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Old 12-30-2018, 10:34 PM   #1
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Ford’s New 7.3-L Engine — Your Predictions?

Anyone willing to dust off your crystal ball and make predictions on Ford’s new heavy duty 7.3L gasoline engine? It will be interesting to see if we can guess closely before official information is made public, which could happen soon.

It’s expected Ford may reveal the new engine along with 2020 Super Duty pickups at the 2019 North American Auto Show in a couple of weeks. That same engine will supposedly end up in larger Ford-powered Class A and C motorhomes as well as commercial trucks.


Please also mention anything on your “wish list” for this new engine that will power so many future RVs.

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Old 12-30-2018, 10:36 PM   #2
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I’ll start

My predictions below are based on recent Ford engine trends, and believe that the 3/4- and 1-ton Super Duty pickups should offer higher gasoline power and torque than the F-150. It needs to make a statement.


115 mm bore spacing — same as present Ford 6.2L V8

Neither a small block or big block V8, but mid size

Compacted graphite iron block for HD truck applications

Approx 105 bore X 105 stroke — near square like newer Fords

Taller deck height similar to V-10 due to longer stroke

4-valve DOHC aluminum heads

Independent variable valve timing

Port fuel injection + direct injection

At least 11:1 Compression Ratio (up to 12 possible)

At least 450 Horsepower (up to 500 possible)

At least 500 lb-ft Torque (up to 575 possible)

Lower fuel consumption, lower emissions, quieter, smoother, and improved engine braking compared to 6.2L V8 or 6.8L V10.

On my wish list is dual alternator option. I doubt it will happen, but hope to be wrong.
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Old 12-30-2018, 11:03 PM   #3
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If my Crystal Ball was any good: I'd have retired years ago, with a handful of winning Lottery tickets in my pockets!
But I like what you're saying about the possible power output of it...
It'll be an improvement on the 6.8 liter engine; particularly in the Class A rigs.
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Old 12-30-2018, 11:14 PM   #4
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Note that they may also be announcing a PHEV F-150 (perhaps not at NAIAS but soon).

As such the new Lincoln Aviator has a PHEV option (and the new Explorer they are supposed to announce at NAIAS will have the same PHEV option).

Maybe we'll even see what this guy looks like:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...-suv-spy-shots

ok none of this is related to the new 7.3-L engine (except that its all from Ford). Perhaps this upcoming NAIAS will have a lot to get excited about from Ford?....or not ! LOL
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Old 12-31-2018, 03:46 PM   #5
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I wonder if Ford will be replacing the ancient F53 chassis to go with the new engine.
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Old 12-31-2018, 04:20 PM   #6
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I like to see the option of a Front Engine Diesel from FORD. Not that I want or need one peronally but it would be nice option on the F53 current (or future) chassis.

Perhaps this diesel option you would have to custom order from Thor (im sure it would have a $10 - 15K premium over Gas powered so the dealers may not the added cost for sitting on lot).

More tow compass and better MPG with existing RV lineup (Hurricane/ACE/Challenger etc).

It would be real important for the longer / heaver RV's.
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Old 12-31-2018, 05:07 PM   #7
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I no longer tow the Kubota or a travel trailer so I was recently looking at trading the GMC 2500 HD for a gas 2500 pickup. No one has anything near what I wish for in towing capacity...the new 7.3 gas would cause me to made a new purchase instantly if it had 12-15K towing capacity. The only reason for diesel anymore is towing capacity....there's no formula to justify it otherwise as diesel fuel is constantly higher than gas. It didn't used to be this way...diesel always followed gas up and down...now it just stays high year round. When it hit bottom, I bought 200-300 gallons at a time as it has a long shelf life. The F550 has made a new Ford believer in me. I would welcome a 7.3 gas pickup.
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Old 12-31-2018, 05:43 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Long & Winding road View Post
I like to see the option of a Front Engine Diesel from FORD. Not that I want or need one peronally but it would be nice option on the F53 current (or future) chassis.

.....cut......
That demand has always been there, but I expect it’s too small in numbers to justify the added cost to manufacture and then support. Motorhome sales are in reality not that large a market for Ford compared to their totals.

The biggest problems at present are that gas is down to ~ $2/gallon, and that motorhomes on average are only driven about 5,000 miles per year. Economics are very different than operating a diesel commercial truck over 100,000 miles per year.

Also, front engine diesel Class As (FRED) in the past have been loud and transmit a lot of vibration. Maybe Ford diesel V8 is quieter than Cummins in-line 6, but FREDs don’t reduce noise like the firewall of a SuperC. I looked at buying a front engine Cummins and it was way too loud. It was a nice coach, but did very poorly in marketplace as has been the case with most front engine diesel Class As.
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Old 12-31-2018, 06:04 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
....cut.....

Maybe we'll even see what this guy looks like:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...-suv-spy-shots

ok none of this is related to the new 7.3-L engine (except that its all from Ford). Perhaps this upcoming NAIAS will have a lot to get excited about from Ford?....or not ! LOL
Is that based on RWD Explorer? The general shape is very similar.

Ford a while back announced upgrades to the motorhome chassis. It would not surprise at all if they are on display.

I’m also interested in what Ford may do for smaller motorhomes. While I’m intrigued with the 7.3L’s potential, it may be far more power than smaller Class As like Axis/Vegas may need, or smaller Class Cs on E-350. If that engine can make over 400 HP, I don’t know how they would get enough cooling underhood in an E-Series Cutaway. That’s a lot of heat.

I still think the F-150’s 5.0L V8 would be plenty of power for smaller motorhomes. It puts out much more power and torque than the old 5.4L V8 that was used on smaller Class Cs.
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Old 12-31-2018, 06:16 PM   #10
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Quote:
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Is that based on RWD Explorer? The general shape is very similar.

