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3.0 gas

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double_u_4

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
897
Location
romeoville, il
the car i am picking up has a 03 taurus 3.0 in it & i was wondering do i still need to use premium fuel or can i just run regular in it.
 
I think the SVT PCM/computer is tuned for premium so..yeah, I would. *Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong.

I've used nothing but premium in my 3L since I've had it.
 
If you don't have a hybrid your compression ratio will be somewhere around 10.0:1. If "the car" (lack of information) is an SVT it will have more advanced timing for performance. It would probably be best to run premium but if you would like to experiment in case premium is too expensive, you can run a lower octane and if you hear and pinging throw in an octane booster immediately. I believe most people run premium
 
yes the car is an svt tour. i dont believe the engine is a hybrid. how would i know if it is? k well than i might just stick to the premium. i dont want to chance messing anything up
 
Ive always ran premium for a few reasons. Its never going to hurt to throw higher octane into there. Secondly, I would hate to have something go wrong just because i cheaped out at the pump one time. And lastly, the difference between premium and regular is like a few bucks per fillup, certainly worth it to me.
 
does it have the stock SVT intake? or the plastic 3L intake? If it has the SVT it's either a hybrid or port match. The main difference is the heads. I know they are marked 2.5L or 3.0L but I think that is behind the timing cover, maybe on the back under the throttle body. Anyways if they say 2.5L it is a hybrid which means your compression would be around 11.0:1 and absolutely requires premium
 
are you talking about UIM & LIM. if so no its not the 2.5 its the 3.0. i dont know if you can tell anything from the pic but its the only 1 i have. i remember him saying if i got the 2.5 UIM it would be port matched. so im guess it is not @ the moment. & what is the difference in having the 3.0 UIM over the 2.5. is 1 better thatn the other?
30lsvt.jpg
 
That is a full 3.0L engine dropped in so no need to worry too high of compression you can attempt to run lower octane if you would like but be careful and most people on here will recommend premium. The 3.0L UIM has more volume but you lose the secondaries. The SVT still has secondaries and it's really a personal opinion which is better. Is the car tuned?
 
im not sure. i can ask when i talk to him next, what is it that they tune when they tune it. & i liked the sound of the secondaries when they kick in but is there any performance difference or does the larger intake make up for the secondaries
 
It would be tuned with a SCT flash device. With air being pulled in from the engine, at low RPM's the engine doesn't need as much air. The butterflies block off some of the air flow so the same amount of air tries to flow through a smaller port and all that air flow increases velocity into the cylinder, creates a swirl effect in the combustion chamber from entering through only one valve to help mix the fuel, and thus increases low end torque. When Higher RPMs are hit the the engine needs more air and the butterflies become a choke on the engine so they open up and let the full potential of air through both valves and supplies the full potential of horsepower. Most of the benefits are lost on a port match 3L because the heads are not a true split-port setup. Realistically, The 3L UIM without the secondaries is going to lose some low end torque, but the extra 0.5L is pretty much going to make up for it. So you won't be losing anything for having a full 3L as opposed to a split port. Like I said it is personal preference
 
ok. i think i get what ur saying, i havent had a chance to drive the car yet because it needs a clutch but is there any performance difference between the stock 2.5 engine & the 3.0. i mean i realize it is a lil bigger but will it be a noticable difference
 
Full 3 liter FTW!

And yes, there is a HUGE difference. Torque out your butthole. You'll love how hard it pulls through the entire rev range, compared to the 2.5, that is. The full 3 liter swap compared to a ported 3 liter, is that the full 3 liter is more of a mid range power monster, and kinda falls off towards the top of the rev range (not entirely too noticeable as it'll pull on a 2.5 with ease. You won't even have to full throttle it to pull on a 2.5), while the split has most of it's power in the high RPMs because you retained the function of the secondary ports.
 
I've been running 87 in my full 3L since i got it on the road almost 3 months ago, I am now experiencing head gasket failures. Not sure if they are related, but cant really think of any other difference. Didnt make any noises or pinging while running either.
 
:laugh:nice. n thats what i have the full 3L swap then. about how much more HP you think the 3L has over the 2.5, also a little off the topic but it also says it has a Torsen LSD in it. thats not something that is origanally on the car rite? that must have been something he added. what does that do or where is that located

rexxdoggy said:
Full 3 liter FTW!

And yes, there is a HUGE difference. Torque out your butthole. You'll love how hard it pulls through the entire rev range, compared to the 2.5, that is. The full 3 liter swap compared to a ported 3 liter, is that the full 3 liter is more of a mid range power monster, and kinda falls off towards the top of the rev range (not entirely too noticeable as it'll pull on a 2.5 with ease. You won't even have to full throttle it to pull on a 2.5), while the split has most of it's power in the high RPMs because you retained the function of the secondary ports.
Click to expand...
 
I made 192 whp and 194 wtq with almost full exhaust and short ram intake on my full 3 liter. And that's being untuned. A stock 2.5 will put something like 165whp? and 150wtq? I can't remember the numbers. The Torsen definitely is not from the factory. It's a limited slip differential (LSD) in which helps transfer the power of the motor to both wheels more evenly so you can grab better traction, rather than have one have most of the power (one wheel peel).
 
nice. man i cant wait til next saturday when i can pick this baby up. i bet this thing is gonna b a blast to drive. its been hard enough waiting this past week n still have another week to go. n hearing all this info you guys have been telling me about it, i really think i am going to enjoy it.
 
rexxdoggy said:
I made 192 whp and 194 wtq with almost full exhaust and short ram intake on my full 3 liter. And that's being untuned. A stock 2.5 will put something like 165whp? and 150wtq? .
Click to expand...

I can vouch for him on this and the stock svt numbers sound right. A fully tuned full 3L shouldn't have no problem putting down 200 whp.
 
double_u_4 said:
im not sure. i can ask when i talk to him next, what is it that they tune when they tune it. & i liked the sound of the secondaries when they kick in but is there any performance difference or does the larger intake make up for the secondaries
Click to expand...

definitely not tuned. Another thing about this car I was wondering about is the fuel rail set up. Since my 3L is port matched I don't know too much about full 3L's. I do know that the car is return style and the full 3L is returnless and therefore you need to modify things to make it work. I know there's an adapter kit you can get but does anyone know what was done to this set up to make it work. Couple pics.

supply side on right with red tubing, return on the left coming to backside of lim.
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close up of supply.
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close up of return line
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I've ran 87 octane in full and ported 3L's for a very long time. Myself and those that bought cars from me have never had an issue. If you bring it in to get a tune and it's setup for 91-93 than obviously you should run that. In my Cougar which I baby a bit more I always ran 91-93 but most of the 3L SVT's I built were daily drivers and I never needed to get every bit of hp out of them. No pinging or detonation has ever been heard. Of course I would never ever do that in a hybrid build. 91-93 only with the high compression.
 
I'd run premium regardless of which motor you have if you have the SVT pcm. Stock 2.5L compression was 10:1 and so is a full 3.0L. It would be like running 87 in a stock SVT; possible but not recommended. Unless you have it "de-tuned" to run 87 octane fuel.
 
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