 & #97 (+)
Pin #7 (259 Circuit) goes to Pin #23 ECM (Ground)
Pin #8 (95-T/W Circuit) goes to Coil #1
Pin #9 (96-T/O Circuit) goes to Coil #2
Pin #10 (651 Circuit) goes to Ground
Pin #11 (97-T/LG Circuit) goes to Coil #3
Pin #12 (98-T/LB Circuit) goes to Coil #4

 

[EvilMooseofDoom]

I was curious about this swap as well. I have access to a wrecked 1997 or 1998 Exploder 5.0 (haven't seen it yet to verify which year it is), and it would be nice to combine tranny and engine control in one package.

I've yet to get a straight answer on which would be the best way of tuning the existing EEC4 setup in the car; I'm now on 8 different 'professional' opinions on what works with the older EEC4 architecture already in place, with horror stories coming from all sides. I wouldn't mind keeping the car an automatic, but I've still not found anyone who can give a straight answer on whether or not the 4R70W aftermarket tranny controls actually work or not (Baumann, for example). If someone here has made it work, and can actually document what he did, great, I wish you the best of luck.

I have, however, located a tuner who can nail down the Explorer equipment really well, with repeatable results, without my having to drive or ship my heap a thousand or so miles for someone to attempt to work on it....and I get a fairly simple-to-use SCT tuner at the same time.

Beyond that, I'm either going to try out the Explorer setup, go aftermarket with a 5-speed, or just switch to a carb and be done with the whole mess.

 

[Allan]

Moose, I'm no expert but I have read that the Ford EEC V is the best way to control that trans. If I had access to an Explorer EEC V setup, I'd take it even though I'm swapping to a manual. Better ECM, better ignition. Then you could get an SCT Tuner from Lonnie at blueovalchips.com or any other dealer.

 

[EvilMooseofDoom]

Moose, I'm no expert but I have read that the Ford EEC V is the best way to control that trans. If I had access to an Explorer EEC V setup, I'd take it even though I'm swapping to a manual. Better ECM, better ignition. Then you could get an SCT Tuner from Lonnie at blueovalchips.com or any other dealer.

That's the plan. I can't use Lonnie, however, he once killed my father. My father recovered eventually, but still....I can't use him.

 

[EvilMooseofDoom]

By the way, before I'm PM'ed again and asked about the gory details concerning how a professional tuner killed my father....my father died in 2002 from heart problems/God only knows whatever else....not from any one particular vehicle or professional tuner.

In other words....this is a perpetual running joke of mine, where something bizarre happens to kill my father....and he somehow miraculously recovers.

Thank you, and you may now return to your previously-scheduled programming.

 

[theterminator93]

Ugh... Lonnie. :zpuke:

Carry on gentlemen.

 

[Allan]

Not trying to stir anything up. I've been out of loop for a while so I'm clueless about this.

Whenever I had questions about my Sport, he was one of the people I'd go to.