I am sure this has come up before, but I couldn't find it using search so my apologies...

With that said, I have a 2002 qc 4x4 sport with the 4.7 and the engine might be done soon. I love the truck though and would like to keep it alive by putting in a new engine. Does anyone know what adaptations would have to be made to put in a new model (2008 and up) 4.7? Are there other better options? Thanks.


FYI side note: at 130K miles I had a problem with the number 5 cylinder filling up with antifreeze after a heat cycle – run the truck up to temp and then let set until fully cooled. It was bad enough that the engine could not turn over to start again. My thought at the time was, “time to do a swap” but I did not have the funds. With not much to lose I put in some of the new Bar’s pour in and forget about it head sealer… I have never like using any sort of voodoo gypsy juice snake oil crap and have no faith in them. I put in the Bar’s and drove it a few hundred miles to meet with some friends for dove hunting. 20k miles later I have had no signs of cracked head, blown head gasket, cracked block, etc…

 

Blown head gasket doesn't mean you need a rebuild, unless you seriously burnt the engine. Just pull the heads and have them checked for flatness and cracks. I would do a valve job and re-install them.

 

I'm pretty sure most of the wiring would be different and the PCM would most definitely be different. Those are the first two things that come to mind.

 

You can swap them with some work. I have done this in a Dakota, same process for the Ram No need to change the PCM or any wiring. The main difference will be determining what type of PCM you have and whether or not you are using a 16 tooth tone ring or a 32 tooth tone ring on your crankshaft. For the Ram I am not sure what Dodge was using in 2002, but if you look at your PCM and it has 3 plugs on it, it is a JTEC PCM and you are using a 16 tooth tone ring, 4 plugs and you have yourself a NGC PCM and you have a 32 tooth tone ring. Assuming you find a newer 4.7L you will have a 32 tooth tone ring, if you have to swap the new engine in you will need to take both motor apart to the crank, swap the rings, reassemble, and install. To be safe take all the old sensors from your original motor and use them on the new one.

As Red said, if it is a head gasket problem I wouldn't replace the motor. I would do a valve job and change both your head gaskets and you should be good. If that sealer stuff you put in worked it probably wasn't that bad of a leak, but I would replace it ASAP. These engines don't like to be overheated at all, and are expensive to fix once they do.

Head gaskets should be around $50 each, and I would say a valve job should be less than $300. Head bolts can be reused.

 

So a pcm from a 2002 ram will understand that an 08 4.7 has 2 spark plugs per cylinder and will run correctly? Would the pcm be able to be flashed to understand? All the wires would remain the same even though the ignition wiring in theory should be different?

 

I know the 2002 would use the standard OBD II system. The 2008 motor uses the CAN OBD protocol. The full wiring system would be a mess to deal with.

 

Has anyone ever looked into or tried this before? I don't know about it firing more than one spark being too big of an issue, but I was concerned about the other possible changes - is the throtle done the same? How about engine mounts and locations? PCM complications? Any computer type issues? I haven't lifted up the hood to look at the plugs yet to see if it is three or four, but plan on doing that within the next 24 hours... Thanks all for your inputs.

 

I would be more inclined to incorporate the performance adders from the '08 4.7 to the '02 4.7 just to keep things simple. Maybe search out some aftermarket goodies like cams, heads, intake, throttle body, etc...

You'll definately want to talk with Nick from AirRam. Lots of info to make the 4.7 hustle.

Does anyone have a list of differences between the '08 4.7 and the older versions?

 

The intakes would need to be used from your original 4.7, as well as the sensors, but the engine itself should fire right up and run off of the original PCM after you swap out the tone rings (reluctor rings as referenced in the manual) on the crank and camshaft. The only thing I would look at would be the coils on the two, make sure they use the same connectors to the harness, which I believe they should.

I have swapped the tone rings before, I put a 4.7 from an '03 Durango into my '01 quad cab, the '03 used a different PCM so I broke the engine down and switched everything over, freshened up the new motor with gaksets and replaced one piston that was bad.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3808758...7622572025039/

Here is the engine when I was done:



In any event, it will be easier to adapt the new engine to your existing PCM, I wouldn't try to go the other way around.