1999 3.8 into 1996

[96slowstang]

A couple weeks ago, I blew my 96's 3.8L motor. I took it to a reputable shop in the area(i've seen ferraris getting work done here), and they told me they would take care of finding an engine for it etc. They called, and said they found a 1999 3.8L at one of the yards in the area. He said there would be no problems with the switch, except for adding a few adapters here and there. I'm curious if anyone has tried this before. If so, did any problems arise? Has anyone heard of any problems arising? Will I need to upgrade anything to handle the extra 40hp from this engine? Any info will help.

Thanks

[351wStang]

Why not just swap a 4.6 in it? Gotta put a motor in there anyway. Just find a recked donar car and take everything for the swap out of there.

As far as the 99 3.8 in the 96 v6 car I havent heard anything bad/good. If he says he can do it then its up to him to get it done right.

[neatofrito1618]

4.6's are worth a lot more then 3.8's, i say you go with the split port v6. your tranny,rear end,ect. and all that is fine.

[TheStang00]

it should swap right in without problems.

as far as swapping in a 4.6 goes, that depends on how much you want to spend

[96slowstang]

Follow Up:

I just got the new car, and it runs fine. However, I'm not seeing any sort of increase in acceleration. Especially not a 40 hp increase. Does anything need to be done for that power to show up with the new motor(tune the ECU, etc.)?

[neatofrito1618]

you should notice a big power increase, and yes you need to change out the wiring harness. http://rpm-mustangs.com/cart/product...cat=322&page=1 is a list of what you need to change out

[TheStang00]

maybe he just swapped in the block and left the old intake on there?? does you intake manifold look different?

[96slowstang]

Yeah, the entire engine bay looks different. And he used the 99's harness when he installed the engine. No clue why I'm not noticing large power gains, maybe it's just me. After all, i haven't driven it in about a month. I'll race some of my friends in a week or two after everything meshes in.

[TheStang00]

you know what i bet it is... the pre 99 v6 had 215lb-ft of tq, the 99 has 220. since your not drivin it hard, cause your breaking it in, you probably havent got the rpms up enough to really notice it. it should have a lot better top end than before.

[Kiljosh]

Hey Im new here, but Im from over at Mustangevolution.com, we have a lot of v6 guys there that know there shit inside and out, I like to think I'm one of them.

I must ask, are you aware if he changed the computer aswell? The newer 3.8 have IMRC's in the intake which gives them that extra gainover the previous model. The secondary runners open up at 3500 at WOT I believe. If you feel no boost after that it may be because you have th eolder computer and it's justnnot opening them. Get the code off the computer and call Ford and check if it's right for a 00 3.8

[96slowstang]

Alright. Here's what i've found out. They didn't touch the computer, so the tranny(automatic. i know i know it sucks, but it was cheaper than the manual that was for sale when i bought it) is shifting at 4500 rpm instead of 5250 (peak power on the 99'). I've talked to some shops in the area, including dealerships, and they're saying I should just invest in a predator chip for it. They said that recalibrating the computer might not work because it's a 96 transmission with a 99 engine. Here is where this is going. Do I need a custom programmed chip(i know a guy who know's a guy that can do this =/) or would it be ok to just get a chip programmed for the 99 mustang?

P.S.-Kiljosh, i'm not a technical person on cars. I know a few basic things, but I'm barely limping along here. What exactly are you talking about? Are you saying to just find the computer and get the numbers off of it? Or what?
Honestly, I have no idea where i'd find the computer on this car.

[neatofrito1618]

Pre 99 transmissions are the same as 99-04's, there both 4R70W's. I would reccomend getting a xcal2 instead of a preditor, SCT is much beter then diablo.

[Kiljosh]

www.vmptuning.com

Thats where I get my tuning done, the guy's name is Justin and he posts over on v6power.net sometimes. He knows what hes talking about and he'll talk you through it over the phone. Just a suggestion if you go SCT, which is better than Diablo imho but Im biased.