4.0L SOHC VS. 5.0L V8

[expo5.0]

was that escape a 3.0 with 2wd? but all of the other options? i don't know what gears he has, but it just flies. I have never lined up and raced him (since he doesn't have his license) but just from driving it feels like it is faster than my explorer used to be or my uncles 97 mountie both by a good amount

 

[SaleenEXP]

Originally posted by expo5.0
was that escape a 3.0 with 2wd? but all of the other options? i don't know what gears he has, but it just flies. I have never lined up and raced him (since he doesn't have his license) but just from driving it feels like it is faster than my explorer used to be or my uncles 97 mountie both by a good amount

V6 awd, I've ran against a friend who has a 2wd V6 Tribute and it hung basically neck and neck with the Mounty. But with 2wd and that torquey V6 it constantly screeched it's tires when you touched the gas.

 

[Jason_25]

How many miles till it breaks? I'm not sure exactly. But I still have yet to see a high-mileage SOHC. There may be one or two out there but I haven't seen any. My OHV may not beat any speed records, and it's pretty rough upon acceleration and idle, but I will never have to do a major repair on it.

 

[Robert]

What do you consider high mileage? I would consider that an engine should be able to get to 100K without having to open it up or burn oil. My '97 SOHC has about 97,500 on it now and doesn't use a drop of oil nor has it ever been opened up. In contrast, my Wife's '93 Sable had it's head gasket go at 91K along with a host of other problems (transmission rebuilt, A/C compressor, rack & pinion, rotors galore, radiator, alternator, 2 water pumps) that my Explorer hasn't seen. I'm also a lot harder on my Explorer than she is on her Sable.

 

[Jason_25]

Maybe I'm used to vehicles that last a long time in most people's eyes. But IMO, 100K miles isn't very much. In our family, if we had a car whose engine and/or tranny didn't last 100K miles then we would consider it a lemon. Our Bronco II has 177K miles on the original engine and auto tranny and has no problems, nor do we expect it to.

So I suppose I will rephrase my statement. I have never seen an SOHC with very high miles on it. I just don't think in this day and age we should consider 100K to be high mileage.

 

[98GT-40P]

Originally posted by Robert
Did you have it dynoed? I'm curious how your stock 5.0L Explorer puts out 270 ft/lbs to the rear wheels when the engine is only rated at 274-288 at the flywheel depending on year. If you got it dynoed, what is the name of the place and how much? I am looking to get mine dynoed. I know of a place in Mesa that my company used for some testing on some equipment we manufacture but their price was pretty high. At the time I was there, I wasn't interested in getting mine dynoed so I never discussed it with them.

The Cobra was dyno'd right in your back yard -- at Streetflight in Mesa. They are pretty cool there -- let you play with your timing, A/F, etc between runs if you ask. I have 12 pulls on the Cobra with 6 different parameter combinations in under 1/2 hour. Went on a Mustang "dyno day" and it cost $45.

The Mounty was dyno'd at WestWorld on a portable dyno during the Harley show a couple months ago. They had bikes sitting on the portable dynos and running mock 1/4 mi races. I left the AWD intact and sat her up on two dynos with a crowd of ~50 people watching. I had to sign a waiver to release all responsibility. They were able to electro-mechanically synchronize the drums, so I was compliant with the factory sticker in the engine bay. One of my friends attached a tow-chain to the front winch of his F250 and the other end to the receiver hitch on the Mounty just in case something went awry with the drums and the Mounty wanted to drift off -- we didn't want to run down spectators. It stayed on very smoothly. I dyno'd in second gear, so tire revolutions were not that high at WOT. $75 for 3 pulls.

Ford can do some serious under-rating (except the '99-'00 Cobra). The '94 Cobra is also under-rated at 285ft-lb. The '90 GT was rated at 300ft-lb. I expected very similar torque ratings, just at different rpm's, and that's what the dynos showed. The intake and head differences will move the hp more, which it did, but won't move the tq values that much.

 

[Gary E]

the explorer 5.0 rocks, better heads, intake, tb, and maf sensor than an HO 5.0.

