Ford 5.0L V8 Coyote Engine Specs, Problems & Reliability

The Ford 5.0 Modular "Coyote" is an all-new 5.0-liter gasoline V8 engine, which replaced the previous 4.6L/5.4L Modular versions are in the Ford Mustang GT and Ford F-150 for the 2011 model year. The new 5.0L V8 option was developed with the target of competing with the GM 6.2L V8 engine and the new Chrysler 6.4L Hemi. As a result, Ford engineers managed to create a much smaller displacement engine that produces the same amount of power as its competitors and runs on regular 87 octane unleaded gasoline.

While the 5.0L version shares no parts with its predecessors, the 8.937 in (227.0 mm) deck height, 3.937 in (100.0 mm) bore spacing of the 4.6L V8, and bell housing bolt pattern were kept, allowing the engine to be machined and assembled on the same production lines using pre-existing Modular engine production tooling. The new 5.0L Modular V8 is built around a brand new aluminum cylinder block with pressed cast-iron cylinder liners and a 90-degree angle between cylinder banks. It has four-bolt main bearing caps and a deep crankcase. The 5.0 is equipped with a forged steel crankshaft and forged powdered metal connecting rods. The connecting rod length is 5.933 in (150.7 mm). The 5.0 engine block also has piston-cooling jets.

While the iconic Ford 5.0/302 had a cam-in-block pushrod two-valve valvetrain, the 5.0 Modular engine features four-valve aluminum cylinder heads with dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) driven by an individual timing chain for each head. There is a three-layer metal gasket between the engine block and each cylinder head, providing reliable sealing in between. The intake and exhaust valves are actuated by camshafts via roller finger followers equipped with hydraulic lash adjusters. The Coyote 5.0 became Ford's first V8 engine with its cam-torque-actuated (CTA) Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT), which can also be found in Ford's 3.5-liter and 3.7-liter V6s that were presented in 2011. Cylinder head covers are made of plastic. The intake plenum of the plastic intake manifold is located low between the two cylinder banks. It is fitted with a "drive-by-wire" electronic throttle body with variable runner control.

Originally introduced, the 5.0L Coyote has an electronically controlled, sequential multi-port fuel injection and coil-on-plug ignition system. The Mustang GT 5.0 version features tubular stainless steel exhaust headers, while the F-150's V8s have cast iron exhaust manifolds. The F-150 5.0 V8 engine is offered as an alternative to the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. A torque-biased version of the Coyote for the Ford F-150 pickup truck compared to the Mustang GT variant provides less maximum power but excellent low-end and mid-range torque. The detuned F150 5.0 variant features a lower, 10.5:1 compression ratio (instead of 11.0:1), revised cylinder heads, intake camshafts with less duration, and an external engine oil cooler.

Ford 5.0 Coyote Gen 3 - 2018 Updates

In 2018, Ford switched from the more traditional cast iron sleeves in the block to the Plasma Wire Arc Transfer cylinder liner technology. This increased the bore diameter from 92.2 to 93.0 mm (3.63 to 3.66 in) and brought up the total displacement from 4,951 to 5,035 cc (302 to 307 cu in). The Gen 3 Coyote engine features dual-fuel, high-pressure direct injection with low-pressure port fuel injection and an increased compression ratio of 12.0:1. These changes are relevant to both the Mustang GT and F150 with 5.0 V8s.

For the 2018 Mustang GT, the Gen3 5.0 engine was also equipped with new camshafts, enlarged intake and exhaust valves, and a revised intake manifold that moved the redline to 7,500 rpm.

Engine Specs

Ford 5.0 Coyote Engine Problems and Reliability

The 5.0L Coyote is a big-displacement, naturally aspirated V8 engine, which is a little less complicated than turbocharged V6s and therefore has fewer parts that can fail. The 2011-2017 "Five-Oh" is known as a rock-solid, reliable engine. The reason is its relative simplicity and time-tested design, similar to the previous 4.6L engine. There are forged connecting rods, a strong forged crankshaft, iron sleeves, reliable timing chains, and traditional port fuel injection. This combination provides good long-term durability at the same incredible level of performance. The only downside is that fuel economy for the 5.0 V8 is not so good compared to Ford's EcoBoost line.

For 2018, Ford made numerous revisions to the 5.0 Coyote. Iron sleeves are gone. They were replaced with spray-on bore liners (which can't be redone in a local shop). Ford also added direct fuel injection, which sprays fuel directly into the combustion chamber. In pursuit of EcoBoost power and fuel efficiency, the revised engine became more complex and expensive to produce and repair. Now, it mostly depends on what kind of power delivery you like.

Ford 5.0 Road Runner / Boss 302 engine

For the 2012 model year Boss 302 Mustang, Ford introduced a high-performance variant of the 5.0L Coyote, the 5.0 Road Runner V8 engine. Compared to a regular Coyote V8, the Road Runner engine features a forged steel crankshaft, forged aluminum pistons, CNC-ported cylinder heads, and a high-flow intake manifold taken from the 302R racecar. Besides that, the engine was equipped with a revised camshaft with a high lift exhaust profile. The compression ratio is 11.0:1. The modern Boss 302 engine lost 10 lb-ft (14 Nm) of torque at peak when compared to the standard GT, but at the same time provides more horsepower at an outlandish 7,400 rpm redline due to grater airflow characteristics. The Boss 302 was rated at 444 (331 kW) hp at 7,400 rpm and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm) of torque at 4,500 rpm.