Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications 3.0L Duratec Hp and torque rating of stock taurus 3.0L ?

Does anyone know what the horsepower and torque rating is of the stock Taurus 3.0L with the stock Taurus intake/heads(say, 2001- since it has the cam driven WP)? I may want to do the 3.0L swap possibly, and it may be sounding like the power curve of the Taurus would better suit my actual needs/uses since I never take my car above 5000rpm. I prefer driving down lower in the torque band (since I was always used to driving V-8 cars in the past). I can't stand rapping out motors on a daily basis. Has anybody ever put in a 3.0L with the 3.0L heads/intake? If so, do you have a website with any pics? I'm just at the curious state at this point. Haven't made any concrete decisions yet

I ran a general internet search and found the following power output specs on the 3.0L Duratec V6 used in the 2001 Taurus:

200 Hp @ 5650 rpm
200 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm

I haven't done a 3L swap so I am not an expert on this but based on the threads I've read so far, you will have to do the following:

1. Use the oil pan off the 2.5L in order to bolt-up to the transmission in the Contour.

2. Use a UIM/LIM assembly off the 2.5L in order for everything to line-up with the least amount of headaches. When I say line-up, I mean creating the least amount of difficulty with respect to vacuum plumbing, retrofitting linkages, placement of throttle body and air filter intake assembly, ease of accomodating the return or returnless fuel plumbing setup, etc.

The questions that I don't have answers to (haven't run searches on this) are:

1. Will the Contour UIM/LIM mate-up with 3L heads off a Taurus Duratec? If they can, I'm certain you would want to use the SVT units to help support the flow requirements of the higher displacement motor.

2. Will the Contour factory exhaust manifolds bolt-up to the 3L Taurus Heads? I don't know if the bolt pattern is different or if the bank where the manifold attaches is angled slightly different such that the Y-pipe suddenly doesn't mate with the exhaust manifolds anymore.

The ECM will likely need to be reprogrammed to accommodate this setup.

All I can say is start searching some more while waiting more experienced CEGers have to chip-in on your question.

Dave Keller
1995 Contour SE
1999 Contour SVT

Hey thanks for diggin up that info!
This sounds like it might possibly be my ticket maybe? Compared to the stock 170 bhp (@ 6250 rpm) and the stock 165 lb-ft torque (@ 4250 rpm) of my '95 SE, I think this would put my powerband right within the range that I currently use my car in! I hate the stock 2.5L powercurve: It's spineless as jelly under 4000rpm (where I drive mostly) then when the secs. kick in violently (just like on a motocross bike- wild and crazy powerband, not smooth at all), then I shift at 5000rpm just when the fun was beginning. I want power down lower, in the rpm where I drive in traffic everyday, because I don't want to have to always downshift from 5th to 2nd when I need to pass somebody. I rather keep in the current gear or just go down 1 gear to pass. Plus I don't like it when it sounds like my motor has to strain so terribly hard as I go past people (sounds pitiful especially with loud exhaust). My 5.0 never did that.

Anyways, IF I ever decided to do this swap, I would likely use all the Tauras upper and lower plenums, possibly even the ECM and engine harness, but I wonder if the Taurus ECM chip could be programmed to work with MTX since all the wires to shift the trans would be clipped off (would cause trouble codes if all the tranny sensors weren't plugged in to the ECM). Or maybe the Tauras ATX will also fit into the Contour as well? That would be better yet, as I'm kinda sick of MTX anyway. But down the road if I still thought it was gutless, I'm sure the standard SF turbo kit could still be adapted to work on that setup without anymore hassle, right?

other at fordcontour.org Cardoc and company did a 3.0L swap, intake and all.

Don't forget that the 3.0L heads are not split port anymore. They changed to a single oval shaped port starting with the 2000 model year. 2001 model year added the camshaft driven water pump.

2.5L is still split-port to this day.

Thanks for that helpful info. I would be using all the intakes and all off the, I guess it would be 2001 3.0L engine, so all of the old 2.5L junk would be just that, junk to me. So I would probably just sell the 2.5 complete in it's running condition as it sits now.
I've also been lurking over at fordcontour.org and seen Terry Haines latest work. They're already making all the mods to put these things into Contours as of now! They can mod the fuel fail to be return style (instead of 2001 returnless), and they have a huge list of other necessary mods to make it all work. I will probably do most of these mods all myself since I have welding skills, equipment, and fab experience, but I may need help from some outfit to get a chip burned (in the case that I would be stuck using my old EEC-IV computer that is in my '95 now), if this is something that is necessary to do to make the swap. I'm still reading to learn more about what all these mods are. I'm also awaiting a letter back from Terry Haines as well to see about getting some pics that he said they have of a Contour with this Taurus 3.0L installed (NON-hybrid, all 3.0L). I really agree with his viewpoint about why use restrictive 2.5 stuff that needs to be extrude honed, etc. on a 3.0L engine, when you can just bolt in a complete engine designed with it's own intake system that was designed to flow the volume of it's 3.0L displacement. Plus the powerband is more in my normal range of driving too. A bonus for me (basically the whole reason I want this setup). I think his logic is the best for my situation and preference. If I go ahead with this swap, I will do a how webpage so others can see better how it's done. Because this route is looking more and more tempting all the time

Some of us have fit 3L intakes in there

Check out the other post in this forum, I have given another guy alot of useful info on 95 3L swaps, there are alot of things you might be overlooking. Hope I helped.

I'm doing a straight 3L swap. No hybrid. 3L intake and all.

So are you saying that the 3L intake would be better??? Then the stock SVT one? If so what do you have to do to fit it in, if anything?