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Remanufactured Ford 4.0L V6 Engine - Mustang
4.0L · V6 · Part DFDJ
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4-year no-fault nationwide warranty — includedOn gas engines in non-commercial use, at no extra charge. The builder’s standard cover is 3 years, parts only. Every gas engine we sell includes the 4-year no-fault warranty with labour, at no extra charge.
- “No fault” means we do not investigate why it failed — if a covered engine fails inside the term, it is covered.
- Labour is paid up to CAD $95.00 per hour — a cap on the rate, not a flat payout — and only for the remove-and-replace hours in the Mitchell labour guide. Diagnostic time is covered up to 2 hours, and fluids up to CAD $200.00. Towing and a rental car are not covered. Anything not listed here needs to be agreed with us before the work starts.
- The 4 years start the day the engine is installed, and a claim needs proof that a professional shop installed it.
- Unlimited kilometres, and no deductible.
- Call us before any warranty work starts, so we can authorise it. Labour paid on a repair we were not asked about first is not covered.
- A claim starts with a call to us. We file it with the manufacturer, and the manufacturer pays it.
Diesel engines, and engines put into commercial service, are not covered by this 4-year warranty — the terms vary by engine, so call us for the terms on the unit you’re pricing.
Add an install kit. Thermostat, water pump, belts, hoses, filters, plugs and leads — the parts that should not go back on a new engine. Ask for one with this engine and we quote it on the same order. What a proper install replaces
Warranty included — terms above
Core deposit refunded on return
Call us to confirm availability before you count on a date.
Shipping is freight-quoted after purchase, or pick up free in Edmonton.
Fits
- Ford Mustang 2005–2007 · 4.0L V6
Not sure it fits? Call (780) 473-2424 with your VIN and we'll confirm.
4-year warranty included
Refundable core
Ships Canada-wide
Engine guide
Ford 4.0L Cologne V6 (OHV & SOHC)
Also known as: Cologne V6, 4.0 OHV, 4.0 SOHC, Ford 245 V6
Overview & history
The 4.0L V6 that powered millions of Explorers, Rangers, and Aerostars is the final and largest member of the Ford Cologne V6 family — one of the longest-serving engine designs Ford ever built. Introduced in 1962 at Ford's plant in Cologne, Germany, the Cologne V6 started life as a compact 60-degree, cast-iron V6 for European Fords like the Taunus, Capri, and Granada, and stayed in continuous production until 2011 in displacements from 1.8 to 4.0 litres. North Americans first met the family through the 2.8L in the Mustang II and early Ranger/Bronco II, then the 2.9L. In 1990 Ford stretched the design to 4.0 litres for the Explorer, Ranger, and Aerostar — a pushrod engine built in Germany but fitted only to North American vehicles. In 1997 a single-overhead-cam version joined it, using a clever jackshaft arrangement to drive the cams and eventually replacing the OHV entirely. The SOHC 4.0 soldiered on in the Explorer, Ranger, Mustang, and even the Land Rover LR3 until the family retired in 2011 — a production run of nearly fifty years.
Specs & engineering
- •60-degree V6 with a cast-iron block in every version — a compact, naturally balanced layout that fits where a 90-degree V6 won't.
- •4.0 OHV (1990–2000): pushrod two-valve design with iron heads, rated 160 hp and 225 lb-ft, tuned for low-RPM truck torque.
- •4.0 SOHC (1997–2011): single overhead cams, 210 hp and 254 lb-ft — a roughly 30% power jump on nearly identical displacement (4,009 cc; 100.4 mm bore x 84.4 mm stroke).
- •The SOHC keeps a jackshaft in the old in-block camshaft location; a chain drives the jackshaft, which then drives the right cam via a front chain and the left cam via a chain at the REAR of the engine.
- •SOHC engines use a variable-length intake manifold to broaden the torque curve.
- •OHV blocks were revised twice — the 1997-up 97TM-AA casting got wider pan rails and extra gussets specifically to cut noise, vibration, and harshness.
- •OHV combustion chambers evolved from oval (1990–94) to heart-shaped fast-burn chambers (1995-up) for better efficiency and emissions.
- •The Land Rover LR3 version of the SOHC adds a balance shaft and a unique block, but shares its internals and cylinder heads with the Ford version.
Generations & variants
- •1.8–2.6L Cologne V6 (1962–1970s) — original European versions for Taunus, Capri, and Granada.
- •2.8L (1974–1986 in North America) — Mustang II, Capri, early Ranger and Bronco II.
- •2.9L (1986–1992) — Ranger, Bronco II, and Merkur Scorpio; gained a chain-driven cam and revised heads.
