Another Gen 3 Coyote Install Update
Plugging away on details for the Gen 3 Coyote installation. Have basically determined how I’m going to deal with two major items: PCM mounting/cable routing and cold air intake.
PCM mounting: Some of this I’ve talked about before. The large harness and connector coming off the engine terminates near the front corner of the RH head. Without modifying the cable, really no choice but to put the PCM in that vicinity. I know some guys unwrap the cable and then mount the PCM in the firewall or PS footbox area. Thought briefly about that. But the harness is complex (wires exit along its path for each injector, coil pack, multiple sensors, and now the new DI hardware) and I just don’t want to dive into it. Plus it’s already congested in the firewall area and beyond with the A/C and heat, accessories I’ve added, etc. Plus I'd have a whole bunch of excess cable between the PCM and PDB to deal with. So I’m staying with mounting it near the RH front of the engine. Note this is nearly identical to the location used on #8674 and how FFR shows in their instructions for the Roadster. I know some are concerned about the headers in that area. But it hasn’t proven to be an issue. These modules are made for the harsh underhood environment. Within reason of course. Note also this is the same general area that Ford mounts them in the Mustang. What’s interesting though is in the Mustang it’s packed in with a lot of other stuff and doesn’t appear that it would have much airflow around it. As opposed to ours that are more free-standing. So seems to me it’s completely safe there.
So for the actual mounting, the new Bosch PCM with the Gen 3 only has two mounting ears near the connectors, versus the four the previous version has. Plus they’re not too friendly to attach to IMO. I decided to make a bracket that sandwiches the PCM and holds it suspended under the frame rail in the area mentioned. After some patterns, prototypes, and one fail, have finalized on a piece of 1-1/2 inch right angle aluminum riveted to the frame rail, and a wraparound bracket made from mild steel. I have nutserts in the aluminum bracket and will use 1/8 inch cushioning material where the PCM is contacted. Looks like this:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1537294727
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...9&d=1537294735
My first approach was to mount the PCM facing down, e.g. wire connections on the bottom. I thought it looked a little neater. Like this:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1537294743
But after thinking about it a couple days and sitting and staring at it for awhile (that again…) decided that wasn’t such a good plan. The wiring was way too congested with everything else, no clear path for the large harness that needs to go back to the PDB, plus the connectors and wires would be the closest thing to the header area. So flipped it over and this is what I’m going with:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...1&d=1537294751
This will get cleaned up a bunch for the final installation. The large center connector is from the engine, obviously. The front connector goes to the PDB. That harness needs to be re-configured quite a bit. I’ll unwrap it and bring the starter and fan wires back to the PDB area. Probably also the engine connections (alternator, MAF, etc.). That will make the cable a little skinnier where it's visible FWIW. I’ll run the cable along the outside of the top frame rail, along the bottom of the firewall, and to the PDB near the center of the firewall. I was hoping to hide the cable a little more than that, but just not in the cards. There will be heater and A/C hoses all over the place in the same area. So I’m thinking it’s no big deal. The rear connector, BTW, is only for the O2 sensors. Ford changed how they’re wired again. So all three Gen Coyotes have been different. In this case, the wires go directly from here to the sensors. It too, though, will need to be reconfigured to be optimal. That’s as far as I’m going to go for now. When the engine mockup comes out, I’ll get everything mounted and wired for good.
Cold air intake: Some of this I mentioned before too. The throttle body on the Gen 3 Coyote points up 8-9 degrees more than before. Plus the cowl is relatively close on the underside. I looked at several of the Mustang aftermarket cold air intake kits, but didn't see one that would fit. The Spectre setup FFR has in their instructions and I have in #8674 won’t fit either. They do mention a MAF tube from Treadstone Performance. In looking at that piece plus other items on their website, came up with a combination that I hoped would fit. Received the parts today, and all is good. I’m impressed with the quality of the parts too. I’m especially pleased the MAF tube has rolled ends. So properly clamped they shouldn’t come apart. (Reference “Ride of Shame” thread for #8674…) The right angle coupler is very robust. I’ll need to add a connector for the PCV hose, but that’s easy enough. The parts I received are:
- S35090BLK 90 Degree Silicone Hose Coupler 3.50" - 3.50" (103411-128578) Black
- MAPHL35 MAF Mass Air Flow Adapter Pipe, 3.50" Low (103748-129055) Polished aluminum
- AF10044BLK Air Filter Medium 3.5" Neck (104214-129638) Black
Factory Five also sells this same Treadstone MAF tube. Their part number 16403. They also sell a 90deg Silicone Hose – FFR#16404, and Coyote Air Filter – FFR#16608. But I don't know if those two are the same has what I bought directly from Treadstone. I had to cut 1-inch off the right angle coupler where it plugs onto the throttle body. It was too long as I suspected from their pictures. With that, it fits up exactly like I hoped. Based on pictures and measurements taken previously, it will fit under the front cowl.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1537294766
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1537294783
The cold air intake leaves just enough room for the Moroso cooling system expansion tank. It’s tight, but not quite as tight as the angle on this picture indicates.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...3&d=1537294775
On a related note, on the Treadstone Performance website they promoted the use of a honeycomb airflow straightener in the MAF tube. Installed at the neck of the tube on the air filter side to clean up the air going through the sensor. Did a little Google searching, and maybe has some merit. Supposedly improves MAF readings at lower RPM's. So added one to my order. Thinking I'll just keep it aside for the moment. But something I'll take a look at down the road. Next up is to make brackets for the Moroso expansion tank and finalize the Odyssey battery mount. Then the engine will come back out.
Engine Mockup, Battery, Moroso Tank
Today I finished everything I wanted to do planning wire and hose routing, accessory mounting, etc. So lifted the engine back out of the engine bay and onto the stand for now. Easy enough to do without a bell housing and transmission in the way. Put the chassis back on the lift. Good to have it back there. Man I am definitely spoiled. First thing I did once I had it out was install the M-7600-C pilot bearing and check the fit of the M-7560-T46 flywheel. Everything fits fine so that little issue is completely closed as far as I’m concerned. I had the pilot bearing in the freezer and it drove right in using a 1-inch socket around the perimeter. Also had the clutch dowels in the freezer so drove those into the flywheel. Tomorrow I’m going to put the accessories on the engine (alternator, A/C pump, KRC power steering) and then start working on the modification to the Moroso oil pan pickup.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...3&d=1537840244
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1537840252
Here is a picture of the Odyssey PC925T battery I’m using. Relatively small and easily fits in this location. Listed as 28 lbs, but I haven’t weighed it. Since it’s AGM, I can use the same CTEK 3300 charger I’ve been using for the Optima in #8674. After looking at a number of choices, including the kit provided battery tray, decided to go with this Artec Industries OY9251 battery mount. Had to drill new holes in the base because the ones they had didn’t line up with the frame. But that was easy. Held in place with four heavy duty 1/4-inch nutserts. I’ll have it powder coated before final installation.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1537840236
Also finished the mounting bracket for the Moroso radiator expansion tank. After thinking through several approaches, this is what I went with. The mounting location isn’t real handy, so took some unusual shapes and angles to get it done. The main mount is .090 aluminum, and the braces are .052 aluminum with a 1/2-thick aluminum piece between. My little H-F brake won’t touch these thicknesses, so bent all the pieces in my bench vise using angle iron and a wood block and hammer. Kind of dings the aluminum up a bit. But will be completely hidden plus powder coated. There are two 5/16-inch nutserts for the flange mount on the tank, and then the bottom piece fits into the receptacle on the bottom of the tank along with a piece of cut heater hose for a cushion. Now that I have the engine out, I can reach the mounting location and will install with three heavy duty 5/16-inch nutserts. Same kind as shown on the mount itself. Just with the clamps, it’s rock sold so I’m confident it will be OK.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...9&d=1537840212
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1537840220
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...1&d=1537840226
So last night as I was wrapping up this mount, I realized how much lower it is than the same tank in #8674. Not sure how or why I didn't see this before. Further checking shows the top of the tank is basically even with the “T” connection on the LH side of the engine where the hose out the bottom of the tank is connected. Visible in the last picture above with the black cap. Since this is the intended fill path for coolant through the cap on the expansion tank, and fluid isn't going to go uphill any further than the level in the tank (at least when gravity is the only motivation) decided I might have a problem. My first inclination was to go back to the drawing board. Ugh. But with the time and money invested in this setup so far, not giving up so easily. With the available space, the frame design including the large angle braces across the opening, and everything else that needs to fit into this same real estate, there’s no easy option that I can see that would raise this tank any higher.
