Why Ford Switched To The Power Stroke Diesel (and Ditched Navistar)

The business betwixt Ford and Navistar International was erstwhile considered a exemplary collaboration. The celebrated statement began successful 1982 and saw International Truck and Engine Corporation (later Navistar) work together a woody to proviso diesel engines for light-duty Ford trucks. The people aspirated 6.9-liter IDI motor introduced successful 1983 became International's first effort to make an lipid burner for nan Blue Oval. For nan 1988 exemplary year, Ford presented a blown type of nan International-built indirect injection diesel motor — a 7.3-liter IDI, which was later fitted pinch a turbocharger arsenic portion of upgrades for 1993. This boosted performance, pinch output rising to 190 horsepower and 388 lb-ft of torque, up from 185 hp and 338 lb-ft in nan erstwhile engine.

It wasn't until 1994 that nan Power Stroke sanction was applied to nan Navistar-supplied diesel engines, starting pinch nan iconic, direct-injected 7.3-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel. International Navistar followed that effort up pinch nan 6.0 and 6.4 Power Stroke engines earlier Ford yet took complete accumulation up of nan 2011 exemplary year. Ford elected to return Power Stroke Production in-house aft its narration pinch Navistar soured due to reliability problems pinch nan 6.0 engine. 

After 9 years connected sale, accumulation of nan venerable 7.3 Power Stroke motor was discontinued successful 2003 owed successful portion to increasingly stringent NOx emissions regulations and its inability to meet California sound regulations. In its place, Navistar supplied nan 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel, which was produced done 2007. 

The 6.0 was emissions compliant and potent rather alright, generating 325 horsepower and up to 570 lb-ft of torque. But because it was hastily rushed into production ahead of looming emissions standards, nan motor encountered immoderate issues, including pinch its EGR cooler, lipid cooler, caput bolt, caput gasket, and high-pressure lipid pump. Some of these problems often led to recalls, predominant repairs, and warranty claims, pinch Ford understood to person spent astir $1 cardinal successful repairs and recalls costs. 

In fact, nan fault-riddled 6.0 is nary alien to critics moreover connected here, arsenic it was antecedently voted 1 of the worst engines by scores of Jalopnik readers. So, it should travel arsenic small astonishment that it near nan segment almost arsenic hurriedly arsenic it arrived, pinch nan 6.4 Power Stroke taking complete nan reins arsenic nan beating bosom of Ford's Super Duty pickup trucks from 2008. The 6.4 brought a flimsy summation successful powerfulness astatine 350 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, and managed to amended reliability overall. However, it had its issues pinch DPF clogging, pistons cracking, radiator leaking and was further hamstrung by mediocre substance economy. But things were already heated earlier nan 6.4 arrived successful 2007. 

When Ford sewage tired of covering nan warranty expenses connected its own, it sued Navistar successful January 2007 claiming nan motor supplier had raised motor prices while refusing to salary its information of nan costs incurred to hole nan problematic 6.0 Power Stroke engine. Ford besides reduced its payments to Navistar successful an effort to retrieve nan money it felt it was being owed for warranty repairs. 

In response, Navistar insisted its pricing aligned pinch nan position of nan contract and blamed Ford for failing to fulfill its contractual obligations. It also halted nan accumulation and shipment of nan 6.4 Power Stroke engines, disrupting Ford's accumulation plans. Later that year, Navistar brought a abstracted suit claiming nan Blue Oval intends to build a 4.4 liter diesel motor for nan F-150 itself successful either 2009 aliases 2010. However, the drawn-out saga yet came to an extremity successful January 2009, pinch nan 2 behemoths reaching an out-of-court colony to terminate their motor proviso statement by year-end.

Ford paid Navistar an undisclosed sum to extremity nan feud and return power of motor manufacturing from 2010. It wasted small clip pinch nan preamble of its type of nan Power Stroke, nan 6.7 Scorpion, which it built from nan crushed up ahead of nan 2011 exemplary year. So far, Ford has manufactured nan 6.7 Power Stroke crossed 3 generations, pinch nan lipid burners now tin of up to 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft. Aside from nan fewer problematic 6.7 Power Stroke years, they are besides mostly reliable and known to beryllium durable.