As is well known by now, Ford and Navistar have parted ways and the Blue Oval is developing diesel engines in-house to replace the PowerStroke lumps still being used. Slated to appear in Ford's trucks by 2011, the new oil burner code-named Scorpion is a 6.7-liter V8 with a host of innovations, some of them seemingly borrowed from cross-town rival GM.
But the first thing you'll notice is that mammoth radiator. PickupTrucks.com estimates that the cooler up front is up to 20-percent larger than the one on the 2008 Super Duty, and that one had already been enlarged by 33-percent over its forebear. The extra cooling could be needed for "extreme towing applications", and if there's one truck that's an extreme tower, it's the F-Series Super Duty.
The Scorpion diesel's innards will be enhanced with reversed intake and exhaust flow, something found on GM's Duramax diesel, and lighter aluminum cylinder heads. Nor will the Scorpion sacrifice mpg for its extra oomph: gains of 40 hp and 70 lb-ft will come with three more miles-per-gallon thanks in part to the truck's new 6-speed tranny that's debut as we speak on the new F-150.
The Internet got a sneak peek at the new 4.4L Ford diesel engine last April when somebody snapped a pic of the complete package sitting on the floor at Ford's national dealer conference. Now, thanks to some eagle-eyed sharp shooters, we can see the new oil-burning mill in its natural habitat under the hood of a Ford F-150. Sure, there's lots of black plastic covering all the good stuff, but we can get a glimpse of all the assorted plumbing that will make this engine squeaky clean. We can also have a good shot of the intercooler, peaking out between the grille and the radiator.
This engine is labeled as a Power Stroke, Ford's long-running moniker for the diesels equipped in its Super Duty trucks. For years, those mills have been made by Navistar, but after the fallout between the automaker and the supplier, Ford is now using a derivative of the diesel from Land Rover in Europe, though the 4.4L iteration will be made in Mexico for the North American market. Offering 20-percent more fuel economy than the 5.4L gas-powered Triton, along with a considerable bump in power, this could be one very important addition for the Ford Motor Company and will likely make its official debut at next year's Chicago Auto Show.
CAFE standards are being raised to 35 mpg by 2020, and automakers are working on several technologies to help achieve the lofty standard. The next 12 years will see lighter, more aerodynamic vehicles, but some of the most interesting solutions will be found under the hood. Electric vehicles, hybrids, and small, turbocharged engines will power many vehicles, and diesel engines are set to once again infiltrate our borders, but on a grander scale.
We talked to Ford Powertrain boss Dan Kapp to better understand why diesel engines are inherently more efficient than petrol engines, and we also discussed how and where Ford will be using diesel going forward. Hit play on the video above to take a look.
Mike Levine from PickupTruck.com is our go-to guy for truck news. His brain is like the bed of a Ford F-450 filled with the esoteric details of heavy duty diesel pickups and 3/4-ton gassers. Plus, he's from the old school of automotive journalism and has made a successful transition to the web, which means his reporting is always knowledgeable and balanced despite it being delivered digitally. When Levine told us he was planning on doing a comprehensive comparo of today's heavy duty pickups, however, we were unprepared for the depth of the final product.
The 2007 PickupTruck.com Heavy Duty Shootout pits six HD pickups from Chevy/GMC, Ford and Dodge against each other on a totally level and unbiased playing field. Levine went so far as to hire a third-party company to perform all of the instrumented testing to remove any trace of subjectivity in the results. The players are three gas-powered 3/4-ton pickups including the 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT Quad Cab 4x4, 2008 Ford F-250 FX4 Super Duty Crew Cab 4x4 and 2007 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLE Crew Cab 4x4, and three diesel-powered one-ton pickups including the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 LT Crew Cab 4x4, 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT Quad Cab 4x4 and 2008 Ford F-350 King Ranch Super Duty Crew Cab 4x4. Ford also threw in a 2008 Ford F-450 Lariat Super Duty Crew Cab 4x4 so that Levine and his team could attempt to prove how powerful this big rig really is.
We've just finished reading Part 1 and 2 of the three-part series, which includes an extremely knowledgeable and fact-filled introduction as well as the first battery of tests, including a "squat" test and 1/4-mile performance runs. Each part may appear like a lot to read, but we flew threw it faster than an unloaded GMC Sierra 2500 through the quarter mile.
Check out Part 1 here and click here for Part 2. The final installment should be out sometime this week, and we'll be eager to find out definitively which of these pickups outperformed its competitors in PickupTruck.com's battle royale of heavy duty trucks.
The first time we laid eyes on Ford's new F-450, we knew that we wanted to run one through the ringer. Intended to satisfy those customers who find traditional "one ton" dually trucks to be a bit too limiting, this massive vehicle pegged our more-is-better meter. The F-450 is, in fact, so big as to make the title of this post a complete misnomer, as it takes something more like a barn to house this much truck.
Wow, talk about a strained relationship! With so much money passing hands between Ford and Navistar, you might think they would find a way to negotiate a deal regarding their diesel engine partnership(s). You would be right, assuming you think that starting yet another lawsuit is a way to patch things up. That's right... another lawsuit. This one is still about diesel truck engines, but instead of the large 6.4 liter Power Stroke, this one cites a smaller 4.4-liter diesel engine slated for the F-150 truck in 2009 or 2010. Navistar has been Ford's long-time supplier of diesel engines that carry the "Power Stroke" moniker for Ford, and Navistar is claiming that if Ford goes to market with the 4.4-liter engine, it would constitute a breach of contract. At this point, it seems unclear whether Navistar is claiming to have designed the engine in question, or if it believes it had a contract to do so, but either way, things could get even messier between the two companies.
