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View Poll Results: What are your 5.4L swap plans?
Not swapping. You guys are nuts for trying.
1.82%
Not swapping but find the topic interesting.
12.73%
Thinking about doing the swap but not in the next year.
16.82%
Definitely going to do the swap in the next year or so.
25.45%
Doing it now. Looking for an engine or awaiting delivery.
15.45%
Doing it now. Already bought an engine.
18.64%
Done. Got my 5.4L and showin my tail lights to camaro's every day.
7.73%
Screw 5.4, I'm going diesel 4cylinder.
1.36%
Voters: 220. You may not vote on this poll

Anyone intrested in 5.4L swaps, in here. Need you to opine.

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  #6571  
Old 04-13-2009, 09:50 PM
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i have the maximum motorsports max grip suspension with the heavy duty torque arm ,hellion turbo k member, cause one day i may go twin turbo 4v ,but with all the suspension its kind of low i dont think spacers would help,plus i dont want to tamper with the geometry of the suspension i have it setup right and it handles like an exotic i love it, i thought long and hard about the intake, it was the best route to go , i like audikillsbmw's idea, thats something like the ram jet intake on chevy motors,(which i hate so very much) the best chevy is the one in the junk yard, but the lightning plenum has a curve in it its not straight ,so i just went will the plenum curve ,and tucked it under the hood,another route i was going to take was specter performance has all kinds of single pieces to build your own cold air intake they have a lot of nice stuff,but i bought the huge 110mm lightning cold air intake from razors edge motorsports,im not gonna lie the intake tract was the hardest thing to overcome,the spacer between the intake and plenum is made out of thin aluminum the stuff that is used on the side of mack truck trailers .i couldnt find any oval tubing that big around so i had to form it around the intake tube to match the oval not to mention the throttle body oval, but it all worked out great you cant even tell it fits perfect,if any body is interested in start to finish build pics check out conradkchris/myspace.com i have the whole project on there,not to mention my friends car i just took his 04 gt and put in a 03 cobra motor t 56 and computer both swaps are on there from start to finish if you wanna get some ideas guys
 
  #6572  
Old 04-13-2009, 09:55 PM
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It was just a thought. The components would definitely have to be custom to pull off something like that, especially since the factory supercharger plenum turns towards the drivers side (like you mentioned.) I think it would have been looked cool though, especially if you could have matched up the width of the custom scoop to the factory "dip" in the hood.
 
  #6573  
Old 04-13-2009, 10:05 PM
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yes i do agree ,you know what they say there is always room for improvment,i want to go with the new kenne bell 2.8 johnny lightning said that it was a way better blower than the whipple 3.4 so once i get that installed i will start messing with the intake tract cause i think it routes different on the kb 2.8
 
  #6574  
Old 04-14-2009, 05:46 AM
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Originally Posted by r3dn3ck
my 2v ran pretty poorly (wouldn't idle without a little throttle) but was driveable. It only took the simplest of mail order tunes to get it running pretty solid and after that I played with it a bit.
Well maybe I am still dealing with a slight timing issue then. I dont want to waste the money for a tune if it isnt timed right. It is for sure driveable. But there is no power at all. Push the gas, it just gets louder but doesnt speed up. I am not getting any codes though, so I just dunno. Should I go ahead and check the timing again on it, then get the tune?

what "mail order tune" did you start with? What equipment I mean
 
  #6575  
Old 04-14-2009, 06:23 AM
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Default water flow direction

maybe a dumb question but:
1. which way does water flow in the pipe going to the back of the water pump? Any info relating to this would be really helpful right about now... thanks.
 
  #6576  
Old 04-14-2009, 07:14 AM
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the metal tube that hooks to the back of the water pump? i think the water runs towards the back of the car . it leaves that tube and runs through the heater core.
 
