Diesel swap into an Expedition. Would it fit?

[gjhanson2]

Hey all, I love my '99 with the 5.4L, but I have always been a huge fan of diesel motors. I'm seriously considering a diesel swap into my Expedition. I know that the 7.3L and the 6.0L Powerstrokes both fit in the Bronco engine bay, but I was wondering if anyone had heard about one of those engines being put into a first generation Expedition or similar year F-150. If not, I was considering a 4.5L Powerstroke V6 (200 hp 440 ft.lb.) from a Ford LCF Medium Duty truck (only produced for two years but the International version with the same exact engine is still in production). I value torque more than horsepower, but I'm sure I can bump the 4.5L to at least equal horsepower to my 5.4. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[KWT2000]

i like your thoughts here. i would be looking at the cummins 4bt swap from a ups/fed ex or bread truck. also the engine would be 2003 or older to stay away from emissions also the 4 cylinder would have less vibration and have alot of torque with great fuel mileage

 

[gjhanson2]

i like your thoughts here. i would be looking at the cummins 4bt swap from a ups/fed ex or bread truck. also the engine would be 2003 or older to stay away from emissions also the 4 cylinder would have less vibration and have alot of torque with great fuel mileage

Thanks KWT2000, I have heard of a lot of Ranger guys swapping for the I4 Cummins but the power and torque figures I've heard for it leave much to be desired, plus, I want to try to keep it Ford if I can (or Fordish haha, even though Ford does owns part of Cummins). Have you heard anything about the 4.5L Powerstroke (good or bad)? Thanks for the response!

 

[tonydiv]

The big issue is weight. The 5.4 weighs 525 lbs and the 6.0 Powerstroke weighs in at just under 1000 lbs (probably doesn't include the intercooler).

I'm also sure that the trans for the diesel is probably heavier too.

I'm sure it could be done, there are just some engineering issues to address.
Why am I so sure, there's a guy around town here who swapped a duramax diesel in to a Camaro, so where there's a will...

 

[gjhanson2]

The big issue is weight. The 5.4 weighs 525 lbs and the 6.0 Powerstroke weighs in at just under 1000 lbs (probably doesn't include the intercooler).

I'm also sure that the trans for the diesel is probably heavier too.

I'm sure it could be done, there are just some engineering issues to address.
Why am I so sure, there's a guy around town here who swapped a duramax diesel in to a Camaro, so where there's a will...

That's a great point. I'd have to completely redo the entire front end. Makes the 4.5L sound a lot more appealing, now I just have to find one! I'm told it's actually the same motor Ford was planning to tweak and drop into the Expeditions and F-150's (I still cry myself to sleep because that plan was scrapped). The reworked one was said to make 390 hp and 520 ft.lb. so I should be able to squeeze plenty of power out of it. I

 

[KWT2000]

the i4 cummins the ranger guys are using is a 3.3L 145 horse and 265 lb ft of torque known as the cummins i4 not impressive but easy to put into a ranger based vehicle the cummins 4BT is a 4.9L 300 horse 565 lb ft of torque and is part of the B series line that dodge used in there pickups but this engine was built only for commercial use.... 500+ horse is very easy to get from these motors.... i dont have alot of info on the early ford v6 diesel. i know the block is based on the ford/mazda 4.0 and is not sleeved. i read that with a fire ring kit you can make impressive power but harder to rebuild... you also need to watch headgaskets as the water jackets are very small

 

[04DrBlur]

Sounds like it would be much easier and cheaper to swap to an Excursion instead.

 

[gjhanson2]

The few people that have diesel excursions tend to hold on to them for a long time, and the reason I'm considering a diesel swap is because I currently lack the funding for the diesel Super Duty I've always wanted. Haha.

 

[secondechomatt]

I would love to see that 4.5 in an expy. It would require a complete overhaul of the truck. Leaving only frame and body un modified. Might as well do a sas while you're in there...with superduty axles front and rear.

 

[tonydiv]

That was pretty much my thought. You'd really have to change over to super duty running gear. I don't think that it would be all that tough because the super duty front suspension is relatively low tech and you really don't have to worry about all the geometry associated with a-arms, etc as on the Expy. I think the whole setup is just leaf springs, a sway bar, and I think a front track bar.