The Ford 6.7 Powerstroke engine has been one of the most successful engines that Ford ever made. The engine is in its fourth generation powering Ford trucks. Moreover, the Ford 6.7 Powerstroke is the first Powerstroke engine manufactured in-house – by the Ford engineers themselves.
Previous engines are made in collaboration with Navistar International. Presently, the 6.7L diesel engine is on its third generation and nothing short of being a good machine. It offers the best class in power and torque. It’s an excellent engine capable of producing 475 HP and 1050 lb-ft of torque.
The monicker “ six seven” sticks to our heads. And has proven to be a good engine in the near-decade it has been around.
What are Ford 6.7L Powerstroke Engines?
Ford 6.7 Powerstroke engines have three generations so far. The first production engine started in 2011 and ended in 2014. The second-generation 2015 – 2019, and the third generation torque monster installed in 2020 – 2021 F-series trucks.
The engine is a V8 turbocharged diesel engine. Ford began developing the 6.7 Powerstroke for the Ford Super Duty in-house. During the engine’s developmental stage, this engine was codenamed the Scorpion.
And when it finally came to its launch, Ford designated it as the 6.7 Powerstroke. This engine replaced the 6.4 Powerstroke due to some issues. It is also the first Powerstroke engine not manufactured by International Navistar with nearly 30 years of partnership.
Engine Specifications and Design:
- Production Run: 2011- Present
- Cylinder Head Material: Compacted Graphite Iron
- Cylinder Block Material: Aluminum
- Configuration: V8
- Bore: 99.1 mm
- Stroke: 108 mm
- Valvetrain: DOHC four valves per cylinder
- Displacement: 6.7 L (6,700 cc)
- Compression Ratio: 16.2
- Weight: 970 lbs.
- Maximum HP: 475 HP at 2,400 – 2,800 RPM
- Maximum Torque: 935 lb-ft at 1,650 – 1,800 RPM
Engine Design
Truck engines should be durable and sturdy. That is why many automakers opt for a heavier, rigid cylinder block. But that is not the case for the 6.7 Powerstroke. While many diesel engines use heavy cast-iron blocks, this engine uses a block made from compacted graphite iron or CGI.
The deep skirt block has nodular iron six-bolt main caps instead of four in 6.4 Powerstroke, more commonly used on the Ford 7.3 Powerstroke engine. The block layout of this engine, integrated with CGI materials, provides significant weight reduction over the heavier thousand pounds 6.4 Powerstroke.
The Ford 6.7 Powerstroke also features powdered metal cracked-cap connecting rods made by Mahle, a steel crankshaft, and Federal-Mogul cast-aluminum hyper eutectic pistons.
The connecting rod’s end cap is rotated 45-degrees to increase strength. Moreover, piston cooling jets are placed under the pistons to spray oil regulating the combustion and operating temperatures.
Temperature regulation is crucial since it dictates and affects the longevity of the engine. Tupy, an American foundry company, manufactures all 6.7 cylinder blocks.
Initially, for the truck segment, Ford 6.7 Powerstroke uses cast-aluminum cylinder heads featuring a reverse-flow design. Each cylinder has four valves per cylinder, for a total of 32 valves.
Every valve has its rocker arm and pushrod.
The intake air goes through the ports inside the valve covers, while the exhaust gases go into exhaust manifolds located in the lifter valley. In a standard V8 engine, the exhaust exits from outside.
Anyway, in the engine valley, attached is a Garrett GT32 DualBoost variable geometry single sequential turbocharger. The exhaust volume is smaller compared to others but provides more dynamic responsiveness to the engine.
The compressed and hot intake air traverse the intercooler to be cooled, connected to a secondary cooling system. The same approach is used for cooling the EGR circuit, fuel cooler, and transmission fluid.
The primary and powertrain cooling systems have their thermostats, water pump, radiator, and Degas bottle.
Like the previous model, Ford 6.4 Powerstroke, the Ford 6.7 Powerstroke is equipped with high-pressure common-rail fuel injection. The Bosch CP4.2 fuel pump fires the fuel under a staggering 30,000 psi fuel pressure for the 19-mm piezo actuated Bosch injectors with eight (8) hole nozzles.
These fuel injectors are capable of making five events per combustion cycle.
