(first posted 1/11/2013)
Events at Ford Motor Company have been silently spelling the end for their bread-and-butter V8 of the last two decades. With the cancellation of the Panther platform (Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car) and Ford’s movement to a predominantly V6 based lineup in their F-150’s, the smooth and hardworking 4.6 liter V8 is almost extinct.
The 4.6 liter engine was the replacement for the Windsor family of Ford V8’s. Having been introduced in the 1962 Ford Fairlane as the 221 cubic inch V8, the Windsor engines would ultimately be found in many familiar sounding sizes (289, 302, and 351) and would power everything from Falcon’s to F-350’s. It was quite a versatile engine yet it had lived its life. It was time to move on and Ford definitely did not allow for much confusion when it created the 4.6.
The 4.6 liter V8 was the first of what was dubbed the “Modular Engines” from Ford. Many have misinterpreted the meaning of “modular” in describing the 4.6 and 5.4 liter V8 plus the related 6.8 liter V10; “modular” was used to describe a manufacturing process, it was not a reference to parts interchangeability. With a bore of 90.2 mm and a stroke of 90.0 mm, this engine was very nearly a square bore. At the time of its introduction in the 1991 Lincoln Town Car, it was the only V8 produced by a United States manufacturer to have an overhead cam valve train (Update: also the limited-production Corvette ZR-1). After roughly forty years of American consumers having lived with overhead valve V8’s the overhead cam was a distinct difference – and perhaps part of why the 4.6 is periodically a misunderstood engine.
With its introduction in the ’91 Town Car, Ford was wise. Lincoln buyers likely didn’t care what engine their car had as long as it was smooth and made good power. The 4.6 was certainly a smooth engine and a good power plant for a 4000 pound Lincoln. Rated at 190 horsepower that first year, the new 4.6 created forty more peak horsepower than the outgoing 5.0 liter V8. Fuel economy was the same with an EPA rating of 15 city and 22 highway (as per current EPA methods).
The 4.6 would be standard equipment in 1992 for the updated Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis. This engine would be the exclusive power plant for the Panther bodied cars until their demise in 2010.
http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/ford_usa/thunderbird_10gen/thunderbird_10gen_lx/1996.html
As the 1990’s unfolded, the 4.6 would continue to emerge in a greater variety of Ford Motor Company products. 1994 would see the 4.6 between the fenders of the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar where it would remain an option until the temporary termination of the Thunderbird in 1997. A 1996 Thunderbird is shown here.
www.edmunds.com
1996 would see the 4.6 liter arrive in the Mustang GT, much to the initial chagrin of the Mustang and 5.0 liter faithful. In its initial appearance in the Mustang, the 4.6 liter engine was rated at 215 horsepower.
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-250/1997/
1997 would see the expanded versatility of the 4.6 with its placement in the new F-150 and the E-Series vans that had been redesigned for 1992.
While the intent of this article is to focus on the 2 valve version of the 4.6, it needs to be noted there were 3 valve and 4 valve versions offered at various times. The 4 valve version was introduced in 1993 as the InTech V8 for use in the Lincoln Continental and Mark VIII. As initially found in the Mark VIII, it produced 280 horsepower and 285 lb-ft of torque. The 3 valve version was first used in the 2005 Mustang and later in the ’09 F-150. Interestingly, the 3-valve was rated at 300 horsepower in the Mustang and 292 horsepower in the F-150; both were rated at 320 lb-ft of torque. That should be viewed as a testament to refinement and ever-expanding engine technology.
In the interest of full disclosure, this author owns or has owned four vehicles powered by the 4.6 liter V8; a 1992 Crown Victoria, a 1996 Thunderbird, a 2001 Crown Victoria, and a 2007 F-150. These engines were anywhere from brand new (in the case of the Thunderbird) to having 140,000 miles on the ’92 at the time it was sold.
The general driving characteristics of the 4.6 were remarkably different from what most operators were accustomed. Let’s look again at the ’91 Town Car as compared to the ’90 Town Car. The ’91 is rated at 190 horsepower whereas the ’90 generated 150 horsepower from its 302 cubic inch (5.0 liter) V8. However, the ’90 generated its peak horsepower at 3,200 rpm, a full 1,000 rpm lower than the ’91. Similarly, when discussing torque, the ’90 had a 10 lb-ft advantage over the ’91; the ’90 also generated its peak torque at 2,000 rpm whereas the ’91 generated its peak at 3,200 rpm.
