Have Crown Vic speed density, want to convert to Mass Air, what parts?

[crawln68]

I am sure that this has been asked in the past, but with all of my searching, I couldn't find any threads on it. I currently have an 89 Crown Vic 5.0 speed density engine in my EB. I recently found an 88 Mustang GT and want to grab all of the Mass Air stuff to convert my current engine to the Mustang EFI set up. So far I got these parts from the Mustang:

Lower intake
Upper intake
Wiring harness with all of the sensors
ECU (8LD)

What else do I need to convert a speed density 5.0 to a Mass Air set up? Do I need the distributor from the Mustang or is my current one the same? I know the HO firing order is different. TIA.

 

[Broncobowsher]

You don't need to change manifolds.
The old sensors will work
The old distributor will work and I would recomend keeping it since it has the correct material to work with the crown vic cam. The mustang distributor is for a roller cam that you may not have. The are both SEFI so the encoding inside will be correct.
Probably the injectors. I think the vic used 14lb injectors, the stang uses 19's.
Keep the computer, injectors, and mass air from one donor (or replacement parts for the same donor). Mixing parts confuses all the little eletrons floating around inside the computer.

Any particular reason to change to mass air? Any performance parts that change the volumetric effiency that would confuse speed density system? Plans for these parts?

You might make for more drivability issues by swapping mass air then just leaving an engineered package together. If you are after more power speed density won't do anything unless you change other parts to go along with it.

 

[BabyBlue69]

I thought the 88 Mustang was speed density also. I thought they went to mass air in 89.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I thought the 88 Mustang was speed density also. I thought they went to mass air in 89.

I didn't even catch that. Unless it is the California model (or was that '89 california was the first mass air?)

 

[crawln68]

The yard has it labeled as an "88" but I didn't look at the door plate to confirm that. It is definitely a Mass Air set up though with the orange injectors. The main reason that I was thinking of switching to the Mustang set up is for the manual transmission ECU (the crown vic ECU that I have ran an automatic tranny) and the larger injectors. From everything that I have read this is the system to go with. Do you not think that it is worth doing? Should I just stay with the speed density set up that came on the 89 crown vic engine?

 

[SaddleUp]

8LD is a California MAF system. To convert to MAF you need the following:
MAF Unit
MAF Pigtail (Or the complete harness will work as well)
Injectors (Only necessary if they are different)
ECM

There are diagrams available with some searching that show where the MAF wires plug into the ECM along with the ones that need to be swapped on the ECM if you use the current harness. It isn't absolutely necessary to swap them for it to work but it needs to be done if you are trying to keep the check engine light off. (All of the wires to swap deal with emissions stuff that can be tricked with resistors) I would also change the cam so the injector firing order matches however it will still run although some people claim it doesn't have as smooth of an idle. (I couldn't tell the difference) You also need to pull the vacuum line off the MAP sensor for it to work. (I carry a 90 Grand Marquis ECM as an emergency spare which will plug right in and run if I attach a vacuum line to the MAP/BP sensor but the check engine light comes on when I do) The intake doesn't need to be changed for it to work but it will probably breath better if it has a larger throttle body. (Which it probably does)

 

[Socal Tom]

www.mass-air.com
They have the pigtail harness with the instructions to change it over.
Tom

 

[crawln68]

8LD is a California MAF system. To convert to MAF you need the following:
MAF Unit
MAF Pigtail (Or the complete harness will work as well)
Injectors (Only necessary if they are different)
ECM

There are diagrams available with some searching that show where the MAF wires plug into the ECM along with the ones that need to be swapped on the ECM if you use the current harness. It isn't absolutely necessary to swap them for it to work but it needs to be done if you are trying to keep the check engine light off. (All of the wires to swap deal with emissions stuff that can be tricked with resistors) I would also change the cam so the injector firing order matches however it will still run although some people claim it doesn't have as smooth of an idle. (I couldn't tell the difference) You also need to pull the vacuum line off the MAP sensor for it to work. (I carry a 90 Grand Marquis ECM as an emergency spare which will plug right in and run if I attach a vacuum line to the MAP/BP sensor but the check engine light comes on when I do) The intake doesn't need to be changed for it to work but it will probably breath better if it has a larger throttle body. (Which it probably does)

I got the entire wiring harness from the Mustang thinking that it would probably be easier to just use that, rather than trying to modify my Crown Vic harness.

So I should change the cam in the Crown Vic engine in order to do this swap? If that is something that I need to do, then I will more than likely just stay with the stock Crown Vic speed density set up. I thought that this was going to be a bolt on mod.

 

[Miley]

I've got to agree with Broncobowsher.... MAF is not always the greener side of the fence as they say. If you don't plan on running headers (which have been proven to reduce torque in some cases) or putting any nitrous, big cams, A/M intakes... leave it alone. You will thank yourself.

Spend the money on other toys.

JMHO

Miley

 

[Socal Tom]

I got the entire wiring harness from the Mustang thinking that it would probably be easier to just use that, rather than trying to modify my Crown Vic harness.

So I should change the cam in the Crown Vic engine in order to do this swap? If that is something that I need to do, then I will more than likely just stay with the stock Crown Vic speed density set up. I thought that this was going to be a bolt on mod.

Nah, ignore the firing order. I ran both ways and it didn't matter.
Tom

 

[crawln68]

I just thought about something else. Should I grab the VSS off the Mustang too? I'm running a NP435 tranny, will I need the VSS?

 

[SaddleUp]

I just thought about something else. Should I grab the VSS off the Mustang too? I'm running a NP435 tranny, will I need the VSS?

If your not running the VSS on your current setup then you may want to go ahead and get it for the new one. I have mine installed in the T-Case but I never extended the wiring for it when I added the doubler so it is just tied up out of the way. It's been that way for about 6 months.

Like Tom said above I couldn't tell a difference in the way it ran with the stock 5.0 cam. If you already have the intake off it though then you don't need to go much further to change it so it's worth considering.

 

[crawln68]

The current crown vic engine is just bolted to the frame and I haven't done any wiring yet. So I figured that if I am ever going to upgrade to the MAF, now would be the time before I run all of the wiring and engine harness. The upper and lower are not bolted down yet on the crown vic engine so it would be supper easy to change them out.