Ford Revs Up New Diesel Engine Family

Ford Motor Co. says its new line of turbocharged EcoBlue 4-cylinder diesel engines are more efficient, cleaner, lighter, quieter and more powerful than the oil burners they replace.

Developed by Ford engineers in the U.K. and Germany, the new diesels build on Ford’s EcoBoost gasoline engine technology. The carmaker is launching the all-new diesel family in Europe with a 2.0-liter mill that will be offered in its Transit and Transit Custom vans.

Ford says the design can be used in both front- and rear-wheel-drive vehicles. Other applications are expected to include the Mondeo sedan and S-Max and Galaxy MPVs as well as the Edge crossover, Ranger pickup and Tourneo commercial vehicle. In addition to the 2.0-liter unit, Ford is planning a 1.5-liter diesel for its European small car lineup.

The larger engine will be offered in six power outputs ranging from 98 hp to 237 hp. Specifications for the 1.5-liter diesel haven’t been announced.

In the Transit vans, the new 2.0-liter EcoBlue will replace the current 2.2-liter diesel. Buyers will have a choice of three power levels: 103 hp, 128 hp and 168 hp. Ford says the new mill generates 20% more torque than its predecessor at 1,250 rpm.

The 2.0-liter engine also helps improve fuel economy by 13% and reduces exhaust emissions by 10%, according to the carmaker. It says the engines fitted with an advanced selective catalytic reduction aftertreatment system—a first for Ford—will easily meet stringent Euro 6 emissions standards that will be phased in this autumn.

Other touted benefits include a smaller package size and a 22-33-lb weight savings compared with the 2.2-liter diesel. And radiated noise has been reduced by four decibels at idle, Ford says.

The optimized engine design reduces friction with a 10-mm offset crank design that minimizes piston side-load, reducing rubbing forces against the cylinder walls. Other friction reducers include a belt-in-oil system for the camshaft and oil pump drive belts, thinner crankshaft bearings, a revised valvetrain and an all-new single-piece camshaft module.

For the first time, Ford is using a mirror-image porting configuration for the integrated inlet manifold, with clockwise airflow for the first two cylinders and counterclockwise flow for the last two. The design more precisely controls the flow of air into the cylinders to optimize the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chambers of all four cylinders, according to the carmaker.

New fuel injectors deliver as many as six injections per combustion event. Each injection takes just 250 microseconds and delivers 0.8 mg of fuel, which is sent through eight conical holes 120 microns in diameter.

Piezoelectric technology is used in the body of the injectors to help lower noise levels. The injectors also are more responsive and efficient, while providing smoother start-stop performance.

An aerodynamically advanced turbine wheel—made from a high-temperature Inconel alloy—has a 10% smaller diameter. The aerospace aluminum grade compressor wheel is reduced in diameter by 15%. Ford says the reductions decrease inertia and enable faster boost performance with wheel speeds as high as 240,000 rpm to help boost low-end torque.