Ford 1.6L EcoBoost GTDI Engine (Specs, Reliability & Issues)
Updated: May 2
Ford introduced the 1.6L EcoBoost engine in the Ford Focus and Ford C-Max in 2010. Along with the 2.0 EcoBoost, it was Ford's first turbocharged engine as part of the Downsizing initiative.
It is a 1.6L inline four-cylinder gasoline turbocharged engine with direct injection fuel system. Thanks to contemporary technology, larger engines (2.0L and 1.8L Duratec) may be substituted with less performance loss and lower fuel consumption and emissions.
Design
The cylinder block of the engine is made of high-strength aluminium alloy and has an open-deck design. The open-deck design helps to save weight and improve cooling balance. The sleeves (liners) are cast directly into the engine block's aluminium cylinder walls.
The block contained a cast iron crankshaft with four counterweights and five main bearings, as well as forged connecting rods and aluminium hypereutectic pistons with low-friction resin-coated skirts. The piston pins have a diamond-like coating put to them (DLC).
The oil pan is also made of aluminium and serves as a structural support for the engine block. The EcoBoost 1.6L comes with a 16-valve aluminium cylinder head. The cylinder head is connected to the engine block by a multi-layer stainless steel (MLS) head gasket.
The head is made as a single piece with the camshaft casing. For efficient airflow from the intake manifold into the cylinders, it also has D-shaped intake ports and four valves per cylinder (two intake valves and two exhaust valves).
The valvetrain uses more uncomplicated and simple shimless buckets for valve actuation. There is no hydraulic lash adjustment system on the engine. These buckets come in 36 different thicknesses to provide optimal lash clearance.
The intake valves are 30mm in diameter, while the exhaust valves are 25mm in diameter. The steam intake and exhaust valves are just 5 mm in diameter. EcoBoost engines come equipped with double overhead belt-driven camshafts with variable intake and exhaust valve timing (Ford calls it Twin Independent Variable-Cam Timing or Ti-VCT).
An additional cam lobe on one camshaft drives a high-pressure fuel pump. Fuel pressure is given for high-pressure direct fuel injection using six-hole injectors. Each injector is located in the cylinder's centre, near the spark plug.
The EcoBoost engine's turbocharger is a critical component. On the 1.6-liter version, a low-inertia Borg Warner KP39 turbocharger is attached to a separate cast iron exhaust manifold (a non-turbo-fold turbocharger system). The core component of the turbocharger is water-cooled.
Pressurized air enters a plastic intake manifold through a 52.0 mm drive-by-wire throttle body controlled by the Bosch MED17 ECU after passing via an air-to-air intercooler. Following a turbocharger, the close-coupled three-way catalytic converter receives hot exhaust gases.
The 1.6 EcoBoost engine meets European Euro-5 emission requirements.
Specs
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company, Ford Bridgend Engine Plant in Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom
Production years: 2010-present
Cylinder block material: Aluminium
Cylinder head material: Aluminium
Fuel type: Gasoline
Fuel system: Direct fuel injection
Configuration: Inline
Number of cylinders: 4
Valves per cylinder: 4
Valvetrain layout: DOHC
Bore: 79.0 mm (3.10 in)
Stroke: 81.4 mm (3.20 in)
Displacement: 1,596 cc (97.0 cu in)
Type: Four-stroke, turbocharged
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Power: 150-180 hp (110-133 kW) at 6,000 rpm
Torque: 180 lb-ft (244 Nm) at 1,600-4,000 rpm
Engine weight: 251 lbs (114 kg)
Firing order: 1-3-4-2
Engine oil weight: SAE 5W-20
Engine oil capacity: 4.1 l (4.3 US qt)
Oil change interval: 9,000 miles (15,000 km) or 12 months
Applications: Ford C-MAX, Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo, Ford S-Max, Ford Galaxy, Ford Escape, Ford Transit Connect, Ford Fiesta ST, Ford Fusion, Volvo S60, Volvo V60, Volvo V40, Volvo V70, Volvo S80
Reliability & Issues
The 1.6L EcoBoost engine is Ford's first attempt to mass-produce a turbocharged engine. The engine has a number of shortcomings in terms of reliability, but it also has a number of advantages, such as low fuel consumption and great power.
The most important concern that has already been addressed in contemporary autos is overheating. According to owners, the engine starts to devour coolant for no apparent reason. The coolant level may drop from full to low after the coolant has been replaced, causing the coolant warning light to glow.
The 1.6 EcoBoost engine was included in the huge recall. The effort is aimed at EcoBoost engines, which may have their cylinder heads shatter and deform as a result of overheating, enabling oil to flow. A total of 13 car fires have been reported as a consequence of oil leaks.
Throughout all, 29 fires were reported to Ford in the US and Canada. In 2017, Ford issued a recall for about 360,000 1.6 EcoBoost vehicles owing to a risk of engine fires caused by a "loss of coolant circulation". Simply make sure that the recall on your car has been performed.
Low-quality fuel and soot may block gasoline injection nozzles, as well as those on all direct-injection engines. The backside of the intake valves is covered with carbon deposits due to a lack of gasoline as a cleanser inside the intake ports. Cleaning is an expensive proposition.
For the most part, the engine is in fine functioning condition. Other engine breakdowns are unpredictable and are mostly determined by operating circumstances, mileage, and maintenance. The engine is expected to last 150,000 miles (250,000 km).
