A review on Ford's 2.7L twin turbo V6

[HighDesertRanger]

Yes, I get that completely. Lotsa noises....It blows my mind how they go out of their way to build such a stout engine ...CGI block, fractured forged components etc and then throw on a rubber oil pump belt.....seems crazy

Ford has produced in the neighborhood of 3 million 2.7 EcoBoost engines since 2015. The Kevlar oil pump belt isn’t an issue.

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[stemplar]

The 2.7 has been around for 10 years.
I bet that they improved that wet belt since then...
At 40:50 is the inspection of the wet belt for the oil pump.

The 2.7 has been around longer than since 2018; the second gen debuted in 2018. And the belt has nothing to do with that engine failure as was mentioned in another comment, but the popularity of that video when someone cries, "bUt tHE wEt beLT" is consistent with the amount of FUD around that darned belt.

With the sheer numbers of F150's sold in the last 10 years with the 2.7 as the base engine, with how many of them work hard daily for a living, get abused in fleets, idle excessively for reasons, haul and tow at their limits (or worse), and generally get driven hard, and this one video is all folks who fear the oil belt can come up with has me sleeping pretty well at night knowing that it's not a failure point worth keeping me awake.

 

[Bill W]

The 2.7 has been around longer than since 2018; the second gen debuted in 2018. And the belt has nothing to do with that engine failure as was mentioned in another comment, but the popularity of that video when someone cries, "bUt tHE wEt beLT" is consistent with the amount of FUD around that darned belt.

With the sheer numbers of F150's sold in the last 10 years with the 2.7 as the base engine, with how many of them work hard daily for a living, get abused in fleets, idle excessively for reasons, haul and tow at their limits (or worse), and generally get driven hard, and this one video is all folks who fear the oil belt can come up with has me sleeping pretty well at night knowing that it's not a failure point worth keeping me awake.

More info on the 2.7 Ecoboost. Scroll down to the 2.7 for details. Agree that He is not an engineer and the oil pump belt did not cause the issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_EcoBoost_engine

The question is in my view, did the owner of the engine cause the failure? Suppose he ran non-spec oil? The wet belt potential issue of deterioration is related to not using the approved oil. Specifically Ford specs are tougher for wet belt than API.

 

[Lion77]

Go on auto trader and look to see how many high mileage 2018 or newer 2.7L F-150's are for sale still running as fleet vehicles or work trucks. There's a ton in my area with anywhere from 215k to 285k miles.

Although there is some misinformation in the video about the pistons. The 3.0L pistons are more robust than the 2.7L pistons, neither are forged though, turbo diesel pistons are forged like what would be used in a built race engine.

The 2.7L and 3.0 still use hypereutectic cast aluminum, but well designed with cast in steel ring liners on both. The 3.0L pistons also have oil cooling galleys like the 6.7L Power Stroke pistons, another turbo diesel feature not commonly found in gas engines.

The 3.0L features much bigger skirt and thicker walls. The 3.0L has a noticeably more robust wrist pin bearing support. Yes, both use a bowl design similar to turbo diesel piston.

3.0L on the left, 2.7L on the right.

Piston Bowl Design and Optimization with CAESES › CAESES

BTW, the belt driven oil pump is just one of several reasons I only run OE spec oils now in all my cars. I looked through a bunch of used oil analysis results and rarely saw OE spec oils of any brand come back poor.

Usually, the ones with results that were not good were using a non-OE spec brand (off-the-shelf) and had to switch through multiple brands to find one that worked. So basically, if they had just gone with OE spec, they wouldn't be switching through different brands trying to find one that worked well with their car since the OE's know the engine best and do all their original development testing with their oil blends.

With Ford Ecoboost engines, the 2.7L, 3.0L and 2021+ 5.0L, I think OE is probably the safest bet for belt compatibility and durability.

 

[Jason B]

To add to "Mah rubber belt!! Reee!!!"
Not your run if the mill rubber.

What is HNBR?

HNBR is a high-performance synthetic rubber known for its superior heat, oil, and chemical resistance, bridging the gap between standard NBR and high-end fluoroelastomers like FKM.

HNBR, or hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber, is produced by hydrogenating standard nitrile rubber (NBR). This process saturates the carbon-carbon double bonds in the polymer chain, enhancing thermal stability, chemical resistance, and mechanical strength while retaining the original oil and fuel resistance of NBR. HNBR is typically cross-linked with a peroxide system to further improve resistance to thermal degradation and chemical corrosion.


