Comparison with new ecoboost

Dino Dino Bambino

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As far as I know, there has only been one US OHC inline six cylinder engine available as regular production in the last 60+ years

Yeah, and that's the GM 4.2L I6 Vortec all aluminum engine. Unfortunately it only enjoyed a short production run because it was too long and tall to be packaged into later GM models that required transversely mounted engines. AMC/Jeep did use an OHV straight six from 1964-2006 in various guises, with the venerable 4.0L in production from 1987-2006.
The straight six fell out of favor purely because it's easier to fit a V6 transversely under the hood to save space and lower the hood line. Otherwise the I6 is a far smoother engine than the V6, and BMW still use it to this day. In fact the same BMW turbocharged 3.0L I6 that's fitted to the BMW Z4 also appears in the new Toyota Supra.
So there you have it. Toyota has a new I6 that is actually German and is an awesome piece of work. Both BMW and Toyota have lied about their claimed HP/TQ numbers as chassis dyno tests have shown that the same engine in both vehicles produces more HP/TQ at the rear wheels than the manufacturers are claiming it produces at the crank!
The Ford 2.3L I4 Ecoboost tries hard but it couldn't hold a candle to the BMW I6 engine either. I can see the latter engine being swapped into many other vehicles in the future as Supras end up in wrecking yards, so don't be surprised if that engine also finds its way under the hood of a Mustang a la Fast & Furious 3 Tokyo Drift.
 
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WNYGT5-0

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Ford produced a straight 6 in 1906. The Ford straight 6 went through 4 gens until 1996 in many displacements 144 170 187 188 200 215 221 223 226 250 254 262. In 2002 Ford Australia redesigned the i6 again adding DOC which is today’s Barra. As Dino said, the I6 was only dropped because the V6 was a more compact platform. The I6 was one of fords best truck engines.
 

tjm73

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Can't watch the video right now, but I'm gonna say Ford 300 with two Cleveland heads cut and welded to make an inline 6 head.

EDIT: Got to watch the video. Super cool engine. Guy in the video must never have read magazines. I've seen this engine in it's car a few times in print.

Pretty cool. Would be neat to see it dyno'd after the rebuild is done.
 
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Norm Peterson

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Yeah, and that's the GM 4.2L I6 Vortec all aluminum engine.
Then that makes two. I was thinking about Pontiac's OHC six from the latter part of the 1960's.

I knew a guy who ran one of those engines in the 6-cylinder division at the local dirt track. Not sure any more whether it was the 230 CID version or the 250.


Norm
 

tjm73

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It's a shame the 4.2 Vortec engine doesn't get more attention. It's pretty impressive and they used lost foam casting on it. Supposedly it yields very nice castings. A few people have put turbos on them and got nice results.

GM even evaluated one with twin turbos, but it didn't make production.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

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Yeah, that Skunkworks twin turbo 4.2 project was a special limited run for the Trailblazer SS with 400hp & 400lbft from a maximum 8.5psi of boost), but it was later canned in favor of a N/A 6.0L LS2 producing 395hp & 400lbft due to its more compact dimensions.
 

tjm73

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It was probably cheaper to build with the 6.0 too. Would have been more interesting with the inline twin turbo six though.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

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Ford just needs to add more meat to the block of the 2.3L Ecoboost, and add more support to the cylinder walls since it's an open deck design. Then it would be a more robust unit that can handle more boost.
The engine itself isn't bad but it could be so much better and be given a proper sporty soundtrack instead of sounding like a Transit van.
 

Greg Hazlett

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IIRC one of the issues Ford had in developing and releasing the EBM was the sound; sadly most turbo 4cyl's don't sound good regardless of what you do to them.
 

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That engine could be had in the 79-82 Fox Mustang/Capri as well.
Was that the 2.8L V6? I had one in a 1979 Mustang that I bought new. That car was a p.o.s. even by 1970’s standards. It almost literally killed me in blizzard conditions in North Dakota in 1981. The carburetor would freeze up anytime the temperature got got below 40°F. Car lasted 9 years. Had to get rid of it after floor rusted so bad, the drivers seat fell through after hitting a bump in the road.
 

tjm73

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The 2.3EB is a refresh from challenging the new Mercedes Benz 2.0 that makes over 400 hp and 370 ft-lbs with a V8 like power delivery curve.
 

Norm Peterson

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Was that the 2.8L V6? I had one in a 1979 Mustang that I bought new.
In a '79, it would have been a 2.8. As far as I know, the only other displacement in that V6 series that Ford used in anything for USA sale was the 2.6, in Mercury's Capri in the early 70's only.


I actually swapped a 2.8 into my '72 Pinto after the timing belt on that car's 2.0L four broke for the third (or maybe it was the fourth) time.


Norm
 

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