Here's what I'm finding thus far: Crank endplay is .008". Head cast number is RF-1K2E-6090-D22D, which is a 2001-2002 PI engine. 6 bolt crank, so Romeo block. Intake manifold does appear to be aftermarket, i.e. Dorman, etc. Spark plugs did not have any dabs of paint on them. Any Ford techs here? The calibration code on the side of the valve cover says 1G-837-AB. Assembly date of 02/26/01. I will update here on this sticky.
Although I spent 5 years daily working on SOHC German V-8s, I'd be more interested in a DOHC build. But I can definitely learn something from this project.
The heads in this case are the PI heads (Power Improved) that of course is good. The intake is probably a Dorman intake replacement as the originals cracked near the thermostat housing.
Also count the turns of the sparkplug when removing from head. Youll want more than 4 to 5 turns. Preferably 8 turns, meaning how many threads the sparkplug hole has. 8 threads began showing up late 2002. Id say that date sticker on the valve cover is correct if you only count 4 threads. Double check the chain guide tensioners for plastic or cast iron. You want the cast iron. Plastic tensioners will fail especially if you run any type of rev limiter or 2 step.
The small hole next to the water jacket on the top of each head are water passages for the heater hose but only used on the right head. Both heads are actually the same casting. Original coils and probably plugs also would indicate it's under 100K miles. Original plugs have a slightly different number on them than what you would get at a parts store. The only place they develop a leak is the oil filter housing gasket, I would suggest a new one. The little engine will surprise you with a little port work and cams.
Did a timing set and Melling high volume oil pump on my wife's 02 Explorer at 180k (bought new and I do 3k mi oil changes w/Motorcraft oil and filters) and it looked about like this one inside. Timing set and tensioner definitely worn and I figured why not do the pump too. Still runs great today (son has it now) at 220k. It's been a great engine and I suspect you'll have no trouble with this core. Good luck. Looking forward to this project.
I'm not a mod expert but I do have some exp. As has been mentioned, the earlier heads have way less plug thread engagement. The newer units are almost double the number of threads. My biggest concern is the main bearings. At around 100,000 miles, you find out if you have a good one or not. The crank may weld to the block. If it was mine, I would pull the pan and some main caps. I learned back in 1976 to never trust anybody on the condition of a used engine. On the 2nd run on a SOHC427, it put a rod out. You may be luckier than me, though. :)
My only experience with 4.6 is with a 97 crown Vic, once the plastic crossover intake was replaced, it went 250,000 miles before being sold, have still seen it running around town. I don’t know about durability at high power levels but have heard that the bottom end is strong. This engine could very well be out of a pickup and had a different intake installed.
No corrosion on the head water ports. Plugs have been replaced, oe plugs had a paint dab on the tip. Those motors were always clean on the inside. I'd check crank endplay, might be an old warranty return motor.
These engines go 300K miles without rebuild. Only problem was plastic intake manifolds have vacuum leaks. It's no 4v, but it was rated at 260 hp with PI heads. Pretty good for a 281 cu. in motor. TFS makes a head that wakes up this engine.
Shame people cant tell the truth when you ask them something. Maybe pull the pan or run the scope through the oil drain to see if it is as clean there as up top. Agree it looks good. Curious about someone saying one of the exhaust manifolds isn't Mustang, what is it? Manual trans it almost has to be from a Mustang right?
spin oil pump for oil pressure, then check filter for debris Low mileage warranty replaced ? No vin #'s maybe it is a leftover/misplaced new warranty that was waiting install ?? weird backdoor things happen..
Passenger side ex manifold is not mustang. Also the intake manifold is aftermarket. Iirc those pink injectors didnt show up until 03 in mustangs. That oil dipstick sure is tall. The valve cover gaskets are 100% stock, so you are most likely the 1st to pop covers off.
My 99 P71 had an aluminum crossover like that where my 99 lincoln did not... I limped that P71 over 9000 miles with a blown head gasket by using K-Seal about once every 2-3 weeks until I got the lincoln for a motor swap, 2 weeks after the swap the lincolns thermostat housing cracked on the way home from work so I swapped the P71 intake onto it and never worried about it again until I Totalled the car... 🚗 🦌
Looks to be a lower run time engine, by j judgement, egr still has the heat wrap on it and is not baked off or crumbling, still has all the stock coil packs, the bottom valve cover bolts have zero rust on them, the exhaust manifolds have almost no rust on them. My guess on the doorman intake is that the stocker got broken in the collision, or when pulled. Or all that stuff hot replaced on a high miler. The intake is supposed to get removed for the lift plate to get bolted in for removal. I’d try and keep the stock valve cover gaskets if I were you, the aftermarket doesn’t fit very well and has to be super glued in sometimes, real pain when in the car. I really dislike these just cause how difficult they were to work on and how bad of a turd they were, they should’ve been what the coyotes are. High revving high hp engine with the sohc. I’m sure you can wake it up!
