Ford ranger TDI

bluetdiranger

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Oct 13, 2021
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Ward
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2005 ford ranger with BHW TDi transplant
Hi everyone. Just picked this truck up -- 2005 ford ranger with a BHW transplanted in. Was looking at this particular swap for a year or so, and found this one already done instead of buying the parts and doing it myself. Yes, we had snow last night :)


 

Andyinchville1

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Apr 7, 2016
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Virginia
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2003 Jetta TDI wagon, 5 sp, 226K miles
Cool

What kind of MPGs do you get on it? ( I guess 52 minutes is not enough time to have good figures ? ;-) )

Andrew
 

bluetdiranger

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Oct 13, 2021
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Ward
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2005 ford ranger with BHW TDi transplant
Got about 28.5mpg on the highway driving it home from nebraska, keeping 60 to 70mph. 24mpg mixed driving in the mountains here with some offroading and a bit of cold starts and idling. Working on tweaking the tuning still, hopefully can get it a little higher. Not nearly what we used to get in my friends 99.5 jetta, but this is a little bigger and 4wd and bigger tires and all... sure beats the 13mpg my old dodge 1500 was getting.... and the 14 to 19mpg the gas version of this same truck got.
 

PradoTDI

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Sep 25, 2020
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MT
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1991 Toyota LandCruiser LJ78 with ALH Swap
Looks great! Any performance upgrades to the engine? I really wish I could have used a BHW instead of an ALH in my swap, but I was working with stuff that was available. 28.5mpg sounds pretty good, I have averaged around 23mpg in my LandCruiser since the swap.

You must have gotten the same storm that hit here on Monday:
 

PickleRick

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Nov 29, 2017
Location
Greenville sc
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05 GLS BHW sedan 5 speed conversion. BHW Carver SantaCruz in progress
Where's the cruiser? I just see an arb bumper mounted to a snow man. That's something jeep people would do. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Awesome truck! I want to do an F150 BHW swap. The BHW in stock form is fairly close to the 4.9L I6 in output. 136hp vs. 145, 247tq vs 250. And it probably weighs half as much, and the BHW even with a mild tune would be much more than the 4.9L. Since all similar Ford trucks and vans used the same Mazda R5 manual box, and someone already makes an adapter for either the Vulcan Rangers or the Cologne Rangers, I'd just need to find one of those gearboxes to use. Probably have to cut a link out of the F-truck's front springs, though.

My dad has a '99 Cologne Ranger 4x4, regular cab, long bed, manual, and it struggles to get past 15 mpg. It has the factory off road package with the big 16" tires and the lower ratio locking rear end. It is a beast in snow and off road, but boy it empties that [rather small] fuel tank in a hurry.
 

bluetdiranger

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Oct 13, 2021
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Ward
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2005 ford ranger with BHW TDi transplant
Yeah, my partner has a FJ60, stock, that gets like 14mpg... 23 would be awesome :)

I think we got the south end of that storm. An inch or two at most, and a bit of wind.

It has a new cam and balance shaft delete, and a stage 2 tune from malone.... still figuring out exactly what that means :) It's kind of a dog at low rpm (under 1400), but once the turbo kicks in, it runs. On the highway, it barely notices hills.

Looks great! Any performance upgrades to the engine? I really wish I could have used a BHW instead of an ALH in my swap, but I was working with stuff that was available. 28.5mpg sounds pretty good, I have averaged around 23mpg in my LandCruiser since the swap.

You must have gotten the same storm that hit here on Monday:
 

50harleyrider

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Jun 16, 2007
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charleston,wv
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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
Awesome truck! I want to do an F150 BHW swap. The BHW in stock form is fairly close to the 4.9L I6 in output. 136hp vs. 145, 247tq vs 250. And it probably weighs half as much, and the BHW even with a mild tune would be much more than the 4.9L. Since all similar Ford trucks and vans used the same Mazda R5 manual box, and someone already makes an adapter for either the Vulcan Rangers or the Cologne Rangers, I'd just need to find one of those gearboxes to use. Probably have to cut a link out of the F-truck's front springs, though.

