jvog

All 1999-2000 mustang motors are windsor motors. 96-98 and 2001-2004 are romeo. Im pretty sure cliff is right about the vin code.

cliffyk

He asked you that because it's a very persistent bit of conventional wisdom, that is 100% incorrect, I wonder if he ever wonders why no one with a Mustang has ever said "W"?

And yes, that is exactly what it means--all 2000's had Windsor engines and there were probably some 2001s with Windsor engines as they don't just throw a switch when the model year flips over and the car is pretty much the same. The 8th digit of the VIN however will be an X as for all Mustangs--and as it is in the VIN for my 2003--with a Romeo engine...

Here's Ford's engine VIN decoder for the 2003 MY; you'll see there is no "W" in the displacement description:

Cobrajets

Until 1999, all car engines were produced at the Romeo plant. In 1999 and 2000, Mustang engines were produced in Windsor. Production was moved back to Romeo in 2001. Most truck engines are from the Windsor plant, however there are many later model trucks with Romeo engines. All aluminum-blocked engines were produced at Romeo. While the basic design remains the same the two plants had different designs for main bearings, heads (cam caps), camshaft gears (press-on vs. bolt on), valve covers (number of bolts), crankshaft (number of flywheel bolts), and cross bolt fasteners for main bearing caps.

Read more: Ford Modular engine - Wikicars
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Sorry for the incorrect info. Maybe this will help a little better.

cliffyk

No need to apologise, that incorrect attribution to the 8th VIN digit is plastered all over the web, and it would seem there is at least one Ford parts manager that believes it as well.

On the bright side you can now carry the torch, and with great authority tell those who continue the "8th digit" fantasy, how full of it they really are.

One of my great enjoyments from participating here is that we do seriously work at finding what is correct, what works, and what isn't/doesn't.

It can get heated at times, and I have certainly been wrong on more than one occasion, but when the dust settles we all shake hands and are all better educated about our beasts--accurate knowledge is always good!