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F E A T U R E

The Ford engine laboratory department is located in the dynamometer building at the Research and Engineering Center across from Henry Ford Museum - it's not open to the public. With the proposed addition of the "F" wing testing facilities in 1995, there was a total of 110 engine test rooms. The facility operates on three shifts per day, utilizing testing and support crews around the clock - testing the best!

Development, durability and certification testing are conducted on prototype and production engines. Specialized test rooms are equipped to control test room temperature, combustion air humidity and powertrain calibration.

A microprocessor-based temperature controller for engine cooling combines with the building's cooling tower, pond, heat exchanger and expansion tank to provide accurate temperature control for a large range of engine sizes and operating conditions.

Engine test room subsystems external to the engine perform functions such as fuel storage and delivery, engine cooling, and exhaust back pressure control to achieve normal operating characteristics. Engines are mounted to test stands with adjustable engine jacks or by using pallets. With the pallet system, engines can be dressed, aligned and instrumented in a remote preparation area. This system delivers engines to the test room in a "ready to go" configuration, so they can be installed and running in a very short time.

Testing emphasis is on the base engine and related components, and on powertrain assemblies. Engines can be installed on the test stand and tested without a transmission by coupling the engine directly to the dyno with a driveshaft through a special clutched rear dress. Also, engines can be installed with a transmission and tested as a powertrain with a simulated rear axle.

Individual test rooms feature a variety of testing capabilities, including developmental testing; durability testing; automated computer based engine mapping; federal emissions certification capability; no load cycling durability; and high speed data acquisition.

A breakdown shows that 70% of the lab testing capacity is devoted to basic engine tests. The remaining 30% is devoted to powertrain, components and heavy truck engine development and certification. Future engine designs, modified current production engines, competitor engines, and other combinations undergo complete and thorough testing. Test data derived from engine efficiency, performance, durability, friction, head rejection, and a host of other tests, are used to make future vehicle/powertrain application decisions. All tests are performed in accordance with more than 400 established test procedures which provide product development engineers with accurate, comparable data. This limits variability to the specific designs and/or components being verified.

The engine lab can also test subsystems and components such as fans, belts, bearings, pulleys, water pumps, oil pumps, seals, thermostats, pistons, crankshafts, filter, connecting rods, heater cores, exhaust systems, ect. 

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