The emissions control panel includes exhaust gas recirculation, Denoxtroninc-based selective catalytic reduction, also from Bosch, and Diesel Particulate Filter. The initial output was rated at 390 HP and 735 lb-ft of torque. But shortly after the production, Ford announced that they had updated the 6.7 Powerstroke.
The new engine software control makes the engine produce 400 HP and 800 lb-ft of torque while achieving maximum fuel economy without any fundamental physical change.
Several months after the release of the second generation engine, Ford replaced the GT SST turbocharger with a Garrett GT37 with a single VGT. The new GT37 turbocharger featured a larger 88-mm compressor wheel and increased the turbine wheel to 72.5 mm from 64 mm in the GT32.
Ford upgraded the fuel system with a higher-flowing Bosch CP4.2 high-pressure fuel pump. It has a larger stroke and optimized injectors nozzles. Due to these efforts made by Ford, the engine was able to produce more power.
Engine Tuning, Modifications, and Upgrades
You can increase the power production of the engine by purchasing a tuner. There are various aftermarket tuners that fit your setup. Also, increasing the power means changing other components that might not withstand higher outputs apart from the factory rating.
Problems Surrounding Ford 6.7 PowerStroke Engine
With its years of production, we cannot deny how good the six-seven engine is. It powered the majority of heavy-duty Ford trucks we see today. Even with the meticulous mind of Ford engineers, there are still shortcomings and issues that might arise from this machine.
In addition, Ford improved the engine throughout its tenure and still does. The 6.7 engine no longer relies on four bolts per cylinder, holding down the cylinder heads. Presently, there are six bolts per cylinder.
It will reduce the risk of head gasket failure and head bolt stretch.
1. EGR Cooler Clogging
This is one of the most common Ford 6.7 Powerstroke problems. However, it is not so common compared to the previous 6.0 and 6.4 engines, still worth the mention. Ford changed the design of the EGR system after reports of earlier machines.
The valve is located on the hotter side now. The EGR flows from the exhaust to the valve, then to the EGR cooler if the valve is open.
But, the new EGR system design has its issue. Carbon deposits build up on the EGR cooler core, causing it to become completely clogged. Good thing that replacements are more straightforward than on previous Powerstroke engines.
2. Injection Pump Failure
Injection Pump failure might overwhelm some Ford 6.7 Powerstroke owners. You should be aware of this problem. The High-Pressure Fuel pump is a Bosch CP4 and is known to break due to the metal-on-metal contact within the pump.
What’s alarming is that metal contamination in the fuel system can cause peripheral component victims.
Some owners ended up needing to replace the entire fuel system when the pump problems occurred. Everything from the 6.7 Powerstroke regulators, injectors, and fuel lines may require replacement.
Fortunately, Ford used a new pump for the current third-generation 6.7 Powerstroke.
3. Turbocharger Problems
Turbo problems are most prominent on early first-generation 6.7 Powerstroke diesel engines. Failures usually happen with the turbo bearing. Many suggest that the losses are due to Ford opting for a turbo too small for the boost and torque requested.
With that, you may experience failures occurring a lot sooner if you plan to mod the engine.
Further, the second generation received an update. Ford replaced a larger turbo to assist in making additional power and torque.
4. EGT Sensor Failure
Exhaust Gas Temperature sensor issues are also the main concern on the 6.7 Powerstroke engine. The engine uses a total of four EGT sensors, so there are far more areas for potential failures.
However, Ford issued a warranty extension to cover the EGT in the event of breakage. Some opt to delete the EGT sensors since these guys can be so problematic it’s not worth the time anymore.
In 2015, Ford issued a service bulletin addressing the update of PCM to reduce the crippling effects of a simple EGT failure.
Summary
Ford has once again proven that even with a short burst of upgrades, you will slowly get to your goal. Just like the 6.7 Powerstroke engine. It has three-generation now and continues to thrive, tread, and compete amongst the larger displaced engines out there. It displayed an unwarranted amount of grit with its robustness.
Though it was plagued, initially, with some problematic issues, mind you that there is a handful. But, Ford made their way out in a cornered room of issues. Well, to add, constantly be reminded that this engine is a top-notch one.
So it is imperative to do regular oil changes and use a high-quality motor that meets lubricity requirements for this diesel engine.
With proper care, the engine will last thousands and hundred of thousands of miles.