Key Properties

Thermal Stability: Can withstand continuous temperatures up to 150°C, with excellent heat aging and oxidation resistance.

Chemical and Oil Resistance: Maintains performance in mineral oils, synthetic lubricants, diesel, fuels, and refrigerants, outperforming standard NBR.

Mechanical Strength: High tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and low compression set, ensuring durability under dynamic and static loads.

Ozone and Aging Resistance: Saturated backbone provides superior resistance to ozone, UV, and oxidative degradation.

Dynamic Performance: Maintains elasticity and sealing properties under long-term compression and vibration.

 

[WWilli]

Interesting information, good to know and adds to a little piece of mind.....I just try to forget about it and enjoy my awesome 2.7

 

[Bill W]

Here is the Geek talking about a EcoBoost engine teardown at 500,000 miles. At 6:20 he talks about the “wet belt”.

 

[ryanO]

Yes, I get that completely. Lotsa noises....It blows my mind how they go out of their way to build such a stout engine ...CGI block, fractured forged components etc and then throw on a rubber oil pump belt.....seems crazy

Its not rubber. Anyone who vaguely understands chemistry knows this. It's kevlar, NOT rubber.

 

[ryanO]

More info on the 2.7 Ecoboost. Scroll down to the 2.7 for details. Agree that He is not an engineer and the oil pump belt did not cause the issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_EcoBoost_engine

The question is in my view, did the owner of the engine cause the failure? Suppose he ran non-spec oil? The wet belt potential issue of deterioration is related to not using the approved oil. Specifically Ford specs are tougher for wet belt than API.

The biggest problem with the average person telling their tale of distress is that they believe the fact a mechanical item failed and they had to fix it somehow means the design is a failure. No, a mechanical item failed which in engineering is perfectly acceptable. It sucks it happened but its not at all an indication of anything more than an expected failure of a certain % of parts.

 

[RB205]

Its not rubber. Anyone who vaguely understands chemistry knows this. It's kevlar, NOT rubber.

This also isn't correct. Belts can use nylon, kevlar, or even carbon fiber cord, and other fabrics too. These cords are then wrapped in rubber, EPDM, nitrile, viton or other synthetic "rubbers" based on the intended use and environment.

For the old timers, myself included, you'll remember that older rubber serpentine belts would dry out and crack, exposing the cords. Newer EPDM belts don't crack, the EPDM just wears down like a tire and you test them for wear with a belt wear gauge tool. All the major manufacturers (Gates, Continental, Dayco, Bando) make their own version of the same functional tool.

Kevlar is extremely resistant to stretching so it's great in applications like the oil pump belt so it'll maintain tension over the long haul. Also see the stretch fit belts on the serpentine system of these engines. No tensioner to wear out over time.

 

[Jason B]

I don't know what engine he is showing, but it aint the 2.7. AFAIK the 2.3 DOESN"T use a 'rubber' oil pump belt.

 

[WWilli]

This is true..threw me for a loop as well.. i assume thats a 2.3 EB used for the test but he never really says that... Its like he just threw in the "rubber belt" piece....

 

[Bill W]

The point to make regardless what EcoBoost engine is on the 500,000 teardown is his description of HNBR wet belts and the SP/SQ oil standards to keep them working. His statement is as long as this oil is used there will be zero issues as long as normal OCI. Add to that the Ford standards are tighter for HNBR belts. The video teardown with the failed 2.7 Ecoboost engine showed an issue with that HNBR wet belt. Wrong oil or oil failure on that engine.

 

[Bill W]

More info on the 2.7 Ecoboost. Scroll down to the 2.7 for details. Agree that He is not an engineer and the oil pump belt did not cause the issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_EcoBoost_engine

The question is in my view, did the owner of the engine cause the failure? Suppose he ran non-spec oil? The wet belt potential issue of deterioration is related to not using the approved oil. Specifically Ford specs are tougher for wet belt than API.

The 2.7 has been around for 10 years.

I bet that they improved that wet belt since then...
At 40:50 is the inspection of the wet belt for the oil pump.

Here is a second 2.7 teardown. (2nd gen.) Again he inspects that wet belt. This one is in better shape.

 

[OxygenMask]

Transcript from that video with time stamps removed:

. I think the biggest complaint that I would have about the design of this engine is that Ford going with a rubber oil pump belt um rather
than like a traditional chain driven oil pump. Now Ford does say this belt is good for the lifetime of the engine.

Of course it is. When it fails and your engine throws a rod...well, that was the lifetime of the engine.... LMAO

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