Hello all, I'm not very computer savvy so I might find my self in the wrong area. Changed the oil in my 96 GT and found a lot of metal shavings in the oil. I guess it's a matter of time before the engine gives up the ghost. I found a crashed '98 Crown Vic in the junk yard with low miles with some sort "interceptor" logo on the front fender. Would this engine run with out problems?
Engine Metal Shavings In Oil
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wmburns
SN Certified Technician
The Ford Panther line are the Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car. The Panther line got the 4.6 PI motor in 2001. Sooooooo a 4.6 out of a 2000 and older is virtually identical (long block) to the motor in your 96.
But wait. There's more. It's quite possible for you to perform a PI upgrade by choosing a motor from a 2001+ Panther. Since the Ford Panther was in production until 2011 it's possible to get a very late model motor from a wreck.
Likely the motor from a Panther has lead an easier life than from another Mustang. Further you won't have to pay extra because it's a Mustang.
IMO I would avoid any motor from a police car. Why? Because police cars spend soooooooo much time idling. Therefore miles is a poor indication of the ware upon the motor.
Bottom line there are TONS of salvage yard 4.6's out there to be had for very reasonable $$'s. Just search on car-part.com for some salvage yards in your area. LQK is another source to look at. Don't think that $500 for a high mileage 4.6 is a "steal" because it's not. For example, I paid $800 for a 32K mile 4.6 from a 2003 Grand Marquis. That was 5 years and 60k miles ago.
Here's another trick I have used when looking for salvage motors to keep the yard honest. Salvage yards are required to retain the VIN number that all parts come from. Ask for the VIN and run a CarFax report. The CarFax will likely contain when the car was salvaged and the mileage. In my own case I found on one motor was looking at that there's was a sizable difference in the advertised mileage and the CarFax mileage. Clearly some salvage operators are more honest than others! (yes she really is 18 and this is her first time).
Finally. It's possible that your current motor is savable. The front timing chains are bad about wearing through on high mileage 4.6's. This can be repaired if caught early enough (this is what killed the original motor in my 2000 GT). However my recommendation is to perform this inspection with the motor on an engine stand. This is be best way to clean out the oil pan and to get access to a through inspection.
Good luck.
But wait. There's more. It's quite possible for you to perform a PI upgrade by choosing a motor from a 2001+ Panther. Since the Ford Panther was in production until 2011 it's possible to get a very late model motor from a wreck.
Likely the motor from a Panther has lead an easier life than from another Mustang. Further you won't have to pay extra because it's a Mustang.
IMO I would avoid any motor from a police car. Why? Because police cars spend soooooooo much time idling. Therefore miles is a poor indication of the ware upon the motor.
Bottom line there are TONS of salvage yard 4.6's out there to be had for very reasonable $$'s. Just search on car-part.com for some salvage yards in your area. LQK is another source to look at. Don't think that $500 for a high mileage 4.6 is a "steal" because it's not. For example, I paid $800 for a 32K mile 4.6 from a 2003 Grand Marquis. That was 5 years and 60k miles ago.
Here's another trick I have used when looking for salvage motors to keep the yard honest. Salvage yards are required to retain the VIN number that all parts come from. Ask for the VIN and run a CarFax report. The CarFax will likely contain when the car was salvaged and the mileage. In my own case I found on one motor was looking at that there's was a sizable difference in the advertised mileage and the CarFax mileage. Clearly some salvage operators are more honest than others! (yes she really is 18 and this is her first time).
Finally. It's possible that your current motor is savable. The front timing chains are bad about wearing through on high mileage 4.6's. This can be repaired if caught early enough (this is what killed the original motor in my 2000 GT). However my recommendation is to perform this inspection with the motor on an engine stand. This is be best way to clean out the oil pan and to get access to a through inspection.
Good luck.
Thanks for the reply! I wasn't aware of the Panther line. I had on occasion seen a Mercury Marauder but didn't think of it much. I will certainly be on the lookout for these year type (2001+) cars now. Are these engines pretty much plug and play or are there issues with the computer/engine management system?
wmburns
SN Certified Technician
Mercury Marauder has the 4V DOHC 4.6 and is NOT a plug and play. The easy swaps are the cars with a 2V SOHC 4.6. Again these are Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car.
Putting a PI SOHC into a non-PI SOHC application isn't exactly "plug and play". However it's not terribly hard and has been covered TONS of times in the forums. Basically the procedure is to put both motors on an engine stand. An make the new motor look like the old. It is VITAL to the process to retain the car's original:
Some rework of the PCV system line size and heater return line will be needed. Again this has been covered tons of times in the forums.
Note. running a PI motor with a non-PI PCM will not give the full HP gain that's normally associated with the PI swap. However it will run and will add power without a tune.
Putting a PI SOHC into a non-PI SOHC application isn't exactly "plug and play". However it's not terribly hard and has been covered TONS of times in the forums. Basically the procedure is to put both motors on an engine stand. An make the new motor look like the old. It is VITAL to the process to retain the car's original:
- The ignition system.
- the engine wiring harness.
- the fuel injectors (unless you are prepared to custom tune).
- front belt drive acc
- EGR
- oil pan (to take advantage of the Mustang's larger oil capacity).
Some rework of the PCV system line size and heater return line will be needed. Again this has been covered tons of times in the forums.
Note. running a PI motor with a non-PI PCM will not give the full HP gain that's normally associated with the PI swap. However it will run and will add power without a tune.
wmburns
SN Certified Technician
It's as simple as swapping the flywheel and adding a new pilot bearing. This comes under the heading of swapping the bolted on "stuff" from one motor to the other in order to make one motor look like the other on the engine stand. As long as both motor's are Romeo 4.6's then both will have 6 bolt cranks and the flywheel or flexplate will interchange.
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