https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...threadid=89358

 

There is a few minutes of reading here but I think it's worth it. It sure got me excited!
It is too bad that they don't have this stuff for us. Why?!
Hopefully our version will be good too!






Embargoed until:
Thursday, September 5, 2002
TORRENT OF TORQUE FROM NEW V8
BA Falcon is the first vehicle in the world to use the new 5.4-litre 3-valve engine from
Ford's Windsor plant in Canada. It boasts VCT variable camshaft timing on the single
overhead camshaft per bank as well as three valves per cylinder, electronic throttle
control, failsafe cooling system and unique, Australian-designed inlet and exhaust
manifolds.
· Ford-world debut for upgraded 5.4- litre engine
· Overhead camshafts (one per bank)
· Three- valve head (two intake, one exhaust)
· VCT continuously variable over 60 degrees relative to the crankshaft
· Aluminium cylinder heads
· Roller finger follower valvetrain
· Electronic throttle control
· Coil on plug ignition
· Failsafe cooling
The BA Falcon’s new high-tech 5.4- litre 3-valve Barra 220 V8 engine offers a tower of
power with 220 kW and an exceptional 472 Nm of torque between 3250 rpm and 4000 rpm.
The surfeit of torque makes towing a breeze, while the muscular thumping beat of a
traditional V8 sound will appeal to enthusiast drivers.
The new engine will be available as a cost option across sedan and ute models.
The new 5.4-litre V8 is the first iteration of the substantially redesigned modular V8 family.
Falcon is the first Ford to use this engine which now boasts VCT variable camshaft timing
on the single overhead camshaft bank as well as three valves per cylinder, electronic throttle
control, failsafe cooling system and unique designed inlet and exhaust manifolds for the
Falcon application.
Page 2.
The engine has undergone significant development to make it perfectly suited to Falcon
buyers with their appreciation of huge reserves of low down torque.
A fat, flat torque curve means that the engine develops plenty of torque low down and keeps
on pulling all the way up the rev band.
The 3-valve system uses two inlet valves and one large circular exhaust valve positioned
between the inlet valves.
The use of two intake valves enhances fuel-air mixing prior to combustion. This helps to
squeeze all the energy out of each combustion event, improving power delivery and fuel
efficiency.
Multiple valves also enhance the engine’s ability to “breathe” – that is, to move large
volumes of air in and out of the cylinders – which is a key to generating maximum power.
Variable Cam Timing (VCT)
Ford’s new three- valve cylinder head uses a single overhead camshaft for each bank of
cylinders. The cams press down on roller finger followers to open the intake and exhaust
valves, which are closed by coil springs.
Conventional camshafts are permanently synchronised with the engine’s crankshaft so that
they operate the valves at a specific point in each combustion cycle.
Variable cam timing allows the valves to be operated at different points in the combustion
cycle, to provide performance that is precisely tailored to the engine’s specific speed and
load at that moment. The timing is set to allow the best overall performance across the
engine’s normal operating range.
The result is enhanced efficiency under low- load conditions, such as at idle or highway
cruising, and increased power for brisk acceleration or at times of high demand.
Among the other advantages generated by variable cam timing and electronic spark control:
· A special “cold-start” strategy allows the new three- valve engine to achieve
operating temperatures more quickly, reducing emissions.
Page 3.
· Variable valve timing reduces pumping losses - the work required to pull air in and
push exhaust out of the cylinder.
· Pressure build-up inside the combustion chamber occurs more slowly during each
firing, particularly at lower engine speeds. This reduces operating noise.
· This design automatically channels a portion of burned gases back into the cylinder,
to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. In addition to eliminating the external
exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) circuit, this design reduces temperatures inside the
intake manifold. Cooler intake air has higher density, which enhances power and
efficiency.
Engineers were able to shape a torque curve that is higher at low revs, without sacrificing
high-end power. Torque increases at a relatively steady rate throughout the operating range.
Improved Refinement
Like the improvements in overall engine performance, improvements in the new three- valve
engine’s refinement result from a host of design features, rather than a single breakthrough.
In an example that is typical of the holistic approach Ford engineers brought to this new
engine design, the intake and exhaust manifolds that produce better air flow and improved
efficiency have also been designed to offer quieter operation.
Ford’s noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) engineers used computer modelling to design
vibration-resistant ribbing and reinforcement into the aluminium intake manifold.
Similarly, the new engine’s pistons have been shaped with noise reduction in mind. The
pistons have longer side skirts than in the past, helping to control piston movement and
minimise piston slap.
The three-valve design itself helped to reduce operating noise, as the engineers were able to
balance the forces generated by valve and spring movement against each other, and aim the
resultant force vectors toward the engine’s overall centre of gravity. This reduces total
engine vibration – and vibration equates to noise.
Page 4.
The compact design of the cylinder heads naturally have a reduced surface area, helping to
lower radiated noise. Roller-finger camshaft followers used in the cylinder head are both
more efficient and quieter than non-roller designs.
Also at the top of the engine, new magnesium cam covers offer the vibration-resistance of
aluminium, at reduced weight. They are fully isolated from vibration via rubber grommets
integral to the mounting scheme.
Reinforcing ribs cast into the cam covers, as well as a structural baffle plate in the underside
of the covers, were both computer designed to minimise audible vibrations.
NVH engineers took a different approach with the engine’s front cover, which must bear the
mechanical stresses of the accessory drive belt.
In the new “controlled standoff” design, solid metal is used at the points where the cover
bolts to the engine block, but a rubber gasket damps vibrations between mounting points.
This refinement alone is responsible for a one-decibel reduction in overall sound levels.
Behind this cover, a new tensioner, reshaped to control small side-to-side chain movements,
further reduces the sounds of the chain drive system.
The engine block itself is stiffer than in the past, through addition of computer-designed
reinforcements cast into the block sidewalls, and thicker metal along the gasket surfaces.
This, in combination with a new style oil pan made of a sandwich of metal around a plastic
core, helps to minimise sound transmission through the bottom of the engine.
The cylinder head is machined in Canada and mated to intake and exhaust manifolds
designed by Ford V-Engine Engineering in the United States especially for Falcon.
These help boost high-end torque as well as maintain the traditiona l low-end grunt an engine
of this configuration naturally provides.

 

It says in late 03, most likely for the 04 model.

 

So what you get is 295 H.P with 350 ft/lbs of torque ? Is that about right ? The peak torque is at a higher rpm which would seem to require more fuel during towing conditions ?