isthatahemi

So after installing the intake on my 2011 3.7 SCAB, I have been flooring it a lot to enjoy the sweet engine growl / howl / scream. When I floor it, the engine runs to just shy of 7000 rpms, and barks a nice shift into the next gear.

I am assuming Ford has tested the heck out of this engine, and will stand up to being run at full throttle on a semi regular basis. I intend to run Mobil synthetic for the life of this truck. I don't consider flooring any stock vehicle abuse, as Ford has designed it to operate this way, and could have programmed any shift rpm, or de-rated anything as they deemed necessary.

Given the beefy nature of the trans, diff, T-case, and the rest of the truck, the engine is what I would prefer to discuss. And obviously, all else being equal, the 5.0, and 6.2 should theoretically last longer, as they are under less "strain". I intend to put around 12 000kms of towing miles on per year, towing a 10'tall brick that weighs around 3800#.

So without provoking the Neo-Luddites into postulating how only low rpm, diesel engines are durable, does anyone have any thoughts, tech points, design info, or durability testing information? I had a Dodge a while back that went 300 000kms, much of it 1/4 mile at a time. I am optimistic Ford has a clue, and that this engine stands a fighting chance of lasting the same amount of time.

ol_blue

haha im a little flabbergasted by this thread

superccs

I agree with the "engine makes a sweet noise" statement. I love that it revs to the moon. The high rpms are no prob, automobile manufactures have been making engines like this for the last 10 years :P

t_b

Your suggestion here is a bit flawed. Neither the 3.7, the 5.0 nor the 6.2 make really good torque down at low RPMs - they're all built to rev and to their work at the higher end. High RPMs are fundamentally the killer of an engine not designed to handle them. All three of these motors, however, are built to spin at high RPM and do their work.

Technology is a wonderful thing, and Ford has beaten the snot out of all of these motors in test. Do you honestly think the execs at Ford would sign off on a "maybe" engine to be the base model on their best selling vehicle? No chance in hell.

That 3.7 is a brute. I suggest you floor it and beat it senseless on a daily basis - it will love it!

Georgiaboy5.0L

Ford engines have always been designed to run hard...........if you have ever had a Ford that was running alittle rough......the best cure was to take it out and run the hell of it....and all was well again......have fun.

my67falcon

Back in the day we use to take our interceptors out to the flight-line in the middle of the night to do a carbon blowout run.

Bucknasty11 3.7

Only had this truck/engine for a few weeks so I guess I can't really speak for its reliability yet. However so far I have been more than impressed by this thing. From the power to the fuel economy its been great (of course thats what made me buy the truck in the first place).

Only concern I have (could be nothing at all) is a slight squeal I hear during shifts at higher RPMs. I created a thread about it a little bit ago, but since you have the same engine maybe you would know if you have heard something similar. It is so faint I can only hear it with the windows down and the radio off. It is just a slight squeal/squeak/whine that sounds like a turbo boosting. Have you (or anybody) noticed anything like this?

BarryL

Here's some info from wiki, it's been around for awhile.

Duratec 37

The Duratec 37 3.7 L (3721 cc; 227 CID) V6 is another member of the Ford Cyclone engine family. The Duratec 37's additional displacement over the Duratec 35 is achieved through a 3 mm increase in bore diameter which results in a 95.5 mm (3.76 in) bore.
The engine began production in the 2008 Maxda CX-9 under Mazda's MZI moniker and produces 273 hp (204 kW) at 6,250 rpm and 270 lb·ft (366 N·m) at 4,250 rpm. The American assembled version seen in the 2009 Lincoln MKS produces 275 hp (205 kW) at 6,250 rpm and 276 lb·ft (374 N·m) at 4,250 rpm. A few days before the 2009 LA Auto show, Ford unveiled a new version of the Duratec 37 for the 2011 Mustang, making it the first Duratec-badged V6 used in a rear-wheel drive application since the Mondeo V6 in the Lincoln LS. The new version of the engine features Twin Independent (Ti-VCT) and, thanks in part to the addition of this technology, makes 305 hp (227 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 280 lb·ft (380 N·m) at 4,250 rpm while delivering 31 mpg-US (7.6 L/100 km; 37 mpg-imp) highway mileage in the Mustang. This RWD Ti-VCT version has also since been added to the engine lineup of the F-150 pickup for 2011.

ThreeOhTwo

Gasoline engines are plenty durable, especially if you take any care of them. The 3.7 is just the latest naturally-aspirated member in the Duratec family that's been around since the 1990s. My family has owned a half-dozen vehicles with Duratec V6s in the past decade and they have been very durable. There have been two problems in total- a defective idle sensor in a 3.0 L Escape at about 30k miles and two PCM failures in a 3.5 L Edge at about 20k miles due to an electrical short. The rest of them haven't had a single issue and have at least 100k on the clock or did when they were traded in. The one with the most miles would be my sister-in-law's Escape (not the one that had the bad idle sensor) with >150k and no problems. We didn't do anything special for maintenance- we just followed the "regular service" intervals in the manual and used conventional non-premium oils and filters. About the only thing that can be a problem on these engines is the aluminum oil pan's drain plug threads can be wallowed out a tad by the steel plug bolt and leak a little bit. Apart from the cross-thread job an idiot at a quick change did on my brother's Escape, the problem doesn't really show up until 100k+ miles and 20+ oil changes. A little pipe dope on the plug will solve the tiny dripping problem, else you can go with a slightly larger plug bolt.

Phil MacDonald

I have heard this in my 2008 Ford Escape with the 3L v6 duratec. Happens more often on cold days mostly I hear it just after I let up on the gas pedal and only for a moment. I suspect it is the alternator whine most users say is normal and has never really concerned me. I have been running that engine hard for a long time. It's performance/durability so far after 5 years is good.