My dad has a '99 Cologne Ranger 4x4, regular cab, long bed, manual, and it struggles to get past 15 mpg. It has the factory off road package with the big 16" tires and the lower ratio locking rear end. It is a beast in snow and off road, but boy it empties that [rather small] fuel tank in a hurry.
Oilhammer' you plan to use a ranger gearbox and BHW in an f150 swap? I used the E4OD in my F150 swap. I had to use a high stall torque converter from A V10 before it would launch. Still not as quick off the line as I would like. My supercab F150 4x4 weighs 5300 lbs. Can't see a BHW having enough guts for a truck that big but with a manual gearbox and 3.70 diffs, maybe.

Bluediranger, what gearbox is in your ranger? This build interests me as I have spare BHW's and tdi harnesses.
 
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bluetdiranger

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Oct 13, 2021
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Ward
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2005 ford ranger with BHW TDi transplant
Bluediranger said:
It's the stock 5 speed M5OD, heavy duty version, that came behind the 4.0 SOHC in 2005. 1st gear is not very good -- 3.4 I think. I'm used to trucks with closer to a 6 or 7 first gear, like the old T18's and ZF5 and chevy's SM465. Useless in most driving, but when loaded, on a hill, or off road... very nice. But, I got the low range working again today (replaced the shift motor and the transfer case computer), so now it's more driveable off road again. Adaptor plate from TDI conversions in Canada makes the VW engines bolt right up to the ford transmission.
 

bluetdiranger

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Ward
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2005 ford ranger with BHW TDi transplant
The 5 speed Mazda box in the F150's is a heavier duty version than the same 5 speed box in the Rangers I belive -- M5OD1 vs M5OD2, or something. Not sure exact torque ratings of each. I have a 91 F150 as well, with the 300 straight six, and it feels much more torquey than the ranger V6's or the TDI -- off the line, that is. Once the TDI spools up, I'm sure it could outdo the 4.9, as they kind of fall off pretty quick as RPM goes up.
 

50harleyrider

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charleston,wv
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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
My F150 is an OM606 3L out of a 99 Mercedes E300TD. It gets 17 on the highway at 65MPH. A little disappointing. I do have a completely tuneable ECU so I should be able to get 20. I've considered going to a manual. Would that heavier M5OD bolt up to my 1997 OE transfer case? If so, I may have a manual in my future. Diesels need manuals
 

bluetdiranger

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Ward
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2005 ford ranger with BHW TDi transplant
I think the automatic and manual transmission trucks took the same transfer case, so if you find a 4x4 transmission (not the 2wd version with a tailshaft instead of a shaft meant to connect to a transfer case) it should work. Seems like a very few of the F150's got the ZF5 manual transmission that was more common on the 250's and 350's, which had, in my opinion, much better gear ratios than the mazda transmission. Most of the ZF5's have the bell housing for the big block or diesel engine instead of the small block and I6 engine. Since you are connecting to a mercedes diesel... who knows what is best :). The Mazda transmissions don't have the best reputation for longevity or handling more than stock torque, and not sure if they were even used behind the 5.8, or only the 5.0 and 4.9. Probably best to do some lurking on some ford forums....
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
I don't do slushboxes.

The Mazda gearboxes are fine once you put proper GEAR oil in them instead of the ATF that Ford spec'd, and of course as long as they are not abused.

The ZFs were just used in the 8500+ GVWR trucks. That would be overkill for a little TDI 4 cyl.
 

50harleyrider

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charleston,wv
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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
I've been looking in fbm and there are a lot of 1997-2003 4x4 manual f150's in it cheap as most are rusted down. The 4.6 and 5.4 v8 used a different bolt pattern tranny then the v6 fwiw. The inline 6 in the earlier models should be the same as the v8's. As far as which is best for the mercedes 606, it's still only a 3 liter and with an automatic has to spool up before it really performs in a 5000+ lb truck. Same with the bhw. I have an automatic and 5sp manual both with stage 2 tunes and the manual definitely launches much better.
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
The [Canadian] Essex V6 is a Windsor V8 with two cylinders chopped off. So it still uses the old pushrod V8 bolt pattern. The modular V8s, later called Triton when used in the trucks, is a completely different engine. And yes, the truck inline 6 used the same bolt pattern as the old Windsor V8s.

