No computers or nothing. The rule of thumb with the cam swap is if I remember. Start it up and let it idle for an hour, turn off and cool down, start up and idle for 5 mins, drive for 20 mins/miles lightly accelerating, build up another 10 mins/miles of harder acceleration (nothing pass 4k in my mind), after 30 mins/miles turn off and cool down. Turn on drive for 5 mins then do a 0-60 full throttle launch see how the truck reacts. No issue after the launch, you're golden. This is very conservative as far as I know.

I've never inspected a bottom end, but I'd assume the following:
Check cylinder walls for excessive wear, pistons for scratches from the valves, metal on metal generally. I hope that helps some.

 

No problem

From what I've learned more recently with this engine, it loves if you keep the oil topped off and keep the oil pressure up.

 

So what's the story on swapping a 5.9 in instead of the 4.7? They are cheaper and I really trust the reliability of them a lot more.

I can custom fab some motor mounts if need be, but worry more about the other stuff.

Will a 5.9 mate to my tranny?
Can I reprogram my computer to run the 5.9 with something like an SCT tuner and a custom tune?
How about the wiring harness? Are the injectors run off of the same type of harness or is it not a plug and play application?

 

It's easier to go from the 3.9 to the 5.9 than dealing with the 4.7. There are just so many changes.

You'd need a new PCM for a 5.9 along with the wiring harnesses for starters.

The 5.9 uses the 46RE transmission and the 5.9 the 45RFE. The 4.7 uses a transmission control module but the 5.9 doesn't, it's handled by the PCM - lots of differences.

You wouldn't need to fabricate anything as the 5.9 was available in '01.

You might also consider a hemi.

 

Thanks.

Will the Hemi be able to mate to my tranny and current wiring harness? I might not be money ahead going this route, but I'd probably be power ahead for sure.

 

I'm the cheap old bastard around here. My suggestion is to try to avoid project creep. You bought the truck relatively cheap, I'd work on getting it running and driveable, for now and keep it simple.

I've never worked on a 4.7, and my experience on Chrysler product engines is pretty much limited to the 5.2 and an old (89) Cummins. I understand that the 4.7 is complicated cam and valve train. But I think I'd probably pop the heads off first, before you do anything else. See how bad they look, look at the cylinder bores, too. You may be able to get by with just a valve job (new valves, seats, guides, and seal.) Which would be relatively cheap.

You already know you're gonna find a pretty cruddy mess, high mileage and all, but if you can get by with just a coupla rebuilt heads, that would be so easy!

A lot of it depends on how hot it got, and why it overheated. Run way low on coolant, more than just the heads may be fubar. Good luck.

 

Yeah, that's pretty much my dilemma right now. So many ways I could go with this project. But I bought this truck to be a keeper. I'd like to put another 150,000 miles on it.

I'm hoping to have some time to tear into it next week. But until then I'm just taking the slow time at work to research all that I can...

 

Don't forget to give the cooling system a good looking over the 4.7 hates overheating in any way from what I have seen on this forum.

It may have a clogged rad or bad water pump or cooling fan problem.

You don't want to fix it then have it blow again

 

Pop the head and give it a look first.

If the engine is bad the ONLY economical fix is to put another 4.7 in it. Anything else take a lot of time, money, and effort.

The 4.7 isn't a bad motor, just different.

 

IF I keep this bottom end and just throw a couple heads at it I was planning on also replacing the following:

water pump
thermostat and housing
radiator hoses
timing chain
(possibly) upgrading the cam

Anything else you guys would add to the list other than the stuff I'll have to like gaskets and fluids?