How reliable are the new 4.6 motors?
 

Believe it or not I am thinking about getting one for a second car, how reliable are they engine & auto tranny? I need something to put a lot of travel miles on with no problems so I'm not really looking for performance, just decent get up and go. Both of my LS1's have been very reliable and never even had a SES light come on! GM saw fit to get rid of the F-Bodys so it looks like the Mustang will be my next choice since I need something with a back seat, any info would be appreciated, also, what price did you guys pay for a new '02-'03 fairly loaded? just out of curiosity, how fast are they in the 1/8 - 1/4 with a stock automatic?

Thanks, Jay

A Deluxe GT coupe can be had in my neck of the woods for about 20K.

A stock 4.6 with a auto should run a 14.3-14.5 with a average driver.

LS1JAY

Its funny you should ask, I was talking with one of the mechanics at work today about the very same subject. We have chev caprice (350) and ford crown vics (281)

Todd (our mechanic) said the chevs are what kept them in buisness, and went on to state that the fords are "bullit proof".

Keep in mind we are extremely hard on these cars, and put alot of miles on them in a the course of their lives...

a 4.6 is a good buy, imo

later ;-)

Tore apart a 4.6 in a Crown Vic with 177k on it. There was a ticking noise in the valvetrain. Ofcourse there was no oil on the stick and we found about a quart in the pan. The cams were dry. AHHHHHHHHHHH.

I would think this motor would have went on for alot longer, had someone checked the oil.:eek:

I honestly think this is the best motor Ford has made to date.

From mechanics, various car publications, down to the owners who drive it, the 4.6 has shown to be one of the most reliable motors in any production car right now.

and if that doesn't convince you, the Yellowjacket might:
450 hp\60k miles\stock block\daily driver

No better advertisement than that... :D

What is the Yellowjacket?

i've put 41,000 miles on mine in 2 tears, just routine oil changes, no leak's, no problem's, & it loves rice for dinner. ;) :D :D :D :D :D :D

Click on the link in the sig...

from my personal experience, stay away from the 91-93 in any model. they have a problem with oil burning and i dont know why that is. 94 and up your golden. the 91-93 were bacially the first couple of years the motor came out. I am only talking about the SOHC not the DOHC which i hear are THE BEST of the best. The only motor Ford made that was built decently, was the 5.0 HO Sequential FI ones. All the other seem to be really bad oil burners. The best thing for did was the modular.

Got 85K on my '93 Mark VIII. The DOHC revs smoothly and makes ton of powers. A good motor from ford in my opinion when maintained.

Of course, i do see a lot of SOHC crown vic taxis buring oil now and then

Since we're on the subject
 

it has me curious now. I love my 4.6, but how does the Cobra 4.6 compare to the GT 4.6? I would think it would be even more reliable, but then again, perhaps the gain in performance shortens it's life. Opinions? Facts? Anyone? Anyone?

Re: Since we're on the subject
 

I have heard that the "some" Cobras have been having severe oil consumption and smoking problems when modded such as headers, LS1's have been having the same problems but not as severe as an average. I think some of the "high performance" engines are already tweaked pretty good and with the rings and valve seals in these motors you are just asking for trouble, my LS1 blows a littls smoke at WOT after the headers but never before, but it wen't from 13.04@106.67 with the stock manifolds to 12.73@109.15 with Mac equal length headers, a good gain, but was it worth the trade off?:confused: