Just a year after getting a thorough refresh, the 2011 Mustang is finally getting the new powerplants it deserves. The base
Mustang's new 3.7-liter V6 debuted just before the LA Auto Show, but while the V6 option represents the majority of Mustang sales, the GT's V8 is the motor Mustang fans crave. The new 5.0 really is an all-new engine sharing virtually no parts with the prior 4.6-liter. Only the bore spacing and deck height were carried over, allowing the block and heads to be machined on the same transfer lines with less re-tooling. Ford Racing has also offered a 5.0-liter crate engine for the last several years, but this new engine doesn't share anything with the race-ready mill other than its fundamental architecture.
Unlike the historic 5.0, which was a cam-in-block pushrod two-valve, the new motor has dual overhead cams and four valves
per cylinder.
According to chief engineer Mike Harrison, VP of global product development Derrick Kuzak tasked him with developing a
new engine for the Mustang just over two years ago, and in that time his team has gone from clean sheet to production.
That makes this one of Ford's fastest engine development programs ever. The basic parameters were laid out as such: 5.0
liters of displacement and 400 horsepower. The end result is an engine with 92.2mm bore and a 92.7mm stroke. For the
mathematically challenged, that works out to 4,952 cubic centimeters and now properly rounds to 5.0-liters while still
equaling 302.2 cubic inches. As for the power requirement? Mission accomplished, with 412 hp at 6,500 rpm and 390
pound-feet at 4,000 rpm.
The 5.0 will be built at Ford's Essex engine plant in Windsor, Ontario starting early in 2010. The tighter tolerances, reduced
friction and increased precision in manufacturing will help Ford increase the oil change interval on the new engine to 10,000
miles using conventional 5W20 oil. Fully dressed (minus the A/C compressor) and filled with oil, the new engine weighs in at
430 pounds. That's about the same as the outgoing 4.6 in spite of the extra valve train hardware. By comparison, a non-drysump GM LS3 used in the Camaro or Corvette weighs a bit over 400 pounds, which is not enough to make up the difference in overall vehicle weight between the Camaro and Mustang. The 2011 Mustang GT goes on sale in spring 2010, and based on the engine tech alone, we're itching for our chance behind the wheel.
For the entire article from AutoBlog that has lots of technical detail, please go to
This month’s Under The Shade Tree article was provided by Grant Culley. As always, comments or ideas on this or any
other topic are welcome.