  #6577  
Old 04-14-2009, 08:34 AM
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Originally Posted by srwhouston
But there is no power at all. Push the gas, it just gets louder but doesnt speed up. I am not getting any codes though, so I just dunno.
did you get the clutch set up right? i know with mine i had to mess with the fork some and linkage a little to set mine up right. other wise you could give it gas, the rpms would jump up and the car would barely move
 
  #6578  
Old 04-14-2009, 09:07 AM
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Originally Posted by srwhouston
Well maybe I am still dealing with a slight timing issue then. I dont want to waste the money for a tune if it isnt timed right. It is for sure driveable. But there is no power at all. Push the gas, it just gets louder but doesnt speed up. I am not getting any codes though, so I just dunno. Should I go ahead and check the timing again on it, then get the tune?

what "mail order tune" did you start with? What equipment I mean
amazon racing. downloaded to my xcal2
 
  #6579  
Old 04-14-2009, 11:04 AM
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Originally Posted by JoeyMD
did you get the clutch set up right? i know with mine i had to mess with the fork some and linkage a little to set mine up right. other wise you could give it gas, the rpms would jump up and the car would barely move

no its not that type of feeling, more like when you have an intake leak sort of loss
 
  #6580  
Old 04-14-2009, 11:20 AM
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R3d, I got a question for you man. What spring rates do you have on your coil overs, and do you have the tubular K member, and A arms with that max grip box? Does the car sit noticeably lower than before, and do you have your battery relocated to the trunk? Does the car still handle like it did with the 4.6 or do you notice the extra weight in the front?


Edit: I have several questions for you ^_^
 
  #6581  
Old 04-14-2009, 02:31 PM
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I'm pretty sure the direction of flow is from the intake to the heater core back to the metal tube in the back of the water pump. My car has/had the flow restrictor in the hose going to from the intake to the heater core, and its the larger of the two hoses.
 
  #6582  
Old 04-14-2009, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by AllorNothing
R3d, I got a question for you man. What spring rates do you have on your coil overs, and do you have the tubular K member, and A arms with that max grip box? Does the car sit noticeably lower than before, and do you have your battery relocated to the trunk? Does the car still handle like it did with the 4.6 or do you notice the extra weight in the front?


Edit: I have several questions for you ^_^
I have 350's in front and 300's in back. Stock sway bar front and 93 cobra sway in back. I haven't put the MM rear sway in yet cuz it's already *** loose like a man-***** and doesn't need any more spring in the curves. I may drop the back to 250's for a softer ride and then throw the MM adjustable sway I have on. I have a set of 375# front springs waiting but I don't really think they're necessary just yet. It handles fine but there's a tad more push than with the 4.6. I think that'll be tamed by finally getting around to putting the battery in the trunk. I'm on a stock K-member for now but now that the headers are done I'm going to put the MM K-member in. I have the MM arms all around, delrin bushed up front, spherical bearings in back. It's a pretty firm ride with 300's in the rear. I run it pretty low but there's still plenty of ground clearance for the most part. Gotta be real careful over speed bumps with the LT's. I have just short of 2 fingers clearance from tire to fender lip in front and 2.5 fingers in back.

I did notice the difference but it was extremely minor. I have an inkling that if I upgrade the front sway to a Steeda bar and put the MM k-member on then the push will go away.
 
  #6583  
Old 04-14-2009, 05:26 PM
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Red,

so heres what I get. I came home and monitored all symptoms. Tell me what you all think.

No codes after 15 miles
no power under pedal, cant even get it to spin tires by dumping clutch
stops revs at 5k rpm max
very sluggish
with off road h pipe and slp loudmouths - smells so rich my clothes stink after 2 minutes
it runs though. no over heating. starts first turn, a little slow but starts. idles smooth and reacts to pedaling normal.


tune? timing? something else?
 
  #6584  
Old 04-15-2009, 04:16 AM
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Originally Posted by srwhouston
Red,

so heres what I get. I came home and monitored all symptoms. Tell me what you all think.

No codes after 15 miles
no power under pedal, cant even get it to spin tires by dumping clutch
stops revs at 5k rpm max
very sluggish
with off road h pipe and slp loudmouths - smells so rich my clothes stink after 2 minutes
it runs though. no over heating. starts first turn, a little slow but starts. idles smooth and reacts to pedaling normal.


tune? timing? something else?
This sounds like it's all in the tune. Are you still running on the stock program? What size injectors did you use? With the larger engine, the engine will calculate load diffrently and can really mess things up. Sounds like you are running very pig-rich. I would not run around too much with it like that as you may wash out the rings and get a lot of gas in your oil. Do you know someone with a wide-band O2? Thats where I'd start looking.
 
