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Quick question 3.0l to 3.0l swap

9

99 svt

CEG'er
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
148
Location
Leominster, MA
My water pump died on the highway and overheated my engine. The engine failed a pressure test and its cheaper to throw a new 3.0l in it than tear the engine down. My car is now stranded 300 miles from my house and I don't have the time to do it myself.
I didn't do the 3.0l swap on my car. Its a 2004 Taurus engine. My question is which parts do I need to have the shop swap from my old 3.0l to make the new one work? I know I'll be swaping the intake, alternater bracket, my headders, and so on. I just don't know what other modded parts are needed to put the other engine in. I don't have a lot of time to get this done so I appologize to those who get upset when the forum archives aren't used first. Can anyone give me a quick rundown of the parts I need transfered? Thanks.
 
Transferring parts shouldn't to be your main concern. You can't bring your car to a shop and expect them modify a motor to drop in to your car unless they have done that particular swap multiple times. Different year 3L's need different modifications. Different 3L build types have their respective challenges.
 
Yeah the shop will not be able to do all the modifications to the new 3L without exact instructions and know-how. Your best bet would be to have it shipped to Blackcoog or rent a trailer or something and let them take care of it quickly so you can get it back on the road. Just go with the tried and proven.
 
Another option would be just buy the prepped engine from them, have it shipped to that shop and then tell them to put it in.
 
where is your car located? you might be able to get it to a nearby CEGer that could do the swap.
 
I agree with the others, its not the swaping over of parts, but the 3L block prep that would need to be done. Good luck.
 
I didn't realize how in depth it was. I was thinking it was just basic mounting and bracket mods. I'm having the shop its at start the headgaskets. If the heads pass pressure testing I'm going to keep the motor in. If they are cracked, then I will need an engine. There are a few 3.0ls for sale already set for installation by blackcoog and others. Thanks for the help.
 
Be very careful going that route. You may end up spending too much on diagnosing when you could go with another 3L motor. If you know it overheated and it's obviously a serious problem such as a head gasket compare the costs to a new motor. A head gasket fix is not going to be cheap and may not fix the problem if the head is warped. Get pricing from the shop up front and stay on them so the costs don't get out of control. Good luck!
 
99 svt said:
I didn't realize how in depth it was. I was thinking it was just basic mounting and bracket mods. I'm having the shop its at start the headgaskets. If the heads pass pressure testing I'm going to keep the motor in. If they are cracked, then I will need an engine. There are a few 3.0ls for sale already set for installation by blackcoog and others. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

There are a few things....

3L block needs to be trimmed to allow alternator bracket to fit.
3L block trimming to allow the use of SVT oil cooler. If you don't trim it the hard coolant lines do not lay flush with the block.
If it's a port-matched setup, using your SVT intakes, the intake ports on the heads need to be ported out.
There is a pilot bushing on the 3L block that needs to be removed (or cut flush to the crank) so the MTX will bolt up.
The 3L pulse wheel needs to be turned to the 2.5L keyway.
Possibly need to drill and tap a larger hole for the SVT knock sensor to fit the 3L block. Or you can cut and spice the 3L sensor to the 2.5 harness.

Now you are ready to swap all the 2.5 'stuff' over to the prepped 3L.
 
The heads pressure tested good, got machined, and are going back in today with new timing components, water pump, and of course gaskets. Unfortunately with my job I had to get it done quickly and pay the extra price. If I had another week of vacation I woulda done it myself for half the cost. I pick it up tomorrow a good bit poorer but hopefully with it 100% and reliable.
 
So it all ended up being the water pump idler pulley that seized up, broke the belt, and overheated the engine. Has anyone else experienced that? I would have replaced it when I replaced the belt 10,000 miles ago if I knew it could fail. It might have been a fluke and bad luck, but if they are known to fail, I'd reccommend to all doing a 3.0l swap to install a new one as a precaution. Its much cheaper and easier than head gaskets.
 
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