Ford Nano engines

The Ford Nano engine line has been produced at the Lima plant in Ohio since 2014 and is installed on many of the group’s major models, such as the Bronco, Edge, Explorer and F-Series pickups. There are two generations of these turbo engines with direct and combined fuel injection.

In 2014, at the Detroit show, the first generation of twin-turbo units of the Nano series was shown. In its design, this is a modern 2.7-liter V6 engine with a cylinder angle of 60°, an unusual two-section cylinder block consisting of a cast iron and an aluminum part, two aluminum DOHC cylinder heads without hydraulic compensators, a direct fuel injection system, a timing chain drive and a proprietary variable valve timing system Ti-VCT type. Turbochargers from BorgWarner or Honeywell, depending on the version, are responsible for the boost.

In 2016, a 3.0-liter modification of this twin-turbo power unit was introduced, which, in addition to a larger displacement, featured a purely aluminum cylinder block. This engine also has a powerful Plug-in hybrid version for the second generation Lincoln Aviator.

In 2017, the second generation 2.7 EcoBoost appeared and was released in parallel with the first. In addition to a couple of minor differences, such as a new oil pump or an upgraded timing drive, the unit features a combined injection system, that is, there are two rows of injectors.

Ford Nano engine modifications

The power units of this line exist in two different volumes and two different generations.

Specifications 1st gen 2.7 ECOBOOST

Displacement, cc 2694
Fuel system direct injection
Power output, hp 315 – 335
Torque output, Nm 475 – 515
Cylinder block V6
Block head 24v
Cylinder bore, mm 83
Piston stroke, mm 83
Compression ratio 10.3
Euro standards EURO 5/6

The engine was installed on:

  • Ford Edge 2 (CD539) since 2014;
  • Ford F-Series 13 (P552) in 2014 – 2017;
  • Ford Fusion USA 2 (CD391) in 2016 – 2019;
  • Lincoln Continental 10 (D544) in 2016 – 2020;
  • Lincoln MKX 2 (U540) in 2015 – 2018;
  • Lincoln Nautilus 1 (U540) since 2018.

Specifications 1st gen 3.0 ECOBOOST

Displacement, cc 2956
Fuel system direct injection
Power output, hp 350 – 418
Torque output, Nm 515 – 597
Cylinder block V6
Block head 24v
Cylinder bore, mm 85.4
Piston stroke, mm 86
Compression ratio 9.5
Euro standards EURO 5/6

There is a Plug-in hybrid version of this engine for the Lincoln Aviator with 494 hp and 854 Nm.

The engine was installed on:

  • Ford Bronco 6 (U725) since 2021;
  • Ford Explorer 6 (U625) since 2019;
  • Ford Ranger T6 2 (P703) since 2022;
  • Lincoln Aviator 2 (U611) since 2019;
  • Lincoln Continental 10 (D544) in 2016 – 2020;
  • Lincoln MKZ 2 (CD533) in 2016 – 2020.

Specifications 2nd gen 2.7 ECOBOOST

Displacement, cc 2694
Fuel system combined injection
Power output, hp 315 – 330
Torque output, Nm 542 – 563
Cylinder block V6
Block head 24v
Cylinder bore, mm 83
Piston stroke, mm 83
Compression ratio 10.0
Euro standards EURO 6

The engine was installed on:

  • Ford Bronco 6 (U725) since 2021;
  • Ford F-Series 13 (P552) in 2017 – 2020; F-Series 14 (P702) since 2020;
  • Ford Ranger T6 2 (P703) since 2023.

The catalog weight of Ford Nano engines is 185 kg.

Disadvantages of the Ford Nano engine

  • All engines with direct fuel injection in one way or another suffer from carbon deposits on the valves, and these turbo units are fully affected by this problem: they manage to coke heavily on runs of up to 60,000 km. Moreover, the procedure for cleaning them is very expensive. But 2nd generation engines with combined injection do not have such problems.
  • Units produced before 2021 were equipped with valves made of defective Silchrome Lite alloy, which often led to their breaking and falling into the cylinders with fatal consequences. A massive campaign was announced in 2023 to replace more than 700,000 engines.
  • Also on specialized forums, the low service life of spark plugs and ignition coils is noted. And even in the first years of production, oil leaks from the plastic pan were common.

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