# Horsepower question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790 "2015-07-21T16:08:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/1 "2015-07-21T16:08:31Z")
I have a 1992 Ford Taurus GL (front drive, 4 doors, automatic transmission). For some reason the horsepower is not given in the owner’s manual. Any ideas, please? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/2 "2015-07-21T16:26:06Z")
It’s not quite clear from what I can find but it would appear to be a 3[.0 Ford Vulcan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Vulcan_engine)engine rated at 140-155HP. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/3 "2015-07-21T16:29:53Z")
140 horsepower in 1992 spec. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/4 "2015-07-21T16:34:21Z")
Thanks. I don’t know why the manual wouldn’t have it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/5 "2015-07-21T16:37:39Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Thanks. I don’t know why the manual wouldn’t have it. Probably no great concern to Taurus purchasers in the 90s. And pretty low for those who were interested. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/6 "2015-07-21T16:38:05Z")
you might have the optional 3.8, which also had 140 hp in 1992. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/7 "2015-07-21T16:56:35Z")
… they offered two different sized engines with the same maximum horsepower? What was the point of the bigger one? More torque for towing? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/8 "2015-07-21T17:14:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … they offered two different sized engines with the same maximum horsepower? What was the point of the bigger one? More torque for towing? Wiki says it was [155–160 hp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Essex_V6_engine_(Canadian)#3.8). ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/9 "2015-07-21T17:18:45Z")
In the late 70 I had a 1970 VW Squareback. Its 4 - cylinder engine delivered only 56 hp. No great shakes, but the only drawback was that it couldn’t go very fast uphill. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/10 "2015-07-21T17:23:56Z")
Owner’s manuals tend to be pretty vague about mechanical specifics because the carmakers like to mostly just re-print the same manual from year to year between major redesigns. If they actually printed the HP number and then made some minor mechanical change that changed it a bit, they’d have to change the manual. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … they offered two different sized engines with the same maximum horsepower? What was the point of the bigger one? More torque for towing? It did make more torque (210 vs 160ish) but this was also an era when carmakers could get away with charging more for a “bigger” engine even if the performance numbers were very similar. > [@TriPolar](#): > > Wiki says it was [155–160 hp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Essex_V6_engine_(Canadian)#3.8). It says that was only for the police package Tauruses. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/11 "2015-07-21T17:26:41Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Thanks. I don’t know why the manual wouldn’t have it. They didn’t want to appear to be bragging? > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … they offered two different sized engines with the same maximum horsepower? What was the point of the bigger one? More torque for towing? I once owned a Ford Escort hatchback that I occasionally used to tow a small boat. When I traded it in, the salesman looked at the hitch and asked, “so . . . what _is_ the towing capacity of the Ford Escort?”😃 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horsepower-question/725790/12 "2015-07-21T17:29:13Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > It says that was only for the police package Tauruses. It was the only 3.8 for a 1992 Taurus I could find.