I have a 1998 Ford Taurus SHO. The engine has a broken connecting rod or spun a rod bearing. The car has only 50,000 miles and the body is in excellent condition. I would like to keep the car but I do not wish to keep the SHO engine. If I were to purchase one of the other standard engine long blocks for that year is it as simply as pulling the SHO engine and inserting the standard engine? Would the mounts all line up, the transmission connect and bolt up without considerable difficulty or is there a conversion kit of some sort required and available commercially?
Changing the engine will also require changing the computer and probably the wiring harness connectors will not be in the correct position either. Sounds like a big can of worms.
Huge amount of work as described above. Much easier and probably cheaper to buy a used replacement.
The SHO engine was marketed as a “Yamaha” engine. I’m not even sure of which standard Ford block (if any) was used in the motor. I don’t think it is the regular Ford transmission either. I think you’d be best replacing the motor and transmission as a unit. All that will involve swapping out all the computer, sensors, and wiring harness from the donor car as well.
Your best bet is to find a regular '98 Taurus. There were a lot made and sold so there are still some in decent shape available at good prices. Sell the SHO either for parts or a project car for a mechanic. The SHO was a pretty nice package and a much better performer than the standard V6 Taurus. Perhaps not a pure sports car, but a good performer and they proved to be reliable and held up well too.