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SPECIAL

Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

Smart Technology Spearheads Ford Engine Line-Up

Staff, Wednesday August 17, 2005.

Page 1 of 1

We've taken the most technologically advanced six-cylinder engine we had ever produced and made it even better. It's now a smarter design in every key area ? technology, performance, refinement, fuel economy and emissions.
? Trevor Worthington, Product and Development Vice President, Ford Australia

Ford Australia today unveiled a series of upgrades to the engine line-up that will power the BF Falcon and SY Territory due to go on sale at the end of October.

?The addition of dual independent variable camshaft timing and dual knock sensors keeps the engine powering the new vehicles at the forefront of automotive technology.

?Customers will notice the gains from the minute they turn the key with greater refinement, extra performance each time they press the accelerator, and most importantly, see improvements in fuel economy for all petrol versions each time they fill up their vehicle.?

Worthington said the engine improvements were driven by feedback from customers looking for an improvement in fuel economy but, importantly, not at any cost to the levels of power and refinement they were used to.

?With the introduction of this new engine programme, Ford Australia is providing customers with the best of both worlds ? more useable performance, cleaner emissions and increased fuel economy for all petrol engines.

"This strategy has also helped us meet all the requirements of the stringent Euro III emissions legislation which come into force on January 1, 2006.

?Working in combination with our new ZF six-speed automatic, revised Ion four-speed automatic and the Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission, the BF Falcon and SY Territory are truly world-class cars,? Worthington said.

Barra 190

The new Barra 190 spearheads the engine range, building on the strengths of the DOHC in-line six first seen in the BA Falcon released in 2002.

The Barra 190 adds to that critically acclaimed engine with a superb combination of power, torque, refinement and fuel economy.

?The changes implemented in the program mean the Barra 190 is the best in-line six cylinder engine Ford Australia has produced and one that ranks with the best I6 engines in the world,? Engine Design Supervisor Colin Reddington said.

?With the Barra 190, customers will have access to the inherent smoothness only an in-line six can provide with an abundance of torque, the refinement of a state of the art double overhead camshaft design and greatly improved levels of fuel economy.

?The Barra 190 really has everything in terms of technology and features: double overhead cams, 24 valves, increased compression ratio for a more fuel efficient burn, dual independent variable camshaft timing. It's got all the features you?d want in a top of the line engine,? he said.

Reddington said the engine team was excited by the possibilities brought about by the inclusion of the latest generation dual independent variable camshaft timing.

?We had twin VCT phasers in the BA Falcon, which was an excellent platform for this program. In the Barra 190 each phaser can rotate each camshaft independently to maximize power, torque and fuel economy.?

Dual independent VCT delivers a significant low speed torque enhancement and sustains it throughout the engine speed range.

?In addition to the improved performance across a broad rev range, there is a noticeable decrease in fuel consumption, especially at part throttle.

?At cruise on the highway, where throttle openings are reduced, the system is able to retard the timing by as much as 50 degrees.

?The VCT phasers also retard the camshaft angle at part throttle loads and advance the angle for higher loads, or under wide open throttle applications.

?This optimises the cam timing for the range of engine conditions enabling maximum low speed torque and best high rpm power.

?This cuts fuel consumption as well as providing internal exhaust gas recirculation that helps lower tailpipe emissions,? he said.

At idle, the intake camshaft is retarded by 18 degrees for improved combustion stability providing smoother running.

?Traditionally, four-valve engines demonstrate a strong top end but can suffer from a weak bottom end. Thanks to the dual independent VCT system and a well proven variable intake system the new engine provides purposeful torque from very low revs.?

He said the transition through the advance/retard range was seamless, unlike some less advanced systems where there is a noticeable switch point.

The amount of adjustment is determined by comparing the position of the camshaft with a pre-mapped calibration.

Each camshaft on the I6 engine is fitted with a camshaft phaser that allows up to 60-degrees of variation, depending on engine load and speed.

"From the pin-lock position we are able to advance 10 degrees and retard up to 50 degrees. The variation is achieved via oil-pressure acting against the phaser," Reddington said.

An oil control valve directing oil pressure to each cam phaser is located to provide an immediate and reliable response. Both control valves are activated simultaneously by impulses received from the Powertrain Control Module.

Mounting the oil control valve within the cylinder head assembly removes the need for separate oil ways and offers greater durability and reliability, as well as packaging efficiencies and weight savings.

To ensure perfect seating of the camshafts, four oil control galley plates are bolted to the top of the cylinder head before the galleys for the camshafts are bored. The front two house the oil control valves.

Each of the four galley plates is unique so they cannot be mismatched during in-field service. The galley plates locate on dowels sunk into the head for perfect positioning every time.