The author has observed several instances of people’s misperception of the capabilities of the 4.6 liter in pickup applications – where torque truly is king. Recently, he was approached by a field employee requesting a 3/4 ton pickup. As this employee would soon have a periodic need to pull a 4,000 pound trailer, the employee was concerned about damaging his 4.6 liter powered pickup. Despite providing Ford’s engine rating of 248 horsepower and the towing capacity chart for ’08 F-150’s to the employee, there was still an above average level of skepticism. A field visit to take turns pulling this trailer resulted in the employee being convinced while saying, “that’s a really small engine; it’s a lot stronger than I thought.”
As introduced in the ’97 F-150’s, the 4.6 made 220 horsepower at 4,750 rpm with maximum torque of 265 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. When compared to the 5.0 liter in the 1996 F-150, the 4.6 has a 21 horsepower advantage at 550 more rpm’s; torque is within 5 lb-ft at 270, but it is fully available at only 2,400 rpm. By current measuring standards, the EPA rated the 4.6 liter in model year 1997 two-wheel drive applications as being capable of 20 mpg – 3 mpg better than the 5.0 liter V8 from 1996.
The 4.6 simply revs more to generate its power. For many accustomed to the immediate torque of pushrod V8’s, this was a distinct difference.
While the 4.6 is a stout engine, its 20+ year production run hasn’t been free of blemishes.
www.rockauto.com
Information on the valve guide seals is rather scattered. From what can be gathered, the valve guide seals in the 1995 model and older 4.6 liter engines have a tendency to deteriorate prematurely. For this engine it is a more complex than normal repair given the overhead cam drivetrain. Repairs can be made without removal of the heads, but it does require special tools to work around the camshaft. This repair does pose a higher degree of complexity than a similar repair on an overhead valve engine.
It is still not unusual in this part of the United States to find cars powered by early versions of the 4.6 to be blowing smoke upon acceleration. The author’s ’92 Crown Victoria had a similar issue that burned a quart of oil approximately every 500 miles. Posts on various message boards will have claims of twice the oil consumption in some instances. Claims are made that this began at as little as 75,000 miles with 100,000 to 130,000 miles being the general range of the seals beginning their decline. 1996 is the general claim on when this problem was effectively corrected from the factory.
www.steeda.com
Changing the spark plugs on the 4.6 liter V8 has been a distinct issue for some. While the location of the plug itself is unusual – it is accessed adjacent to the intake manifold and is quite deep in the valley of the engine – the bigger concern of many is the breaking of spark plugs during removal. Ford has even issued a technical service bulletin to address this issue. The causes are varied yet it appears the issue revolves around two items: the temperature of the engine during removal and the aluminum heads of the engine.
Let’s take a better look at where the plugs are located. On the left side of the picture, you can see two plastic connectors pointed straight at the spark plug holes.
Fortunately the author has not encountered this on any of the 4.6 liter engines he has owned, yet the issue is real. Common advice found is to change the plugs only when the engine is cool and to be gentle throughout the process. Any experiences by the commentators on this or any other challenge described is welcomed. There is a similar issue with spark plugs on the 3 valve 4.6 liter engines due in part to the construction of the plug itself, although that is outside the focus of this article.
Beginning in 1996, Ford placed intake manifolds on the 4.6 liter engines constructed of a nylon composite manufactured by DuPont. This worked well for a while.
In time, many of these intake manifolds would fail in the area coolant was routed. This picture shows a failure along the front of the manifold; various sources will show various locations of failure. The author experienced an intake failure on the engine of his 2001 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor at 128,000 miles. This particular failure was a crack in the thermostat housing that dumped coolant on the ground overnight after a 25 mile trip. As Ford has classified these manifolds as a wear item, an aftermarket unit with an aluminum coolant passage was installed.
In the early 2000’s, there was a class action lawsuit brought against Ford due to the failure of these intake manifolds. Ford did provide replacements as part of the settlement, albeit for a very short period of time.
Ford’s 4.6 liter V8 has had a few issues during its lifetime, however none of these directly relate to the overall durability of the engine. Finding stories of 4.6 liter engines with over 300,000 miles is not hard to do; on a recent trip to Kansas City the author rode in a Crown Victoria taxi with 362,000 miles on the odometer. These are robust engines that can often be found in very tortuous use, such as police and taxi service.
