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Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure
Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure originally appeared on Autoblog.
Ford introduced its Coyote V8 engine as an evolution of its modular V8 platform, marking the Blue Oval's return to high-performance V8s, particularly in the Mustang GT. However, this engine isn't just exclusive to the long-running muscle car nameplate – several models also made use of this versatile engine, some even outside Ford's stables.
The Ford F-150 is one such model that benefits from the Coyote V8, particularly its third iteration, introduced in 2018. This generation of the Coyote received both port and direct injection, along with PTWA liners and increased bore. It even saw the birth of the "Predator," a 760-hp supercharged variant used in the mighty Raptor R.
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The Coyote V8 has established itself as a reliable performance-driven mill, but it's also known to be reliable, suffering only a handful of issues associated with its name. Some can reach hundreds of thousands of miles – like this example in the spotlight by YouTube engine coroner, I Do Cars.
In this teardown video, we get to see a third-generation Coyote V8 from a 2018 Ford F-150, which is presumed to have reached over 100,000 miles. The engine is apparently all locked up, but further inspection revealed what killed the Coyote and what made it such a special specimen of Ford engineering.
While I Do Cars was under the impression that the V8 in question was all banged up, initial inspection showed that it wasn't too bad. It rotated manually with a few internal clicks. The spark plugs appeared to be overdue, and while the intake ports were dirty, the valves were clean enough to suggest port/direct injection was helping.
Further examination of the top portion showed promising revelations, with clean sections after removing the valve covers. There were no metal glitter, damaged cam lobes, or broken valvetrain parts. Interestingly, a timing chain slap was discovered as the source of the clicks, due to the unloaded oil pressure-dependent tensioners.
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However, the cylinder heads showed heavy carbon and oil deposits, suggesting the engine was burning oil. One cylinder showed odd residue or discoloration, while the pistons came with a heavy carbon buildup in ring lands, suggesting oil control ring failure. Some oil rings were seized, others barely protruded, confirming oil consumption problems.
Overall, the Coyote V8 engine teardown showed minimal and typical wear after over 100,000 miles (apart from the plastic oil pan), with I Do Cars claiming it is a candidate for a rebuild. It wasn't flawless, but its failure was only from burning too much oil, which led to catalytic converter damage – the only persistent problem associated with Coyote V8s, beyond issues with its 10-speed transmission.
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Ford's Gen 3 Coyote V8 Dissected: The Hidden Cause of Engine Failure first appeared on Autoblog on Jun 3, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
