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Old 08-09-2004, 04:27 PM   #1
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Ford Five Hundred: Here Comes the Savior?

SUMMARY: <font face=Arial>It’s&nbsp;no small secret that Ford’s car division has been&nbsp;often overlooked by company executives on their way to SUV-sized profits from their truck division. The only mainstream Ford car that can be considered even somewhat competitive with the best of the market is the compact Focus. Sure, they had the niche-market Thunderbird, but that hasn’t exactly been a major sales hit despite all of the initial buzz.<strong> In the first part of an ongoing series on Ford’s “Year of the Car,” AutomotiveArticles.com shines the spotlight on the new Ford Five Hundred.</strong></font>

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Old 08-13-2004, 10:22 AM   #2
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Re: Ford Five Hundred: Here Comes the Savior?

Good write-up. Ford does need a sedan to at least get on par with other car manufacturers. The 500 looks promising, but they do need a more powerful engine in that thing to haul all that extra stuff!
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Old 10-20-2004, 03:49 PM   #3
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Re: Ford Five Hundred: Here Comes the Savior?

Drop in the 4.6 V8 as an option and you have a winner; otherwise, this'll be another for the Ford "coulda' woulda' shoulda'" history books.
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Old 02-18-2005, 01:33 PM   #4
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hmmm. ford 500? reaks of hertz , avis. puts the b in bland. at least the mercury version looks a little better with the big boy grill.
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Old 07-31-2005, 10:31 AM   #5
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Re: Ford Five Hundred: Here Comes the Savior?

1991 Econoline 250 EEC location
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Old 11-23-2005, 12:28 AM   #6
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I like the new Fusion more.

The new Ford Edge crossover will get Ford's all-new 3.5 liter DOHC V-6 next year.

Press release:

11-9-2005

- New 6-speed automatic transaxle that saves fuel - up to 7 percent in highway driving and nearly two tanks of gas a year compared with typical 4-speed automatics

- Engine designed with the future in mind - capable of super-clean PZEV emissions, hybrids, direct-injection and turbocharging

- Work begins on Ford's third-generation hybrid technology for future I-4 and V-6 engines

New 3.5-Liter V-6

The new 3.5-liter V-6 was designed to deliver the best combination of fuel economy, refinement and performance for the customer and be compact enough to fit into a variety of vehicles. The height and width of the engine is the same as the smaller displacement Duratec 30 V-6.

The engine produces 250 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque in its CUV [crossover utility vehicle] applications. It uses a dual-overhead cam valvetrain for peak power capability and smooth operation at high RPM. It incorporates intake variable cam timing to optimize fuel economy by adjusting valve timing for a smooth idle, optimal part-load driving and an impressively broad torque curve with good power.

In anticipation of future needs, the new V-6 has been designed to accommodate advanced technologies, including gasoline direct injection and turbo charging.

The engine will be built in the fall of 2006 at Ford's Lima (Ohio) Engine Plant.

6F 6-Speed Transaxle

Ford also underscored its leadership in fuel-saving transmissions with the reveal of a new 6-speed for the new Ford Edge and Lincoln Aviator. Ford is an industry leader in 6-speed transmissions with 24 nameplates already offered with the highly efficient technology.

Six-speed automatic transaxles improve performance and fuel economy. It is estimated that, for every 500,000 6-speeds - rather than traditional 4-speeds - fitted to vehicles, 12 million gallons of fuel can be saved annually (based on 25 mpg combined fuel economy for 15,000 miles).

The enhanced performance and fuel economy of the new 6F comes from a wide span of 6.04 between the transaxle's lowest and highest gear ratio. The high ratio span helps deliver improved fuel economy of up to 7 percent and improved sustained acceleration compared with a typical 4-speed automatic.

The new 6F will be fitted to the 3.5-liter V-6 in the Ford Edge and Lincoln Aviator. The combination delivers optimal fuel economy and powerful performance combined with smooth, refined and quiet shifts.

The new Ford 6F will be built at Ford's Van Dyke (Mich.) Transmission Plant.

More News on Hybrids

Ford also took another step toward delivering on its commitment of putting 250,000 hybrid vehicles a year on the road by 2010 with the announcement that engineering work already is under way on a third-generation hybrid transaxle - one developed using Ford's in-house hybrid expertise.

