Found this on the good ol' internet. Thought it might be interesting to some of the 3.0 owners here:
The
Ford Vulcan V6 is a 3.0 L (2982 cc/182 in³), 60°
V6 engine, first introduced for the 1986 model year and originally designed to be the optional engine in the
Ford Taurus and
Mercury Sable. In 1988, it became the standard engine for the Taurus, and was the only engine available in the Taurus' last years. It has also been used in the
Ford Probe, the
Ford Tempo and
Mercury Topaz from 1992 to 1994 (optional), the
Ford Aerostar and
Ford Windstar minivans, and the
Ford Ranger and
Mazda B3000 pickup trucks; it replaced the
Cologne 2.9 engine (which it is not related to) as the base V6 in the Ranger.
The Vulcan was a clean-sheet design using the
metric system. The engine block is built by Sherwood Metal Products, the intake comes from Ford's Essex Casting, and the engine is assembled at Ford's
Lima Engine plant in
Lima, Ohio.
The Vulcan is a straightforward
pushrod design, with 2 valves per cylinder. Bore is 3.5 in (88.9 mm) and stroke is 3.15 in (80.0 mm). The engine was designed to use electronic
fuel injection from the start (there was never a
carburetor-equipped version), and was also sold in a "flexible fuel" configuration that could burn normal
gasoline,
E85 (a blend of 15%
gasoline and 85%
ethanol) or any mixture of these two fuels.
In 1991, it was updated with lower-friction pistons, a strengthened block, roller camshaft and other changes that resulted in a power rating of 145 hp (108 kW) and a torque rating of 160 ft·lbf (216 Nm). In 1998 further improvements were made, with a new
intake manifold, changes in engine management and cam timing; output was further increased to 155 hp (115 kW) and 185 ft·lbf (251 Nm). A plastic upper intake was added in 2001.
It is likely that
Ford chose this name in homage to
Vulcan, the mythological Roman god of fire and ironworking, as the engine is a fully cast iron design.
This engine has become very well-known for its durability, and it is not uncommon to find engines running strong at 300,000 miles and beyond.
The Vulcan is now used only in the
Ranger, which has been scheduled to end production in 2008. It is unknown which engine will be used in the Ranger's replacement, but Ford insiders report that Vulcan production will end in 2007.
Applications:
CMOS