?What it means for the customer is instant power when you need it, combined with a noticeable improvement in fuel economy.?

Compression ratio increase / Dual knock sensors

Adding a second knock sensor to all I6 engines enabled engineers to deliver fuel economy benefits by taking advantage of an increased compression ratio.

The upgraded I6 engine features an increased compression ratio for improved power and better fuel economy.

?The new pistons feature a revised crown profile, which delivers a compression ratio increase from 9.7:1 to 10.3:1 on the base I6 petrol engine.

"The pistons are also stiffer and feature a new pin bore which improves refinement, while retaining the high durability levels Ford engines are renowned for," said Reddington.

?Dual knock sensors provided the foundation for a strategy change which enables the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to optimise the ignition timing for each individual cylinder.

?This has resulted in improved engine performance via more accurate spark control, improvements in fuel economy and improved levels of powertrain refinement.?

Reddington explained four modes of spark control were employed in the engine programme.

?Individual fast only spark correction reacts to detonation noise and retards the spark for the next firing event on the same cylinder. This mode provides optimum fuel efficiency because spark is only retarded when detonation is ?heard? by the system.

?Individual slow / fast spark correction is applied in addition to the fast only mode. Slow correction remembers the spark advance used on previous events and is slowly removed if knock is not detected for a few seconds, adding to the refinement levels of the engine.

?The fourth mode is no spark correction, used at low engine loads where detonation is not possible. As a result, no spark correction is applied and the engine runs at the optimum spark timing.?

While the engine is calibrated to deliver benefits for all types of petrol users, Reddington said the addition of a second knock sensor meant customers could obtain further performance and economy benefits from using premium unleaded fuel (95 RON).

Ignition system

All Ford I6 engines in the programme ? Barra 190, Barra 245T and Barra E-Gas ? include an ignition system featuring adaptive and variable dwell enabling more efficient ignition control across the speed / load range.

?Adaptive dwell takes account of the battery voltage and temperature of the coil windings in the ignition system, ensuring a reliable, repeatable charge.

?The variable dwell delivers maximum coil energy when required voltage is high ? under heavy acceleration for example ? and minimum coil energy when the engine is cruising, or at idle.?

Reddington said the I6 engines also featured the latest in spark plug technology.

?Spark plugs in all I6 engines now have a 0.5mm finewire centre electrode ? the smallest available ?and platinum pad ground electrodes.

?They have been optimised for idle stability and help prevent misfire at high time in service in every one of the I6 engine line-up.?

Camshafts

Reddington said every I6 engine in the programme had benefited from revised camshafts.

?The profiles have been specifically selected to work with the dual independent VCT strategy and provide optimum performance for customers.

?We worked closely with powertrain engineers in Ford US, who helped with advanced CAE techniques to define the optimum cam durations. From this we devised specific profiles for compatibility with our valvetrain.

?Those CAE models also helped us further refine the engine strategy.?

Reddington said exhaust duration on the Barra 190 was 256 degrees (246 at BA) and inlet duration also 256 degrees (251 at BA).

?These new camshaft profiles will benefit the customer in terms of cleaner, smoother power delivery and increased fuel economy.?

Refinement / economy

Reddington explained two key factors driving the engine upgrades were to improve refinement and fuel economy.

?We have incorporated a number of measures which specifically target those key areas.?

The Barra 190 will use a new lower viscosity engine oil, changing from a 10W30 GF2 to a new 5W30 GF3 for less friction and improved fuel economy, particularly at lower engine operating temperatures.

The I6 air intake system has been significantly revised resulting in lower overall noise levels, as well as a purer engine tone during acceleration.

Power steering pumps have been revised by optimising fluid flow discharge timing, further improving the refinement levels of the I6 engines.

?We have also incorporated a new ?smart? alternator on all I6 engines, which ramps voltage changes smoothly, making a smoother idle easier to control.

?Another new feature is a lighter driveplate assembly, with the ring gear welded to the driveplate ? rather than riveted ? to further reduce weight and help improve fuel economy."

Barra E-Gas

The environmentally friendly Barra E-Gas engine has been upgraded for the BF Falcon programme to meet the stringent ADR79/01 (Euro III) emissions requirements.

?Commonisation of the pistons across the I6 programme means the E-Gas engine also shares the revised 10.3:1 compression ratio of the petrol engines.

?However, the E-Gas engine maintains stronger con-rods and harder valves and seats to meet the higher demands placed on the engine by using LPG fuel.

Reddington said the revised venturi provided better air/fuel mixing, while the smooth curve of the new inlet pipe provided better flow so the gas could be withdrawn in a more controlled manner.

