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ENGINES THAT WORK:
2001-2002 3.0L DOHC Duratec Engines that work:
-Ford Taurus
-Mercury Sable
-Ford Escape
-Mazda Tribute
2003-2005 3.0L DOHC Duratec Engines that work: (preferred over above years)
*Changes from above years: oil separator/PCV system removed from between heads and integrated into valve covers, larger cooling passages for better cooling, different intake manifold, COP added, cam profile change slightly, etc.
-Ford Taurus
-Mercury Sable
-Ford Escape/ Mercury Mariner
-Mazda Tribute
-Mazda MPV 02-05 3L motors will also work. A few over on CEG have worked through this swap. It appears that the motor has quite a few benifits including, 2001 Cougar timing cover, 2001 alternator bracket, engine mount between heads is installed, SVT oil cooler, and DMD crank pulley. However, the intake on the MPV may not fit under the Cougar's hood. There are clearance issues with the Contour and the Contour has slightly more room. Cost for this motor does seem to be slightly more than the Taurus/Sable motor. Compare costs and weigh the benefits to determine if this motor is worth it for you. A cheaper Taurus/Sable motor might still be a better option if you don't mind doing a little work.
ENGINES TO AVOID:
-Pre 2001 3.0L DOHC Duratec motors: The 3L's previous to 2001 had lots of variations. The water pump was not driven off the cam and the intakes were aluminum split port intakes like the 2.5L intakes. You could install one of these motors but you would need to run an electric water pump. Your 2.5L intakes would bolt directly up to these motors without any modifications (no porting needed as they were split port 3Ls). 2000 was a mixed year so some were split and some were oval port.
-Ford Escape 06-08, Ford Freestyle 05+, and Ford 500 04+ 3L motors run the water pump off of the front exhaust cam creating issues with the Cougar/Contour crossover tube and prevents the use of the 2.5L valve cover on the front head. The heads also have extra valve cover bolt holes in them even though a rear 2.5L cover does fit and bolt down to the rear 3L head it won't seal because of the other bolt hole that the 3L cover/head has. On the 06-08 Escape 3L's the oil cap on the front valve cover sits too high for the Cougar/Contour hoods and would need to be modified if used. The valve covers sit too high for the 2.5L intakes (ported 3L build) but can be cut down and welded back. I'd suggest skipping these motors because it is a big pain (I've done it and it isn't fun). For a full 3L build using a 3L intake it wouldn't be as much of a pain but the other years would still be easier to use.
-Lincoln LS 00-02 did have a 3L motor without VVT. In 2000-2001 the engine was rated at 210hp and 205ftlbs. In 2002 it was bumped up to 220hp and 215ftlbs. The reason for the increase in hp in these motors is due to the direct-acting mechanical bucket (DAMB) tappets vs the roller finger followers (RFF) used in the 200hp 3L motors. Unfortunately being a Lincoln the used motors prices are very high and nobody to my knowledge has tried one but supposedly the heads are different enough where they will not work in the Cougar/Contour. You will pay nearly double the cost for a LS motor vs a Taurus/Sable motor and in the end you only get 10-20hp so I don't think it's worth the time and money for the little gain you get.
-For those looking at the higher hp 3L motors, these engines will NOT work: (Ford Fusion, Jaguar X type, Jaguar S Type, Mazda 6, Lincoln LS 03+ , Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner 09+) These motors use some form of VVT to boost power and this is why they are not compatible with the Cougar/Contour. They could probably work with some custom wiring and ECU from the donor engine but generally this is thought of as a huge waste of time. I'd suggest you steer clear of them.
*Note 1: While Ford did produce the Ford Taurus in 2006 it was only in Canada or as a fleet vehicle in the US so there won't be many of those 3L motors floating around. I suspect they are the same as the 2003-2005 3L's so they would work perfectly fine.
*Note 2: Everything above remains true unless you choose a hybrid 3l motor which uses a 3L block and 2.5L heads. I don't believe the 3L blocks are different enough to prevent you from using your 2.5L heads and installing it into your Cougar/Contour. Some passages need to be plugged on the 3L block, depending on if the block or heads have the extra oil drain backs, when going with a hybrid build.
Any other motor which isn't listed above (3.5L Duratec, 3.7 Duratec, Ecoboost engine, SHO motor, any V8) will NOT fit so don't ask! The entire reason for the 3L swap above is to get more power without having to do a ton of work or spend a ton of money. The motors above would need a lot of custom work. Most are too large to fit in the engine bay.
3.0L and 3.2L SHO Yamaha Engines WILL NOT FIT!
More info on types of 3L builds can be found here.
