Coyote F150 Gen 3 Install

[Lidodrip]

Hello FFR Forum,

I have been reading threads on this forum for the past year and I am very impressed with this community and the collective knowledge. I recently placed an order for a complete roadster kit and I am planning on using a Coyote engine. I have read several accounts of people using F150 Gen 1 and Gen 2 Coyotes, but have not come across anyone who has used a Gen 3 F150 engine. I was wondering if anyone had any experience using the Gen 3 F150 Coyote?

Thanks,
James

[Snowman]

Terribly sorry I didn't see this until now. I am using a Gen 3 from a 2018 F-150 coyote in a Coupe build. Bottomline is it's a great candidate for a gen 3 with the potential (emphasis here) to save a few K over a gen 3 crate motor. Some info is in my build thread here: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?37314-Project-Lightning-Coyote

What makes the Gen 3 Mustang vs. F-150 good:

1. Same compression ratio (in fact the rotating assembly is the same, heads are the same, valves/springs are the same)
2. If you think the dual fuel is cool, you get that tech.
3. Some parts that need replacing to convert it to Mustang spec have to be replaced regardless of whether you use a crate engine or not (alternator and headers are good examples).

Things to look out for (voice of experience here):
1. For some reason the F-150 gen 3's are notorious for being oil consumers. If you do some research you'll find a Ford TSB about it. There is some evidence to support it's as simple as a bad PCV valve, but that was the only common cause I could find and my research was not definitive. Make sure to look for signs of oil consumption. On mine I found this after the fact, lots of wet oil in the intake manifold, heavy oil build up in the intake ports and finally tons of carbon build up on my pistons. The spark plugs did not show any evidence of excessive buildup so don't rely on that as your sole indicator. If I did it again I'd ask to pull the throttle body and if it was wet in the manifold then I'd ask to pull the manifold before committing to a purchase or a price.

2. Many times you'll find these engines are from accident vehicles, look for any exterior damage. Not a deal breaker and can be useful in talking your junkyard down in price if you think you know what're looking at. Can also be a gamble, be cautious.

Differences:
1. Cams will need to be replaced
2. Timing cover will need to be replaced
3. Engine harness will need to be replaced
4. If you plan to run A/C then you'll need a mustang harmonic balancer
5. Intake manifold (both the 2018 mustang and the GT350 are good candidates)
6. Intake and exhaust phasers - can either be replaced or remarked with the mustang timing marks. There is a post somewhere in the forum about this with pics.
7. Oil filter mount has to go, easiest thing is to do a remote oil filter mount, but Mustang one can be obtained.

All these parts added up to between $1500-1600 for me. Add the cost of your junkyard motor and that's the difference from the crate engine. You'll still need a bunch of stuff on top of this, but it's all the same stuff you'd need for the crate engine anyways (oil pan, flywheel, FPCP, etc.)

If you do your internet research you can find Ford parts pretty darn reasonable. Tasca parts is who I used for many things, but be forewarned you'll need to be patient. Don't do this kind of project on any kind of tight timeline. A lot of times parts go on backorder and they can take weeks to get filled. It's a good idea to befriend the parts guy at your local ford dealership, they can be super helpful in getting the right part numbers.

I wanted to do a little more than just convert it to mustang spec so I ended up with a nearly full teardown (only thing left in the block is the crankshaft). I also used some go-fast goodies for some of the things I listed above (ATI super damper is a good example).

If you, or anyone else for that matter, is serious about using a gen 3 F-150 motor I can PM some good info I've collected on part numbers and from Ford Performance.

Cheers,
Patrick

[Lidodrip]

Thanks Patrick, that is great information. I will need to look more into the oil consumption issue. I had an Audi 90 that had a good appetite for oil and it drove me crazy. If I go the F150 Gen 3 route I will certainly reach out to you.

Thanks
James