It Turns Out A 2.3-Liter EcoBoost Engine Swap Is Virtually Plug And Play For The Ford Maverick

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We’re not quite sure if the executives at Ford ever envisaged a future where people were doing 12-second drag runs with their compact truck, but such is the ingenuity of the petrolhead that it happened anyway. Welcome to a world where a modified Maverick can cover a quarter mile quicker than a good number of performance cars.

Of course, the Maverick in question isn’t exactly stock. Noticed by the folks over at The Drive, this pickup, in particular, claimed to be the fastest in the world. When it broke into the 12 seconds, the car had some homebrew modifications and a tune – but crucially retained its existing engine.

But more interestingly, since then, the world’s fastest Maverick has had an engine swap. It’s the kind of transplant that may even start a new craze thanks to its ease of compatibility. It turns out the 2.3-liter Ford EcoBoost engine is virtually plug-and-play. Who knew?

See Also: This Ford Maverick 2.0 Just Set A New Quarter Mile Record At 13.565 Seconds

The discovery was made by Ivan Gonzalez, who purchased a used 2.3 EcoBoost for cheap from a Lincoln Corsair. Gonzalez apparently wasn’t even considering the swap when he picked it up. Instead, he planned to use the 2.3-liter turbo engine for parts development. But when the already-potent 2.0-liter lump in his Maverick was mostly disassembled, he had a flash of inspiration.

Aside from the coolant temperature sensor being in a different location, everything else between the Maverick’s factory-fitted 2.0-liter and the Corsair’s 2.3-liter engine was compatible, from plugs to the wire harnesses. With fault codes cleared after initial start-up, the motor runs like a dream.

Such is the compatibility between the two engines, Gonzalez was able to carry over many of the parts he made for the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine. This includes a ram intake, the turbo from a Ford Ranger, and the associated piping. The block is stock, and the car runs a custom tune from Livernois. Better still, the rest of the drivetrain seems to be able to cope with the added power too.

Gonzalez says he can gap a Ford Mustang GT by a car’s length and that the 2.3-liter Maverick will keep pace with a Dodge Charger Scat Pack. With a quarter-mile time of 12.4 seconds, his next goal is to lower that into the 11s. He’s confident with a bit more fettling, it can do that before the end of the year.