Engineered in Dearborn, the new hybrid transaxle will be capable of handling both 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines for future vehicles.

In addition, Ford announced that the Ford Escape Hybrid would debut this week as the first hybrid taxi carrying passengers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Ford, the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission and the Coalition for Smart Transportation will mark the milestone on Thursday.

Improved NVH and Refinement

The elimination of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) was a particular target for the development team. Extensive use of CAE modeling on the transaxle case built a solid housing for the transaxle components.

Engineers used computer-aided analysis to determine exactly where strengthening ribs needed to be added to the casing to minimize radiated noise and vibration. CAE modeling also was used to add thickness to the case in appropriate areas for added strength.

In addition, the transaxle's three simple planetary gear sets are designed for robustness and use low-pinion pitch line velocities to reduce noise. All gears are cut using high-precision CNC hobbing, grinding and honing machines. The transfer and final drive gears are hard-treated for strength, and subsequently ground and honed to provide a more precise fit, thus reducing gear whine.

The 6F also features the first use of an off-axis pump for Ford. This package-enabler takes up much less space in the transaxle. Package efficiency is further enabled by the pump's chain drive. The pump porting also was optimized to improve NVH.

The 6F uses only plate clutches for each shift to deliver quiet, smooth shifts throughout the entire ratio span. In addition, the 6F uses a Ford proprietary control strategy that uses powerful adaptive algorithms. The 6F provides fast, responsive shifts throughout the operating range that are smooth yet crisp, which delivers an invigorating driving experience to the customer.

Factory Tested for Quality

To ensure the best possible shift quality, each 6F transaxle is bench tested at Ford's Van Dyke (Mich.) Transaxle Plant. There, the transaxle build quality is verified, detecting even minute variations in the manufacturing process.

Using a unique patent pending process, software programmed into the 6F's electronic controller individually trims and characterizes all solenoids and clutches to eliminate the variances that would normally lead to changes in shift feel, producing smooth, precisely controlled shifts that improve durability and customer satisfaction.

Power in a Compact, Modern Package

Ford's new V-6 produces 250 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque with a 3.5-liter displacement unit with a height and width that is the same as Ford's smaller Duratec 30 V-6. This enables Ford to install the engine in a wide variety of current and future products.

In developing the new engine, Ford engineers targeted excellent performance, fuel economy and low exhaust emissions. In addition, engineers designed the engine to work together in harmony with Ford's new 6F 6-speed automatic. By analyzing the transaxle and engine together, noise, vibration and harshness characteristics of the powertrain were optimized to ensure a quiet, trouble-free driving experience.

The all-new 3.5-liter V-6 architecture provides significant flexibility to incorporate additional engine technologies. The 3.5-liter engineering team included extra provisions to make upgrades relatively simple. These upgrades include such potential features as hybrid capability, gasoline direct injection and direct-injection turbo charging.

A Solid Foundation - Durability and NVH

Every world-class engine starts with a solid foundation. To optimize the base engine structure to provide outstanding durability and NVH, the lower-end design of the 3.5-liter engine features a forged-steel, fully counterweighted crankshaft with induction-hardened journals, fractured-split, powder metal-forged connecting rods and high-temperature alloy, cast aluminum pistons. These components are housed in a High Pressure Diecast (HPDC) aluminum cylinder block featuring six-bolt mains with cast in cast-over iron liners.

The engine's cylinder block design represents the first application of a high-pressure die-cast block for a V-configuration engine for Ford Motor Company. Ford chose HPDC over more conventional semi-permanent and sand casting processes because:

- Reduced raw material requirements (lower weight than if designed for conventional sand casting)

- Tighter casting process control capability
Better and more consistent casting qualities

- Elimination of reliance on casting processes that have byproducts requiring strict environmental controls

- Reduction of expensive post-casting processing (cleaning, heat treating, machining and assembly) requirements

- Ford deployed extensive CAE modeling to reduce lead-time, optimize die design and simulate critical process parameters to help ensure a consistent, robust casting.

- High Airflow, Optimized Combustion - Performance, Fuel Economy and Emissions

The 3.5-liter V-6's upper-end was designed as a system, all the way from the throttle body to the exhaust manifolds, to create the optimum flow for peak power and a broad torque curve. CAE analysis was used to fine-tune each component to deliver the required airflow without the need for intake flaps or butterfly valves in the system. Advanced throttle-control software enables precise tuning of engine response to fit the character of each vehicle application while setting the engine to run at its peak efficiency for optimal fuel economy.