As mentioned for the Mustang, this power plant was not readily met with enthusiasm by the performance crowd. Times have changed as the aftermarket has caught up with demand. Further, the 4.6 is now a popular engine for transplants into other vehicles, such as Rangers and older Ford products from the 1950’s and ’60’s.
Despite the production of this engine currently being in E-Series vans only, these little power plants will continue to power current and future Curbside Classic’s of many varieties for countless years to come.
www.therangerstation.com
I have a 98 4.6DOHC out of a Lincoln, will it fit in a 2002 Mercury Marcuis that has a 4.6 SOHC. There is not much room on either side at the firewall
’98 Mustang GT.
The headlights went out, the tach was jumping all over the place, the radio went to loud static and the engine would die or give the appearance of ready to die.
Local Ford dealer is reluctant to work on engine because they have no idea what the problem is and the cost to repair. 120,000 miles on engine
This has just started but seems to be getting worse.
Any help would be appreciated since I am unable to drive it because of running issues,
It sounds like an electrical problem. Reply a little late here. Did you find an answer? what was it. Find a different garage with a decent reputation. Or go to a mustang forum…I bet someone else had similar experience.
120k is not a lot on this motor, if the oil was taken care of properly and basic care given to the car.
I have a 2008, 3v, 4.6 in a Mustang.
Well hold on detective… It sounds like an electrical problem? – Just teasing.
Well hold on detective… It sounds like an electrical problem? – Just teasing.
Alternator voltage? Battery condition? I would check the grounds also.
Was wondering if a 98 mark8 dual overhead engine will work in a 03 explorer with single overhead cam engine without changing the harness. Both engines are
4.6
Had the 4.6 in my late model 95 Crown Vic P.I. It had over 310,000 when I finally parked her. Only work under the hood past the 135,000 mile mark was replacing both coil packs. Had it on the autobahn in Germany and put the pedal down on an early Sunday morning. When the speedo hit 132 mph, I backed off. There was pedal left and since it was an interceptor it was chipped for 141 mph. I parked the car because the body had pretty much shelled out at 19 years old. The engine/tranny/rear end were still solid.
I have a 1995 4.6L Tbird “W” coded engine and was wanting to know if I can drop in the 2011 4.6L “V’ coded engine. What would you see I need to do?? Intake/ignition wires make have to be exchanged….but any other issues???
Bud
I have a 1998 F-150 STX 4.6 5speed. Today I started the truck up and it sounds like a cold diesel starting up. 75,000 miles on the engine. Never had a problem until today. Noise is coming from the front on the engine. Any help is appreciated.
after so many cars i conclude they were just a car. a machine. transportation from here the there and back again. 98′ mark 8 with a 4v engine still running like new. good car. not something i will get emotional about unless it takes a hit as well as my dodge truck did. i really detest drivers using cell phones.
i am considering a 3.73 gear upgrade to help the slug get up the hills here in Colorado. really comfortable car. quiet engine. uses no oil. dry. interesting engine management system. air ride is like riding on clouds. just takes regular maintenance. its a machine. machines don’t last forever. got a offer from the scrapper. considering it, seriously.
Can I put a 95 town Lincoln’s motor in a 91 Town Lincoln’s car
I need an engine for a 95 crown victoria what models would work for my replacement engine ?; Thanks
94-97 Thunderbird and Cougar, 96-98 Mustang, 93-01 Crown Vic/Grand Marguis/Town car. Try to avoid the ones made before 96 though, the updated ones do much better with regards to oil consumption and interchange fully with older models. Just swap the intake manifold over.
What? No mention of the 390hp supercharged ’03-’04 DOHC 4.6L Terminator Cobra? As for the oil consumption thing having owned a ’95 GMQ that got totaled with 174k miles and a 140k CV that I sadly scrapped due to a rotted frame the problem was indeed fixed for ’96. My ’95 GMQ was great at killing every mosquito within a half a block or so and the ’96 CV didn’t use a drop between oil changes. Currently on my fourth 4.6L powered Ford, an ’05 P71 which currently has only 143k on her. The oldest of our three Econolines here at work, an ’05 E250 with a 5.4L, has somewhere well north of 300k (it has a junkyard cluster) and still runs like a top. Rust is going to kill her long before use does I’m sad to say.
That makes sense, the valvetrain was upgraded for 1996 with more robust valve guides and seals, oil consumption on 96 or newer is usually PCV related or even piston rings.