Power output on the E-Gas engine remains at 156 kW, while torque has increased slightly from 372 Nm @ 3000 rpm to 374 Nm at a lower 2750 rpm.

Barra 245T

Dual independent VCT, revised camshafts and dual knock sensors have boosted power to 245 kW @ 5250 rpm, while torque has been significantly increased to 480 Nm at just 2000 rpm.

"The upgrades take what was already an exceptional engine and add further refinement and performance to satisfy our customers.

?XR6 Turbo customers wanting an automatic transmission will receive all the benefits of the new ZF six-speed automatic transmission, which is perfectly suited to take full advantage of the torque enhancement offered by the Barra 245T,? Reddington said.

Barra 230

Produced in Ford's Windsor plant in Canada, the Barra 230 V8 boasts VCT variable camshaft timing on each camshaft per bank as well as three valves per cylinder, electronic throttle control, failsafe cooling system and unique, Australian-designed inlet and exhaust manifolds.

Reddington said the extra power and torque were by-products of employing additional hardware to improve the knock sensing capability.

?The engine was designed to power the new range of F-Series trucks in the US and always delivered good low-down torque.

?The addition of two knock sensors allows for a more aggressive ignition calibration with the variable camshaft timing and a greater degree of spark advance.

?It?s made the Barra 230 a wonderfully smooth engine, with excellent bottom end torque characteristics, making it perfectly suited to the Fairlane G8 and LTD DNA.

?Used in tandem with the new ZF six-speed automatic transmission, it makes the G8 and LTD refined, smooth vehicles around town and the types of car that eat up long distance touring with consummate ease.?

?Twin intake valves enhance fuel-air mixing prior to combustion, helping to squeeze all the energy out of each combustion event, improving power delivery and fuel efficiency.

?Multiple valves also enhance the engine?s ability to ?breathe? ? that is, to move large volumes of air in and out of the cylinders ? which is a key to generating maximum power.?

Unique Ute application

Reddington explained two versions of the 3-valve V8 would be offered with the BF Falcon programme, with unique versions for sedan and ute.

?The torque output resultant from the upgrades to the Barra 230 demand the use of a high-torque transmission.

?As a result, sedan buyers opting for the Barra 230 will have their engine matched to the ZF six-speed automatic transmission.

?We conducted a lot of research with our commercial buyers, for whom price sensitivity is a key factor.

?Those customers overwhelmingly reinforced the fact the power and torque of the Barra 220 teamed to the updated four-speed automatic transmission was more than adequate.

?As a result, XL, XLS and RTV ute customers opting for a V8 will have a version of the engine with power and torque remaining at an extremely healthy 220 kW and 470 Nm.

?Ute customers wanting a more performance oriented vehicle have the option of the XR range, with the XR8 and Turbo versions offering the ZF six-speed automatic or Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission.?

Variable Cam Timing (VCT)

Ford?s three-valve cylinder head uses a single overhead camshaft for each bank of cylinders. The cams press down on roller finger followers to open the intake and exhaust valves, which are closed by coil springs.

Conventional camshafts are permanently synchronised with the engine?s crankshaft so that they operate the valves at a specific point in each combustion cycle.

Variable cam timing allows the valves to be operated at different points in the combustion cycle, to provide performance that is precisely tailored to the engine?s specific speed and load at that moment. The timing is set to allow the best overall performance across the engine?s normal operating range.

The result is enhanced efficiency under low-load conditions, such as at idle or highway cruising, and increased power for brisk acceleration or at times of high demand.

Electronic Throttle Control

The BF Falcon and SY Territory programme improves on the jet fighter derived fly-by-wire Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) and its numerous customer benefits.

The system debuted on the BA Falcon and was the first locally made car to feature such technology.

"The pedal map has been revised, resulting in improved durability and more linear vehicle performance and we have added a kickdown switch to take full advantage of the upgrades to the automatic transmissions," Reddington said.

Standard to all Falcon and Territory models, ETC provides precision control of acceleration, helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and doubles as the cruise control actuation system, saving weight and improving NVH.

Driver benefits include:

• Consistent pedal feel and greater responsiveness to accelerator inputs.
• Smoother traction control engagement
• A more refined engagement of the rev limiter function.
• More seamless activation and re-engagement of the cruise control system.
• Fine throttle control for low speed manoeuvring and optimised pedal response for high-speed kickdown.
• Smooth idle thanks to inputs from the Powertrain Control Module.
• Electronics are more reliable and durable and do not require regular servicing like mechanical systems.

For further information, please contact:
Ford Australia Public Affairs
Phone: 03-9359 8491
Fax: 03-9359 8900

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