The 3.5-liter V-6 uses a compact, lightweight dual-overhead cam valvetrain for peak power capability and smooth operation at high RPMs. The engine also incorporates intake variable cam timing (iVCT) to optimize valve timing for a smooth idle, optimal part-load driving and an impressively broad torque curve with good power. The iVCT system uses a hydraulically actuated spool valve that can rotate the intake camshafts up to 40 degrees within a half-second. A low-friction, roller-chain cam drive contributes to fuel efficiency.

Optimized Cylinder Head Produced with Flexible Machining

The aluminum cylinder heads in Ford's new V-6 are designed for high airflow and optimized combustion to support performance, fuel economy and low emissions. CAE was used extensively to develop the airflow and combustion system performance for this cylinder head design. This efficient combustion is enhanced by incorporating a centrally located spark plug and a high 10.3:1 compression ratio. The cylinder heads also were designed to accommodate fuel-efficient technology upgrades such as gasoline direct injection.

Low Emissions Capability

Ford's new 3.5-liter engine is PZEV capable right out of the box. Careful design consideration for the combustion system and catalysts create an engine that can meet stringent emissions standards without the need for expensive add-on technology.

The 3.5-liter V-6 is capable of achieving PZEV certification by delivering low cold-start emissions and enabling rapid catalyst light-off, which is a significant accomplishment for a larger displacement V-6 engine, says Tom McCarthy, engine systems manager for the 3.5-liter V-6 engine program. This is accomplished with low heat-loss exhaust manifolds and close-coupled catalysts for fast light off during cold start. Optimized fuel injector targeting minimizes cold-start emissions before the catalysts reach operating temperature.

3.5-Liter V-6 and 6F Automatic Technical Specifications

ENGINE

Type: 3.5 liter DOHC 24-valve V-6

Manufacturing Location: Lima Engine Plant, Ohio

Configuration: 60-degree V-6, aluminum block and heads

Intake Manifold: Composite, slit plenum

Exhaust Manifold: Cast iron

Crankshaft: Forged steel

Throttle Body: 65mm, electronic

Valvetrain: DAMB, 4 valves per cylinder, intake variable camshaft timing

Valve Diameter: Intake: 37mm Exhaust: 31 mm

Pistons: High temperature cast aluminum alloy with low-friction coated skirts, low-tension rings

Connecting Rods: Cracked-powder metal

Ignition: Pencil coil

Bore x Stroke: 3.6 x 3.4 in/92.5 x 86.7 mm

Displacement: 213 cu in/3.496 cc

Compression Ratio: 10.3:1

Horsepower: 250 at 6,250 rpm (estimated)

Horsepower per Liter: 71.5 (estimated)

Torque: 240 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm (estimated)

Redline: 6,700 rpm

Recommended Fuel: 87 Octane

Fuel Capacity: 20 gallons

Fuel Injection: Sequential multiport fuel injection

Oil Capacity: 5.5 quarts, with filter

Recommended Oil: GF4, 5W-20

TRANSMISSION

Type: 6-Speed Automatic

Gear Ratios

1st: 4.484:1

2nd: 2.872:1

3rd: 1.842:1

4th: 1.414:1

5th: 1.000:1

6th: 0.742:1

REV: 00034

The acronym PZEV stands for Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle. PZEV rated vehicles are supposed to produce 90% fewer emissions than the average new car and also have zero evaporative emissions.









The lower-end design of Ford's new 3.5 liter V-6 engine features a forged-steel, fully counterweighted crankshaft with induction-hardened journals, fractured-split, powder metal-forged connecting rods and high-temperature alloy, cast-aluminum pistons that are all optimized for the base engine structure to provide outstanding durability and NVH. These components are housed in a High Pressure Diecast (HPDC) aluminum cylinder block featuring six-bolt mains with cast in cast-over iron liners.



Careful design consideration for the combustion system and catalysts create an engine that can meet stringent emissions standards without the need for expensive add-on technology.



Aluminum block, cylinder heads, valve covers, and oil pan.





Intake manifold



The new V-6 uses a High Pressure Diecast (HPDC) aluminum cylinder block, featuring six-bolt mains with cast in cast-over iron liners.





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