Agreed on the Cobra, those things in 2003 were the equivalent of Hellcats today. And with upgrades are still as fast! All on the same old iron block found in 500k mile work vans
I bought a new 94 cougar just for this engine. I always thought the transmission wasn’t able to fully take advantage of the motor. Ended up ditching the car before warranty ran out, no engine issues, but plenty of others.
My daily driver is a 2002 F150 4×4 with 5.4. I bought it new. I do lots of short distance driving so only have about 225,000 kms on it. I change oil at 10,000 kms and use synthetic. It has never needed any oil added between changes. It always starts. Most reliable truck I could ever want. Tires included and all repairs and maintence (not including oil changes) I have spent under $6,000.00. It has almost no rust and looks very good.
I never expected to have this truck past about 4-5 years when I bought. Now almost 15 years have passed! Lol! It’s almost like one of my kids by now… Only it doesn’t complain. Haha
The 4.6 did appear in NZ in Explorers a lady friend has one aquired for dragging home improvement supplies home shes stuck with it as they are next to impossible to sell now but the engines goes great its only done some 140,000 kms, My brother has a 5.4 FPV assembled motor in his XR8 that he seems happy with, Ive not heard anything bad about these modular Ford engines other than high fuel consumption but hey its a V8 if you wanted economy buy a four.
4.6 litres is 280 cubic inches. 5.4 is 330 cubic inches.
RE: Changing spark plugs:
I’ve changed the plugs on several 4.6 engines of mine and various friends; never had problems when following these procedures:
The engine has to have sat still overnight; giving as cold as engine as possible.
I use a compressor and nozzle to blow any debris out of the deep spark plug sockets. A THOROUGH blow out!
I always carefully, SLOWLY loosen the spark plugs by hand, never with an air ratchet. I “bump” the ratchet handle to break loose the plugs, never “grip it and rip it” with all the force I can muster. I repeat: NO AIR TOOLS USED HERE!!!!!
A piece of vacuum hose, attached to the tip of the spark plug, aids in removal and initial insertion/threading.
I always coat the threads with anti-seize goo.
This is the same procedure I have used on all of my Corvairs; also equipped with aluminum heads.
I don’t mind the 4.6, but I still prefer the Windsor simply because performance upgrades are way cheaper than the modular. My cheap ass just can’t wrap my head around $800-1000 cam upgrades. Most of my cars didn’t cost that much. Plus none of my cars would accept the modular without major surgery/ adaptation. I will say though, the 4.6 in wife’s 02 F150 at 191,000 miles still runs like a top.
I just bought a cream puff 2000 Expedition XLT with the 4.6 v8 for $2,500 with 100,200 miles on it from a school teacher who drove it to work since it was 1 year old. The egr tube is broken off and it’s noisy so needs replacing. It runs well and I plan to use it as my boat launch vehicle by putting on a hitch. What problems am I going to run into? Sparkplugs? Intake manifold? Tranny? The boat & trailer weigh 4500 lbs.
I just bought a cream puff 2000 Expedition XLT with the 4.6 v8 for $2,500 with 100,200 miles on it from a school teacher who drove it to work since it was 1 year old. The egr tube is broken off and it’s noisy so needs replacing. It runs well and I plan to use it as my boat launch vehicle by putting on a hitch. What problems am I going to run into? Sparkplugs? Intake manifold? Tranny? The boat & trailer weigh 4500 lbs.
Oh , I forgot to mention the 2000 Expedition has AWD/4WD Hi/ 4WDLo also
I just ran into an old acquaintance on Saturday and asked him about his 97 F150 extended cab. He finally donated it to Teen Challenge he said. It still ran well but rust from daily city driving was getting to it. It had 631,000 kms on it. Never touched the motor or trany aside from tune ups and regular maintenance. His new truck is ’07 F150 with 5.4. It only has 500,000 kms on it. Also totally trouble free. No spark plug issues.
just aquired a 2004 explorer with the 4.6. its a ripper but i hear the 5 speed auto is junk.
I own a 96 Lincoln Mark VIII with the 4.6 and it’s blowing exhaust into the cooling system. Other than a leaking head gasket is there another potential contact point where exhaust could be introduced to the cooling system? There is no oil in coolant or coolant in oil, also no steamy coolant blowing out the tailpipes. I love this car for many reasons and hate the idea of selling it since I don’t have time to do a major engine repair right now.
