Thinking About A Coyote Swap? Here’s How Each Generation Compares

Toward the end of 2000s, Ford found itself in a bit of a pickle with its famous pony car, the Mustang. Pony cars from other marques, like the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger, were on the cusp of galloping away from the Mustang performance-wise with their 6.2-liter LS3 and 5.7-liter Hemi engines, respectively. The challenge for Ford engineers was to squeeze extra horsepower out of a power plant that would fit in existing engine bays that previously housed the older 4.6- and 5.4-liter modular engines. Spoiler alert: they succeeded.

The result was an all-aluminum masterpiece with a classic 5.0-liter displacement and Ford’s first-ever variable camshaft timing in a V8. The official name of this engine is “5.0L Ti-VCT,” but most gearheads know it more simply as the Coyote — strangely nicknamed for a chassis that legendary driver A.J. Foyt used in Indy car racing. In the Mustang, the first Coyote 5.0 made 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, while a separate version for the F-150 was more focused on low-end torque for doing truck stuff.

Whether pickup truck or Mustang flavor, the Coyote V8 has joined Chevy’s LS on the short list of greatest V8s ever made. And as Coyote-powered Mustangs and F-150s get wrecked or otherwise go to scrap, hot rodders have a great opportunity to retrofit modern Ford 5.0 power into their custom cars or trucks. However, certain pros and cons make some generations more desirable than others for Coyote swapping.

As a general rule, it’s best to buy the newest 5.0 you can afford for your Coyote transplant. There’s nothing overtly wrong with the first generation from 2011 to 2014 in terms of reliability, but they do lack some of the power-adding refinements and beefier components that arrived in later years. That said, they’re still capable of 400-plus horsepower at the rear wheels (not to be confused with higher horsepower as measured at the crankshaft) with just some simple bolt-ons. That was proved by YouTube’s Late Model Restorations, where a relatively stock 2013 Mustang GT made a 400-horsepower dyno pull with a whopping 158,000 miles on its original engine.

If you can step up to the second-generation Coyote, released in 2015, you’ll be rewarded with stronger connecting rods and revised pistons with a deeper valve relief to pair with new Hi-Po cylinder heads and a revised intake manifold system. In the Mustang GT, these revisions goosed the 5.0’s output to 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. According to some blue-oval fans, this version, which ran until 2017, represents the most desirable iteration of the Coyote 5.0 — even though the Gen-2 Coyote had slightly less robust head bolts and timing chain than its predecessor. 

One caveat that affects both first- and second-gen Coyote engines is faulty head gaskets. If one or both head gaskets fail, it can lead to engine oil and coolant mixing, which is as bad as it sounds. Admittedly, this isn’t super common, but it happens enough to be a known issue to look out for. Also, a small but vocal contingent of first-generation Coyote owners report experiencing failed connecting-rod bearings. It’s worth noting that the fuel injection system on these engines also produces annoying yet harmless ticking sounds that could mimic a rod bearing going south, so you’ll want to be sure it’s not that before hitting the panic button.

By 2018, Ford clearly had a winner and rolled out the Coyote V8’s third generation, with some significant changes. Revisions include direct injection to supplement the existing port fuel injection, further-massaged cylinder heads, and a small increase in displacement courtesy of spray-in cylinder liners as opposed to traditional steel liners. The latter bumped the Coyote to true 5.0-liter status from the previous 4.9 liters that Ford called a 5.0 anyway. 

Some additional strengthening of the engine block and a return to beefier cylinder head bolts gave 2018 to 2023 Coyote motors a screaming (for a V8) redline of 7,500 rpm. In the Mustang GT, this mill produced 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft of torque. Some reviewers opine that Ford’s power ratings are conservative and the third-gen Coyote is even stronger than advertised.

While clearly offering the most horsepower in stock form of the 2011 to 2023 Coyote lineup, the third-generation engines also are notorious for using oil. According to a Technical Service Bulletin from Ford, “Some 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L engine may exhibit excessive oil consumption of greater than 1L (1 quart) in 4,800 km (3,000 mi) with no visible oil leaks.” The reason is explained as “high intake manifold vacuum during some deceleration fuel shut off (DFSO) events,” which effectively sucks oil from the crankcase into the combustion chamber. 

Ford’s solution to the high oil consumption is to “reprogram the powertrain control module (PCM), install a new engine oil level indicator and change the engine oil and oil filter.” Although clearly some owners weren’t satisfied with this Band-Aid fix and launched a class-action lawsuit alleging that faulty pistons and piston rings are responsible for allowing such large amounts of oil into the combustion chambers. Indeed, some F-150 owners allege much higher oil consumption than Ford acknowledges — up to three quarts per 3,000 miles.  

The simple fact is that there are no “bad” years of the Coyote 5.0. Coyote engines deliver impressive performance in stock form and are easy to upgrade if you need even more oomph. There are few widespread durability issues aside from the need to keep a few cases of oil nearby. For this reason, the Coyote has landed on Ward’s 10 Best Engines list no less than three times.

While the aspirational horsepower figures in this article focus primarily on the Mustang, the F-150 outsells the Mustang by around 10 to 1. That means there’s a good chance that your Coyote donor vehicle will come from the still-bestselling F-series — particularly if budget is a concern. Typically, the truck version of this engine has a slightly lower compression ratio that translates into about 60 less horsepower than the Mustang. However, peak power is available at a lower rpm. which can be an asset for street driving.

An even newer fourth-generation Coyote 5.0 launched in 2024, in conjunction with the seventh-generation Mustang, dubbed the S650. Since the 2024-plus Coyotes are largely unchanged from their third-gen predecessors save for minor tweaks like software and a new intake manifold, we expect this motor to be a prime contender for swapping into street machines as donor vehicles trickle into salvage yards. Exactly which Coyote 5.0 to buy will likely be a tug of war between later power-adding refinements and stronger construction versus the size of your bank account.