3.0 Liter Duratec Question

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

Is the 3.0 liter Taurus Duratec the same configuration as the 2.5 in the Contour? Specifically, does it has the same water pump arrangement? If so, does the Taurus 3.0 have the same history of waterpump failures as the 2.5? My local dealer claims he has never has seen a waterpump failure on any Duratec engine.

This belongs in the 3L forum.

It is basically the same motor, but only certain years have the same waterpump configuration. There are other small details so use the search feature in the 3L forum or must post and ask questions.

warmonger

Originally posted by warmonger:
This belongs in the 3L forum.

Easy there big boy. He was asking about how the 3.0 compares to the 2.5 in terms of the Water Pump, maybe cuz he thinks the 3.0 pump might be better. That would have relevance in the forum.

D.

There is so much hostility on what goes in what forum..
chalk that up as an issue along with the search and the repost issues

As for your question.. sorry to say I do not have an answer.. sorry..

99+ 3.0L heads require an electric waterpump
2001 engine uses the stock location as the 2.5L duratec but you have to figure out what to do with the LIM/UIM.

Originally posted by Daniel Segall:

Originally posted by warmonger:
This belongs in the 3L forum.

Easy there big boy. He was asking about how the 3.0 compares to the 2.5 in terms of the Water Pump, maybe cuz he thinks the 3.0 pump might be better. That would have relevance in the forum.

D.

Uhmmmm...as warmonger knows more about 3Ls than 99% of the people on here...both NA and Turbo...you might want to listen to him..

Our 99 Sable (Duratec) does not have the same waterpump setup. It looks like it's mounted on the 'front' and driven off of the accessory belt. No WP failures, but there only 14K on the car...

Just listen to what warmonger has to say. 99 and 2000 pump driven off the accessory belt. not as many problems as the 2.5 pump but you are looking at a completeley different pump..as for this being in the 3l forum ..what is the post about ? o yea a "3l" ..try doing a search there might get some more help

I'm sorry if I upset anybody by posting in the "wrong forum". I was trying to figure out if the 3.0 liter in the Taurus/Sable is a clone to the 2.5 in the Contour. I figured it was a "coin toss" which forum to post in.

My Mom is looking to buy a new car and she was looking at a Sable, but I was a little uneasy if the 3.0 duratec was prone to the same problems (waterpump and cats failing) as the 2.5 engine.

Frankly, I'm doing my best to steer her to a Camry, since I think it would be a much more dependable car than a Sable, but there aren't any Toyota dealers in her hometown. Although I've had fair luck with my 2.5 duratec, I don't know if I'd recommend this engine to somebody like my mother, who changes oil twice a year, at best, and doesn't do any maintenance until the "red light" comes on. Mom's 80 and needs dependability more than any degree of performance.

The 3L Duratecs are more dependable than the 2.5 ones are, by far. The 3L's larger counterweights keep the factory bearings in place and the water pumps on the earlier ('00 and older) had a better water pump design, while the '01 and newer ones are new enough that they have the white plastic water pumps. The white ones are far better than the black ones are, at least judging by the failure rates of the black ones vs. white ones anyway.

Also, a note on the Camry vs. Sable debate you're having... The Camry is "all new" this year. We have one as a rental right now (fiancee's car was in an accident). The Camry is a decent car, but power, comfort, and ride are all better in the Sable/Taurus, at least in my eyes. If you still don't like the Duratec, get one with the Vulcan FFV drivetrain and save some bucks.

Originally posted by Kevdogg410:
There is so much hostility on what goes in what forum..
chalk that up as an issue along with the search and the repost issues

As for your question.. sorry to say I do not have an answer.. sorry..

No hostility intended!

I'm a CEG addict at times and I just was running short on time so I was pointing him/her in the right direction. I'm one of those guys that is vying for the record on CEG for having "consistently the longest posts". Though I must say Rara or Lance can be even more long-w****d than me!

By this I mean I normally take the time to fully answer all questions and I very RARELY make forum&search comments.

But since I frequent the 3L and Forced Induction forums more than the others, I might not see these messages.
Its kind of like advertising.

warmonger

Brad, thanks for your comments on the Sable verses Camry question I'm facing. Considering that my Mom drives maybe 5,000 miles a year at most, and never at speeds above 55 mph, high performance isn't an issue

By the way, she currently has a Mercedes 300D (turbo), so she isn't used to a lot of horsepower! The MB runs flawlessly, but she's uneasy because the car has 100,000 miles on it, and in her generation, cars didn't last past 60,000 miles.

Considering her limited driving, I think a Sable/Taurus will do just fine for her. Its not like she's going to ever put 100,000 miles on it. At least she can get it serviced locally, and she would have to drive a 60 mile round trip to have any Japanese car serviced. I'm not too concerned with durability issues of the Vulcan verses the Duratec engine...we're gonna have to take whichever engine is in the car she likes (color and upholstery being the deciding issue, you know).