WINDSOR, Ont., April 29, 2003 - The new 5.4-liter Triton™ V-8 engine that will power Ford’s next-generation F-150 is designed with three valves per cylinder, variable-cam timing and a host of other features that provide increased power along with improved refinement and fuel efficiency.

The net result is an engine that delivers 300 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 365 ft-lb of torque at 3,750 rpm. The all-new, aluminum cylinder head — with two intake valves and one exhaust valve per cylinder for 24 valves in total — and a new cast-iron block balance this impressive power with better fuel efficiency and quieter operation.

Key features of the new 3-valve, 5.4-liter Triton V-8 include:

• All-new three-valve cylinder-head architecture designed to enhance both power and efficiency
• Combination of engine technologies produces 300 peak horsepower - a 15-percent improvement in peak horsepower over the previous 5.4-liter engine
• Seven-percent improvement in low-speed torque, and 5 percent increase in peak torque
• Torque curve is higher across the entire rev range than competitive pickup truck engines

This new technology builds on Ford’s award-winning modular V-8 engine platform, while taking advantage of the capabilities offered by modern electronic controls.

The modular V-8 engine family is one of the most important products in Ford’s powertrain lineup. Ford produced more than 1.2 million of these engines in the 2002 calendar year.

Multiple Valves and Variable Cam Timing Improve Power
The new 24-valve engine will be Ford’s first modular V-8 to use variable-cam timing (VCT). The VCT design allows Ford engineers to optimize intake- and exhaust-valve actuation across the rev range. It represents the industry’s first mass application of dual-equal variable-cam timing that shifts the intake and exhaust valve timing together.

Variable-cam timing allows the valves to be operated at different points in the combustion cycle and provide performance that is precisely tailored to the engine’s specific speed and load at that moment. If conditions require earlier valve opening and closing, for example, to achieve more low speed torque, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) commands solenoids to alter oil flow within the hydraulic cam timing mechanism, which rotates the camshafts slightly. If the valves should open later, to generate more high-speed power, the mechanism retards the cams.

The use of two intake valves enhances fuel-air mixing prior to combustion. Multiple valves also enhance the engine’s ability to "breathe" - that is, to move large volumes of air in and out of the cylinders - which is a key to generating maximum horsepower.

With an all-aluminum head, single camshaft, magnesium cam covers and a clean-sheet design approach, Ford’s engineers could develop a three-valve head that has virtually no weight penalty over the two-valve V-8 engines. The three-valve head is actually dimensionally smaller and somewhat lighter than the two-valve design for the 5.4-liter engine, while offering more rigidity and strength. It also is easier to manufacture, with simpler drilling angles and straight-machined surfaces.