Ford Cologne V6 engine


The Ford Cologne V6 is a series of 60° cast iron block V6 engines produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1962 to 2011 in displacements ranging from to. Originally, the Cologne V6 was installed in vehicles intended for Germany and Continental Europe, while the unrelated British Essex V6 was used in cars for the British market. Later, the Cologne V6 largely replaced the Essex V6 for British-market vehicles. These engines were also used in the United States, especially in compact trucks.
During its production run the Cologne V6 was offered in displacements of 1.8, 2.0, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 2.9, and 4.0 litres. All except the Cosworth 24v derivative and later 4.0-litre SOHC engines were pushrod overhead-valve engines, with a single camshaft between the banks.
The Cologne V6 was designed to be compatible in installation with the Ford Taunus V4 engine, having the same transmission bolt pattern, the same engine mounts, and in many versions, a cylinder head featuring "siamesed" exhaust passages, which reduced the three exhaust outlets down to two on each side. The latter feature was great for compatibility, but poor for performance. The 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, and 4.0 had three exhaust ports, making them preferable.
The engine was available in both carburetted and fuel-injected forms.

1.8

The smallest version of the V6 was the with an bore and stroke. Its output is and. Its only application was the Ford 17M P7 from 1968 to 1971.

2.0

The original displacement of the V6 was with an bore and stroke. Output is and or and.
Applications:
The first enlargement of the V6 appeared in 1967. It was the with a bore and stroke. Output was and or and in SuperHighCompression
The was used only in Europe. Like the 2.9 L version, the camshaft is chain-driven, it has fuel injection system and Ford's EEC-IV engine management. Bore and stroke is. Power output is at 5800 rpm and torque at 3500 rpm.
Applications:
  • Ford Scorpio/Granada III

    2.6

The largest first-generation V6 was the introduced in 1969. It had a bore and stroke. Output was and.
Applications:
  • 1969–1971 Ford 20M RS
  • 1969–1971 Ford 26M
  • 1970–1974 Ford Capri
  • 1972–1977 Ford Granada

    2.6 RS

The 2.6 RS was a special high-performance fuel-injected version. It had a bore and stroke, and produced and.
The only fuel injected first-generation engine, its sole application was the 1970-1973 Ford Capri RS 2600. It was replaced with the RS 3100. Weslake developed a racing version of the engine, bored to to give of displacement and producing in excess of.
The second-generation Cologne V6 was introduced in 1974. It displaced with a bore and stroke of, and used a geared camshaft design. While based on the 2.6, the larger bore necessitated a different block. The European version used a "siamesed" two-port exhaust manifold, similar to the one used on the V4, while the American version used three-port heads. The European approach was useful in that existing cars with the V4 engine could be upgraded with relative ease. Output was rated at for the US market and for the European market, depending on the model.
In Europe, the 2.8 was produced with carburetor, mechanical fuel injection. Electronic injection only featured on the 2.8 Granada models for one year before being replaced with the 2.9 unit.
Tuning options are very limited with the Bosch K-Jetronic models. The siamesed inlet and exhaust ports of the 2.8 only respond well to forced induction or an overbore; normal tuning will yield only minor power results. The MFI 2.8 Cologne uses a very restricted induction setup, and no open air kit is available due to this.
Ford offered a limited run of approximately 150 "Capri turbos" with turbocharged 2.8 engines. These engines displayed RS badging and used a productionized version of an existing aftermarket kit offered by a Ford dealer in Germany.
TVR Tasmin/280i used the Cologne 2.8 with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, as did the early TVR 'S' series in 2.8 and revised 2.9 efi injection form.
Applications:
Although the 2.9 L shares its basic configuration and several key dimensions with the earlier 2.8 L, it is the result of an extensive redesign of the engine. The 2.9 cylinder block is 30% more rigid than the 2.8's, without being any heavier. New, slightly dished pistons use much thinner rings that reduce friction losses. The connecting rods are thicker in places, and the cast nodular iron crankshaft has six counterweights. The camshaft is chain-driven rather than gear driven, and so rotates in the same direction as the crankshaft. The arrangement of the exhaust valves is different, eliminating the "hot-spot" that existed on the 2.8 L model. New cylinder heads incorporate separate exhaust ports for each cylinder, rather than the previous engine's conjoined ports. The combustion chamber is a high-swirl design, with a centrally located spark plug.
In Europe, this engine was commonly fitted with the Bosch L-Jetronic fuel-injection system, married to Ford's EEC-IV engine management. An unusual feature on European 2.9 engines is a split-intake system, with two intake pipes going from the filter box to the intake manifold, which contains two separate plenums, each feeding one cylinder bank. The plenums are connected only by a small cross-over port to equalize pressures between the sides.
Output was rated at at 4600 rpm and at 2600 rpm for the light trucks and at 4800 rpm for the Merkur Scorpio in the US market and for the European market. Bore and stroke was for a total displacement of.
Applications:
  • TVR S2/S3/S4C
  • Ford Bronco II
  • Ford Ranger
  • Ford Sierra XR 4X4, Ghia 4x4 Estate
  • Ford Granada
  • Ford Scorpio
  • Ford Transit
  • Merkur Scorpio
  • Panther Kallista
  • Middlebridge Scimitar GTE