Probably a LOT of '97+ trucks out there with bad engines. And the later ones with the 3v Triton V8s are notoriously short-lived, as the valvetrain is worn out often by 80k miles and they start clattering pretty bad when warm. The early 4.2L V6s all scattered the connecting rods through the block until Ford updated the lower end. Seems when they punched the 3.8L out to 4.2L, it taxed the lower end beyond what it could handle. A big main stay, that made the ancient open-end block design (from the early '60s!) much more rigid. Those held up better, but unlike the old I6, they were not the tough as nails product that lots of the fleets became accustomed to from Ford.
 

50harleyrider

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charleston,wv
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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
My 97 had the first year triton 5.4. I never did like that engine and did my 606 conversion at 45k miles. The 5.4 2v was truly a gutless, gas guzzling engine and had to go. The later 3v triton engine was better but still not much. I got an adapter from a guy named Bensen in South Dakota so I could retain the E4OD which is an overdrive version of the C6 and pretty much bullet proof as well. I have to find out if the 5sp manuals available in that 97-03 triton era are suitable for a diesel since Ford didn't offer a diesel in the F150 back then. I assume those manual trannys had some overdrive gearing in 5th.

Oilhammer, you never did elaborate on the feasibility of using a tiny BHW in an F150. I'm all for it. Let me know how you would pull it off. Short final drive, short tires and a non overdrive tranny would be my guess and accepting 3000 RPM at 70? An adapter would also be a tough find.
 
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oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Harley, as I said before, the BHW is pretty much bang on identical in output to the 4.9L, and an adapter already exists for both the Vulcan and Cologne Ford V6s, so all I would need mounting wise is a transmission from a Ranger, which is the same as the F150 already uses just a different bellhousing.

I would never have labeled the '97 5.4L as "gutless", though, so I'm pretty sure you'd think my 4.9L is the same although it moves itself down the road just fine.
 

50harleyrider

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charleston,wv
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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
I tow a bit with my F150 usually under 5000 lb but just it's weight of 5300 lbs puts it about the same as a Touareg and you think a manual stage 2 BHW would move a Touareg around? If so, would it be possible to put a manual in one? I wonder if the Treg Euro cars had manuals. I've seen a bunch of mid 2000 Tregs with blown engines cheap
 

PradoTDI

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MT
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1991 Toyota LandCruiser LJ78 with ALH Swap
In Europe Touaregs were available with a 6-speed manual behind the 2.5 I5 TDI and the 3.0 V6 TDI. The I5 produced 161hp and 295lb-ft, so easily within the range of a tuned BHW. However, if going to the effort to swap a Touareg, why not just start with a V6 TDI and swap in a Euro manual transmission?
 

50harleyrider

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Joined
Jun 16, 2007
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charleston,wv
TDI
2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
In Europe Touaregs were available with a 6-speed manual behind the 2.5 I5 TDI and the 3.0 V6 TDI. The I5 produced 161hp and 295lb-ft, so easily within the range of a tuned BHW. However, if going to the effort to swap a Touareg, why not just start with a V6 TDI and swap in a Euro manual transmission?
The problem with going that route is the V6 tdi Treg's we got here are expensive well maintained cars although it would be super cool to have a manual one. Also shipping rates from Europe are in the 600+ Euro's and I'm sure the Treg tdi manual would be 1500+ Euro's. Not to mention the cost of pedals and the rest. Also the early tdi treg tdi (2008+) had the two timing chains and would most likely require some expensive maintenance at 100k+ miles. Lots of us have BHW engines looking for a home so from an economics standpoint....
 
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oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
The current Sprinter gets a 2.0L turbodiesel 4 cyl... my 2016 got the 2.1L, which has been replaced. VAG uses a 2.0L 4 cyl TDI in their big van, the Crafter. The Ford Transit gets a 2.0L Ecoblue turbodiesel as standard equipment everywhere else on the planet but here.

It would seem that despite the laws of physics being identical everywhere, only Americans feel some "need" to stuff giant (usually gasoline) engines in places where a much smaller modern turbo diesel can and does do the same job.