If you don’t get any answers here (this is a very old post) you might want to go the message board route. I’m not sure if there are any popular ones for the Mark VIII today (lincolnvscadillac maybe?) or you could even try mercurymarauder.net as the Marauder used a slightly updated version of the same DOHC 4.6 as the VIII uses. The guys there know a lot about this motor.
I owned a ’96 Mark VIII myself back in ’04 to ’06 and loved it, would have kept it had it not been damaged beyond economical repair in an accident. Good luck keeping yours on the road!
how can i put a 4.6 ford engine in a 1952 ford vickey
I have a 2003 Explorer with 246K. The 4.6 is still pretty strong. Starting at 200K, I have had a few coil pack issues and recently a plug that quit sparking. It has always used a bit of oil; A little more as it has aged. Oil is cheap and car notes are not. No other motor issues.
I think Ford did a great job with gearing on the Exploder. The transmission shifts quickly and without much RPM drop. The 4.6 is at its best between 2500 and 4500 running thru the gears. And the 4.6 sounds great when is it wound up.
When I bought this SUV with 100K miles, I never thought it would serve me so well. The 4.6 and drivetrain have proven themselves.
I think Ford did a great job with gearing on the Exploder. Transfer changes rapidly and do not have much RPM drop. 4.6 is its best between 2500 and 4500 running through the gears. And 4.6 sounds great when it gets wound up.
I also agree with you.
I’m a very firm believer in these little mod motors and I believe that the 4.6 is king when it comes to versatility and durability I’ve had 4 f150s and have shoved upwards to 18,000 pounds behind my 08 framed out and bent the leaf springs into w shapes but she rolled without breaking a sweat I’ve got a 98 lariat pushing 300,000 and still runs like she was new only one I’ve ever killed it took 18 psi on a kenne bell supercharger on stock internals to destroy truck shopping this will forever be my first choice
I changed the plugs in my ’01 Vic at 80,XXX miles. No problem getting them out. I did have a stupid moment with this car though. It was a gift from my recently deceased grandfather. The car was in really excellent shape, always garaged, washed, etc. but the engine was extremely dirty. I took it home and washed the engine at a car wash and had a misfire as soon as I started it up. OBD II port/tool/reader told me it was cylinder 5, so I took all of the coils off and blew out the connections with compressed air. This brought the car back to mostly normal, and I thought it was probably overdue for a plug change so I changed them as well. I now have an intermittent flutter at idle, it’s a very random misfire that I haven’t taken the time to track down. I should have left well enough alone in this case, but at least my engine is clean.
On to the car itself, I love it!!! Which is strange for me. It’s actually one of many firsts for me:
– First American care I’ve ever owned
– First car I’ve owned without a sunroof (other than my 325ic)
– First car I’ve owned with a bench seat
– First BOF car I’ve ever owned
This car replaced my ’94 525i as my winter beater. It can’t be more different to drive but honestly, living in Chicago I appreciate the soft ride. It blows through speed bumps with a squeak, crash and laughter by all aboard and fits my bike in the trunk when I pick it up from the Roger Park Metra.
I’m tempted to replace it with a Jag X308 but it’s so clean and trouble free (and free) that I can’t bring myself to do it.
He is always inside the truck 2007 F-150 4.6 L 2W D with 111,987.00 miles. Brakes replaced and air manifold, and water pump. Now I need to replace spark plugs ASAP. Just the regular maintenance and never spinning the tires…….I know this truck will go another 100,000 miles with out anymore problems. I think it has been well worth every penny and has no leaks or rust and I live in Corpus Christi, Texas. It has never lived in a garage and the truck looks excellent and yes I have changed tires twice. But never flat on the side of the road. FORD spelled backwards DROF- driver returns on foot. Never for me…..
Just replaced the intake manifold for a second time on my ’96 Mustang. First one lasted over 170, 000 miles. The second only around 30,000 thousand. There are lots of quality problems with replacements. I got my second from Rock Auto, hope that it lasts awhile. Mileage is now 203,000. Overall I love my 4.6 Mustang. It’s got Flowmasters and sounds just right. I will admit that my ’96 Explorer with 5.0 sounds just as good through it’s stock single exhaust. Both are classic Ford V8s.
I’ve owned both 5.0/5.8’s and the mod 4.6’s. While the Mod 4.6’s were extremely durable, I also think the entire mod family was the answer to the question no one asked. Yes, the 4.6 was durable. The 5.4 had more than it’s share of issues, and the V6’s were worse. In return, they offered next to no improvement in power or fuel mileage. All the mod family did, IMO, was prove GM was right all along- a state of the art OHV motor was every bit as efficient as a OHC design.
