Ford 4.9L (300) I6

Ford 4.9L (300) I6 — every model and year that used this engine (37 models, 1981–2024), based on NHTSA VIN build data, with links to prices and reliability.

Legendary F-Series inline six.

4.9L · 6 cylinders · seen in 37 models, 1981–2024

By the numbers

Output range 118–145 hp (median 145 hp). Gasoline: 82%. Flex-fuel: 17%. Based on 549 decoded NHTSA VIN build sheets.

About this engine family

The Ford Motor Company produced straight-six engines from 1906 until 1908 and from 1941 until 2016. In 1906, the first Ford straight-six was introduced in the Model K. The next was introduced in the 1941 Ford. Ford continued producing straight-six engines for use in its North American vehicles until 1996, when they were discontinued in favor of more compact V6 designs.

In detail

The first-generation Ford six-cylinder engines were all flatheads. They were the G- and H-series engines of used in cars and trucks and the M-series of used in larger Ford trucks and for industrial applications. Introduced for the 1941 model year, the first Ford L-6 (designated G-series) displaced and produced , the same as the Flathead V-8 that year. Like the V-8, it was also a flathead or L-head engine. In 1948, Ford raised the compression of the flathead six or L-6 (designated H-series or Rouge 226) so that it generated and of torque.

The G- and H-series engines were used in the full-sized Ford cars and trucks to replace the smaller Flathead V8 that was used in the 1937 Ford. Ford discontinued production of the H-series engine for the 1951 model year. A version of the L-6 (designated the M-series or Rouge 254) was used from 1950 to 1953 in F6-series Ford trucks (COE, dump, truck-tractor, etc.), and small Ford school buses. The M-series engine produced and of torque.

They were also used in miscellaneous industrial applications, e.g., to power water pumps for irrigation purposes and within vineyards to manage risk by powering giant frost-control propellers on stands in the middle of rows of grapes. The second generation was a newly designed inline-six, produced from 1952 through 1964; it shared many parts with Ford Y-blocks such as the entire valve train and the problems associated with the Y-block's lubrication system.

These engines have the exhaust and intake on the driver's side and the distributor on the passenger side. It is referred to as Mileage Maker or I-Block Mileage Maker (with the "I" referring to "inline") in the passenger cars and Cost Clipper in the trucks. A completely new OHV I-6 was offered for the 1952–53 F-Series. It displaced and produced . It was also used in the 1952–53 Ford full-sized cars. The 215 grew to for the 1954 F-Series.

Output was now in the trucks and in the 1954 Ford cars. Power was up to in the 1956 trucks. While not the popular engine option, the 223 was the only inline-six offered in the Fairlane (until 1961), Galaxie, and F-Series trucks between 1955 and 1964, causing it to be not quite a rarity, but not easy to come across. The 223 was also used in 1963–1964 Ford trucks, which also used the Autolite 1100 carburetor with stamping C4TF-E and produced with 206 ft-lb of torque, and Mercury Meteor-Monterey in 1961.

The 223 was also used in Onan 30EC generator sets and possibly others. A I-6 version was also produced. The 262 I-6 was built from 1961 to 1964 for use in medium- and heavy-duty Ford trucks. This engine was also used for industrial applications. The third generation was produced at the Lima Engine plant in Lima, Ohio, from 1960 through 1984. Officially dubbed the Thriftpower Six, this engine line is sometimes referred to as the Falcon Six.

The inline-six engine was first introduced in the 1960 Ford Falcon. The 144 was made from 1960 through 1964 and averaged during the production run. While not known for being powerful or a stout engine, it proved to be economical and could get fairly good gas mileage for the time, up. This small six was the basis for all the Ford "Falcon" straight-six engines. The intake manifold on this series was cast integrally with the cylinder head (this design was also used by Chevrolet with some of their later third-generation inline-sixes, the older engines had separate manifolds); as a result, they could not be easily modified for greater power.

This engine had four main bearings and can be identified by the three core plugs on the side of the block. This engine was used in: * 1960–1964 Ford Falcon * 1960–1964 Ford Ranchero * 1960–1964 Mercury Comet * 1961–1964 Ford E-Series (Econoline) In 1961, the became an option for the Falcon and Comet lines. The 170 Special Six was a stroked version of the 144, increasing the stroke. The original 1965 Ford Mustang used a version from March (production start) through July 1964.

Source: Wikipedia — Ford straight-six engine, CC BY-SA.

Models that used this engine

Model Years with this engine Fuel VIN builds seen
F-150 1981–2022 Gasoline 144
F-250 1981–2021 Gasoline 92
E-150 1981–1996 Gasoline 68
E-250 1982–1996 Gasoline 44
E-350 1982–1996 Gasoline 34
F-350 SUPER DUTY 2018–2022 Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) 26
F-350 1981–2020 Gasoline 20
BRONCO 1981–1992 Gasoline 16

Engine usage derived from NHTSA VIN build data (displacement + cylinder configuration). Model links lead to prices, generations and reliability.

For sale with this engine