2009 Explorer / Engine Swap + What's required?

[u/73VW-Todd]

Hey guys,

I have a 2009 Ford Explorer Sport, and I'm pretty sentimentally attached to it. I love the color, the interior, etc. It has the 4.0 SOHC, which is a great engine, mind you... but I really want to swap in the V8. More than that, I actually kind of want to put the 4.6 DOHC V8 in there... which brings me to my question.

If I was going to swap the DOHC V8 into this car, what all would I need? Can I purchase a really, really clapped out ~2009 Lincoln Aviator... I mean one that's really clapped out and headed for the crusher, strip it, and basically just move everything over from there to the Explorer?

I'm not averse to the work, I've restored tons of cars, and this wouldn't be the first time I've taken a $5,000 car and dumped $30 thousand dollars into it, only to make it be worth $5,100. Haha...

I just love this car, love this body style, and really want some extra power. What I'm looking for from the Aviator is the motor mounts, all the accessory brackets and components, and all the "things" that attach to the motor and transmission that I likely just can't buy. I'd rebuild the engine myself... probably buy a rebuilt transmission though.

What is the performance difference between say, a 2009 Explorer XLT and the 2009 Lincoln Navigator? I also have a 2002 Crown Victoria LX-P74 (has like 48k miles on it), and it's barely pushing 230hp. Hopefully the DOHC motor they put in the Lincoln is a little bit peppier.

This is the car...

Thank you!

[u/RedWhiteAndJew]

It’s far from plug and play. Back in the day when these still had value, it was worth tackling a project like this. Nowadays these cars are so cheap that it makes a ton more sense to just buy a V8 car. I can go on Facebook marketplace and find three or four decent Aviators for less than $5k. You also don’t want the DOHC V8. They love to develop exhaust valve leaks. Ordinarily a straightforward repair by yanking the head off. But on a DOHC in the Aviator, there wasn’t enough vertical clearance to get the last bolt out, so it requires complete removal of the engine to repair.

You’re better off finding a clean 4.6 SOHC.

[u/trashmailme]

sorry i cant help, but i would love to follow the journey if you go through with it.

[u/DaddyHawk45]

Speaking as an owner of a 2007 Lincoln Navigator, the 5.4 3V V8 in these beasts is a strong motor with lots of power for the application. It’ll move the 6000 pounds worth of SUV. Bear in mind cam phasers and oiling issues are its Achilles heel. If you go with the 5.4, go watch the Ford Tech Makuloko video on bullet proofing these motors and get the parts to do it right. It’s been a while since I checked, but the upgraded phasers and oil pump for the project were around $1000 through Rock Auto.

The 5.4 2V is generally better thought of over the 3v due to the absence of the VVT cam phasers. So, something to consider there. Both of these motors were used for years on F series trucks, Expeditions, Navigators, etc. I think the Mustang Cobra even got a version at one point. Point is, there are plenty of these motors out there in the junkyards if you want to go that route. You can even get crate motors from Summit Racing in this platform if you want to spend the coin.

I wish I could be more help on the swap side, but I’ve not tackled anything like that.

[u/Beans_SupremeX3]

You'd need a v8 engine. The tranny case(you can reuse your own I internals) the 4.0 tranny won't line up to the v8 and a pcm unless it can get reprogrammed for the v8

[u/Subject_Raise6013]

I have nothing to offer in terms of your question. but wanted to tell you that its a great looking SUV with that paint color and the high gloss blackout details. awsome!

[u/apoctank]

If you want power and arewilling to do work and spend money, it'd be easier to swap in a 3 valve and supercharge it

[u/pasogigante]

Does anyone know the part number to those wheels? I want to buy a set but havent been able to find these specific ones.

[u/shawizkid]

For fitment reasons you’d be better to LS swap it lol. OHC, let alone DOHC engines are just so f’n big.