"The primary driver for powertrain developments was Stage IV emissions which become mandatory for commercial vehicles from January 2007 onwards. We took the opportunity to launch the emission programme ahead of legal requirements, to the benefit of all new Transit owners. We also wanted to take advantage of the latest technologies to achieve better fuel consumption, lower emissions and improved noise, vibration and harshness."
Barry Gale, Chief Engineer Commercial Vehicles

The latest generation Transit is offered with a choice of six all-new Duratorq TDCi diesel engines – three 2.2-litre and three 2.4-litre variants, plus a four-cylinder 2.3-litre Duratec petrol engine that is CNG/LPG compatible.

New Duratorq Diesel Engines 

The two Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesel engines share the following common elements:

• Cylinder head with two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder
• Maintenance-free simplex timing chain drive
• Charge-air cooling (intercooling)
• Water-cooled and electronically controlled exhaust gas recirculation (e-EGR)
• Turbocharger with fixed turbine geometry for the low-power versions (2.2-litre 85/110PS and 2.4-litre 100/115PS)
• Turbocharger with variable turbine geometry for the high-power versions (2.2-litre 130PS and 2.4-litre 140PS)
• Weight-reduced cast-iron cylinder block (6 kg less) with optimized geometry and wall thickness for high stiffness and lower deflection of airborne noise
• Ladder frame design for extremely stiff layout of the engine's connection between oil pan and clutch housing
• Six cylinder head bolts per cylinder for highly uniform clamping of the cylinder head gasket as well as reduced deflection of bores
• Minimised water jacket volume contributing to optimised engine warm-up
• Direct assembly of ancillaries to cylinder block/ladder frame to reduce weight and radiated noise levels

Both engines feature common rail injection systems. Thanks to this proven system and to the engine's very modern layout with four valves per cylinder and centralized injector, the new Duratorq TDCi engines solidly meet Stage IV emission limits that demand a 50 per cent reduction in oxides of nitrogen and a 40 per cent reduction in particulates from the outgoing Stage III levels as well as a 12,000 miles increase to 60,000 miles for system performance requirements.

Increased Power and Torque

Front wheel drive Transits are available in a choice of three displacements of the Duratorq TDCi 2.2-litre diesel engines mounted in an east-west configuration: 85PS/250Nm, 110PS/285Nm, and 130PS/310Nm. This engine has a bore diameter of 86 mm and a 94.6mm long stroke crankshaft.

Rear wheel drive Transits feature a choice of three Duratorq TDCi 2.4-litre diesel engine displacements also in a north-south configuration: 100PS/285Nm, 115PS/320Nm and 140PS/375Nm. This engine has a bore diameter of 89.9 mm and a 94.6mm long stroke crankshaft.

The 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi engine was developed at Ford's Dagenham diesel centre of excellence as part of Ford Motor Company's co-operation with PSA Peugeot Citroen. The 2.4-litre Duratorq TDCi engine is a further development exclusively used by Ford.

Cylinder Block

The cylinder block-ladder frame assembly of both engines provides a major contribution to enhanced stiffness of the powertrain. Additionally, this assembly weighs about 8 kilograms less than a comparable conventional block.

A redesigned cylinder head features new port geometries for the primary and secondary intake port. Both are designed to improve flow and swirl ratio for best possible cylinder filling which supports a quick and effective combustion and at the same time protects against the particle emissions. Also new is the valve train which uses a modular rocker system instead of a traditional rocker shaft. The rockers run in a pre-assembled modular aluminium carrier that guarantees build quality and simplifies servicing.

A new generation common-rail high-pressure fuel injection system running at 1600 bar is used on all Duratorq TDCi diesel engines. All engines – except the 130PS and 140PS derivatives – have fixed geometry turbochargers. The 130PS and 140PS units feature electrically actuated variable nozzle turbochargers for optimised torque irrespective of engine speed.

Stage IV Emissions

Meeting EU Stage IV emission standards with the new diesel engines and vehicle mass of the Ford Transit in it's numerous versions, required an optimised Duratorq TDCi format with four-valve technology, centrally positioned injection nozzle and fully electronic fuel injection, combined with cooled exhaust gas recirculation and an oxidation catalyst.