Had a 4.6 liter in my econoline 250 van that had 750,000 miles on it and it still ran great when i sold it.
will a 2006 Mercury 4.6L engine qualify for a Supercharger. How much boost will it handle without breaking the lower part of the block?
I’ve heard people put down over 500hp with the stock lower end. These were drag motors so longetivity wasn’t an issue. 325-350hp would be a good target for a well maintained low mileage street engine. Once you get past there fuel delivery, engine management and head flow become issues. Blocks are cheap, there are plenty of crank and piston choices, and many rebuilders have experience with turbo and supercharger builds. Build one that’s optimized for your needs and then turn up the boost to your heart’s content.
Can I put the 3 valve heads on my 1996 Lincoln TC with the 2 valve heads?
good
I have a 93 4.6 that only has 132000 on it run like its but was on fire. it had been setting for about 10 years when I bought it. I changed the injectors and fuel pump and oiland it fired right up. the town car it was in was falling apart and now the engine and trans is going into a 86 f150
I have a 2002 mercury mountaineer 4.6L with over 200,000 miles on I want the most horsepower I can get out of it and still be able to drive it from South Carolina to New York from time to time so my question is what do I need to change or add to the engine to accomplish what I’m looking for do I need to rebuild the engine or do I need to replace the engine in my 2002 Mercury Mountaineer if so please tell me what do I need to do thanks p.s I as like to race a lot but keep getting my but kicked why does Chevy boys
You did not state that the 4.6 had a problem blowing sparkplugs out. There were specials kits sold to fix this problem. The heads had to be replaced at times because of the damage. I think ford did not fix this problem until 2004.
You are thinking of the 3 valve 4.6 engines. The 2 valve has not had this problem, or at least not to the same magnitude. As stated in the article the focus is on the 2 valve.
Engine of choice: 400 cu in (6.6 L) 335 V8
Transmission:
3-speed C6 automatic
From my 3 mid 70s LTD’s to the 77,78,79 Ford modified- hobbyist”,but working,beast pickups,i’ll continue to run the above drivetrains,with an couple setups to spare.Call it reliable,call me a analogman…but its just smart,common sense..i dont play the planned obsolescence game.
you’re right that 77,78 400M’s and C6 pretty much cannot die. i know of one that NEVER had an oil change, just added for 12 YEARS, around 50K. and did not register any oil pressure ever. i checked sending unit guage on a diff truck, they worked. sides of bed fell off from rust and front suspension literally had no contact points with truck, still drove a commute daily. bizarre.
Took this photo last night for a friend. My wife’s 02 F150 with the 4.6. We bought it used in March 2011 with 129,000. Zero breakdowns, no excessive oil usage, and the only repair needed was the #6 coil two months ago. It must have been part of the class action suit as it has a all aluminum intake.
I had been seeing a filthy strumpet who roped me into helping her parents move rock. I had plans to go boating the next day on the Minnesota & Mississippi river but the dirty harlot begged and I agreed. After meeting up with the disgusting bint, we shoveled so much rock into the back of my 2000 F150 4.6 that I think the springs were fully compressed and I did notice the tires were bulging quite a bit. Being a guy of questionable judgement (based on the dirty hussy), I locked on a large boat and headed for the river with my friend the next day. The truck pulled fine, in fact the weight was less noticeable on acceleration and driving down the highway than the squat of the truck and definitely the braking. It felt like the power brakes were gone and I was driving a non-powered assist brake. I know I had well over a ton in the bed and a large boat and still made it up a very steep boat launch with no issues. I had to shovel out that truck the next day with no help from the filthy rake or her family. I still drive this truck to this day and besides routine maintenance I have only needed to change a coil on plug #1 (actually last weekend). Last winter she sat outside and it got to -37 and she fired right up (although a little grumpy).
Post some photos of this trollop.
Have a 1999 ford f150 with a manual and a 4.6 in her, by far the best truck I’ve ever owned with the ridiculous power of pulling a car uphill without so much as a stutter. The only issue is it doesn’t like autolite spark plugs and the feed tube to the heater core is notorious for blowing out. Great engine, people at work have dubbed it unkillable.
