Ranger motor built off Focus RS motor??? Mods compatability??

[GrumpyRanger]

So stole this from an old Post n got wondering... What focus RS motor mods could bolt up to our motor with no issue (exhaust manifold, intake manifold, lightweight pullys, EGR delete)

The 2.3L ecoboost going into the Ranger is actually a modified Focus RS engine rather than a modified Mustang engine (even though both are fundamentally the same engine). The reason for that is the Ranger needs enough torque to beat out the Colorado, which the Focus RS engine provides. So we're likely to see closer to Focus RS hp/torque figures. Which should make it class-leading.

Here's a great analysis of the Ranger ecoboost engine and how it compares to the Focus RS motor, by Road & Track.

Our first hint that it's based on the unit found in the Focus RS comes from the design of the block. That shows us that the Ranger motor employs a cross-drilled deck for cooling which is only found in the Focus RS at this time. The general idea is that coolant flows through the block below the bore bridge instead of across the top. Inside the block, the rotating assembly appears to be lifted straight from the Focus RS; it contains the forged crankshaft, forged connecting rods, and coated pistons found in the hot hatch.

Cross-Drilled Deck

Ranger Engine rods and crank

Although the top is almost identical to the Focus RS block, the bottom has been modified and has a slightly different casting. The oil pump has been moved from its location beside the crank gear and now runs off the balance shafts in the oil pan. This move was likely done to make the front a little narrower in order to make space for the four-wheel drive components that will be used in the Ranger.

Ranger oil cooler

The oil cooling system has also been upgraded with the addition of a new housing that includes a larger oil cooler and a filter that now points to the side instead of down towards the oil pan. This housing is novel since it also appears to be where the motor mount will connect to the engine.

Ranger cylinder head and new fan mount

The oil pump move is not the only change to the front of the block as the harmonic balancer has also been changed. It now includes a provision for a wider front belt which will coincide with the belt-driven fan that will be installed on the Ranger. This is also apparent when you look a little higher up towards the cam gears where there is now a cast mount for the fan to attach to. The timing cover has been modified to allow for the fan mount and the removal of the oil pump below. The rest of the belt drive appears to be identical to the Focus with the water pump visible in the same 3 o’clock position on both engines.

Front of the Ranger's engine

Moving up towards the cylinder head it is apparent that most of it was transferred over. The head casting and valvetrain components appear to be identical but a few external changes have been made. The valve cover shows some additional strengthening ribs on the front but is mostly the same. The direct injection pump is mounted in the same position on the left rear side of the head but the vacuum pump beside it on the Focus is gone. This pump is used to provide a vacuum backup for the brake booster on the other models and the unit may now be gone or relocated on the Ranger.

Ranger EGR and direct injection pump

We now find an EGR cooler below the injection pump which has not been used on this size of EcoBoost motor in the past. The EGR system was likely implemented to assist with emissions by pumping hot air into the intake to richen up the fuel mixture as needed. The secondary benefit of EGR is that the warm air being pumped back in can also assist to prevent knock when the engine is under high load. The pipe that leads across the back of the head into the intake manifold appears to be the main change to the induction system there as the rest of the manifold appears to match what is found on the Mustang.

Ranger turbo

Moving around to the other side of the head, we find the familiar three-port integrated exhaust manifold that leads into a twin-scroll turbocharger. Although we do not have exact specs on the turbocharger just yet, the inducer wheel appears to be slightly larger than the Mustang unit.


Ranger's electronic active wastegate

We find another new piece in this area as this turbo is the first in the series to employ an electronic wastegate. The rest of the lineup uses a mechanical penumatic wastegate so this advancement should allow more granular control of boost pressure. This is important since the Ranger will likely be sold in high volume and small changes like this can help to improve fuel efficiency and emissions.

Focus RS engine and Ranger engine

There are likely other smaller parts that may have slight changes, but the Ranger motor appears to share most of its components with the Focus RS while adding a few new parts. Based on what was shown for the mock-up and the data released by Ford so far, it appears that they might be shooting for a torque monster. I would not be surprised to see it exceeding the torque ratings of its competitors.

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[MyLittleRanger19]

id love to replace the plastic intake manifold. hoping mountunes cast aluminum unit can fit... ill have to do some more research but this would put a lot of my troubles at ease. i cant stand plastic parts on motors...

 

[PNW_Ranger87]

I would assume given there's enough room for whatever it is, as long as it doesn't require tuning, I would think you could do pretty much anything. Lol. The tuning programs are definitely different.

 

[MyLittleRanger19]

well yeah... id like it to be more plug and play. or at least a weekend project so i dont have to figure out driving to work. lol

 

[PNW_Ranger87]

well yeah... id like it to be more plug and play. or at least a weekend project so i dont have to figure out driving to work. lol

YOU GOTTA FLAT RATE THAT SHIT!

 

[t4thfavor]

id love to replace the plastic intake manifold. hoping mountunes cast aluminum unit can fit... ill have to do some more research but this would put a lot of my troubles at ease. i cant stand plastic parts on motors...