    2.9 Cosworth

A special twin DOHC version of the 2.9 was created by Cosworth Engineering in 1991. Although it shared the same block as the standard 2.9, power output was up to and torque was boosted to at 4500 rpm. This engine was used in the Ford Scorpio Cosworth 24V. This engine configuration was only paired with an improved A4LDe automatic gearbox with partial electronic shift control. No manual gearbox was offered from the factory.
The standard Ford-issued block was machined differently to improve strength. In place of the single-cam arrangement, an endless duplex hydraulically tensioned timing chain was used to drive the overhead cams. The chain measured. The casting and bearings for the standard underhead cam were repurposed for a shaft which drove the oil pump. Ignition was controlled by an EDIS-6 system, which would become a standard feature.
The engine was known for its substantial increase in power delivery above 4000 rpm relative to the unmodified version; in recent years, the engine has become a popular choice as a replacement engine for the Ford Sierra XR4x4 and XR4i.
An improved version of this engine was available in the restyled 1995 Ford Scorpio. Differences included two simplex chains with two hydraulic tensioners and the addition of a variable-length intake system called VIS. Power output was increased to. This was mated to a fully electronically controlled A4LDE automatic transmission.

4.0

The pushrod, with a bore and stroke of version, although produced in Cologne, Germany, was only fitted to American vehicles. The OHV engine was produced until 2000 and was used in the Ford Explorer, Ford Aerostar, Mazda B4000, and Ford Ranger. Output was and. Though some variation exists, typically is quoted as horsepower for 1990–92 applications.
Applications:
  • Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series
  • Ford Explorer/Mazda Navajo
  • Cross Lander 244X
  • Ford Aerostar

    SOHC

The SOHC version was introduced in 1997 in the Ford Explorer, alongside the original pushrod version. It features a variable length intake manifold and produces and f. It uses a jackshaft in place of a camshaft to drive a timing chain to each cylinder head. Three timing chains are used, one from the crank to the jackshaft, one in the front of the engine to drive the cam for the left bank, and one on the back of the engine to drive the cam for the right bank. In addition, the 4WD Ranger/Explorer with the SOHC 4.0 had a 4th timing chain driving what Ford called a balance shaft. Ford has since phased out the engine in favor of the more powerful and efficient Duratec 37.

Timing chain problems

The 4.0 SOHC engine was notorious for the OEM timing chain guides and tensioners breaking, resulting in timing chain rattle or "death rattle". This problem can occur as early as in some vehicles. Due to the SOHC engine's unique design involving both front and rear timing chains, the repair of the timing guides would often require complete engine removal depending on the severity of the problem. When the engine is run for an extended period of time with this issue the engine can jump timing, damaging the heads and valves.
Timing chain rattle was mitigated in later years of the SOHC with updated cassettes and tensioners. This problem occurs with varying frequency among some Ford vehicles equipped with the SOHC engine including the Ford Mustang, Ford Explorer, and Ford Ranger. The 4.0 OHV was not affected by this issue.