Dick KelleyCar and Driver
From the October 1995 issue of Car and Driver.
Ford’s Explorer has been gobbling the lion’s share of sport-utility sales for several years now, moving off dealer lots in numbers far greater than those of the second- and third-place offerings. That’s a fairly convincing display of marketing primacy, but check out this follow-up shot. It’s a V-8-powered Explorer, using a modified version of the pushrod 4.9-liter engine we know so well from the Mustang and other Ford vehicles.
The reasons a V-8 is now possible for the Explorer are, according to Ford officials, threefold. First, the Explorer got a new control-arm front suspension with its facelift for ’94, which made space for a huskier powerplant. Second, the adoption of the “Romeo” overhead-cam engine by the Mustang freed up production of the pushrod 4.9-liter V-8 at Ford’s Cleveland engine plant. Finally, there’s Ford 2000: a company reorganization intended to empower product planners and engineers to press on with projects without having to go through five vice-presidents for approval.
With the engine bay opened up fore-and-aft as well as side to side, the V-8 was shoehorned into a lower position than the V-6, allowing straighter driveshaft angles than with the 4.0-liter. To get enough clearance between the front of the engine and the Explorer’s radiator, Ford contracted Eaton to supply a “pancake” fan clutch to save space. Because the V-8 makes too much torque for the usual Explorer transmission, the automatic overdrive unit found in the T-Bird and Cougar was pressed into the role. And that required some modifications to the dash-panel tunnel for adequate clearance.
Having found a place for the V-8 in the engine bay, Ford engineers discovered a few packaging problems regarding induction and exhaust systems. The exhaust clearance problem was dealt with by having tubular exhaust manifolding sweep upward from the ports before diving down below the dash panel. The manifolding is wrapped in a ceramic bandage to protect nearby lines and fluids from heat damage.
A GT40 inlet manifold was found to fit quite tidily on top of the V-8 and was adapted for the purpose, along with the basic GT40 cylinder-head pattern. Because of the peculiar exhaust layout, the sparkplug location was changed. Also, says Paul Guaresimo, chief product engineer, the new plug position helps stabilize engine idling.
Explorers are not sports cars, so various truck camshafts were tried in an effort to achieve the horsepower/torque relationship appropriate to the vehicle type. The figures came out as 210 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.
The new engine-transmission added about 170 pounds to the front end of the vehicle, but the new power easily overcame that disadvantage. A little balancing of suspension values has produced an Explorer that feels no more nose-heavy than its six-cylinder sibling. In fact, Ford engineers found that the highest-rated springs for Explorer worked just fine when teamed with revalved shocks and thicker stabilizers.
The Explorer V-8 also gets Ford’s new C3 steering pump, which is quieter and more efficient than the previous unit. To cope with the extra torque being spun to the rear axle (the V-8 is available only in rear-drive vehicles for the moment), two pairs of rods anchor the rear axle to the frame to prevent axle windup. The result, according to Guaresimo, is a noticeable reduction in vibration.
As we discovered on a short preview drive, the V-8—powered Explorer has the easygoing responses that good torque provides. The V-8 burble during hard acceleration is very pleasing, and it dials back to an unobtrusive hum when cruising. You never have to get as deep into the throttle during normal driving as you do with the V-6, and the powertrain feels altogether effortless. There has been no discernible loss of maneuverability brought on by the 225-pound overall weight increase over the rear-drive six-cylinder Explorer.
In general, the Explorer has a more convincing upscale feel. Adding only about $1400 to the price, the V-8 model looks set to cash in on its V-6 partner’s success.
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