Which engine is better, 24 valve or reg 3.0 - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

clava · 01-12-2007, 18:29

Is the standard 3.0 V6 better or more reliable than the 24 Valve V6?
I've got a 1998 Sable with the standard 3.0, looking at buying a 1999 Taurus
with the 24 valve engine.
Never had one before.
Opinions anyone?
Thanks,
Clava

00gtr1 · 01-13-2007, 22:06

the 12v vulcan 3.0 engine has been a very relible engine for ford since it came out in 1986, its just about grenade proof. Though it lacks the horespower and giddy-up the DOHC 3.0 has. It is alot cheaper and easier to work on and parts are cheaper. But on the other hand I'd say the DOHC 3.0 is one of the best and smoothes engine Fords put out in a while. just make sure as with any engine the the previous owner took care of it. Over head cam engines don't like missed oil changes they have to many moving parts. If you have any more questions fell free to ask.

kato14709 · 01-14-2007, 09:12

I noticed with my 04 Taurus w/ the vulcan, that it's a dog out of the hole, but after you get the RPM's up, it starts to pull pretty hard. It seems to have a narrow power band, but it is pretty good running while it's there.

**tbird100636** · 01-15-2007, 09:28

Basic maintenance on a Duratec is not that hard. Granted, doing spark plugs in the rear requires removal of the R. side of the cowl but thats not too hard. The Duratec is way better for power. The amount of power you get out of the Duratec at half throttle requires full throttle on a Vulcan. Fuel economy is about even between the Vulcan and the Duratec. As long as it was maintained you should be fine. You will not be disapointed with a Duratec.

jbawilliams · 01-23-2007, 19:02

We got a 97 Taurus in September. I was real impressed with the power of this car. Found out that it is the 24V 3.0. I think it would have outrun my 96 C1500 Silverado - it is pretty quick to me - I have wanted to race my brother-in-laws Maxima.

PopaTim · 02-22-2007, 08:31

I've got a 95 Sable witht he Vulcan 3.0. Its got 177,000 miles on her and still driven daily. I'd like to see that kind of reliability in the 24v. Anyone got one?

bertha66 · 02-22-2007, 12:38

Sense mine is a 24v DOHC SHO, it does not directly compare, but I have 182,000 miles of trouble free driving with it. It is a 93 Taurus.

mre_power · 02-24-2007, 04:27

the ohv has better gas mileage,

dac122 · 03-05-2007, 05:40

137K miles on my 3L 12V and still going strong. Only uses about a quart of oil every 5K miles. I'd imagine the 24V would have much less room under the hood to work on things. If you plan on driving it into the ground stick with the 12V.

foggysail · 03-05-2007, 15:04

No matter how well the user reports seem to be, the higher the part count the lower the reliability. Of course, this assumes the same quality of engineering in both engines.

Foggy