2001-2002 3.0L DOHC Duratec Engines that work:
-Ford Taurus
-Mercury Sable
-Ford Escape
-Mazda Tribute
2003-2005 3.0L DOHC Duratec Engines that work: (preferred over above years)
*Changes from above years: oil separator/PCV system removed from between heads and integrated into valve covers, larger cooling passages for better cooling, different intake manifold, COP added, cam profile change slightly, etc.
-Ford Taurus
-Mercury Sable
-Ford Escape/ Mercury Mariner
-Mazda Tribute
-Mazda MPV 02-05 3L motors will also work. A few over on CEG have worked through this swap. It appears that the motor has quite a few benifits including, 2001 Cougar timing cover, 2001 alternator bracket, engine mount between heads is installed, SVT oil cooler, and DMD crank pulley. However, the intake on the MPV may not fit under the Cougar's hood. There are clearance issues with the Contour and the Contour has slightly more room. Cost for this motor does seem to be slightly more than the Taurus/Sable motor. Compare costs and weigh the benefits to determine if this motor is worth it for you. A cheaper Taurus/Sable motor might still be a better option if you don't mind doing a little work.
ENGINES TO AVOID:
-Pre 2001 3.0L DOHC Duratec motors: The 3L's previous to 2001 had lots of variations. The water pump was not driven off the cam and the intakes were aluminum split port intakes like the 2.5L intakes. You could install one of these motors but you would need to run an electric water pump. Your 2.5L intakes would bolt directly up to these motors without any modifications (no porting needed as they were split port 3Ls). 2000 was a mixed year so some were split and some were oval port.
-Ford Escape 06-08, Ford Freestyle 05+, and Ford 500 04+ 3L motors run the water pump off of the front exhaust cam creating issues with the Cougar/Contour crossover tube and prevents the use of the 2.5L valve cover on the front head. The heads also have extra valve cover bolt holes in them even though a rear 2.5L cover does fit and bolt down to the rear 3L head it won't seal because of the other bolt hole that the 3L cover/head has. On the 06-08 Escape 3L's the oil cap on the front valve cover sits too high for the Cougar/Contour hoods and would need to be modified if used. The valve covers sit too high for the 2.5L intakes (ported 3L build) but can be cut down and welded back. I'd suggest skipping these motors because it is a big pain (I've done it and it isn't fun). For a full 3L build using a 3L intake it wouldn't be as much of a pain but the other years would still be easier to use.
-Lincoln LS 00-02 did have a 3L motor without VVT. In 2000-2001 the engine was rated at 210hp and 205ftlbs. In 2002 it was bumped up to 220hp and 215ftlbs. The reason for the increase in hp in these motors is due to the direct-acting mechanical bucket (DAMB) tappets vs the roller finger followers (RFF) used in the 200hp 3L motors. Unfortunately being a Lincoln the used motors prices are very high and nobody to my knowledge has tried one but supposedly the heads are different enough where they will not work in the Cougar/Contour. You will pay nearly double the cost for a LS motor vs a Taurus/Sable motor and in the end you only get 10-20hp so I don't think it's worth the time and money for the little gain you get.
-For those looking at the higher hp 3L motors, these engines will NOT work: (Ford Fusion, Jaguar X type, Jaguar S Type, Mazda 6, Lincoln LS 03+ , Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner 09+) These motors use some form of VVT to boost power and this is why they are not compatible with the Cougar/Contour. They could probably work with some custom wiring and ECU from the donor engine but generally this is thought of as a huge waste of time. I'd suggest you steer clear of them.
*Note 1: While Ford did produce the Ford Taurus in 2006 it was only in Canada or as a fleet vehicle in the US so there won't be many of those 3L motors floating around. I suspect they are the same as the 2003-2005 3L's so they would work perfectly fine.
*Note 2: Everything above remains true unless you choose a hybrid 3l motor which uses a 3L block and 2.5L heads. I don't believe the 3L blocks are different enough to prevent you from using your 2.5L heads and installing it into your Cougar/Contour. Some passages need to be plugged on the 3L block, depending on if the block or heads have the extra oil drain backs, when going with a hybrid build.
Any other motor which isn't listed above (3.5L Duratec, 3.7 Duratec, Ecoboost engine, SHO motor, any V8) will NOT fit so don't ask! The entire reason for the 3L swap above is to get more power without having to do a ton of work or spend a ton of money. The motors above would need a lot of custom work. Most are too large to fit in the engine bay.
3.0L and 3.2L SHO Yamaha Engines WILL NOT FIT!
More info on types of 3L builds can be found here.
