Editing Ford Vulcan engine (section)

==History==
The Vulcan V6 engine was developed as part of Ford's plan to produce a successor to their mid-size LTD and Marquis sedans and wagons. The project was led by vice president and head of product planning and research Lewis Veraldi. Originally called Sigma, the project was renamed DN5 and resulted in the 1986 [[Ford Taurus]] and [[Mercury Sable]].<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|2, 3, 13, 53}}

A [[straight-four engine]] was specified early on, possibly from a supplier outside of Ford, with no provision for a V8 and no expectation that a V6 would be needed. As work progressed, the future car's size and weight increased to the point where a V6 of 2.8&nbsp;L was added to the powertrain options.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|54, 55}} Neither of Ford's existing V6 engines were appropriate for this use; their 3.8&nbsp;L [[Ford Essex V6 engine (Canadian)|Essex V6]] was too wide and produced excessive vibration, while their 2.8&nbsp;L [[Ford Cologne V6 engine|Cologne V6]] was too large and heavy. Two years into the project, Thomas Howard was chosen to head up internal engine development.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|115, 116, 117}}

Performance goals were set for both the car and its engine. The car was to be able to accelerate from {{cvt|0|–|60|mph|kph|0}} in a maximum time of 11.5 seconds. The engine was to develop no less than {{cvt|130|hp|kW|0}}, travel {{cvt|7500|mi|km|-2}} before requiring an oil change, go {{cvt|100000|mi|km|-3}} before requiring major maintenance, run for five minutes after a major cooling system failure, and offer a "limp home" mode.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|117}}<ref name="cc-vulcan"/> Market studies indicated that American buyers were more interested in having a reliable, low maintenance engine than in owning a sophisticated engine for its own sake.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|117}}

The resulting engine was a clean-sheet, all [[Metric system|metric]] design. The engine's 60° vee angle was chosen to help it fit into the Taurus' engine bay.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|117}} Displacement grew from an original 2.8&nbsp;L to 3.0&nbsp;L. A variety of technologies were evaluated during development, including two different fuel injection systems, turbocharging, two sparkplugs per cylinder, [[variable displacement]] with cylinder deactivation, and Ford's experimental programmed combustion (PROCO) system.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|119}}

Ford's parts and service division asked that the oil filter, sparkplugs, oil dipstick be up front and accessible, and that key underhood touchpoints be colored yellow for easy identification.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|118}} The appearance of the engine was also important. The intake, for instance, was engineered with aesthetics in mind, though the design had the side effect of allowing it to flow more air.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|120}}

The engine block was cast at Ford's Cleveland Casting Plant with tooling built by Sherwood Metal Products, while the intake came from Ford's [[Essex Aluminum]] Casting. Engine assembly took place at Ford's [[Lima Engine|Lima engine plant]] in [[Lima, Ohio]].

In the spring of 1982 the first forty prototype engines blocks were cast, all of which cracked when they were assembled.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|119}} In their efforts to produce a lightweight block, Ford's engineers had designed a very rigid structure whose walls had been made very thin, which caused the cracking.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|119, 120}}

Some early engines were installed in front wheel drive [[Chevrolet Celebrity]]s.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|120}} Later test engines were installed in a group of [[Ford LTD (Americas)#Fourth generation (1983–1986)|Ford LTD]]s and [[Mercury Marquis#Fourth generation (1983–1986)|Mercury Marquis]]. These were driven approximately {{cvt|100000|mi|km|-3}}, roughly twice the usual test distance, and evaluated in both hot and cold environments. Another set of about thirty prototype engines were installed in a fleet of trucks that logged between {{cvt|100000| and |200000|mi|km|-3}}, after which the engines were torn down and inspected, deficiencies noted and parts redesigned, after which the engines were remanufactured and returned to service for a second phase of testing.<ref name="taubbook"/>{{rp|120}}<ref name="cc-vulcan"/>

The Vulcan was the only engine available in the Taurus when it launched; Ford introduced the {{cvt|2.5|L|cuin|1}} [[Ford HSC engine|HSC]] inline four as the base engine on certain models late in the Taurus' first year and later offered a model with a 5-speed [[manual transmission]].<ref name="hemmings"/> By the end of its first year of sales, the Taurus was offered in four trim levels: L, MT-5, GL, LX. The standard engine in the L and GL sedans and the only engine offered in the MT-5 sedan and wagon was the HSC four cylinder. The Vulcan was optional in the L and GL sedans, and standard in the L and GL wagons and all LX models.<ref name="fto-gen1"/> While the HSC engine could be paired with either the 3-speed [[Ford ATX transmission]] in the L, or the 5-speed [[Ford MTX transmission#MTX-III|MTX-III]] manual transmission in the MT-5, the only transmission available for Vulcan equipped models was the newly developed 4-speed [[Ford AXOD transmission|AXOD]] automatic.

In 1992 the 2.5&nbsp;L HSC four cylinder was dropped from the Taurus line, and the Vulcan became the car's base engine, and later the only engine offered in the 2006–2007 model years. It was also used in the [[Ford Probe]], the [[Ford Tempo|Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz]] from 1992 to 1994 (optional, but standard in the 1992 GLS, XR5, and LTS models, respectively),<ref name="ttcc-history"/> the [[Ford Aerostar]] and [[Ford Windstar]] [[minivan]]s, and the [[Ford Ranger (Americas)|Ford Ranger]] and [[Ford Ranger (Americas)#Mazda B-Series/Mazda Truck (1994–2010)|Mazda B3000]] [[pickup truck]]s. The 3.0&nbsp;L Vulcan replaced Ford's 2.9&nbsp;L German [[Ford Cologne V6 engine|Cologne V6]] as the base V6 in the Ranger. The last production vehicle available with the Vulcan V6 was the 2008 Ford Ranger.

Although it shared the Vulcan V6's general layout, 60° cylinder bank angle, bore, stroke, bore spacing, and a few minor components, the [[Ford SHO V6 engine|SHO V6]] was an engine designed and built by Yamaha with new [[Overhead camshaft engine#Double overhead camshaft|DOHC]] cylinder heads and a redesigned, strengthened engine block.<ref name="cd-dec1988"/>

Applications:
* 1986–1997 [[Ford Aerostar]]
* 1986–2007 [[Ford Taurus]]
* 1986–2005 [[Mercury Sable]]
* 1990–1992 [[Ford Probe]]
* 1991–2008 [[Ford Ranger (Americas)|Ford Ranger]]
* 1992–1994 [[Ford Tempo]]
* 1992–1994 [[Ford Tempo|Mercury Topaz]]
* 1994–2007 [[Ford Ranger (Americas)#Mazda B-Series/Mazda Truck (1994–2010)|Mazda B3000]]
* 1995–2000 [[Ford Windstar]]