Detroit Auto Show: Tech-Talk - Ford's Efficient, Powerful EcoBoost V6

Detroit Auto Show: Tech-Talk - Ford's Efficient, Powerful EcoBoost V6

When Ford Motor Co. launches its 2010 Flex all-purpose wagon and the 2010 Lincoln MKS luxury sedan and MKT crossover later this year, all three will be endowed with the company's new, fuel-efficient but powerful EcoBoost V6 engine (right).

The powerplant, which will later find its way into more Ford vehicles, is tuned to make a V8-like 355 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque while delivering V6 fuel economy.

The automaker will discuss the engine technology at a press conference today as the North American International Auto Show kicks off the first of three media preview days, but provided this early look for those who don't like to follow strict schedules.

In the full-size Flex, all-wheel drive models equipped with the twin-turbo EcoBoost engine are expected to deliver 22 miles per gallon on the highway and combined highway-city mileage of about 18 mpg.

The Lincoln MKS sedan with the EcoBoost V6 delivered 25 miles a gallon on the highway and 16 mpg around town in Ford's preliminary testing and is expected to win federal EPA ratings that are the same, the company said.

Ford executives said the 2010 Lincoln MKT crossover with EcoBoost is expected to get a highway rating of about 20 mpg.

Ford's 2010 EcoBoost lineup: Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT.

A Look Inside

All of Ford's twin-turbo EcoBoost V6s will be mated to a new 6-speed automatic with select shift, the company said. Increasing the number of gear ratios, or "speeds" in a transmission helps improve fuel economy by letting the engine operate in its most efficient range more often.

The basic engine in the EcoBoost package is Ford's Duratec 3.5-liter V6, upgraded with stronger block, crank, rods, pistons and exhaust valves to handle the increased torque that comes with turbocharging and direct fuel injection.

Using two small turbochargers rather than one large one helps eliminate the so-called turbo lag that occurs in the time it takes a big turbo's blades to reach optimum operating speed.

The smaller, lighter turbos "spool up" faster and begin delivering their power boost sooner.

The turbochargers, each the size of an orange, are water-cooled Honeywell models that spin in parallel, compressing air in the fuel system at up to 12 pounds per square inch.

Whirling Dervishes

That stuffs about 25 percent more air into the engine's combustion chambers than they'd get with a normally aspirated system, and a denser air-pack  helps increase the power of each combustion episode while minimizing unburned fuel that would otherwise escape through the exhaust as toxic pollutants.

The turbochargers, small turbines powered by exhaust gas from the engine, spin at up to 170,000 rpm to compress engine intake air and can hit operating temperatures of up to 1,740-degrees Fahrenheit (950-degrees Celsius).

Despite their punishing workload, the turbos are rated for at least 10 years or 150,000 miles.

Ford said that the system has been engineered to use standard engine oil and that, unlike some turbocharged engines that require frequent oil changes, is on the same 7,5000-mile oil change interval as the company's non-turbo engines.

Under Pressure

Adding to the engine's efficient use of fuel is a direct injection system in which a high-pressure pump feeds gasoline into the injectors at pressures of from 200 to 2,175 pounds per square inch.

That's 3 to 36 times standard fuel injector pressure of 60 PSI.

The pressurized fuel is injected into each cylinder via six separate sprayers to promote the maximum blending of air and fuel for a cleaner and more fuel-efficient burn.

Ford said that while it is starting with just three vehicles this year, it expects to be using V6 and four-cylinder EcoBoost engines in 90 percent of its vehicles by 2013.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.