Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications 3.0L Duratec 3.0 trouble

Having trouble with the new 3.0 in my SE. Thought it wasn't really a rocket and the dyno showed that to be correct. 148hp at a 5700 rpm, torque disappearing fast at 4500 rpm, and very rough power delivery at anything below 4000 rpm. Also, the opening of the secondaries is hit or miss. More often than not, its miss. Will clean and inspect linkage, but this is a minor problem compared to the poor overall performace. Anyone with opinions would be welcome to speak up. Compared to a stock 2.5 cougar, well, it doesn't. What I have gained in torque is rapidly lost whent then engine stops breathing.

Not sure how to post the graphs, but if someone lets me know, I'll throw them out for general comment and review.

Your secondaries are not opening or fluttering.

Bad IMRC most likely.

Pin them open and go test it. If the problem goes away then you know that's what it is.

Hopefully its not something more serious like cam timing.

Cam timing is exactly what I am afraid is the problem. I am quite certain that the linkage is sticking, so again, I'm not too worried about this right now. Most important is trouble shooting the poor overall performance.

Did you do a hybrid or a full 3L swap? Which intake parts did you use???

The problem is you can't properly evaluate other problems if your secondaries are intermittently sticking. You must clear it up and see if you get a noticeable power increase. If you pin them open, you will see a big increase in the top-end power if the cam timing is ok. If you still have the same no-power condition with them fixed open, then you may have a cam timing issue.

warmonger

Sorry for the late reply.
Its a hybrid with new Ford crate 3.0 and all of my 2.5 top end gear. I can intermittantly get runs with the secondaries operating properly, and even so, the torque curve simply drops off in an attrocious manner after 4500 rpm. You can clearly see the difference between operating and stuck secondaries. Even had a run where they kicked in 1000 rpm late. Very interesting graphs. No breathing, though, so I am still very much concerned about cam timing.
Anyone have graphs for a hybrid w/o any additional mods?

If you know for sure your secondairies are working and your power drops off after 4500 get ready for a tear down again However non-functioning secondairies can zap almost as much power as your claiming so fix that first! If it doesn't improve then its probably the timing. Did you say Ford did the install and hence timing? There is a 3L and 2.5L setting on the Crankshaft and they probably used the 3L when it should be the 2.5L even though you have a 3L block. Someone that has timed these things should chime in and try to explain what I mean.

There is an indexed plate that slides on the end of the crank and tells the pcm what position the crankshaft is in that is marked 3L or 2.5L and it has two keyways respectively. However, there is only one timing method that I know of to actually time the cams and it is the same for 2.5 or 3L.
If the little wheel were reversed (positioned) to the 3L setting then I don't know what it would do. The plate has the two positions because the 3L has the crankshaft position sensor on the opposite side of the timing cover, so if reversed it could cause the pcm to time the engine wrong even though the cams may be timed correctly. I guess now you will never know until you pull the timing cover (suck!).

warmonger

I guess the Ford manual was a good investment, then. Sounds like a busy weekend. Thanks for the comments. At least I know that I'll have to look farther than the cam index to determine if they have screwed things up.
I do know that the cams should be indexed properly when the No1 Cyl is at TDC, so if this and the cams jive, then it will likely point to the PCM crank pick-up.
Thanks for the time, and your comments are always welcome. If you want to shudder, tellme how I can post the graphs and you can have a look.

David

You have toscan them in or shoot them with a digital camera. Then find someone who you can email them to who will host them on a website. Then you just point a link to the address.
I would, but I can't upload to my website since I forgot the password and stuff.

warmonger