Can you make your rpm go higher than its stock setting and how

i have a 1991 mercury sable Ls wagon with a 3.8L engine. can i get the rpms over 5,000 which is its stock setting

Why do you want to go beyond redline? A Sable Wagon does not make a good drag racer. There is no other decent reason to go beyond the 5,000 rpm redline. None, other than racing. And, if you do, there is considerable damage to be done to the engine.

Okay, here’s what you do. You get going really fast, like 70 or 80 MPH and then slam it down into first. Depending on the transmission design, that should get the RPM’s well over 5,000 and should be able to allow you to achieve your goal of wrecking your engine, since that is the only reason why you would want to go over 5,000 RPM on this car.

Disclaimer: Don’t actually do this!

The 3.8 is governed at 5250 for the sake of the connecting rods, crank, and bearings.

There is a lot of 3.8 information out there, that is the same engine that was put in the Mustang and Thunderbird of that vintage (though they were rear wheel drive and yours is front wheel drive.)

If you want to know more about 3.8L performance, search the Mustang and Thunderbird forums, they have plenty of info (my Tbird used to be a 3.8, trust me, you can get more performance out of it but not by over-revving it. The stock motor makes all of its power down low, it’s a very torquey son of a gun.)

To everyone, the poster made a mistake. I think he/she means over 500RPM not 5000RPM.

There is something to be said about head gaskets as well.

Judging by the OP’s previous question about how to coax this car over 85 MPH. I think he actually does mean 5000 RPM.

sorry

License Plates!

  1. They are on the wrong car.
  2. Take them off.
  3. Put them on a different car with more giddy-up.
  4. Drive that one!

Your engine’s maximum safe RPM will be a function of its reciprocating masses and other design constraints. Lower reciprocating masses with alloy connecting rods, fancy pistons, alloy rockers etc., shorten the stroke when you select those fancy rods and pistons, add fancy roller bearings with the high duration cams, high performance valve springs, open up the intake and exhaust ports, add a low restriction intake manifold, a low restriction exhaust manifold, reprogram the chip, perfomr about $5,000 worth of other changes, and perhaps you’ll get it to redline higher. If you can afford the gas.

Now, about the drivetrain blowing out…