How dependable were the early Ford Panther cars with the 4.6L Modular V8 from the early 90s?
As reliable as the sunrise. Very good motors as long as they are maintained.
Ford Crown Vic were used as cabs and police cars for that very reason, reliability and simplicity. Don't expect more than 20mpg though
See here for some issues with that engine, but overall very dependable:
https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=186
They said on the website Day Walker posted about the engine’s spark plugs and how it’s too easy to over torque and strip the threads, when it said, “Ford recommends a threaded insert as the method to repair of stripped thread.” Is that kit still available? If any of you own a Panther car and have that kit, can you try to take a pic of it and post it please?
The most common brand name for a threaded inseert to repair a stripped thread is Helicoil. Folks have been using them for many decades to fix all kinds of stuff, not just spark plug threads. Available any good auto parts store. Here's a Youyube on installation (there are many on Youtube, this is just the first one that came up(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAXVvhpnuUU
