coolant path in a 4.6 Ford Mod Motor

[gt40man]

Hello all,

I have a question regarding the coolant path on the Ford 4.6 engine. The coolant inlet pipe is normally at the front of the engine going into a water port in the left and right heads. There are also a water ports at the aft end of the engine in the heads. Would there be a problem with relocating the coolant inlet pipe to the aft end of the engine in the water ports? Thanks for your help.

pete

 

[GregLocock]

I think you effectively mean reversing the flow of water through the heads?

That can be unwise -the flowrate is adjusted somewhat to try and even up the temperature of each cylinder, taking into account the warming of the water as it moves through the engine. I'd guess you'd get away with it if you aren't pulling full power for a long time.

Rereading it you might be trying to have the inlet and outlet at the same end, that won't work without a lot of changes.




Cheers

Greg Locock

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[NormPeterson]

I'm wondering if it's a specific version of the 4.6L engine in question here. The current aluminum 3-valve version is a particularly cold-blooded beast, and there may be some slightly different coolant routing or at least thermostat location involved.


Norm

 

[gt40man]

The direction of coolant would still be the same except that it would be entering at the aft end of the engine as noted. The specific engine I'm referring to is the 2003/2004 Supercharged 4.6. The reason for the question is I am building a mid engined car where the firewall is now at the front of the engine. The inlet pipes would be more accessable at the rear of the engine.

 

[NormPeterson]

Ford must have faced something similar with the GT.


Norm

 

[gt40man]

As a matter of fact I am building a GT40 replica.

 

[patprimmer]

One thing to watch for when redirecting water flow from standard in an engine is to ensure hot water is pumped to and flows over the sensor side of the thermostat WHEN the thermostat is closed. This is sometimes via the cabin heater or a thermostat bypass.

Regards
Pat
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[gt40man]

Ah yes thanks Pat. The coolant pipe has a sensor of some sort. Not sure what just yet. But I do need to determine where the thermostat is and make sure it is in the direction of flow. Very good.


Pete