4.0 what? my jeep 4.0 is better, my dads 4.0 in his 99 is stinking loud and power is so so

I put one in my FFR cobra

http://home.attbi.com/~6mach9/cobrapage/id23.htm

check out the port size diffrence between an HO intake and an explorer intake.

 

[SaleenEXP]

holy crap, I knew the Explorer intake was better but I had no idea the difference in ports was that big. Explorer 5.0's kick ass, if only Ford could have thrown in a better cam we'd have the perfect 5.0, I hate the crappy stock cam.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by Jason_25
Maybe I'm used to vehicles that last a long time in most people's eyes. But IMO, 100K miles isn't very much. In our family, if we had a car whose engine and/or tranny didn't last 100K miles then we would consider it a lemon. Our Bronco II has 177K miles on the original engine and auto tranny and has no problems, nor do we expect it to.

So I suppose I will rephrase my statement. I have never seen an SOHC with very high miles on it. I just don't think in this day and age we should consider 100K to be high mileage.

I agree that an engine shouldn't have any problems before 100K and should be capable of going many miles over. You also have to remember that until the SOHC gets more years on it, you won't see very many with a lot of miles. It has only been out for five years. My 97.5K were put on over the 5 years, 4 months that I have owned it. I can assure you that the reason you have never seen an SOHC with very high mileage has nothing to do with reliability, only the fact that it has only been out for a little more than 5 years. In another 5 years, if you've never seen an SOHC with high mileage, then I would agree that the statement would be justified. The OHV has been out for about 10 years hence more of them will undoubtably have more miles. The 5.0L even longer.

All I'm trying to say is the SOHC hasn't been out long enough to form an opinion on its long term reliability. I aim to find out with mine.

 

[DarkFox1]

wow, even with ports that much larger the stang still beats the X for HP? looks like the potential is more than there in these engines, its just locked up by... god knows what.

yall probablly know, I sure dont heh.

at any rate.. I hven't seen a word on this post as to what mods were used to get this 240HP figure. Infact since the post was started the post starter has not replied yet that I've seen. did I miss it? or is this true?

 

[98GT-40P]

Originally posted by expo5.0
Puerto Penasco is the ghettoist place on earth. congratulations for having the guts to drive your truck there! i know i never did/would

Yes, it certainly is no Cancun. But you can leave Phoenix after breakfast and be there before lunch. I try to keep the windows up in that first border town because I get stopped for loose change donations too much.

I never drink the water there and I always hope for no mechanical failures. Renting quads and tearing through the dunes is always fun. If anything medical happens, I say throw me in the car and torniquet the bleeding for 4 hrs until we get back to Phoenix!

While the Mounty sits in the hotel parking lot, coil packs are disconnected, Ford securi-lock feature is engaged, parking brake is fully depressed, fuel pump relay is toggled, and a few other secrets. A local punk will have a hard time stealing this one; you need a winch and dolly truck (due to the AWD) to take my Gringo Mercury!!

 

[SaleenEXP]

Originally posted by DarkFox1
wow, even with ports that much larger the stang still beats the X for HP? looks like the potential is more than there in these engines, its just locked up by... god knows what.

yall probablly know, I sure dont heh.

at any rate.. I hven't seen a word on this post as to what mods were used to get this 240HP figure. Infact since the post was started the post starter has not replied yet that I've seen. did I miss it? or is this true?

the cam and exhaust/manifolds is what holds our 5.0's back. Ford stuck the crappiest cam in, I think they should have worked out a deal to place e-303 cams and their own FMS headers on each Explorer 5.0

 

[DarkFox1]

doesn't that cam comrpomise reliability? and uh.. thoes heads are $400 a set.. lol


btw from what I've seen on the forum (and I have been here a long time beleive it or not.. one would not think so since I seem to know next to nothing about my own truck.. until recently) I've seen a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT more reliability threads come up about the 4.0 than the 5.0.. besides my own..I hardly see 5.0 complaints at all infact. and even tho I wouldn't trust the transmission the 5.0 has.. I'd trust the engine to drive me anywhere I need to go. I'm not a soft driver, I'm really hard on my truck and demand a lot out of it.. and where it may take a long time, make some funny noises and get smoked by cavaliers.. it is there for me when I turn the key.

