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Which engine is better, 24 valve or reg 3.0

57K views 16 replies 15 participants last post by  09 Taurus 3.5L 
#1 ·
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
 
#2 ·
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.
 
#4 ·
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.
 
#5 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
foggysail said:
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
Normally, this only comes into play when oil changes are neglected. Rarely does that happen on a religiously maintained engine.
 
#13 ·
"Better" is relative to the price. The Vulcan is early 80's technology improved from 140 hp to 155 hp. A basic and reliable Ford cast iron engine. The Duratec 30 DOHC is an all aluminum Porche design purchased by Ford/Cosgrove in the mid 90's. Several times Wards top ten engines of the world winner for various dispacements. Latest 3.5.
I have a 2005 Honda V6 and a 2005 Sable LSP Duratec 30. Honda is an engine company with significantly better technology than Ford.
 
#14 ·
24V engine is a nice piece overall. I found the 12V gave better everyday livability as earlier 24V produced nearly the same torque as the 12V at the time, but at higher rpm making it move a two ton car a bit more of a struggle, especially when loaded. The 24V shines on the highway and overall I must say that although I might own a 12V, the 24V is more sophisticated (er, up to date) technology wise, and breathes better at higher rpm. For better gas mileage, better low end torque (vs earlier 24V engines), meant that the 12V was the engine for me.

Foggy's bang on too. More parts = more problems down the road. A good example is the light duty diesel engine crowd: Cummins is the only LD manufacturer to offer an inline six diesel engine while Ford and GM offer V8's which have 60% more moving parts and their TBO (time before overhaul) is half of that of the Cummins. With these two gas engines, it depends on how you drive and how good you keep up to date with regular maintenance.
 
#17 ·
We had two 98 Tauruses with the Vulcan OHV V6 and a 04 Taurus with the Duratech DOHC V6. I have never really been able to feel a noteworthy power advantage to the Duratech as the power is at the top of the RPM range. I have seen many Vulcan OHV V6s reach above 200K miles, including our 98 LX that my aunt bought from us (engine finally died at 272K miles), my uncle's 95 (250K roughly it was retired due to transmission failure but unlike the 98, the tranny was not the original), one of my dads clients had a 95 & 97 (278K and 250K miles if I remember correctly) and others I can't remember any details on. The Duratech 24 valve DOHC in the 04 didn't have any real problems but we only had it about 120K miles on it. My uncle currently has a 02 (I think) with a Duratech with at least 170K miles on it and as far as I am aware, he has had no major problems with the engine. Between the two, I prefer the Vulcan simply because it is a cast iron block and head which makes me believe it will be more durable design and that I know many examples of that engine reaching more than 200K. The Duratech I simply haven't seen as many on though I would take it over other manufactures engines (any GM 24 valve V6, Chrysler 2.7L V6, Toyota 3.0L V6) just to name a few after seeing numerous problems with those.
 
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