Some say that it is the ability to make various engines of similar design without having to re-tool a whole production line. But how would you NOT have to re-tool when "modular" engines can come in different bore sizes and different stroke lengths.
So.....just what does "modular" mean when talking about fords "modular" line of engines.
It‘s this^
IF that is indeed true....
Then the pages of debate about the 6.2L ford being modular or not....how would one even know unless they work in the specific ford factory that makes the engine. And more important....why would anyone even care?
Part of the reason is because the modular engines from the mid1990’s-2010 were rumored to be probelm-free or problem-prone, based on where they were manufactured. For example, the Windsor plant blocks are “known” to be better quality than the Romeo plant.
The Modular engine was a family of single overhead cam engines, during a time when almost no other manufacturer was building this engine type, in any real numbers.
The Ford 4.6L has a pretty incredible reliability history. When in doubt, look at how many former police cars lived out their second lives as taxi’s.
On the other hand…
The Ford 5.4L V8 and 6.8L V10 are essentially the same engine, but the 6.8L has two extra cylinders. For the first few years, these engines had a lot of trouble and they were in a lot of trucks. More trucks on the road and a higher failure rate (usually spark plug or other ignition-related) means more people sharing bad experiences. By the later 2000’s, these issues were mostly fixed, but the reputation stuck. Part of this was due to undersized oil channels which required frequent oil change or the channels would start to sludge up. As Ford was solving the issues on the first generation (1997-2003) of the 5.4L/6.8L, people were starting to see the issues come from the oil passages. In reality, the issues were largely fixed with the three valve version (2004-2017). Account for some growing pains, in the first couple of years of the second generation and it’s easier to just say, “don’t buy a Modular/Triton/5.4L/6.8L” than to acknowledge the engines from the late 2000’s to end of production were solid. Buying used, in these models, is scary due to them not being forgiving on preventative maintenance.
The 5.4L had a four valve DOHC (regular 5.4L was SOHC) version that was used in high performance applications and does not have a bad reputation. A lot of these were factory supercharged applications.
When people say they don’t like Modular engines, what I believe they really mean is they don’t like the first ten years of Ford 5.4L or 6.8L engines. As I said, the 4.6L is officially in the Modular family, but doesn’t get brought up, when people talk many failures.
The current Ford 5.0L is a Modular engine, officially. This has kept the Modular name in muddy water as the 5.0L’s have a history of excessive oil consumption and other issues. I believe we touched on those, earlier in the thread. This keeps the “don’t buy a Modular engine” idea alive.
The Ford 6.2L is not officially a Modular engine. It is not formally associated with any engine family. It shares designs from several prior Ford engines; essentially, it’s a blend of all their best technology, at the time, within the goals they set to meet.
I don’t care what you buy, but I do try to sort fact from fiction. It’s easy for people to discount the Ford 6.2L, thinking it’s just another Ford engine failure waiting to happen. After all, three out of four of the Modular engines are fairly well known to have problems, in general. Most people aren’t willing to separate out sub-models of those engines. Exacerbating the issue is the well know Ford diesel disasters (not as bad as the internet makes them sound, but still higher than their competitors), the 6.0L and the 6.4L. The Ford 6.7L came out in MY 2011, but even though it was better than Ford’s prior two diesels, the first generation had some extra issues. So, the Ford 6.2L gets lumped in with being a problem.
The reality is it’s the second most proven and reliable engine available in a HD pickup, built in the last ten years. The late 6.8L’s were good, but they were not available in the HD pickups, in the last decade. The 6.2L has many more years to prove to be as good as the venerable GM 6.0L, but if you took two trucks, one with a GM6.0L and the other with a Ford 6.2L (both built after 2012), the better truck would come down to how it was maintained over which engine was in it.
When I was looking for my dually, I wanted a gas engine. I had a few must-haves. In regard to engine I didn’t want a first year, so:
GM 6.0L from 2008, or later;
Ram 6.4L from 2015, or later;
Ford 6.8L from 2006, or later;
Ford 6.2L from 2012, or later;
Of those, my preference was to avoid the Ram 6.4L, unless it was very low mileage. The two Ford options and the GM option was a wash, other factors weighed more heavily.