 

[Majisto]

The 3.0 in the Escape is the Duratec engine found in the upper scale Taurus models. I unfortunately have a Vulcan V-6 in my Taurus which makes 155 HP and is OHV. The Duratec is a 200 HP/200 Torque DOHC engine with secondary intake runners which is why it loves to rev.

The Duratec is an incredibly great design, and I don't hear of many problems with it at all. Even so, I don't see how an Escape can be faster than an X considering the Escape is FWD I guess the little revvy Duratec is well mated to a Contour based chassis.

Btw, when is the Duratec Taurus slow? I see it run low or mid 8s 0-60. The VULCAN Taurus IS slow Most people probably ride in Vulcan Taurii and don't realize it. It's easy to mistake them since they are both 3.0 Litre V-6s. Easiest way to tell a Duratec other than looking under the hood is to listen to that unmistakable sound of the secondaries opening up. While not as loud as the SHO's secondary roar, that Duratec will let you know when it's ready to move.

 

[SaleenEXP]

I've been in a few Taurus's with the duratec, it does sound pretty nice when the revs are up, but when driving my cousins Escape it's more peppy off the line and during normal driving or when flooring it. Don;t know why that is though.

Escapes/Tributes are also available with awd

The KenneBell Escape is sweet

 

[Majisto]

Originally posted by DarkFox1
doesn't that cam comrpomise reliability? and uh.. thoes heads are $400 a set.. lol


btw from what I've seen on the forum (and I have been here a long time beleive it or not.. one would not think so since I seem to know next to nothing about my own truck.. until recently) I've seen a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT more reliability threads come up about the 4.0 than the 5.0.. besides my own..I hardly see 5.0 complaints at all infact. and even tho I wouldn't trust the transmission the 5.0 has.. I'd trust the engine to drive me anywhere I need to go. I'm not a soft driver, I'm really hard on my truck and demand a lot out of it.. and where it may take a long time, make some funny noises and get smoked by cavaliers.. it is there for me when I turn the key.

Well your 5.0 doesn't seem to all be there in terms of power It's probably true that the 5.0 is better for power and reliability, but the SOHC is still a really nice engine to me, and i'm happy that I don't have to worry about pushrods snapping I just got timing chains...*mumbles*

 

[Majisto]

Originally posted by SaleenEXP
I've been in a few Taurus's with the duratec, it does sound pretty nice when the revs are up, but when driving my cousins Escape it's more peppy off the line and during normal driving or when flooring it. Don;t know why that is though.

Escapes/Tributes are also available with awd

The KenneBell Escape is sweet

Ok well the AWD is better, but the AWD system sucks up horsepower so I don't know how great it would be for top-end performance. *Shrugs* I think the Escape is better because the Escape is based off a Contour chassis which is smaller and lighter than a Taurus. The Duratec can rev faster because there is less load and weight to push around and thus makes the vehicle seems faster. It's the same problem with the SOHC. It would be much better if it was put in a lighter vehicle.

 

[james t]

Originally posted by Majisto
but the SOHC is still a really nice engine to me, and i'm happy that I don't have to worry about pushrods snapping I just got timing chains...*mumbles*

yea, and your cam is totally in the wrong spot and there is one too many.

 

[MikeTEC]

Well folks, I have a friend who is a Senior Ford Master mechanic. He has worked on my 93 EB since it was new.

He rates the 5.0 engine slightly ahead of the 4.0 OHV engine in terms of durability, but thinks both are really great engines. He personally owns a 96 5.0 XLT stock Explorer.

Unfortunately he has seen a lot of problems with the 4.0 SOHC engine, especially in the first four years it was produced.

My little 4.0L OHV has NEVER let me down in 128K miles. Many have been hard, tough, pulling miles in the 100 degree Texas heat! But I would say the 5.0 is a better towing engine. Both my trucks have 3.73 axles.

Happy Trails

Mike

 

[Majisto]

Geez guess I got lucky with my SOHC. Maybe Ford used the leftover crappy cams from the V-8 SHO engine which is also having cam tensioner problems...