Is the engine a free wheeling engine?

Yes, the Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest engine, 3.0L and 3.3L, are all freewheeling engines at the insistance of Ford to enter into the joint venture program. The Maxima and Pathfinder with the same engine remained non- freewheeling (interference engines).

I work for Ford and worked on the Villager program from 1989 to 2002 and was personally involved in the development of this program.