I hate when people aren't truthful, but I'm not surprised, since I worked with criminals for 25 years. I don't know how Ebay handles misrepresentations.
Thanks for the video. So is it a 2001 or a 2003 engine? I think, (could be wrong?) that the PI engines started somewhere in 2001 for the Mustangs. And i think the last year for the 2V in the GT Mustang was 2004.
Heads should have a PI marking indicating Performance Improvement which began in 1999. If they aren’t PI than I would file with EBay as a fraudulent sale.
If I'd bought that engine and it arrived looking that clean I probably wouldn't have thought nothing about it. But if I'd gotten all the sketchiness from the seller like you did I wouldn't be satisfied until I measured clearances, sonic checked, the block, X-rayed everything etc, and then still wouldn't trust it. But just that's my weird self
Appears to have the late aluminum crossover intake. So it’s not the exact same engine as in the eBay picks? Sounds like you took a chance in terms of internals either way. It’s very clean so WTF?
You need to report this to EBay. Everything about this motor is wrong. Maybe you can get your money back and start with a known Good engine for your build.
The only money that you should spend on that 4.6 2V is a S/C kit. Don't waste lots of time & money on a 4.6 2V N/A build. Bolt a blower on it, with a set of headers, run the piss out of it until it breaks and then buy a junkyard 5.0 Coyote to mod.
Here's what I'm finding thus far:
Crank endplay is .008".
Head cast number is RF-1K2E-6090-D22D, which is a 2001-2002 PI engine.
6 bolt crank, so Romeo block.
Intake manifold does appear to be aftermarket, i.e. Dorman, etc.
Spark plugs did not have any dabs of paint on them.
Any Ford techs here? The calibration code on the side of the valve cover says 1G-837-AB. Assembly date of 02/26/01.
I will update here on this sticky.
Andy at UNITY motorsports garage has a lot of 4.6 knowledge and he is a nice guy and a big ford fan
Although I spent 5 years daily working on SOHC German V-8s, I'd be more interested in a DOHC build. But I can definitely learn something from this project.
The heads in this case are the PI heads (Power Improved) that of course is good. The intake is probably a Dorman intake replacement as the originals cracked near the thermostat housing.
Also count the turns of the sparkplug when removing from head. Youll want more than 4 to 5 turns. Preferably 8 turns, meaning how many threads the sparkplug hole has. 8 threads began showing up late 2002. Id say that date sticker on the valve cover is correct if you only count 4 threads. Double check the chain guide tensioners for plastic or cast iron. You want the cast iron. Plastic tensioners will fail especially if you run any type of rev limiter or 2 step.
Good advice. I didn't know they had cast iron guides too. I learned something new.
Cast iron tensioners. Chain guide can be plastic or aluminum
The small hole next to the water jacket on the top of each head are water passages for the heater hose but only used on the right head. Both heads are actually the same casting. Original coils and probably plugs also would indicate it's under 100K miles. Original plugs have a slightly different number on them than what you would get at a parts store. The only place they develop a leak is the oil filter housing gasket, I would suggest a new one. The little engine will surprise you with a little port work and cams.
Looks like you got a keeper, very clean on inside.😁👍
Did a timing set and Melling high volume oil pump on my wife's 02 Explorer at 180k (bought new and I do 3k mi oil changes w/Motorcraft oil and filters) and it looked about like this one inside. Timing set and tensioner definitely worn and I figured why not do the pump too. Still runs great today (son has it now) at 220k. It's been a great engine and I suspect you'll have no trouble with this core. Good luck. Looking forward to this project.
I'm not a mod expert but I do have some exp. As has been mentioned, the earlier heads have way less plug thread engagement. The newer units are almost double the number of threads. My biggest concern is the main bearings. At around 100,000 miles, you find out if you have a good one or not. The crank may weld to the block. If it was mine, I would pull the pan and some main caps. I learned back in 1976 to never trust anybody on the condition of a used engine. On the 2nd run on a SOHC427, it put a rod out. You may be luckier than me, though. :)
My only experience with 4.6 is with a 97 crown Vic, once the plastic crossover intake was replaced, it went 250,000 miles before being sold, have still seen it running around town. I don’t know about durability at high power levels but have heard that the bottom end is strong. This engine could very well be out of a pickup and had a different intake installed.
No corrosion on the head water ports. Plugs have been replaced, oe plugs had a paint dab on the tip. Those motors were always clean on the inside. I'd check crank endplay, might be an old warranty return motor.
That intake manifold looks like a Dorman piece. Not a factory manifold.
Pop off the oil pan, check the bearings, and send it!! It still looks like a fairly low milage unit.
You mite have to time sert the plug holes. The plugs will blow out when you raise the power level.
