Will 2004 4.6 Interceptor Interchange In My 96 Thunderbird

The 96 thunderbird I have currently installed 96 Stang GT 4.6. I can score a state bull 04 crown vic with the interceptor 4.6 with 134,000 its a nice tight solid running engine. Will this interchange into my Thunderbird. Will my harness/ecm work or do I need the vic wiring harness and ecm. Really stoked any help and info greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan
 
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Will my harness/ecm work or do I need the vic wiring harness and ecm.
Concept. The Cougar/Thunderbird is a very different car than a Crown Vic (electrically).

Just wondering what kind of motor swap are you looking for? Are you looking to re-engineer the car's electrical system or to do as close to as possible to a "plug and play" swap? If looking for a "plug and play" swap, then one should endeavor to keep as much of the original car's systems as possible. That's why in the previous thread it was stated the motor's were interchangeable at the "long block" level.

When swapping a motor from a different car model the best way to do this is put both motor's on engine stands. Basically make the donor motor look like the original by transferring parts. Keeping the original wiring harness, ignition system, front accessory drives and so on.

I personally would not use a motor from a Police fleet car unless the price is very good. Why? Because police cars spend so much time idling that mileage is a poor indication of wear. There are TONS of 4.6's in the salvage yards. So there's no real reason to "settle" for the first motor seen. Try car-part.com for a searchable list of salvage yards in your area.

Note, police/fleet cars will be equipped with an external oil cooler. In order to fit into a Mustang it will be necessary to remove the oil cooler and swap with the Mustang version.

Note2, putting a PI motor into a car that originally came with a non-PI motor will work. However you will not get the full HP benefit of the PI motor without a custom tune.

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Concept. The Cougar/Thunderbird is a very different car than a Crown Vic (electrically).

Just wondering what kind of motor swap are you looking for? Are you looking to re-engineer the car's electrical system or to do as close to as possible to a "plug and play" swap? If looking for a "plug and play" swap, then one should endeavor to keep as much of the original car's systems as possible. That's why in the previous thread it was stated the motor's were interchangeable at the "long block" level.

When swapping a motor from a different car model the best way to do this is put both motor's on engine stands. Basically make the donor motor look like the original by transferring parts. Keeping the original wiring harness, ignition system, front accessory drives and so on.

I personally would not use a motor from a Police fleet car unless the price is very good. Why? Because police cars spend so much time idling that mileage is a poor indication of wear. There are TONS of 4.6's in the salvage yards. So there's no real reason to "settle" for the first motor seen. Try car-part.com for a searchable list of salvage yards in your area.

Note, police/fleet cars will be equipped with an external oil cooler. In order to fit into a Mustang it will be necessary to remove the oil cooler and swap with the Mustang version.

Note2, putting a PI motor into a car that originally came with a non-PI motor will work. However you will not get the full HP benefit of the PI motor without a custom tune.

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Hhhhmmm well it looked good on paper lol gonna stay clear. Im lookin for the closest plug and play possible. With the stang motor I could by performance goodies. Its just a lil street car /daily driver
I don't think you understand exactly what I'm trying to tell you. The swap is very do'able. Just don't try to swap the PCM and wiring from a different car. Stick to swapping the motor (at the long block level) keeping the original support system and the swap will work.

OBTW, How do I know this? Because the motor currently in my 2000 GT came from a 2003 Grand Marquis. I have personal experience doing the things being recommended. Put both motors on engine stands. Removed the Mustang specific parts from the old and transferred to the donor motor. When done I had a motor that electrically was the same as the original.
 
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I don't think you understand exactly what I'm trying to tell you. The swap is very do'able. Just don't try to swap the PCM and wiring from a different car. Stick to swapping the motor (at the long block level) keeping the original support system and the swap will work.

OBTW, How do I know this? Because the motor currently in my 2000 GT came from a 2003 Grand Marquis. I have personal experience doing the thinks being recommended. Put both motors on engine stands. Removed the Mustang specific parts from the old and transferred to the donor motor. When done I had a motor that electrically was the same as the original.
I dig what your sayin now sorry bout that
 
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I HAVE A CHANCE TO UPGRADE MY 96 THUNDERBIRD. IT CURRENTLY HAS A 96 STANG GT 4.6. AND THE TRANSMISSION IN PIC. ANYHOWS I CAN BUY A 2004 130,000 STATE BULL POLICE CAR. ENGINE IS NICE AND TIGHT AS WELL AS TRANNY. ITS A DAILY DRIVER I CAN GET IT FOR $600.00. WILL THE INTERCEPTOR MOTOR/ TRANS DROP IN AND WORK WITH MY STOCK HARNESS/ECM. SHOULD I KEEP THE HARNESS/ECM FROM THE COP CAR. THANKS A BUNCH DAN
 
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THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELPFUL KNOWLEDGE. FEW MORE QUICK QUESTIONS, WHEN I GET THE INTERCEPTOR ENGINE IN AND RUNNIN WHO DO I TAKE IT TO FOR THE CUSTOM TUNE THAT YOU MENTIONED. ALSO I WAS GONNA PULL INTERCEPTOR ENGINE/TRANS AS A WHOLE UNIT WILL THE TRANSMISSION BE CAPATABLE WITH THE OD HARNESS ON THE BIRDS. REALLY STOKED CANT WAIT . THANKS AGAIN DAN
 
Don't expect a 4R70W from a 2004 to directly "plug and play" with a 1996 PCM. Check out tccoa.com as they have guides on how to modify a late model transmission to work with an older PCM.

http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/transmission/index.shtml
http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/transmission/page16.shtml <rewire>

The other thing that will get in the way is the speed sensor. The 1998 and older model years use a VSS sensor. The 1999+ uses an OSS sensor. The sensors are NOT compatible to each other. The sensor type must match what the PCM is expecting as well as the wiring harness design.

Here's some more information that may help you understand the difference between a VSS sensor an a OSS sensor.
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/4-6l-tech/140694-t-45-tail-shaft-swap.html

For a "plug and play" experience recommend keeping your original automatic transmission. Otherwise some re-engineering is in your future.
 
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