2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 Roushcharger - 10 Seconds To Love

We've been waiting for this moment for a long time now, but boost has come to the Coyote 5.0. It seems they get along quite well after all.

Since the Roushcharger is a fully engineered system, complete with heat exchanger, intercooler pump, and all the necessary wire, it's a must to pop of the radiator support cover and remove the front fascia from your GT. Then you'll want to remove the plastic cooling module side shields, and then drain the coolant from the radiator using the petcock at the lower passenger side of the radiator.

Before making the jump to forced induction, Justin spent some quality time testing and tuning the car with various cold-air induction systems. At the time of our install, Rebecca's car wore a Roush CAI, which had to come off in favor of the induction supplied with the Roush kit. If you are working on a stock car, you'll just remove the stock airbox lid, clean-air tube, and Induction Sound Tube. The kit even includes a cap for the hole in the firewall vacated by the IST. You'll also want to remove the strut-brace if your car is so equipped, then pop off the engine beauty cover and remove the evaporative emissions hoses.

Way before you get to this step (you'll want to read those instructions before diving in), it's necessary to relieve the fuel pressure from the system. To do this, you unplug the fuel pump control module in the spare tire well, then start the car and let it run till it sputters out. Now there's no fuel pressure in the rails. Now you'll be able to safely remove the fuel rails and injectors without getting sprayed by fuel.

After you've cleared out the fuel rails, heater hoses, and electrical connections, it's time for the intake to leave. Thanks to its six fasteners and O-ring port seals, the stock composite intake removal is quite simple.

There's plenty of room in the Coyote's valley for an air-to-water intercooler, but you do need to loosen and re-clock the knock sensors to clear the way for the new manifold. You'll also want to put some tape over the intake ports to prepare for the timing cover mods that are to come.

Before you get out the grinder, you'll need to move the wiring harnesses mounted to the passenger-side cylinder head. You'll also want to pop off the outer accessory belt.

It will be reused, but the inner belt that drives the air-conditioning can be cut off. It will be replaced with the new blower drive belt. Justin previously removed the coolant de-gas tank and radiator hoses, so there was plenty of room to access this area.

Here comes the most daunting part of the install. It is necessary to trim three bosses and three ribs on the timing-chain cover to provide the necessary clearance for the supercharger belt. The two outer bosses are trimmed to the same level as the ribs, while half of the inner boss is trimmed.

Meanwhile sections of the ribs must be completely removed so that they are level with the face of the cover. The instructions provide detailed illustrations to ensure you make the right cuts, but be careful not to cut too deep and strike oil.

It is necessary to relocate some wires on both the throttle-position sensor connector and canister purge valve connector and install some extension harnesses. Use a de-pinning tool, and pay close attention the instructions to ensure you get the wires in the correct spot. Once those harnesses are extended, you can add the new harness for the intercooler pump. It taps into key-switched signal from a radio harness, and power from the fuse box. It also piggybacks on grounds near the fuse box.

Once you install the lower intake, you'll also need to install an air-charge-temperature sensor harness and tap it into the ACT wire at the mass-air sensor.

Using existing fasteners, you mount the provided brackets for the Roush heat exchanger, which mounts between the bumper and the A/C condenser. The kit is so complete it even includes new plastic cooling module side shields to fit around the provided heat exchanger.

Likewise, the intercooler pump mounts using existing fasteners to secure this mounting bracket.

We had a slight delay with our lower intake manifold's arrival, so we soldiered on with the new front engine accessory drive. Normally you'd want to drop the lower in first, but here Justin installed the new idler bracket.

Like the lower intake, this tensioner bracket is a signature piece of Roush's engineering efforts. It allows the use of the more desirable inner sheave of the crank pulley to drive the supercharger, yet maintains factory levels of clearance for the inevitable belt fluctuations that take place under rpm. Of course, you have to install the new blower belt, which also drives the A/C compressor, before bolting the bracket up for good.

Before dropping the lower intake in place, be sure to install the new PCV purge hose to the bubbler fitting at the rear of the manifold. Then you can drop the new intake into place and secure it by reusing the same six bolts that fastened the stock composite intake. With the lower in place you can reinstall the factory heater hoses and route the intercooler hoses from the manifold to the heat exchanger to the reservoir.

Lubing and install the new 47-lb/hr injectors in the new fuel rail before installing the whole assembly on the lower intake. The kit is that complete, that it includes new rails to ensure proper-fitment with these new injectors. The injectors were engineered with a Coyote-specific spray pattern to improve driveability and emissions. "At our current power level, these injectors meet the added fuel flow requirements of our supercharged engine package with 12-percent capacity to spare at standard conditions," Erin Dmytrow explained. "Added power under cold ambient and/or enriched conditions could drive the injectors to their full duty cycle."

We're almost home as Justin sets the Roush-charger TVS onto its matching lower intake. Simply bolt it down, install the new PCV tubing, and install the new belt.

Here's the finished install. The new intercooler reservoir installs by drilling just one hole, while the induction system shares common traits with both the GT500 and the previous generation of supercharged Roush Mustangs. The inlet elbow and throttle body are like those found on the GT500, while the clean air tube and airbox lid were last seen on the likes of the 540RH. "The GT500 throttle body provides a lower inlet restriction, which helps maximize power with the added airflow requirements of our Roushcharged engine package," Erin said. "A second benefit is its reduced height which allowed for easier packaging and placement under the hood, directly above the driver-side cam cover."