Ford a while back announced upgrades to the motorhome chassis. It would not surprise at all if they are on display.

I’m also interested in what Ford may do for smaller motorhomes. While I’m intrigued with the 7.3L’s potential, it may be far more power than smaller Class As like Axis/Vegas may need, or smaller Class Cs on E-350. If that engine can make over 400 HP, I don’t know how they would get enough cooling underhood in an E-Series Cutaway. That’s a lot of heat.

I still think the F-150’s 5.0L V8 would be plenty of power for smaller motorhomes. It puts out much more power and torque than the old 5.4L V8 that was used on smaller Class Cs.
I don't know the base for the EV SUV but I think it looks more in size with the Edge than the Explorer. I can't see Ford going much bigger--all the "EV SUV"'s on the market currently trend a little smaller in size. Of course Ford could be trying to own a part of the market that doesn't currently have a vehicle (larger EV SUV)...
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Old 12-31-2018, 06:48 PM   #11
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Going a bit larger always gives you more hiding places for the batteries...
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Old 12-31-2018, 07:51 PM   #12
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Going a bit larger always gives you more hiding places for the batteries...
Right but you get diminishing returns as larger also means heavier (like the rocket problem: you need more rocket fuel just to get the rocket fuel to orbit--its very non-linear).
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Old 12-31-2018, 08:05 PM   #13
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. It's starting to sound like a verbal Math problem...
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Old 12-31-2018, 08:08 PM   #14
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Until all manufacturers of the Class A's (Thor included) start building a better, quieter more insulated "cab" no engine will be tolerable up there.
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Old 12-31-2018, 08:18 PM   #15
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Until all manufacturers of the Class A's (Thor included) start building a better, quieter more insulated "cab" no engine will be tolerable up there.
Yep, but if they would at least insulated it well it would help a lot.

I put a Ton of sound/heat insulation in the front of my Axis (Like 2 to 3 layers EVERYWHERE you can reach inside, out, under etc. And diff types to help contol sound at diff. pitches.

So mine is not bad now - but on the interstate when cruising 75 mph then it downshifts for a hill it can get a bit loud. I try to speed up going down the hills and let off going up to keep it from shifting so much. That helps a lot.

Might see a 5 star tune in my future to help with shifting.
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Old 12-31-2018, 10:08 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Long & Winding road View Post

.....cut.....

So mine is not bad now - but on the interstate when cruising 75 mph then it downshifts for a hill it can get a bit loud. I try to speed up going down the hills and let off going up to keep it from shifting so much. That helps a lot.

.....cut......
What I found with my V10s plus all the others I’ve driven in Class C motorhomes is that they get very loud at high RPMs. You probably have 4.56 gears with small tires (for a truck), so the combined gearing is fairly low. At 75 MPH your engine must be spinning close to 2700 RPMs in high gear, which isn’t too bad. However, one downshift gets it up to ~ 3500 RPM, and a dual shift to 4th would go up around ~ 4600 RPMs. On mine with factory doghouse and firewall insulation, 3500 RPMs isn’t that bad, but it gets loud. At 4600 RPMs it’s so loud I’d rather slow down.

If Ford goes with DOHC heads with both intake and exhaust variable valve timing, they should be able to supply more torque at lower RPMs. This should decrease the need of the 7.3L needing to downshift.

Another change that’s coming is the heavier duty 10-speed automatic transmission which will make high RPMs less likely. I expect that the 10-speed will be installed initially in SuperDuty pickup truck line, with motorhomes sticking with 6R140 for a while. Eventually Ford should upgrade motorhome chassis to 10-speed autos. I hope much of this gets sorted out in Detroit next month.
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Old 12-31-2018, 10:53 PM   #17
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No doubt: more cogs in the tranny sure does take the strain off of the engine...
They couldn't put the more powerful 6.9 liter in the Class C rigs, because the engine compartment didn't have the space... That's why only the Class A rigs got the mill that the rest of us wanted.
I'm hoping that the new one fits in all of the rigs.
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Old 01-08-2019, 12:24 PM   #18
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Chance, good thread.

Why do you want two alternators? The 100 amp alternator in my RV seems sufficient.

Diesel engine noise. My friend has a 2018 Chevy 250 pickup and by the engine sound it in the cab, it's easy to forget that there is a diesel under the hood. Not at all like the old Chevy 6.5 diesel that clattered under all conditions.
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Old 01-08-2019, 02:26 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Chance View Post
What I found with my V10s plus all the others I’ve driven in Class C motorhomes is that they get very loud at high RPMs. You probably have 4.56 gears with small tires (for a truck), so the combined gearing is fairly low. At 75 MPH your engine must be spinning close to 2700 RPMs in high gear, which isn’t too bad. However, one downshift gets it up to ~ 3500 RPM, and a dual shift to 4th would go up around ~ 4600 RPMs. On mine with factory doghouse and firewall insulation, 3500 RPMs isn’t that bad, but it gets loud. At 4600 RPMs it’s so loud I’d rather slow down.
.
When Ford when to the 6-sp transmission they also re-tuned the engine for more torque at lower rpm. My coach (18,000 lb chassis) turns 1800 rpm at 62 mph. Down shifting to 5th at 62 mph gives 2,300 rpm and down to 4th gives 3,000 rpm which is where the engine's maximum torque is produced. Only at altitudes greater than 6,000 ft is it necessary to use the lower gears and to keep up with traffic on the two lane roads.
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Old 01-10-2019, 07:10 PM   #20
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Ford released information on new rear wheel drive 2020 Explorer just ahead of the North America Auto Show in Detroit, so I remain hopeful we’ll see information on the 2020 Super Duty pickups and their drivetrain before long.


Ford Explorer - 2018
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