Did a whole bunch of searching, both in the forums and otherwise, and thought it about it a bunch. Here’s my conclusion: The only real problem will be the initial coolant fill and subsequent flush/re-fills down the road. The heater hose connection just above the “T” where the hose from the tank attaches (also visible in the last picture above), can be removed and coolant filled there with a funnel or whatever. Although not ideal, since it happens pretty rarely, not a big deal. Once the system is full and sealed and under pressure, the expansion tank will still do what it’s intended to do. It will still burp the cooling system from the connection on top of the engine and top of the radiator. It will still accept excess coolant as it heats and expands, and will be drawn back into the system as it cools. In that regard, no different than a standard overflow tank that is often mounted quite low in the engine compartment. I thought about installing the kit provided T-filler in the upper radiator hose and use that for filling. But that adds two more joints in the hose plus the cap. I can live with using the heater hose connection.
I contacted the Ford Performance help desk to see what their take was and if they thought my thinking made sense. Not much help to be honest. Response was “mount the tank as high as you can,” “mount it the same height as the engine,” (asked what part of the engine, but no answer), and “mount it higher than the tanks on the radiator.” It is. That’s not an issue. Because of the forward location and angle of the radiator, the side tanks are well below the expansion tank. That was all I got. No stoppers. But no firm endorsement of my plan either.
Bottom line, even though the expansion tank is lower than ideal and will take a little special handing for the initial fill, I don’t see it working any differently than the FFR supplied T-filler and overflow tank. Actually it’s better because it has the provision for burping via the engine and radiator connections. Anyone have any thoughts about this and reasons why I shouldn’t go ahead with mounting the Moroso tank where pictured?
More Gen 3 Coyote Progress
Wasn’t planning to do an update today. But made some good progress today that I thought might be interesting. Got the engine off the shop crane and onto the engine stand. With that done, started on the front accessories. Installed the KRC power steering, A/C compressor, and standard Coyote alternator. Good news, everything fits. No surprises with the Gen 3 Coyote. Couple of notes for each.
The KRC kit is their 66302125 Ford Boss 302 Coyote Hydraulic Power Steering Kit. Comes with the pump and pulley, reservoir, mounting bracket, new water pump pulley, and serpentine belt. Note I'm nearly positive this is the same kit that Factory Five supplies with their Coyote power steering kit. I just didn't happen to go that way because I wanted to source my own rack and lines. I have this same kit setup on #8674. But KRC made some significant changes. (Plus raised the price. :eek:) They now only supply their aluminum Elite pump vs. the steel pump on #8674. They’ve also added an integral reservoir, which is super nice. One less thing to mount in the engine compartment and one less hose to deal with. One of the really nice things about the KRC setup is their changeable flow valves. Allows you to fine tune the amount of boost from the system. Unfortunately, the kit comes with their standard 2.22 GPM flow valve. That’s way too much boost for our cars. I changed it to the 1.18 GPM (ID Mark 4) 253040000 flow valve. Same as I have in #8674, which I really like, and what others using the KRC setup have reported works well. For the installation, I had to cut about 1/4-inch off the end of the three mounting screws. They were bottoming in the mounting holes in the head. Don’t recall doing this before. But no big deal. For the water pump pulley, I cut off the Ford screws that were removed from the head and used those for the pulley mount. I like the hex head screws way better than the Allen head screws KRC provided, and they just happened to be the right size with integral washers. Nice. They're the same style as the mounting screws on the OE pulley but are too short for the thicker KRC pulley. I painted the heads of the five KRC supplied cap screws with my trusty Eastwood chassis black. The black oxide rusts quite quickly. A close look at #8674 will prove that. Finally, the pulley on the pump is listed as “press on” but there are threads in the pump shaft and #8674 has a flange head screw installed there. Don’t remember if it came with the kit or not, but this kit didn’t supply one. Quick trip to Ace and that was dealt with.
