Help a pushrod guy out - identifying 99+ swapped cars

Passenger · Mar 4, 2009

I'm going in a few days to look a 98 GT vert with a claimed 03 motor and trans in it. Visually, what are a few ways I can tell its a 99-04 motor and not the stock npi motor?

Outlaw97GT · Mar 4, 2009

Cant tell by the heads without taking the intake off, But...
You can tell by the intake. The 1st runner on a NPI goes the the pass side and a PI goes to the driver side... :thumbsup:

Willis_98GT · Mar 4, 2009

passenger side oil fill. individual ignition coils.. unless he retained the coil packs.

justinschmidt1 · Mar 4, 2009

Some odvious things should be the valve covers.

Theres no reason it wouldnt have the 03 covers if it was a swapped motor.

The oil fill is on the passenger side, the pulley layout is differant, the pi intake is differant and will have the alum crossover.

Passenger · Mar 4, 2009

So the oil filler tube is on the passenger side of 99+ cars?

Hopefully this is legit. The guy said it has ~85,000 on the new motor, with receipts from the install and stuff.

justinschmidt1 · Mar 4, 2009

Passenger said:
So the oil filler tube is on the passenger side of 99+ cars?

Hopefully this is legit. The guy said it has ~85,000 on the new motor, with receipts from the install and stuff.

Can you get pics of it?

It will def. have the alum crossover if it has a pi intake

Passenger · Mar 4, 2009

Yeah I will most defiantly get pics. Guy had someone coming to look at it tonight wanting to trade a Suburban, but he said he wants cash instead of a trade. He was supposed to call me back, but I guess he either got tied up or forgot. Gonna give him a ring again tomorrow

Outlaw97GT · Mar 4, 2009

Just look at the runners, valve covers are interchangable.

You would be crazy to have a PI motor with a NPI intake.

Mr Jones 4.6 · Mar 5, 2009

I agree, either the oil fill or the intake runner config will give it away immediately.

US Soldier(stang 98) · Mar 5, 2009

i have a Long Blonk from DSS with the full Pi swap but my 1998 GT came with the Romeo engine in it. so right off the bat i had the same valve covers as a PI motor but my oil filler is on the Drive side.

MustangChris · Mar 5, 2009

coil on plug ignition instead of quad coil packs.
oil fill is on passenger side valve cover isntead of drivers side.
front intake manifold runner faces the wrong direction.
annnnd, thats about all i can think off... unless you con him into letting you take off the heads :-D lol

also, remember they changed trannys at some point... from the T45 to the ?? T6030 or some jargin like that.... dono how to figure that out...

karrarararararar · Mar 6, 2009

MustangChris said:
also, remember they changed trannys at some point... from the T45 to the ?? T6030 or some jargin like that.... dono how to figure that out...

3650..

couldn't he look in the valley with a flash light at the coolant return line (i think that's what it is). The npi had a rubber one that runs down the middle while the pi has a metal tube that runs down the side of the valley because of the longer runners.

glittle75 · Mar 6, 2009

look at the intake as stated above, runner in front on PI engine goes to #5 cylinder.

Behind the alternator, look at the coolant tube running in the valley, if its dead center in the bottom running back, its NPI, if it runs up the driver side valley wall, its PI

Look at the alternator bracket, 2 bolts is NPI, 3 bolts is PI

Look at the coolant crossover, if there is 2 sensors plugged in, its NPI, if only one, its a PI motor

Coils, as stated above,

look at the coolant tube in the rear, passenger side of the motor, where the line runs out of the intake to the heater core, NPI size for that tube is WAY big, like 13/16 or bigger, the PI tube coming out is only 5/8's.

and if you can grab a mirror, and can still read head casting numbers with it, that'll be a good giveaway.

karrarararararar · Mar 6, 2009

^ Ah, i forgot about the coolant sensors

fastgtfairlane · Mar 6, 2009

i would just find out what the pi casting numbers are and go from that.

atlanticblue98 · Mar 7, 2009

MustangChris said:
coil on plug ignition instead of quad coil packs.
oil fill is on passenger side valve cover isntead of drivers side.
front intake manifold runner faces the wrong direction.
annnnd, thats about all i can think off... unless you con him into letting you take off the heads :-D lol

also, remember they changed trannys at some point... from the T45 to the ?? T6030 or some jargin like that.... dono how to figure that out...

the t-45 was switched to the 3650 in 2001, although some say some late 2000 model year mustangs had them slipped in

GDawg · Mar 8, 2009

glittle75 said:
look at the intake as stated above, runner in front on PI engine goes to #5 cylinder.

Behind the alternator, look at the coolant tube running in the valley, if its dead center in the bottom running back, its NPI, if it runs up the driver side valley wall, its PI

Look at the alternator bracket, 2 bolts is NPI, 3 bolts is PI

Look at the coolant crossover, if there is 2 sensors plugged in, its NPI, if only one, its a PI motor

Coils, as stated above,

look at the coolant tube in the rear, passenger side of the motor, where the line runs out of the intake to the heater core, NPI size for that tube is WAY big, like 13/16 or bigger, the PI tube coming out is only 5/8's.

and if you can grab a mirror, and can still read head casting numbers with it, that'll be a good giveaway.

You're right on the money with that advice... I used to have a NPI intake that had the aluminum coolant crossover so that's not a big clue but the coolant sensors are.
So are the coils.

He could have only a PI intake on it without the PI heads so the single coolant sensor and the COPs are important.

justinschmidt1 · Mar 8, 2009

GDawg said:
glittle75 said:

look at the intake as stated above, runner in front on PI engine goes to #5 cylinder.

Behind the alternator, look at the coolant tube running in the valley, if its dead center in the bottom running back, its NPI, if it runs up the driver side valley wall, its PI

Look at the alternator bracket, 2 bolts is NPI, 3 bolts is PI

Look at the coolant crossover, if there is 2 sensors plugged in, its NPI, if only one, its a PI motor

Coils, as stated above,

look at the coolant tube in the rear, passenger side of the motor, where the line runs out of the intake to the heater core, NPI size for that tube is WAY big, like 13/16 or bigger, the PI tube coming out is only 5/8's.

and if you can grab a mirror, and can still read head casting numbers with it, that'll be a good giveaway.

Click to expand...

You're right on the money with that advice... I used to have a NPI intake that had the aluminum coolant crossover so that's not a big clue but the coolant sensors are.
So are the coils.

He could have only a PI intake on it without the PI heads so the single coolant sensor and the COPs are important.

I dont understand why you say lookinf for the COP is important?

When you swap a PI motor into a 96-98 car it is easiest to keep the coil pack system.

Im pretty sure nobody switches to COP when they put a pi motor in a NPI car