Thougts on Ford's 3.7 V6 duratec engine?

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Quattro Pete

Quattro Pete

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Pure curiosity at this point... this engine has been out for a few years now. I was just wondering what its reliability has been like? Any owners care to chime in?

In a car such as the Mustang, it seems like a decent balance between performance, reliability, and fuel economy. I realize the 2.3 ecoboost is now marketed as one level above this more traditional non-DI 3.7 V6, but not everyone is a fan of turbos and reliability of this 2.3 ecoboost remains to be seen. So, I'd like to keep this discussion on the subject of the 3.7 V6 only.

Thanks!
 
Don't know about that specific engine, but one of the reasons I went with a 2014 Edge instead of the 2015 was the non-DI 3.5L is standard. Add that the 2.2L on the 15s is a turbo and DI, and I didn't want the headache of possible engine problems.
 
As a Ford tech I don't see a lot of problems out of the 3.5/3.7 non turbo engines. The one thing I do not like about this engine in the Edge, Taurus, and Explorer applications is the water pump is internal to the engine and driven by the timing chain. If the pump or its gasket fails it can trash the engine quickly if not caught in time. I've only seen one instance of this where I work, though.
 
Originally Posted By: trx250x92
If the pump or its gasket fails it can trash the engine quickly if not caught in time. I've only seen one instance of this where I work, though.

Thanks. At how many miles did the pump fail on that one?

Is there a recommended replacement interval for the water pump?
 
It seems the timing chain driven water pump is pretty common in newer engine designs. Not a fan here either but they didn't ask me.
 
the 3.7 is just a 3.5, with a bigger bore.

it's commonly used in v6 mustangs, Lincolns(where the ford version has the 3.5), and Police interceptors/Utility interceptors (ie:Taurus/Explorer)

FWD 3.7's are made here in Lima, along with the whole 3.5NA lineup, and the new 2.7 ecoboost. (Largely becasue of this, all the LEOs around here seem to be switching to the newer Fords, with the 3.7, replacing both their CVPI's, and Chargers.)

RWD 3.7's are made in Cleveland, along with the EcoBoost 3.5's, and 2.0 EcoBoost 4cyl.
 
Are the water pumps exteriors in these engines always bathed in engine coolant. I can't quite picture the set up.
 
I'm not a big fan of the 3.7 in performance or feel, I can't put my finger on why....

I feel the same way about the 2.5 I4's in the Fusions/Escapes

EcoBoost all the things!!!
 
In some models, doesn't the engine have to be removed to access the water pump?
Another thing: In an era where manufactures are trying to eliminate as much friction and drag from an engine, this doesn't make sense to me. We have gone to electric power steering, I am surprised we do not see more cars with electric water pumps.
 
Originally Posted By: Michael_P
In some models, doesn't the engine have to be removed to access the water pump?
Another thing: In an era where manufactures are trying to eliminate as much friction and drag from an engine, this doesn't make sense to me. We have gone to electric power steering, I am surprised we do not see more cars with electric water pumps.


Wouldn't an electric water pump put a similar drag on the electrical system therefore transferring that load to the alternator? The electric steering eliminates an entire fluid and its associated fluid lines, that makes more sense to me.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: trx250x92
If the pump or its gasket fails it can trash the engine quickly if not caught in time. I've only seen one instance of this where I work, though.

Thanks. At how many miles did the pump fail on that one?

Is there a recommended replacement interval for the water pump?


This was a 2010 Taurus with 80k miles. I'm not aware of a replacement interval but I've not looked it up, either.
 
The ones with an exterior pump has like an inside and outside pump setup. The outside one is driven off the belt and sends through the inside one. Hard to explain without a good picture. We replace a lot of the external pumps.

Our techs all hate doing the ones on the transverse due to having to drop the engine and reseal the timing cover. Thankfully for the customer they have been under warranty so they don't realize what it would have cost.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
It seems the timing chain driven water pump is pretty common in newer engine designs. Not a fan here either but they didn't ask me.


No kidding- I always thought timing BELT driven water pumps were a horrible enough idea, but at least with those when the seal goes the water runs outside the engine and you get a warning. With the chain-driven type you just get an oil/coolant frappe.

One thing I like about the Pentastar- good old SERPENTINE belt-driven water pump. Chains are for cams and oil pumps, not for water pumps.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
dishdude said:
One thing I like about the Pentastar- good old SERPENTINE belt-driven water pump. Chains are for cams and oil pumps, not for water pumps.


Why should we accept that a water pump could not be made to last life of engine? Proper design, materials, mfg. & installation is totally attainable....it's not rocket science.
Click to expand...
 
Had a 2012 mustang v6 performance package and it was terrific. Lacked the down low grunt of a bigger mill but that thing flew if you let it! Was dead reliable the entire 20,000 miles I owned it.
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
dishdude said:
One thing I like about the Pentastar- good old SERPENTINE belt-driven water pump. Chains are for cams and oil pumps, not for water pumps.


Why should we accept that a water pump could not be made to last life of engine? Proper design, materials, mfg. & installation is totally attainable....it's not rocket science.


Its attainable- if you provided the water pump bearings with their own circulating oil supply, pump, filter, and designed a seal system that's 10X more expensive than the current seals.

The choice to make a water pump cost $35 with a life expectancy of 80-120k miles and be easy to replace without tearing down the engine is much more sane, if you ask me.
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Why should we accept that a water pump could not be made to last life of engine? Proper design, materials, mfg. & installation is totally attainable....it's not rocket science.

Sure, everything can be over-engieered to last a lifetime, but nobody wants to pay for it, and most people don't care because they trade the car in after 3 years to get something nicer/newer/better and/or to impress the neighbors.
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
dishdude said:
One thing I like about the Pentastar- good old SERPENTINE belt-driven water pump. Chains are for cams and oil pumps, not for water pumps.


Why should we accept that a water pump could not be made to last life of engine? Proper design, materials, mfg. & installation is totally attainable....it's not rocket science.


We accept it because it's never happened. I'd rather it be easy to fix and last 100,000 then have another over complicated hard to fix piece with a "life time " life expectancy.
Click to expand...
 
My father's 2011 Explorer with the 3.7 was flawless until the water pump puked somewhere around 150,000km. Had the pump been external the failure would have been caught in time and not required replacing the engine.

Planned obsolescence is a [censored]. My definition of "lifetime" rarely lines up with the manufacturers'.
 
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