[Source: Automotive News (sub. req'd) via AutoblogGreen]
We all learn the theory of what happens inside an internal combustion engine; a mixture of fuel and air is ignited by a short electric spark. Some people describe the ensuing event as an explosion, but the ideal is a controlled burn, but it's still so fast that it could be confused for an uncontrolled explosion. An engine is a practical application of thermodynamics, when it comes right down to it. The piston moves by the pressure exerted by the burning fuel mixture, and as the piston moves down the bore, pressure reduces, and work is extracted from the fuel.
Of course, there's a lot more to it, but that's the basics. We're sure you had a little animated diagram dancing around in your head the first time you really tried to understand the common Otto cycle. My mental flash player still fires up when I'm trying to figure out different cycles like the Atkinson. Wouldn't it be great to actually see inside the cylinder during combustion events? No, we didn't videotape our lawnmower with a Colortune plug -- this technique is far fancier. Video and technique info after the jump
Our good buddy Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com did the legwork and got in touch with Ford safety spokesperson Dan Jarvis to talk about the video we showed you yesterday that features a 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup spewing flames from its tailpipes. Jarvis confirmed that the truck in the video is one of the three pickups Ford described last week when it issued a recall to address the problem. While not entirely certain which of the trucks it is, Jarvis said it's one of the two trucks that was purchased in Canada, probably the one that was started in extremely cold temperatures (appx. minus 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and not given sufficient time to warm up before being driven. That situation could make short work of any engine, and the resultant blown bearing seal in the turbo that leaked combustible fluid into the exhaust system should not necessarily be considered a defective part.
Clearly, Ford is very concerned about the reputation of its new 6.4L Power Stroke, which is evident by how quickly it took action with a recall to address three isolated incidents that resulted in the same outcome, i.e. flaming tailpipes. The real issue in each case appears to be this newfangled Diesel Particulate Filter, versions of which are used not only by the Ford Super Duty, but also the Heavy Duty GMT900 and Dodge Ram pickups. Considering that all three heavy duty pickups use a process of regeneration to burn away accumulated particulates in their respective DPFs, the potential for flaming tailpipes exists in all three trucks if an unmetered amount of flammable liquid gets in there somehow. We're certainly not cutting Ford any slack here, but considering it likely sells more heavy duty trucks equipped with diesels than the other two automakers, statistically speaking this was bound to happen to a Ford first. Only time will tell if we're right and other diesel-equipped late-model pickups start getting hot under the collar.
This video of a 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup shooting flames from its tailpipes surfaced last week over at forddoctorsdts.com, a forum only open to registered Ford diesel technicians. It made its way to some other forums before finally popping up on more mainstream sites today. Literally nothing is known for sure about the video, like who uploaded it, whether or not the truck spewing flames is one of the three Ford refers to in its recall notice, or even if the light show is the result of leaky injectors or a cracked turbo, the two issues that supposedly prompted the recall of all 2008 Ford Super Dutys equipped with the new 6.4L Power Stroke diesel in the first place.
What we do know is that it's pretty shocking to watch a truck throwing flames in idle, even more so when it's revved. We think it's important to be clear about what may be causing this and why Ford issued the recall in the first place. Fortunately, the purveyor of forddoctorsdts.com published a very clear, concise explanation of why the recall was issued and what may be going on in this video.
See the video and continue reading our account of this hot situation after the jump.
If you listen closely enough, you can hear the gargantuan "Whew!!!" from the glass house on Michigan Ave. Oakland County, Mich., Judge John McDonald has ordered International Truck and Engine to resume shipment of the 6.4L Power Stroke diesel engine that powers the uber-important Ford Super Duty pickup.
This whole mess started when Ford began debiting International's invoices to the tune of $125 million to help pay for expensive warranty costs incurred repairing the notoriously problematic last-gen 6.0L Power Stroke. As it turns out, Ford spent an estimated $1 billion on warranty costs due to a faulty fuel system on these engines supplied by International. For its part, International disputes the $1 billion figure and has refused to help foot the bill. Ford took action by filing a law suit and International retaliated by stopping production of the new 6.4L Power Stroke, which has resulted in the loss of 4,000 units of Ford's most profitable vehicle.
The temporary agreement calls for Ford to stop debiting International's invoices and actually pay the company. In return, the diesel engine supplier will resume shipments of the new 6.4L Power Stroke. The judge also ordered both sides to continue meeting in order to come up with a final solution, but that won't be easy since there's a lot bad blood between these two companies now. We don't know who's right in this case, but we do know this fire will likely flare up again.
As is well known by now, Ford and Navistar have parted ways and the Blue Oval is developing diesel engines in-house to replace the PowerStroke lumps still being used. Slated to appear in Ford's trucks by 2011, the new oil burner code-named Scorpion is a 6.7-liter V8 with a host of innovations, some of them seemingly borrowed from cross-town rival GM.
Wow, talk about a strained relationship! With 
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