Nothing much to say about mounting the A/C pump or the alternator. In both cases, just followed the directions and all went together OK. One thing I find somewhat interesting. The serpentine belt driving the water pump and alternator from the crankshaft uses a very typical serpentine tensioning idler pulley. The serpentine belt on the power steering pump, driven from the water pump pulley, is tensioned by adjusting the angle of the pump. The serpentine belt on the A/C pump, driven from the crankshaft, uses a stretching type belt that doesn’t require adjustment or a tensioner. First time I’ve used one of those. Interesting to put on though. Factory Five shows a step-by-step method using a tie-wrap and then turning the crank pulley to roll it on. Worked OK. The final front accessory setup looks pretty crazy. I have no idea why builders get intimidated with the Coyote. :p
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1537923085
With that done, flipped the engine over and started working on the Moroso oil pan installation and pickup modification. First thing was to check the fit of the oil pan gasket/windage tray and the Moroso pan. The OE pan for the Gen 3 Coyote is the plastic (composite…) pan I pictured previously with the integral oil pickup and gasket/windage tray. I picked up a Gen 2 gasket/windage tray (part number BR3Z-6710-A) and confirmed it fit fine along with the Moroso pan. All the sealing surfaces are exactly the same and the bolt holes all line up perfectly. Started preliminary work on the pickup mod. First was to confirm the 8491A761 bushing, 1" ID, 1-1/4" OD, 1-1/2" long, that I got from McMaster fit the oil pump inlet. It does. Perfectly. Nice slip fit into the rubber gasket. The ID fits the OD of the Moroso oil pickup tube. So we’re off and running. Tomorrow I plan to get this completely figured out and fixtured for welding. This is the new gasket and you can see the bushing pushed into the oil pump in the lower LH corner of the pic.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1537923092
More Wiring Plus (continued)
Another detail with the Coyote installation is the bottom clutch switch. Factory Five provides bracketry for the switch with their Coyote installation kit. But intended for their cable clutch setup. Doesn’t work exactly for a hydraulic clutch like I’m doing. After looking at several options, ended up using the supplied FF bracket for the switch itself. It snaps in nicely and is adjustable. The challenge then is to push the switch when the clutch is pushed down. Thought about modifying the other piece they provided like some have done. But instead made a piece from 3/4-inch wide by 1/8-inch thick steel that bolts between the clevis and nut on the MC, and then wraps around to push the clutch switch. Seems to work just fine.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1539379797
Finally, spent a couple hours today wrapping up the clean-up and prep of the main body section. Need to get this done while it’s still a little warm out. (Frost warning tonight…) Everything is now straight, square, even, smooth, etc. I have a couple repairs that need to be made in the corners of the scoops behind the doors. Visible in the pic if you look closely. But no big deal. I’m also planning to spray some Lizard Skin ceramic insulation on the inside of the roof area. Hoping that will help control the temp inside a little. In general, I’m happy with the body so far. We’ll see how it fits. Most seem to be working out OK. I’ll be doing the same on the nose piece in the next couple days hopefully.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...7&d=1539380819
On a completely separate note, a good buddy in our local club took delivery this year on a brand new Superformance Roadster with a Gen 2 Coyote installed. It had the stock tune and he noticed some of the same issues I had with mine on the stock tune. So he asked me to work with Lund Racing like I did for a custom tune. Brought it to my house, parked it in my garage, and said to call when it was done. Cool!