  #6585  
Old 04-15-2009, 05:57 AM
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Originally Posted by srwhouston
tune? timing? something else?
Does it seem to flutter at all when accelorating? I had/have this problem and its a misfire that the computer didnt detect. It was bad coil packs. If you dont have cats (like myself) and even if its running stoic (not to rich/lean) then your clothes will smell.... Such is life.
 
  #6586  
Old 04-15-2009, 05:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Morgan The Black
I'm pretty sure the direction of flow is from the intake to the heater core back to the metal tube in the back of the water pump. My car has/had the flow restrictor in the hose going to from the intake to the heater core, and its the larger of the two hoses.
THANKS! I have to agree, the more i think about it... the metal tube goes to the center of the water pump, and that to me seems like it would be a suction point since the water pump would push water out on the edges... Thanks again.
 
  #6587  
Old 04-15-2009, 06:18 AM
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when you bore it out .030 over to achieve 5.5L of displacement, is there any room to bore it out anymore if you mess it up and need to bore it out a lil more to fix it for say a crack?
 
  #6588  
Old 04-15-2009, 06:52 AM
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Originally Posted by JScottGT
This sounds like it's all in the tune. Are you still running on the stock program? What size injectors did you use? With the larger engine, the engine will calculate load diffrently and can really mess things up. Sounds like you are running very pig-rich. I would not run around too much with it like that as you may wash out the rings and get a lot of gas in your oil. Do you know someone with a wide-band O2? Thats where I'd start looking.

yes I am on the stock tune and running 24 pounders and a 90mm lightning MAF. I have tried putting the stockers back on and everything is the same. SO i just put these back on last weekend to see what happens.

A wideband is just for logging isnt it?
 

Last edited by srwhouston; 04-15-2009 at 07:00 AM.
  #6589  
Old 04-15-2009, 07:29 AM
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Nope, .03" is the limit unless you want to sleeve. If boring doesn't remove the surface imperfections, time for a new block.
 
  #6590  
Old 04-15-2009, 08:43 AM
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hey ibanezsvo, your just about the only other 4v guy ive seen on here. i got a question for ya.

since my 4.6 got hydrolocked and i cant turn it to TDC then lock the cams in place then take the heads off and put the new shortblock to TDC and put the heads on to keep timing right how do i time the engine? how did you do yours?
 
  #6591  
Old 04-15-2009, 09:50 AM
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Default no codes

Originally Posted by JScottGT
This sounds like it's all in the tune. Are you still running on the stock program? What size injectors did you use? With the larger engine, the engine will calculate load diffrently and can really mess things up. Sounds like you are running very pig-rich. I would not run around too much with it like that as you may wash out the rings and get a lot of gas in your oil. Do you know someone with a wide-band O2? Thats where I'd start looking.

If it was running that rich, it would be setting a lack of switch code. It MAY take more than 15 miles and or a few drive cycles to set the light BUT it should have a pending code if that were the case. He said he had a lightning MAF and 24#ers on a stock tune. Don't you think the MAF calibration and 24's would cause a problem. I doubt the MAF is calibrated for 24's PLUS the stock tune is for 19's.
 
  #6592  
Old 04-15-2009, 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by horspla2000
If it was running that rich, it would be setting a lack of switch code. It MAY take more than 15 miles and or a few drive cycles to set the light BUT it should have a pending code if that were the case. He said he had a lightning MAF and 24#ers on a stock tune. Don't you think the MAF calibration and 24's would cause a problem. I doubt the MAF is calibrated for 24's PLUS the stock tune is for 19's.

I had the same problems with it with stock injectors and stock mam. I am getting more codes now, and they are the same as in stock setup.

"missfire under 1000 rpm" and "#3 cylinder missfire detected"
 
  #6593  
Old 04-15-2009, 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by JohnnySVT
hey ibanezsvo, your just about the only other 4v guy ive seen on here. i got a question for ya.

since my 4.6 got hydrolocked and i cant turn it to TDC then lock the cams in place then take the heads off and put the new shortblock to TDC and put the heads on to keep timing right how do i time the engine? how did you do yours?
man, i'm not really sure what's going on in your post... kinda all over the place. Why not just take your plugs out, then turn the engine over and watch the geiser of water that shoots out...... put the plugs back in and goto town. worked for me. If that doesnt help, can you rephrase your question or PM me...
 
