Ford 4.7L (289 cu in) Windsor firing order — diagram & guide

Back in the day, Ford’s Windsor factory produced some of the best-known V8 engines out there, and the 289 cubic-inch 4.7 was one of the most recognizable motors. However, the 289W engine could slightly differ from some other engines that Ford made over the years with the same displacement.

So, we are here to discuss the Ford 4.7L Windsor firing order to help you deal with any sort of engine issues that you can solve yourself. After we are finished with this guide, you’ll know exactly in which order to check the cylinders and their spark plugs and coils.

Ford 298 Windsor firing order

To give you a straight-up answer, the Ford 298 Windsor firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 and the order has remained the same regardless of some minor tweaks that the engine went through over the years.

It started back in 1963 and was codenamed “Challenger” for its high performance derived from a small-block V8. Over time, it got quite a few different variations including the Cyclone, D-Code, and A-Code, and all of these differ in terms of the compression rate and the carburetor barrels.

However, it’s important to note that the firing order remained the same – so it’s 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 regardless of which version your vehicle has under the hood.

Ford 4.7L (289 cu in) cylinder diagram

Besides the firing order, the next thing you should know about the 4.7-liter Windsor engine is its cylinder diagram. This will help you figure out in which order to look at the cylinder positions, so you may have an easier time replacing the spark plugs or distributor connections.

For this particular 289W engine, there are two cylinder banks – the passenger’s side Bank 1 and the driver’s side Bank 2. Looking from the engine’s radiator, you can see the Bank 1 cylinders 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Bank 2 cylinders 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Ford 4.7L vehicle applications

Now that you know a bit more about this engine, regardless of whether it’s a 298W or a HiPo version, it’s time to discuss the vehicles in which it was featured.

We’ll give you a list of all the cars made by Ford during the period in which the 289W engine was produced, so you can be certain that you’ve got the right firing order for your ride:

• Ford GT40
• Mustang GT350
• Ford Fairlane
• Shelby Cobra
• Ford LTD
• Ford Torino
• Ford Granada

Our take

After all we’ve been through in this guide, you should now be able to properly address any sort of issues with your Ford 289W-powered vehicle. Remember that the firing order stays the same regardless of the engine’s version.

Our team hopes that at least you’ll be able to use this information to keep the vehicle properly running in case of major engine breakdowns.