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...9&d=1539381843
The Superformance has no hood scoop, stripes, roll bars, or side pipes. Has undercar exhaust with cats. No surprise, it’s very quiet. Lund Racing did their usual great work and the new tune is installed with multiple log and update cycles, and the car returned to its owner. Running absolutely great. A pretty major transformation. It was interesting looking this car over and driving it. Hadn’t been up this close to a Superformance before.
Now finally, all good build projects involve new tools, right? I’ve been pretty disappointed that the Coupe build hasn’t yielded many new tools. I guess the ones from previous builds were still OK to use. But having said that, I use calipers all the time. Have several of the H-F variety digital ones and one average quality analog one. But one thing I get frustrated about was how frequently I need to change batteries. Which aren’t cheap and they go dead of course at the worst time. Plus not really sold on how accurate those cheapo ones are. So did some Amazon browsing looking for a better quality one, and found this Mitutoyo 500-474 digital caliper that’s solar-powered. Works in any reasonably lit workspace. Who knew? I have it and have used it for several days. Not cheap, but hopefully will last a long time. I like it a lot. Way more accurate than I need, but that’s OK. And no more batteries.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1539381853
That’s it for now. Or should I say that’s more than enough? Back to wiring.
Gen 3 Coyote Oil Pump Pickup Update
Today I received the Modular Motorsports Racing 403360 oil pan pickup tube mentioned in my last update. It appears to be a very well made piece and needless to say I was anxious to see how it fit in my new Coyote. Good news and not surprising news. First the good news. Fits the GT350 style oil pump connector perfectly, the oil pan gasket/windage tray perfectly, and hits the opening in the Moroso pan just fine.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...2&d=1539712221
I wasn’t sure how they would address keeping the pump end of the tube in the oil pump since there are no mounting or retaining screws on that end. The fitting on the end of the pickup tube extends about 5/8-inch down into a rubber gasket in the oil pump. So it's pretty substantial. But still. Recall the OE oil pan has the pickup tube integral with the pan. So with the pan bolted on there’s no way for it to come out. The answer appears to be a small step on the side of the pickup tube that’s engaged by the windage tray. Slightly visible in the picture above, but better seen here.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...5&d=1539712246
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...3&d=1539712229
It’s different, but seems that it would be adequate. With the other end bolted down, I’m not sure it could fall out anyway. It’s negative pressure here vs. positive. So the tube is being naturally drawn in. The windage tray has a web piece directly under where it’s holding, so it’s pretty substantial. I guess I’m OK with it.
Now for the no surprise news. The pickup end is much too long. Exactly 1-9/16 inches too long by my measurements to the inside of the Moroso pan. Not including the .250” to .500” clearance recommended by Moroso. So I have two choices for rework. (1) Shorten the MMR piece by cutting off and re-welding to the shorter length. But this also means I would have to modify the retaining bracket to the bearing cap. Plus taking that much off the length would get into where the pipe bends. (2) Use the good end from each pickup tube I've purchased so far – the oil pump end from the MMR pickup, and the oil pan end from the Moroso pickup. This looks really promising. I already have the Moroso piece cut into pieces, so no loss there. Checking as carefully as I can at this point, the angles, location, and height all look like they would work. This is the idea.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...4&d=1539712237
I’m still waiting for the cap bolt stud and spacer from Tasca Parts. So won’t make a final decision until they’re received and I can check everything out a little more precisely. But this looks promising. If anyone has any better ideas, let me know! (That doesn't include changing the oil pump as Ford suggested.) In the meantime, hopefully for those in the future with the Gen 3 Coyote (and aren't so impatient) there will be a plug and play pickup tube available and won’t have to go through this.
Last for today, I picked up the pieces from powder coat that I fabbed previously. Mounting for the PCM, expansion tank, and battery. More of the puzzle pieces needed to finalize wiring and get the chassis ready for the engine installation.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...6&d=1539712254
This coming weekend we’re off for family visits in Idaho and Oregon. So about a 3-week break on the build. Sadly, driving season could very well be over by the time we get back. More time to build I guess.