  #6594  
Old 04-15-2009, 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by srwhouston
I had the same problems with it with stock injectors and stock mam. I am getting more codes now, and they are the same as in stock setup.

"missfire under 1000 rpm" and "#3 cylinder missfire detected"
I'm not sure the injectors would cause the same amount of trouble as going to a 90mm MAF.... can you put the stock MAF back in and give it a shot? Perhaps thats the problem... I had stock tune, and 90mm MAF and 39lb injectors and they told me that the upgrade between the two was a pretty good match and wouldnt cause too much trouble... but i did see poor performance until it was tuned... and (not sure if someone already said this but) the Wideband will measure (in realtime) how rich or lean its running... real rich is not good.. but real lean is real bad... Using one would give you an idea if your MAF is too big (i think) since the computer counts the air molicules form the MAF and then tells the injectors how long to open accordingly
 

Last edited by ibanezsvo; 04-15-2009 at 04:56 PM.
  #6595  
Old 04-15-2009, 06:33 PM
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I'm seriously considering going with a 4v instead of a 2v, only thing is i'm not sure about intake manifolds. I've looked at a couple (Sullivan, Reichard ) but I have no information on clearance with those manifolds.
 
  #6596  
Old 04-15-2009, 07:24 PM
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New here, Ive read a bunch of this thread and am really interested in doing the swap, I have a 97 GT with 125,000 miles on it so its time for a new engine before I mod heavily. My question is...With the 5.4 Hardballer intake and the rest of the car stock, except catless midpipe and 4.10 gears auto, what kind of horsepower and torque would i be looking at? Estimated 1/4 mile times?
 
  #6597  
Old 04-15-2009, 09:33 PM
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Correct me if im wrong red or someone...but i beleive over PI its 50HP 100FT LB so going NPI to PI 5.4 maybe 65-75HP 135-150FT LB? i could be way off and probly am ;>
 
  #6598  
Old 04-16-2009, 05:20 AM
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This has been said over and over again... but I will repeat it once again. Your MAF is NOT matched to the injectors, or vice-versa. They are totally separate inputs to the tune. When you go with a larger injector, you need to input the injector flowrate, and pulsewidth. That will get you most of the way there with a stock MAF. Upgrading the MAF will require you to input the correct transfer function for that MAF. Just because the Lightning used that particular MAF with 42# injectors does not mean you can slap those same 2 parts on your Mustang on a stock tune and expect it to run correctly. The tune needs to be altered to work with whatever injectors and MAF you choose to run. BTW, on a N/A setup, there is no reason to upgrade your MAF, the stocker is good to ~450 rwhp.
 
  #6599  
Old 04-16-2009, 05:54 AM
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So...I just found a 5.4L out of a 1999 F-150 with rear disk brakes and with the auto tranny. $750 each or $1500 for all 3. Only thing is, the engine has a little over 100,000 miles on it.
 
  #6600  
Old 04-16-2009, 05:59 AM
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Originally Posted by AllorNothing
I'm seriously considering going with a 4v instead of a 2v, only thing is i'm not sure about intake manifolds. I've looked at a couple (Sullivan, Reichard ) but I have no information on clearance with those manifolds.
Fact: of a 5.4DOHC and in a 98 mustang using the Sullivan with the Sullivan Throttle Body adapter will barely clear a 4" cowl hood. and i use the term barely, rather loosly

Originally Posted by JScottGT
This has been said over and over again...
True words... i hope i didnt give the impression that upgrading both by some sort of theoretical equality would make the engine run better. (now i'm just figuring here so correct me if i'm wrong but
I'd figure that increasing the MAF would make the computer count less air than what is really going in, and bigger injectors would make more fuel go in than the computer knows about, so
1. theres more air going in than it[ECM] knows about
2. theres more fuel going in than it knows about
So my figuring (real southern for yall) is that, while no it cant be good, upgrading both (w/o a tune) would surely have to have better results than upgrading one alone (again, w/o a tune).
 


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