So yes, undoubtedly yes, if properly tuned and geared, the BHW is MORE than capable of moving 5000+ pounds around and then some. My 2.1L Sprinter's OM651 engine had 163hp (the "detuned" version, some OM651s had about 200) and I think around 280tq. It had no issues at all moving itself around, along with anything I hooked behind it... the heaviest load being a B5 Passat on a car dolly. Which it did without breaking a sweat. Some of its ability came courtesy of the 7sp G-tronic autobox, which also graced it with the ability to cruise at 80 at only 2600 RPM. And still get 25+ MPG. In a ten passenger van, with a 3800 pound payload.
 

PickleRick

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Greenville sc
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05 GLS BHW sedan 5 speed conversion. BHW Carver SantaCruz in progress
The 4300 lbs hj60 4.0 diesel land cruiser came with a whopping 103 hp and 177 ft lbs of torque. The motor alone was over 700 lbs

I find their weight closer to about 5000 lbs but that's after you put the common upgrades like lift, tires and bumpers on them with accompanied over sized tires.

I know these were fitted with the h55f over drive 5 speed transmissions and also some 4 speed models. There were some automatics but I don't recall the specs of them, likely all aisin oversized bus transmissions.

Was one of the most successful selling vehicles of all time around the world. The USA got the 4 speed non over drive model with a 135 hp gas motor making 210 ft lbs of torque. I can attest these will do 75 mph on the freeway in healthy form but likely not to maintain said speed up steeper grades. This would have improved if they came with overdrive here in the states.

A bhw powered f150 might not get the fuel mileage of a bhw Cherokee but it should move it just fine. The bhw will take a good couple hundred pounds off the front of any cast iron truck engine.

I bet it will move her as fast as if not faster than the i6 or 5.0 models of the era.
 

50harleyrider

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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
I found a 2000 ford explorer 4 door manual 5sp 4x4 with a 4.0 v6. That would make a nice BHW conversion and adapters are readily available from Northwest Fab. It turns 23-2400 at 70. Taller tires would make that a little higher. What thinks you guys?
?
 

PradoTDI

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MT
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1991 Toyota LandCruiser LJ78 with ALH Swap
My LandCruiser weighed around 4800lbs stock; the TDI is a bit lighter than the original engine but with front and rear ARB bumpers, a rooftop tent and a bunch of junk always in the back it is likely over 5000lbs. The ALH pulls it along just fine, even when it only had a Stage 1 tune. It's no speed demon, but I can cruise at 70-75mph on the highway and pull mountain passes at 55-60mph without a problem.
 

PickleRick

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Nov 29, 2017
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Greenville sc
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05 GLS BHW sedan 5 speed conversion. BHW Carver SantaCruz in progress
I can't think of any 4x4 truck or suv that would not be a better all around vehicle with a light, fuel efficient diesel
 

50harleyrider

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charleston,wv
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2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
bluetdiranger, why don't you take some photos of the engine compartment for us?
Also, if you're looking to enhance the stage 2 tune, adding a BV43A turbo will make you grin. One of my sedans has it and even with a slushbox, big difference. And it's a bolt-in to your stock manifold. I'll probably convert a ranger supercab myself
 
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Mozambiquer

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Hi everyone. Just picked this truck up -- 2005 ford ranger with a BHW transplanted in. Was looking at this particular swap for a year or so, and found this one already done instead of buying the parts and doing it myself. Yes, we had snow last night :)


I think I saw that one for sale on marketplace. Looked like a nice one!
 

PickleRick

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Nov 29, 2017
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Greenville sc
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05 GLS BHW sedan 5 speed conversion. BHW Carver SantaCruz in progress
With all these sweet tdi swapped suvs and trucks running around I need to hurry up and finish my 4 runner conversion. I just got 220 power wired to my garage so I can weld so the body will be coming off the frame for some light frame work.

On another note why in God's name has no one made a land rover to tdi adapter? I think a stage 2 tuned bhw would push a disco 2 very well and I'm sure some of the tdi wiring gurus here could help me with fooling the disco ecu into thinking the 4.0 was still in the rig. I could even fool the ecu into seeing diffeent rpms are lower they they actually are so i could avoid using a stand alone trans to change shifting points.

The disco 2 is sitting on 33s with 3.54 gears, might be a little sluggish for a diesel off the line but at 80mph shed be in a sweet rpm range going up grades.
 
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