These engines go 300K miles without rebuild. Only problem was plastic intake manifolds have vacuum leaks. It's no 4v, but it was rated at 260 hp with PI heads. Pretty good for a 281 cu. in motor. TFS makes a head that wakes up this engine.
Pull the pan
What is the date on the engine?
Looks clean. If it has a 100,000 miles on it, it's just getting broke in.
Shame people cant tell the truth when you ask them something. Maybe pull the pan or run the scope through the oil drain to see if it is as clean there as up top. Agree it looks good. Curious about someone saying one of the exhaust manifolds isn't Mustang, what is it? Manual trans it almost has to be from a Mustang right?
spin oil pump for oil pressure, then check filter for debris
Low mileage warranty replaced ? No vin #'s maybe it is a leftover/misplaced new warranty that was waiting install ?? weird backdoor things happen..
Can't spin a Modular Ford pump. They're crank driven.
thanks was not a big ford fan
Came here to learn, Thanks Brent
Passenger side ex manifold is not mustang. Also the intake manifold is aftermarket. Iirc those pink injectors didnt show up until 03 in mustangs. That oil dipstick sure is tall. The valve cover gaskets are 100% stock, so you are most likely the 1st to pop covers off.
My 99 P71 had an aluminum crossover like that where my 99 lincoln did not... I limped that P71 over 9000 miles with a blown head gasket by using K-Seal about once every 2-3 weeks until I got the lincoln for a motor swap, 2 weeks after the swap the lincolns thermostat housing cracked on the way home from work so I swapped the P71 intake onto it and never worried about it again until I Totalled the car... 🚗 🦌
2005 mustang was the introduction of the 3 valve.
Looks to be a lower run time engine, by j judgement, egr still has the heat wrap on it and is not baked off or crumbling, still has all the stock coil packs, the bottom valve cover bolts have zero rust on them, the exhaust manifolds have almost no rust on them. My guess on the doorman intake is that the stocker got broken in the collision, or when pulled. Or all that stuff hot replaced on a high miler. The intake is supposed to get removed for the lift plate to get bolted in for removal. I’d try and keep the stock valve cover gaskets if I were you, the aftermarket doesn’t fit very well and has to be super glued in sometimes, real pain when in the car. I really dislike these just cause how difficult they were to work on and how bad of a turd they were, they should’ve been what the coyotes are. High revving high hp engine with the sohc. I’m sure you can wake it up!
I hate when people aren't truthful, but I'm not surprised, since I worked with criminals for 25 years. I don't know how Ebay handles misrepresentations.
I think it would be considered item not as described.
Looks exactly like the engine in the 1999 Mustang GT I owned.
Didn’t ford have 2 different flywheel bolt patterns? Windsor and Romeo
Yes. 6 bolt and 8 bolt. The 8 bolt flexplate is shared with the 5.0 "Coyote"
Thanks for the video.
So is it a 2001 or a 2003 engine?
I think, (could be wrong?) that the PI engines started somewhere in 2001 for the Mustangs.
And i think the last year for the 2V in the GT Mustang was 2004.
Pi engine started in 1999 when they switched to the New edge body style. Some of those between 99-01 came with the Windsor engine
Heads should have a PI marking indicating Performance Improvement which began in 1999. If they aren’t PI than I would file with EBay as a fraudulent sale.
It looks like it has been cleaned with pressurized dry ice.
3 valve came out in 05
What spark plugs are you using?
Give it a shot !
If I'd bought that engine and it arrived looking that clean I probably wouldn't have thought nothing about it. But if I'd gotten all the sketchiness from the seller like you did I wouldn't be satisfied until I measured clearances, sonic checked, the block, X-rayed everything etc, and then still wouldn't trust it. But just that's my weird self
If I were you I would pull off the oil pan and see if it’s clean
I will probably do that.
Appears to have the late aluminum crossover intake. So it’s not the exact same engine as in the eBay picks? Sounds like you took a chance in terms of internals either way. It’s very clean so WTF?
What happened with the coyote?
Junk? I had a Crown Vick and it was one of the most reliable vehicles I've owned 200,000 miles until I hit a deer and a ditch😂😂😂
My dad just got T-boned at the LR door in his 99 P71, he's OK, the car is a total loss but it still runs fine and drives perfectly straight.
20:50 I had a 2005 F150 5.4 3V Crew cab. Those intake manifolds had a tendency to Crack.
that’ll be replaced
It looks just like my 97 4.6 in my f150. just because the filter is clean does not mean it is a good motor.
You need to report this to EBay. Everything about this motor is wrong. Maybe you can get your money back and start with a known Good engine for your build.
The only money that you should spend on that 4.6 2V is a S/C kit.
Don't waste lots of time & money on a 4.6 2V N/A build.
Bolt a blower on it, with a set of headers, run the piss out of it until it breaks and then buy a junkyard 5.0 Coyote to mod.