theoldwizard

Where have you guys been ? The following has been on this board many times. Ford is hard at work on a new, smaller diesel for the F150. The code name is Griffin and it will be 4.4L and derived for the European Puma/Lion diesels. Besides going in the F150, it is likely to show up in the Explorer, Expedition, E series. There is some talk that the F250/E250 will offer both the Griffin and the Scorpion engines. Ford want to "control its own destiny" by not contracting out any new truck diesel engines. Also this maximizes its profits ! :shades: Last I heard, engine Job #1 for the Griffin is Fall of '09, making it a 2010.5 option !

From the original post Sounds to me like a big chunk is still "new'.

I thought that the Ford cars and CUVs (and some SUVs ?) used the Haldex Limited Slip Coupling "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." While I would not pay extra for AWD, some people will. If this gets people into the showroom and sells a few more cars, thats great (for my pension :shades: ).

Perhaps long term. The net short term effect of issuing more stock is to dilute the value of all stock and the price will go probably go down.

I'm surprised no one else brought this up (so I will :rolleyes: ) How about those ridiculous interior door handles that were on the '05 - '06 Explorer and now the '07 Sport Trac ? This design got blessed by Jay Mays and all of the "suck ups" said, "Oh yes Jay, that is a Bold Design" Interior door handles were the #1 "Things Gone Wrong" when the new Explorer was rolled out a couple of years ago ! I still think that that gear shift lever looks like some kind of chrome plated sexual device !

This is a Mazda design This is a GM/Delphi design. I suspect cost had a lot to do with it !

I'm guessing it is the GM designed 6F (Volvo uses an Aisin tranny with the Yamaha V8 in the S80). If wescoent comments over here is correct, this could be an issue !

We have a winner ! :yup: Personally, I would not pay extra for an option that I would rarely use that would cause me to get less mileage !

I'm sorry your source is wrong ! PowerShift will show up first on the new B-Car, 2010MY. Don't look for paddles either !

Don't forget to add in marketing and sales costs ! I'll bet that costs more than the engineering of a few bits of exterior and interior trim. The biggest issue is what to do with the dealers. They paid big $$$ for a LM franchise. Is Lincoln strong enough to "go it alone" ? I certainly will never pay the "premium" just to get a Lincoln name plate.

It has been done in the past (Aerostar, IIRC), without VCT of any kind ! Dropping EGR is a big cost savings. Unfortunately, EGR does add fuel economy on the highway (cooler combustion, more spark advance).

I'm going to say it ... I TOLD YOU SO ! When I left in Feb, TI VCT was almost done. It required a lot more software than just VCT, but the end was in sight. If done correctly, TI VCT should allow them to get rid of EGR completely. Twin Turbos was turning into a nightmare in 3 areas. Software for wastegate controls (and how positive pressure would effect the rest of the strategy), plumbing and cost. I'll bet twin turbos never see the light of day on a gas engine application !

The Mercury brand was dropped in Canada a few years ago. While the brand has made an incredible come back in the past couple of years, I think it is currently in a wait and see mode. First Ford needs to unload Jaguar and Land Rover. If things keep going down hill, Mercury could get the ax, but I don't believe that anything is for certain as of now.

Yep Highly unlikely. Not from what I have heard. The control systems will be similar. Now you understand the real issue ! You have 2 companies that are both having financial issues that are "married" until 2010 (or is it 2012 ?). Getting "divorced" earlier will be expensive for one of them !

How do you know this? Because even though I am retired, I still ocassional speak to engineers working on the program. Last time was about 2 weeks ago. But, then again, things change ! Maybe the management hasn't told engineering they have pulled the engine Job #1 ahead a year. Expect for the detail that none of the engineers I spoke to knew where it was going to be built !

Despite what everyone else is saying, the 4.4L will not be there at Job #1. Unless a miracle occurs, it will be late 2010MY (engine Job #1 is fall 2009).

Things may have changed in the past 6 months, but none of these were in the program before I left in Feb, at least not for Job #1. The Boss was originally only to go in the SuperDuty. Although, IIRC, I think there was a plan to put the V10 in the F150 The 3.5L/3.7L, if it can make enough low end torque (which is does not in current form), would make a good replacement for the 4.2L

I concur ! I can pretty much guarantee you will not get any diesel options and I don't think any V6 will fit ! Don't bet on getting both the SWB and LWB imported.

Sigh. If that was only the truth ! The Research and Engineering Center has only been on "summer shutdown" for 3 years. Every year, EVERY SINGLE YEAR SO FAR, Powertrain Engineering has worked at least part of the week. PPP "P!ss Poor Planning" on managements part !

Sigh ! You guys are missing the whole point of this post ! Major powertrain programs (like Twin Force, DI, PowerShift and the 4.4L diesel) are way, WAY behind schedule ! Will they make their Job #1 dates ? What about quality ? Management was the one who scheduled the engineering shutdown as a "cost savings", because everything was supposed to be "on schedule". Of well, let's just burn through some more of that cash ! BTW, it's "Pay me now or pay me later !" All vacation and comp time must be used before the end of the year. Parts of Product Development look like a ghost town after Thanksgiving because so many engineers have to use up their vacation and comp time or loose it !

And what makes you think that the high pressure pump and injectors of a gasoline DI system don't require "clean room" environment. Tolerances on these items have to be similar or better than their diesel equivalents !

Some engineers in Powertrain Engineering (that the "controls" and components side of Powertrain) are working everyday this week, except for the 4th. Also parts of Research are working. I guess management has seen the tsunami of late 2009-10 programs "just off shore" and now are starting to think about "heading for the hills" (or more likely, "Why didn't I take that buy out last year !") I guess the idea of saving energy by shutdown the office A/C and computers must have gone out the window !

I agree with you ! Every "soccer Mom and Dad" that I have spoken to has said, "If it doesn't have sliding doors (plural), I'm not buying it !"

Personally, I think Kuzak is being mis-quoted here. I can not imagine why 2 turbo would be required on a I-4. Many engineers still at Ford think the 2 turbos on the MKS is an extravagant waste of money. The benefits don't outway the costs. "Twin Force" does make a good marketing line :banana piano:

Go back to Chemistry 101 and Thermodynamics. A kilogram of ethanol has less energy than a kilogram of gasoline. There is no free lunch ! (BTW, a kilogram of each takes about the amount of volume (gallons), engineers use "mass" when speaking of energy density.) While ethanol will resist pre-ignition (detonation) at higher compression and more spark advance, it does so at a great sacrifice to fuel economy !