- •2.9L Cosworth 24V (BOA/BOB, 1991–1998) — DOHC four-valve conversion for the European Ford Scorpio, up to ~207 hp.
- •4.0L OHV (1990–2000) — pushrod version for Explorer, Ranger, Aerostar, and Mazda twins; 160 hp.
- •4.0L SOHC (1997–2011) — overhead-cam version with jackshaft drive; 210 hp; ran until the family ended in 2011.
Vehicles it powered
- •Ford Explorer (1991-2010)
- •Ford Ranger (1990-2011)
- •Ford Aerostar (1990-1997)
- •Ford Explorer Sport Trac (2001-2010)
- •Ford Mustang (2005-2010)
- •Mercury Mountaineer (1997-2010)
- •Mazda Navajo (1991-1994)
- •Mazda B4000 (1994-2009)
- •Land Rover LR3 (2005-2008)
- •Ford Bronco II (2.9L, 1986-1990)
- •Merkur Scorpio (2.9L, 1988-1989)
- •Ford Capri (2.6/2.8L, 1969-1986, Europe)
Casting numbers
| 90TM-AB | 4.0 OHV block, 1990-1994 — six bolt holes on the passenger-side pan rail, ten on the driver's side; 0.380-in dipstick hole. |
| 95TM-AB | 4.0 OHV block, 1995-1996 — eight passenger-side / twelve driver-side pan-rail bolt holes. |
| 97TM-AA | 4.0 OHV block, 1997-2000 — wider pan rails, added gussets, and an enlarged 0.435-in dipstick hole to reduce NVH. |
| 90TM / 93TM-AA | 4.0 OHV heads, 1990-1994 (plus 1995-96 Aerostar) — oval combustion chambers; marked with a letter 'T' on the exhaust port. |
| 95TM-AD / 97TM | 4.0 OHV heads, 1995-1997 — heart-shaped fast-burn chambers; marked 'U' on the exhaust port; these two castings interchange. |
| 98TM-AD | 4.0 OHV heads, 1998-2000 — narrower 1.40-in exhaust ports for higher gas velocity; marked 'A' on the exhaust port. |
Known issues & fixes
SOHC timing chain cassette and tensioner wear (the famous one)
What to watch for: A 'bucket of bolts' rattle on cold start that fades after a few seconds, gradually becoming constant. Failures have been reported anywhere from 45,000 to 250,000 miles.
The fix: Address the rattle early — external tensioners are cheap and quick to swap. Worn cassettes must be replaced as complete assemblies (guide, sprockets, and chain), and the rear left-bank cassette requires pulling the engine or transmission to access. Updated parts use a stronger six-leaf tensioner spring and metal-reinforced guides, so a properly rebuilt engine with current-design components puts this problem to bed.
4.0 OHV cylinder head cracking
What to watch for: Coolant loss with no visible leak, misfires, or oil contamination. Early heads crack around the valve-spring pads on the intake side; later castings can crack around the oil drain-back holes and in the chambers.
The fix: Have heads pressure-tested during any rebuild and replace cracked castings with the later improved versions rather than repairing marginal ones.
OHV valvetrain wear (rockers, pushrods, lifters)
What to watch for: Ticking or clatter from the top end — rocker tips and pushrod sockets show wear even on lower-mileage engines, often from oil starvation at the tip.
The fix: Replace rockers and pushrods as a set during service; stay on top of oil changes with the correct viscosity to keep the top end fed.
Rear main seal leakage (OHV)
What to watch for: Oil drips at the bellhousing joint and a low crankcase level between changes.
The fix: The factory crank seal surface is very smooth and can let the seal weep; correct seal installation (and a speedi-sleeve where the crank is grooved) during reseal or rebuild solves it.
Did you know?
- ★Every 4.0 V6 was built in Cologne, Germany and shipped across the Atlantic — the engine in the all-American Ranger, Explorer, and Mustang was German through and through, yet the 4.0 was never offered in a European Ford.
- ★The Cologne V6 has real racing pedigree: the fuel-injected Ford Capri RS2600 — an early fuel-injected Ford, using Kugelfischer injection — won back-to-back European Touring Car Championship drivers' titles in 1971 (Dieter Glemser) and 1972 (Jochen Mass).
- ★When Ford converted the 4.0 to overhead cams, it left the old camshaft bore in place and put a jackshaft in it — which is why one of the timing chains lives at the BACK of the engine, an oddity that keeps mechanics humble.
- ★At 1962-2011, the Cologne family logged nearly 50 years of continuous production — and its swan song was oddly glamorous, powering the 2005-2010 Mustang and the Land Rover LR3.