In the lower speed and load ranges, the new Ford Duratorq TDCi engine realises exhaust gas recirculation rates of more than 50 percent (around idling speed). At engine speeds above 1500 rpm, the exhaust gas recirculation is controlled by a program map, up to effective median pressures of 10 bar, thus effectively contributing to lower NOx-emissions over a wide range of the programme map.

Ford's intercooling system for the exhaust recirculation is water-cooled for optimal system performance and lifetime durability.

With so many Ford Transits for sale at www.vanlocator.co.uk being used for stop-start urban deliveries there was a challenge to achieve rapid light off for the catalysts after start up. This has been achieved by close coupling of the catalyst to exhaust manifold next to the turbocharger.

Engine Packaging

Engine ancillary layout has also been altered to improve packaging, especially in the front wheel drive applications. The fuel injection pump on the east-west mounted front wheel drive engines is moved to the back of the engine running off the inlet cam rather than off the timing chain at the front as with the previous design, releasing the major part of load on the timing chain and letting the engine run more quiter.

Thanks to a detailed revision of the water pump and the respective belt drive system there is also a new, lighter front-end accessory drive, with the new engine powering the relocated water pump, alternator, power-steering pump, vacuum pump and air-conditioning compressor.

Longer Service Intervals

Servicing intervals for all diesels is 15,000 miles or one year except for the 2.4-litre 140PS derivative, which is now 31,000 miles or two years, partly achieved by using an Oil Level and Temperature (OLT) sensor. Mounted on the ladder frame next to the turbo oil feed drain, the oil sensor system uses electrical resistance to measure oil level and temperature. This engine also has a centrifugal filter integrated in the oil circuit – located inside the newly designed cam cover – which removes damaging soot particles from the oil.

New Duratec Petrol Engine

A new Duratec 2.3-litre 145PS/200Nm in-line four cylinder petrol engine, assembled in Mexico , is also part of the new Transit powertrain line-up.

Complete with balancer shafts for smoother running, the engine features Electronic Throttle Control for smoother response under acceleration. It uses a mechanical returnless fuel system and a smart fuel pump to regulate pressure, removing the need for separate pressure regulators and temperature/pressure sensors improving robustness and simplifying servicing.

The engine meets Stage IV emission legislation and has 20,000km or one-year oil service intervals. Hardened valve seat material means it can be converted to run on LPG or CNG.

Transmission and driveline

Front-wheel-drive Transits all come with a five-speed manual gearbox whilst the rear-wheel-drive 100PS Duratorq TDCi and 145PS Duratec petrol feature an upgraded five-speed transmission. A six-speed manual is standard on the high torque 115PS and 140PS Duratorq TDCi rear-wheel-drive variants.

Flywheel and clutch

Dual mass flywheels are adopted on all new rear-wheel-drive diesel powered Transits and on the 130PS front-wheel-drive model. By dampening engine torsional vibrations they help to reduce gear rattle and body boom. All other variants have single mass flywheels that also provide isolation from engine torsional vibrations, helping to reduce NVH.

To extend clutch life, the six-speed rear-wheel-drive has a 256mm diameter clutch – 16mm bigger than the five-speed transmissions.

Axles, driveshafts and final drive ratios

All front-wheel-drive Ford Transits are fitted with a new design of half shaft with 36 teeth inboard joint splines. All models with the exception of the 85PS one-tonne model have anti-shudder inboard joints. Final drive ratios are 4.23 or 4.54.

Rear-wheel-drive models have a new live rear axle with the ring gear increased from 8.8 to 9.25 inches to cope with the increased torque. A solid rubber coupling between the transmission and prop shaft reduces driveline harshness and smoothes torque transfer.

Final drive ratios for rear-wheel-drive models vary depending on engine and weight class and with the engine's higher torque are optimised for reducing engine speed and noise when cruising as well as improving take-off performance, refinement and clutch durability.