The Tragic Tale of ElSuperPinto
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- Mar 7, 2002
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- Mar 7, 2002
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They had the 4.6 SOHC 2-valve, the 4.6 SOHC 3-valve, and the 4.6 DOHC 4-valve. The F150 had the 2-valve SOHC from 1997-2010, and the 3-valve SOHC from 2004-2010.
The 2-valve and 3-valve are both fantastic engines, but the 4-valve is damned near magical it's so good. The worst version of it made 280 horsepower on paper and loves boost, and the best version of it made 390 horsepower on paper and left the factory with boost (supercharged "Terminator" 2003-2004 Cobras) and wanted even more.
With the money I'm saving with this course change, don't count out something silly like a blower or a turbo in the future with the 4V engine. I talked to the site's resident Megasquirt guru today about possibly using the MSD Atomic's throttle body assembly (which happens to have four 80-lb injectors, a map sensor, and a GM stepper-motor IAC already in it, and a wideband O2 and ECT already connected to it) with a Megasquirt or microsquirt, and he assures me it can be done (and for all of $70 more than a new ECU for it from MSD), which opens up all sorts of possibilities for the future.
The Coyote was going to be a cookie-cutter swap... other than the car it was going into. The 4V has opened up possibilities galore. I may explore multiple paths. The first on the list is running it with the carburetor and an ignition controller just to do it, and because I already have most of the parts (and because it looks so damned cool).
- Mar 7, 2002
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This guy used to post here... that's the Supercharged 5.4 2V from an F150 Lightning in his Cobra II.
May need some minor hood adjustment. Although I can't tell for sure from this angle.
Early 2000's I was a service advisor at a ford dealership and do not remember any common problems with the 4.6 except timing chain guide wear and sensor failures on early engines. We had one failure of a supercharged low mileage Cobra but that is when I learned Ford incorporated memory into the PCM. They sent an engineer to extract data and declined the rapair due to repeated full throttle episodes for extended periods of time.
The 4v was a great engine. Techs loved them for their durability.
Early 2000's I was a service advisor at a ford dealership and do not remember any common problems with the 4.6 except timing chain guide wear and sensor failures on early engines. We had one failure of a supercharged low mileage Cobra but that is when I learned Ford incorporated memory into the PCM. They sent an engineer to extract data and declined the rapair due to repeated full throttle episodes for extended periods of time.
The 4v was a great engine. Techs loved them for their durability.
- Mar 7, 2002
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On the one hand... I could probably be done faster with my plan to do it more like this:
On the other hand, with that tubular front end, he's probably going to have a better-engineered swap.
Thing is, most of the Coyote swap plan i'd developed carries over to the 4V, and certain things even get simplified.
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The existence of those just opened up so many possibilities... I need to take a day, sit down, and plan exactly what I'm going to do with this engine. Current plan is those plates (or something I fabricate myself out of plastic) and this manifold: http://sullivanperformance.com/4-6l-dohc-carbureted-intake-manifold/ along with either the 650cfm Edelbrock carb or the Mostly Starts Dammit throttle body with a new brain via Microsquirt.
extra_stout
5 Year Member
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I'd be replacing it's crappy MSD brain with a Megasquirt or Microsquirt. It looks so good, has four perfectly good 80lb injectors in it, and cost so damn much that giving it a brain transplant would suck slightly less than taking a $1700 or more bath on selling it.I dunno if I'dwith that MSD injection, but that's my opinion based on the issues you've had.
^^
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extra_stout
5 Year Member
But you have a carb already. You can sell all this EFI stuff... and there is some money left (intake is pricey).
EFI can be great, especially for daily driving. But the devil is in the detail. If injectors are far away from the intake valve you don't have the real advantage of EFI. Also without full sequential fuel injection. IMO this EFI soultion has just the disadvantages of both worlds (EFI an carb).
But there is another path to to a EFI conversion with this manifold and you stay flexible to realize forced induction: There are bosses cast into the manifold which can be used for fuel injectors which are at the end of the intake runner (you can get screw in injector bosses). This is the perfect spot for a later conversion. You could than use such an adapter for a modern single blade throttle body which has a modern idle control device:
You could still do it with a megasquirt, but now you have all the advantages of a modern EFI. And you are still able to boost it.
You have it running much quicker with the carb and can do the EFI stuff later. But my bet is: if you have it running with the carb you will not do an EFI conversion.
This are just some thoughts. As long as the 4.6 will drop into ElSuperPinto every solution is the right one.
extra_stout
5 Year Member
Just saw they have the same manifold drilled for the fuel injectors for the same price. Perhaps it is easier to get it that way and use some block offs for the injector holes...
- Mar 7, 2002
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I'm wanting to hide the wiring on this thing. Fuel rails mean visible wiring.But you have a carb already. You can sell all this EFI stuff... and there is some money left (intake is pricey).
EFI can be great, especially for daily driving. But the devil is in the detail. If injectors are far away from the intake valve you don't have the real advantage of EFI. Also without full sequential fuel injection. IMO this EFI soultion has just the disadvantages of both worlds (EFI an carb).
But there is another path to to a EFI conversion with this manifold and you stay flexible to realize forced induction: There are bosses cast into the manifold which can be used for fuel injectors which are at the end of the intake runner (you can get screw in injector bosses). This is the perfect spot for a later conversion. You could than use such an adapter for a modern single blade throttle body which has a modern idle control device:
You could still do it with a megasquirt, but now you have all the advantages of a modern EFI. And you are still able to boost it.
You have it running much quicker with the carb and can do the EFI stuff later. But my bet is: if you have it running with the carb you will not do an EFI conversion.
This are just some thoughts. As long as the 4.6 will drop into ElSuperPinto every solution is the right one.
Giving the TBI a brain transplant means I can run all of the wires down the back of the intake.
I'm going so far with hiding the electronics that I'm going to be buying later model valve covers to hide the coils.
The carburetor makes hiding the wiring easier (one wire) up top, but requires running MSD's Mod 6 ignition control.
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