My brother has an opportunity to pick up an '02 and '03 Crown Vic Police Interceptor from a local Police Dept. He's wondering if the 4.6 in there is any different than a regular 4.6.

 

235hp and 275 ft lbs for the 2002 crown vic 4.6 motor, 239hp and 282 ft lbs for the 03 motor. its slightly less powerful than the mustang motor of the same years.

 

What are the numbers for the Non-Interceptor engines?

 

99-04 mustang 4.6L: 260hp 302 ft lbs.

the f series ford truck motors put out 248hp and 294 ft lbs

the crown vic got the same engine as the ford explorer/town car/ grand marquis.

the earlier 4.6 mustang had less hp though. You planning on keeping the motor in the car or using it for a project?

if you were going to swap for a better motor i would recommend a 4.6L 4v, to really make the swap worth it.

 

The motors are the same .. The PI CV has differant exhaust , gears ., body, The motor is the same as far as i know .. Lew

 

Maybe you're answering me and I'm not seeing it..

He's wondering if there is any difference between the 4.6's in the standard Crown Vic and the ones in the Police Interceptors.

I don't know what he plans to do with 'em, he was just wondering if they were any more potent than a regular 4.6.

 

The same !!! Lew

 

Got it!!
Thanks.
I think our posts crossed in cyberspace..

 

yea, they are the same from the police one to the civilian model. police cars just had better suspension.

 

... Yeah we were both posting at the same time..LOL ... Lew

 

The real difference for the added power is the ECU tune and the dual exhaust that the CVPI's have. Don't buy one thinking you are getting some special "hot" engine.

 

it is the same engine.
the only difference is the externals. passenger cars get single exhaust, P71 gets duals, larger alternator, larger oil cooler, add on trans cooler, larger power steering cooler, and no speed limiter in the computer.

 

They are more or less the same depending on what the department ordered. The engine it self is the same, but some have different gears, exhaust, heavy duty radiator, heavy duty suspension, etc. There is a generally accepted combination of components that make up a "police interceptor" but my understanding is that some departments special order them to meet a specific need or save money on unneeded components (adds up when you are buying 20+ cars), so you won't REALLY know until you start to dig into it. The exhaust adds about 10hp if I recall correctly, and they often put in one step shorter rear gears. This is to compensate for for all of the added weight (police gear, computers, push bar, partner in the passengers seat, lights, dog, crook in the back, etc.). When in patrol trim, the police interceptor isn't any faster than a base model crown vic. It may even be slower with the added weight / drag. Civilian crown vics were also offered with dual exhaust, lower gears, upgraded springs, etc.

With that said, you can mod the heck out of those cars with a little creativity. Most mustang parts can be made to fit (if they don't already) and lower gears, limited slip diffs, suspension, wheels, exhaust, etc are all available. I know a couple folks have even fitted modified mustang supercharger kits on them. Mixing and matching various parts from other Ford products is also a popular way to up the horsepower.

 

On some (maybe all) years the upgraded suspension was more about driving over curbs and compensating for extra weight than handling better. Most (if not all) PI's are actually a little bit taller than the civilian crown vics. So "better" is in the eye of the beholder. Different? Yes. Better? Depends on whether you want to mash it over curbs and chase bad guys down dirt roads, or take a sunday drive through smoothly paved mountian roads. IIRC (it's been a while since I researched these) some departments have a requirement like "the car must be able to drive over a curb at 30 mph 30 times before needing repair). 30 mph over a curb is a lot, but keep in mind that the panther platform is by modern standards, a truck with a cars body (which is something I love about my Town Car... it's TOUGH).

 

very good info. I heard somewhere that the newer police interceptor crown vics got bigger alternators due to all the added electronics inside the car and all the sirens, lights, etc. but im not sure if this is true or not.

and these cars are one of the very few out there still utilizing a full frame.