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2003 Ford Ranger
2003 Ford Ranger 4x4
Table of Contents
Please note this is a current work in progress and we will be updating this as we go along.
- 2020-DEC-2 First Publication (introduction, details on removing TDI from donor vehicle)
The Recipient Vehicle
The Recipient Vehicle
We found a nice 2003 Ford Ranger "Edge" 4x4 with a manual transmission. This truck spent it's life in the lower mainland of British Columbia, so it experienced very little winter road conditions so its a very clean and rust free vehicle. The original motor is a 4L V6 making 238ft.lbs and 207hp and consuming about 12L per 100km on 4.10:1 final drive ratio.
Plans for the truck include is to make a comfortable highway and back road vehicle:
235/85R16 tires (31.7" tall) for additional ground clearance, and to have an optimal 100km/h engine speed of 2100 rpm, verses 2350 with the original height tires.
Extensive sound proofing to make it as quiet as the original gasoline engine.
Ensure optimal cold weather performance and comfort with the installation of engine insulation and a Diesel powered coolant heater.
The Donor Vehicle
The Donor Vehicle
We purchased a 2003 Jetta TDI with an automatic transmission with the "ALH" engine code. We chose to get an automatic transmission donor because these motors have an 11mm injector pump, where as the manual transmission motors have a 10mm pump. 11mm pumps are beneficial as they atomize fuel more efficiently as we can use smaller injector nozzles to make the same power as compared to the 10mm pumps. Smaller nozzles atomize fuel better larger nozzles, this is important as it helps keep engine temperatures down, allows for easier cold starting and a smooth idle.
Plans for the motor include:
Upgrade it to Stage 4 performance
0.216mm injector nozzles
1749VB Turbo Kit
Malone Tuning Stage 4 Software
Water cooled intercooler so that we can retain the original Ford radiator system due to the air conditioning.
Insulation of the oil pan and cylinder head to retain as much heat as possible and to make it as quiet as possible.
Removal of TDI from Donor Vehicle
Removal of TDI from Donor Vehicle
Electrical system cores
I am not going to detail the removal of the engine from the Jetta as I think it's pretty straight forward. Just remember, these cars are assembled by robots and the simplest way to remove the motor is to drop the subframe and then remove the motor and transmission from that assembly out side of the car. This YouTube video shows how the MK4 Golf are assembled, and you can see how easy it is for VW to install the motor, it's that easy to remove!
When done, we need to have the following items sitting on your garage floor from the engine compartment:
Engine with belt driven accessories and turbo charger
Fuel Filter
Coolant and Power Steering Reservoirs
Electrical system (ECU, both harness that plug into the ECU, MAP sensor, N75 valve)
Removal of V6 from Recipient Vehicle
Removal of V6 from Recipient Vehicle
Ford Engine Harness before trim
Ford Engine Harness after trim leaving only the reverse lights.
More will be done to this later - don't leave open wires!
Remove the V6 motor from the Ranger. Again, I think most know how to do this. So I'll spare the details.
Modifying the Original Equipment Engine Harness
When removing the motor, there is a square electrical connector that interfaces the engine to the vehicle. On the engine is the male side of that connector that goes to the Power Control Unit in the dash and goes under the cab to the transmission.
Assuming we are dealing with a Manual transmission Ranger (automatics are different), the only thing that is necessary to retain is:
Cable going under cab: Reverse Lights, where VIOLET/ORANGE is 12V supply and BLACK/PINK is reverse light connection.
Everything else is for the O2 sensors and the OSS (BLUE/YELLOW) which are not required. All those wires can be removed from that cable. leaving just a single pair. Ensure to leave ample wire to make connections to later on. See Pictures!
Alternator / Air Conditioning / Starter Wiring / Oil Pressure
This harness goes to the Battery, Alternator, Starter, AC compressor, and Oil Pressure Senders and terminates at a black plug located under the master cylinder. As we are going to be using the Volkswagen Alternator, and the Starter is located on the passenger side of the motor we can remove all the heavy power and ground wires right to the black fuse box where it attaches with a 10mm nut.
Retain the following wires that go to the black plug under the brake cylinder:
All wires going to the AC compressor (RED/TAN BLACK/WHITE & GREY/WHITE BLACK)
Starter Trigger Wire (YELLOW/GREEN)
Alternator Wire Charge Light (GREEN\RED)
Engine Oil Pressure (GREEN\WHITE)
Installation of the Accelerator Pedal
Installation of the Accelerator Pedal
Installation of the accelerator pedal is pretty straightforward. Originally the brake and accelerator pedal are 15 cm apart and the accelerator is about 1cm lower than the brake. This is pretty much the same.
First, remove the original Ford accelerator pedal and cable.
The TDI accelerator pedal will reuse the M6 bolt hole that holds the steering grommet in place, and a new hole is drilled at the opposite corner that corresponds with the top right hole in the accelerator. Drill an M6.5 hole at that location.
Trim the TDI accelerator pedal with a hacksaw or similar. Remove the stopper at the back, and the upper left mounting hole that will interfere with the hood release cable.
Install the accelerator pedal using an M6 bolt and washer in the lower left and a longer M6 bolt with a spacer behind it to set the angle of the pedal. I used an M10 nut as a spacer.
Removed original pedal.
Trimmed TDI pedal
Installed TDI pedal
Hole location in the engine compartment
This is a slow work in progress. September 23, 2021 is the last update.
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