Everything for that motor is pointing the wrong direction given that it's transversely mounted. I had a FoST, and though its not an identical motor, everything is in roughly the same place as the RS. Nothing would bolt to this motor.

The balance shaft delete "might" fit, but I'm not interested in pulling the oil pan to find out

That said, the plastic intake manifold is good well past 30PSI and doesn't have the added benefit of heat soaking like an aluminum one would. Most people that replaced their intake mani on the 2.0L lost HP after a few pulls, and eventually sold the parts off on Facebook.

 

[GrumpyRanger]

Everything for that motor is pointing the wrong direction given that it's transversely mounted. I had a FoST, and though its not an identical motor, everything is in roughly the same place as the RS. Nothing would bolt to this motor.

The balance shaft delete "might" fit, but I'm not interested in pulling the oil pan to find out

That said, the plastic intake manifold is good well past 30PSI and doesn't have the added benefit of heat soaking like an aluminum one would. Most people that replaced their intake mani on the 2.0L lost HP after a few pulls, and eventually sold the parts off on Facebook.

I keep hearing about heat soaking issues for these motors.... Think we need better cooling n under hood ventilation...

 

[t4thfavor]

Heat soaking is a function of the inter cooler, adequate shielding of the hot stuff, and less conductive parts. Ford is doing it right with their lighter inter cooler (could be better), and the plastic intake. They also watercool the turbo which helps keep stuff a little cooler. You’ll never get away from heat soak if you aren’t constantly moving. People that go to the drag strip notice more because they wait in line idling between passes.

 

[MyLittleRanger19]

i understand heat soaking and keeping heat away from the intake. its why i will be wrapping the downpipe and intake.

That said, the plastic intake manifold is good well past 30PSI and doesn't have the added benefit of heat soaking like an aluminum one would.

where did you get that number? is that for the RS intake? is the ranger intake made the same way? whats the stock psi of the ranger vs the RS?

 

[t4thfavor]

i understand heat soaking and keeping heat away from the intake. its why i will be wrapping the downpipe and intake.



where did you get that number? is that for the RS intake? is the ranger intake made the same way? whats the stock psi of the ranger vs the RS?

The RS, the Focus ST, the SHO, and several other Ecoboost engine platforms can all take over 30PSI to the manifold with no issues. I learned these things by reading, watching tuner videos, and running 26PSI in my very own Focus ST. All of them are made from the same glass filled plastic, and are very, very strong.

Ranger runs around 16-18PSI, RS should be somewhere around 23PSI in stock form.


The FoST bursts at 110 PSI... (Actually it doesn't, it just blows off the pipe.)

 

[Lunchbox88]

The RS, the Focus ST, the SHO, and several other Ecoboost engine platforms can all take over 30PSI to the manifold with no issues. I learned these things by reading, watching tuner videos, and running 26PSI in my very own Focus ST. All of them are made from the same glass filled plastic, and are very, very strong.

Ranger runs around 16-18PSI, RS should be somewhere around 23PSI in stock form.


The FoST bursts at 110 PSI... (Actually it doesn't, it just blows off the pipe.)

Ive seen my Ranger hit 21.5+ psi stock and others have seen slightly higher. Just FYI, not detracting from your point.

 

[t4thfavor]

Ive seen my Ranger hit 21.5+ psi stock and others have seen slightly higher. Just FYI, not detracting from your point.

Peaks are different than sustained boost. My guess it's the difference between the instant the boost reading is taken, and the instant the wastegate opens. I used to see huge 30+PSI spikes in the focus, but just for a fraction of a second until the wastegate started chooching.

Anyone have a scan tool capable of logging parameters can show us the boost curve modeled in an Excel graph pretty easily.

 

[Lunchbox88]

Peaks are different than sustained boost. My guess it's the difference between the instant the boost reading is taken, and the instant the wastegate opens. I used to see huge 30+PSI spikes in the focus, but just for a fraction of a second until the wastegate started chooching.

Anyone have a scan tool capable of logging parameters can show us the boost curve modeled in an Excel graph pretty easily.

I think Torque pro will allow me to log it. I can give it a shot this weekend. But yeah that peak boost, which still matters when discussing manifold burst pressure I would imagine.

 

[rooster]

Peaks are different than sustained boost. My guess it's the difference between the instant the boost reading is taken, and the instant the wastegate opens. I used to see huge 30+PSI spikes in the focus, but just for a fraction of a second until the wastegate started chooching.

Anyone have a scan tool capable of logging parameters can show us the boost curve modeled in an Excel graph pretty easily.

I think I can log the following at the same time:

Throttle pos
RPM
Speed
Gear
Manifold pressure
Barometric pressure
Wastegate %

Might be able to get intake temps too.

I was going to do 0-60 runs in normal and sport mode, 100% stock Ranger. I’m curious if boost profile changes and if boost is reduced in first two gears, which I think happens on the F-150 2.7 eb.

will post some raw data and charts soon.

I’ll be keeping mine stock for awhile so if anyone has special request for baseline data give me a shout.

 

[rooster]

My initial testing showed manifold pressure holding in the range of 31-32 psi at 14.5 psi baro, roughly 18 psi boost as other have noted.

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