Jeep liberty 4.7 swap

[Gregoryb]

I'm needing some helpful information about how to make a 4.7 work in my 2002 liberty I bought a 4.7 out of a 2003 dodge ram and was wondering what I need to wire it up I know there will be two more cylinders and injectors is there a easy way to run the wires to the pcm

 

[sota]

No.
Just, no.

And search as to why.

 

[JasonJ]

Bought it anticipating that it would be an easy swap? Sorry bud.. first mistake.

It can be done. But it will cost you more than you likely paid for the Jeep and certainly the engine... I think 2, perhaps 3 out of more than two-dozen that have been known about on all of the internet across just about every single Jeep forum, actually ran.

Of those, only 1, perhaps 2, ran properly and were actually drive-able.

 

[Gregoryb]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Gregoryb]

I got all the wiring from the donor truck and the motor for 50 dollars I just didn't want to rebuild the motor that's in it ,it's got a hole in one piston and head that's bad

 

[04Liberty]

I'm needing some helpful information about how to make a 4.7 work in my 2002 liberty I bought a 4.7 out of a 2003 dodge ram and was wondering what I need to wire it up I know there will be two more cylinders and injectors is there a easy way to run the wires to the pcm

If you're asking these kinds of questions for a project of this type, I am reasonably certain that you are not up to the task and should not. It is not even remotely as easy as just dropping it in and wiring a few things up. Good old days are long gone.

 

[04Liberty]

Enjoy the reading this is sure to become

Apparently he was not happy with answers here and thinks Ram truck people will be able to better tell him how to make a 4.7 work in a KJ....:happy175::happy175:


https://www.ramforum.com/threads/jeep-liberty-swap.137977/

 

[duderz7]

Nothin wrong with gathering as much info as possible.

 

[wheeee32]

It can be done. The big things are money/time. If you have those then go for it. Most of the time you will hear from KJ owners that you are better off just spending all that money on the off-road goodies aka lift, tires, skids, ect. I'm all for seeing an end product that is reliable and has good longevity but this project will set you back.

 

[04Liberty]

Nothin wrong with gathering as much info as possible.

The best info for this swap he could have gotten is actually right here, from the lengthy post the guy down in South America did. One problem seems to be he doesn't understand how things work together in these things, plus the questions he's asked give me the impression this would be the first mechanical ANYTHING he's ever attempted. Asking people who have Rams and generally don't attempt engine swaps (unless the same engine family, and that's really only with the hemis) to tell him how to wire a 4.7 into his KJ is ******** at best; it's as bad as the guy who asked how to put a 2001 360/5.9 V8 into his 2013 5.7 hemi Ram because he didn't get the timing chain recall done and he toasted the engine. Just like a 4.7 in a KJ, was never available in that vehicle for a reason lol.

It can be done. The big things are money/time. If you have those then go for it. Most of the time you will hear from KJ owners that you are better off just spending all that money on the off-road goodies aka lift, tires, skids, ect. I'm all for seeing an end product that is reliable and has good longevity but this project will set you back.

Because it's true. Only seen one complete enough to fire up and drive and he regretted doing it, probably because of the heartache it caused and plus he left it stock lol.


Personally I think it's funny and sad at the same time.

 

[JasonJ]

Same year 4.7l v8 compared to a 3.7, you'd gain 20hp and 60ft lbs of torque... plus a small amount of weight (I could find a weight for the 4.7l engine, but not the 3.7l- 438lbs).

So the extra torque would probably be noticeable, especially from a stop or slow roll.. but is it really worth all the money and hassle? I don't think so. It's cool.. but not very practical.

More impressive to me would be swapping in a newer Pentastar v6, either 3.6l or 3.9l. Either one has between 280-305hp and gobs of torque, much smoother and reliable operation. That would be a crazy difficult swap too, but probably actually worth it.

 

[Gregoryb]

I appreciate all the advice and I think I'm going to just rebuild the 3.7

 

[mrlavalamp]

Could the 3.7 be bored over much? Stroker maybe?

Maybe even some port and polish on the heads with some flange and manifold work to smooth out all the transitions?

I'm sure the gains would be just as marginal as the 4.7 swap, but it would at least be much easier to get running when you are done.

 

[Tinkrr]

Perhaps telling him his idea is stupid and he is ******** is enough to drive him to another forum

 

[JasonJ]

Perhaps telling him his idea is stupid and he is ******** is enough to drive him to another forum

Those are your words.

We told him his idea was possible but not exceptionally practical. He also made it sound as if this was his first endeavor at anything mechanical- which is a big thing to bite off as your first.

He got worse advice on the Dodge forum.

 

[04Liberty]

Could the 3.7 be bored over much? Stroker maybe?

Bored probably not more than .030", blocks tend to be a bit thin walled these days. As for stroking, it kind of already is, when they hacked the two cylinders off they increased the stroke on the six cylinder to offset the power loss. 4.7's stroke is 3.405" while the 3.7's is 3.57. Probably the reason for a number of years the 3.7 was only 20hp behind the 4.7. Dunno if there's much more room beyond that for more stroke, not too mention everything would have to be custom.

He got worse advice on the Dodge forum.

He got NO advice on that forum (would none be considered worse?).

 

[JasonJ]

He got NO advice on that forum (would none be considered worse?).

That was exactly my point. lol.

 

[tommudd]

Perhaps telling him his idea is stupid and he is ******** is enough to drive him to another forum

So how do you really feel ?
And what we told him was the truth

 

[tommudd]

Could the 3.7 be bored over much? Stroker maybe?

Maybe even some port and polish on the heads with some flange and manifold work to smooth out all the transitions?

I'm sure the gains would be just as marginal as the 4.7 swap, but it would at least be much easier to get running when you are done.

Wouldn't be much unless you spend a ton of money

 

[JasonJ]

Wouldn't be much unless you spend a ton of money

If I was going to spend a ton of money on swapping out the 3.7, I'd go after the Pentastar 3.6L. Available in 20 different models from 2011 on up... good odds of finding the parts needed in scrapped or salvaged vehicles. Lots of Town and Country's, Avengers, and Grand Caravans in parts yards...

280-305hp, 270lb ft of tq... lightweight, smooth.

But at that point, I'd probably just be interested in buying a used KL Cherokee Trailhawk anyhow.

Only way I'd jump into the 4.7 swap was if I had the HO model, and all parts would have to be acquired for less than the value of my KJ... $1500-$2000 or so. It needs to be an easy, cost effective swap to be worth it to me.