More Gen 3 Coyote Installation
This will be my last update for a few weeks as we’re off for family visits out west. Couple small bits of progress to report. Yet another bit of a setback on the Gen 3 Coyote oil pickup tube saga. I mentioned before that since the Gen 3 Coyote has the integrated pickup in the oil pan, it doesn’t have the stud on one of the main bearing cap bolts that’s used to anchor the pickup end of the tube. It’s cap bearing bolt #15 in Ford manuals BTW. Seems simple enough. Order the cap bolt with stud from a previous Coyote version and swap out the plain bolt installed in the Gen 3. There’s a threaded spacer that goes on the stud, and a bolt to hold the pickup. Like this:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...0&d=1539950350
After looking at multiple exploded drawings and parts listing, couldn’t exactly the determine the part number for the cap bolt with stud. It was one of two. I had an order to Tasca Parts for my radiator hoses and miscellaneous so added both part numbers to the order. The order was delayed for one piece that was on back order. Called them and found one of my two bolts with the stud was backordered, not in stock anywhere, and no ETA from Ford. So took a chance and had them delete the part and ship the order hoping the one they did have was the one I needed. Received the parts yesterday, and you guessed it, the part I received is the wrong one. The inner bolts (the one needed with the stud) are a larger diameter than the outer bolts on the caps. The one I received (pictured above) is the smaller diameter used for the outer bolt. Can’t use it there because the oil pickup tube doesn't align there plus that’s not where the hole is in the windage tray. So I visited my local Ford dealer and spoke with the parts manager. He agreed the part I didn’t receive was the one I needed. Of course they didn’t have one either. Looked through all their distribution channels and told me the same thing. None in stock anywhere and no ETA. Good grief! I’m going to let this simmer for the next few weeks. Right now I’m thinking it would be pretty straightforward to have the threaded spacer welded to the top of the existing plain bolt out of the engine. Done properly, that should be fine. Any other ideas? This is another issue that anyone using a Gen 3 Coyote will have to figure out. Hopefully the right parts will be available at some point.
On a more successful note, since I’m working on wiring and routing of everything, decided I wanted to get the DBW pedal assembly mounted so that wire could be routed as needed. I mentioned before that the Gen 3 Coupe has a nice mounting plate with holes already drilled for the Coyote DBW assembly. But unfortunately, too high and aligns the plug receptacle directly underneath the steering column. That just isn’t going to work. On the Roadster, the DBW assembly ends up further to the right and clears the column pretty easily. But the Coupe steering column is apparently in a different location, plus the footbox sidewall is much closer up there (more room for the engine, that’s good) so the DBW has to be either really low or moved to the left. Not wanting the pedal too low or the pedal arm cut too short, I chose to orient it so the plug was accessible on the LH side of the steering column. I used the DBW mounting plate included with the Coyote installation kit and modified it to sandwich on top of the installed mounting plate and orient the pedal where it needed to be. I put some 1/4-inch nutserts in the mounting plate so I didn’t have to fish washers and nuts behind there to take the DBW in and out. (Love working down deep in footboxes…) Also made a little bracket assembly, which I won’t try to explain, to anchor the other side of the DBW module to make it a little more solid. On the Roadster, the RH side of the module ends up tight against a frame rail. Not so on the Coupe. I used some ideas posted by another forum member (thanks shark92651!) for the pedal modification and used the stock pedal rather than grafting the pedal from the FF assembly like in the instructions and what I did on #8674. Happy with how it turned out. These pics show the final pedal arrangement. Not exactly the best angle on the pic. The pedal is almost exactly centered between the brake pedal and the side wall. Looks closer to the brake pedal in this pic than it really is. Also a better view of where the harness plug ended up.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...8&d=1539950332
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/atta...9&d=1539950343
That’s it for now. When we get back, first priority will be to get the engine bay wiring done (I’m about 50% complete), hopefully the issues with the oil pan pickup resolved, and finally get the engine assembly completed and installed into the chassis.