You can’t fix a “Windsor-built” 4.6L using “Romeo-built” 4.6L parts. Ford Logic: “Why would you use the same-design block, crankshaft, flywheel, cylinder heads, valve covers, cam, timing cover, and connecting rods just because you’re using two different assembly plants for what could be the “same” engine? We’ve already paid the engineers–make sure they change everything!”
When Ford was building 351s, they couldn’t engineer a proper oil-pan drain plug. Once they were building “Modular” engines, they proved to the world that they couldn’t design a proper spark plug, either. And then Ford makes sure the warranty expires BEFORE the first service interval for the plugs. “Ooops. Out-of-warranty. Not our problem…”
Ford had a six-year head start on GM; and even with those years of product development lead-time, AND overhead cams, AND the option of multi-valve heads, the GM “LS” two-valve pushrod engine creamed Ford’s top-heavy monster. For many years, if you didn’t have an iron lung (supercharger) on a 4.6L, you had a turd.
A first-year-of-production GM LS engine was rated at 345bhp at 5,600rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque at 4,400rpm. A ’97 Mustang GT “Modular” engine made 215 hp at 4,400 rpm and 285 ft/lbs at 3,500 rpm; while a 4-valve Mustang SVT managed just 305 hp at 5,800 rpm and 300 ft/lbs at 4,800 rpm.
Well, the 4.6 could be brought to life pretty well with cams, intake, throttle body, filter and tube, full exhaust, and possibly PI heads from the 99-04 GT 4.6 along with a tune.
These mods would net you A LOT of power increase, sitting pretty in the 350-400 range, but of course the con-rods are the limitation at that point since 400 is the top end of the “safe horsepower” range. Above that and you risk failure.
Not to mention the 03-04 Cobra nicknamed the Terminator, the internals of that thing are forged and can withstand roughly 1,000 HP with little issue.
I’ve owned my lightly modded 96, mostly stripped. and it’s quite the quick car, I can even keep up with my friend’s 2014 Camaro SS up to about 80 starting from a roll!
But yeah, 160,000 miles and still draggin’, only problem was a head gasket leak around 150,000. But if you know what you’re doing that isn’t that hard a job.
My 4.6 in the Crown Vic Sport has crossed over to 211,000 miles last year. The issue I have had was with the exhaust manifold failures. I don’t know what Ford saved by going with those Dupont manifolds, but for me, that has been a weak link.
I finally had to have the transmission rebuilt about 4 months ago.
This is a daily driver for me and it is now 20 years old. I paid $7000 for it back in 2013, and I have to say that this car keeps exceeding my expectations. I sure would love to have another and I have my eye on my neighbor’s ’03 Marauder. But that is a garage queen that only sees daylight once a month, and he’s holding onto it like it is a plot of beach front property in Florida and priced accordingly. I’m going to need to outlive him and deal with his son if the time comes.
Thank you for presenting this information. It is very well done!
I only know that my 1989 Crown Victoria with a 302 never had any engine issues in the twelve years (146,000 miles) I had had it. My 2004 Crown Victoria had an intake manifold failure at 110,000 miles. My 2010 Grand Marquis had a throttle body failure at 45,000 miles. The car now has about 94,000 miles with no further engine issues so far. I am almost 59 and hope the Grand Marquis lasts the remainder of my life. I know the 4.6 (single exhaust on both cars) does 0-60 in about 9.5 seconds, while the 302 did it in about 11.5 seconds, but I only notice the increased power of the 4.6 while accelerating at highway speeds. Fuel economy with both engines seems to be about the same. I like the 4.6 but found the 302 more durable.
Need some advice. Did the 4.6 ever come with a manual trans option? If I buy an Econoline with a 4.6, can a manual be fitted to replace the auto? There are aftermarket options but really expensive.
Was never a Ford guy. Took my 88 Firebird Formula for an oil change to a lifelong friend who swore by Mopars. Asked him what he thought of the 4.6 versus the 5.0 since he did all the work on the Police cars. To my surprise, he said that it was the best engine, the 4.6, that Ford had ever built. Never any issue, bullet proof. That summer I drove a new 2006Black Mustang GT. Loved it so much I bought it. Still have it with only 11,000 miles on it. She is Quick.
I looked for 10yrs off and on until now ford explorer sport trac adrenaline that had the criteria I was looking for condition no rush ownership and price found one a one owner 94,000 MI Nevada truck Carfax indicated all the service was done at one dealership and the price also it had to have a 4.6 V8 292 horsepower flew from Tennessee to Las Vegas bought the truck drove it home love it