Ford 7.3L Godzilla Engine: Longevity, Problems, And Specs

While the whole world tends to downsize the internal combustion engines and make them more ecological, Ford still lives in the 1990s and wants to make bigger engines. Actually, Ford is the only company in the world that has been developing engines with a displacement of over 5 liters for common-use transport after 2020. But we love it, so we'll pay attention today to one of the latest monster engines - the 7.3L Godzilla by Ford.

This engine is new and it was intended to replace the 6.8-liter V10 engines for commercial vehicles, vans, and some heavy-duty trucks. It first appeared in 2020 and is now quite a popular engine for different vehicles. Well, it's still a specific unit that is not going to be sold in every model of a truck, but the fact that some company still makes 7.3-liter units is quite unusual.

Key features and my opinion about the engine

• Production years:2020-now
• Average lifespan of 7.3L Godzilla:400,000-500,000 miles
• Fuel supply type:port injection
• Power range:300-430 hp
• Fuel efficiency:awful
• Engine block material:cast-iron
• Engine reliability score:high
• The most common problems:phasers are faulty, oil and coolant leaks, enormous fuel consumption.

Why 7.3 liters? Explaining Godzilla's main aim

When you say "7.3-liter engine", everyone starts thinking about the 1980s or 1990s. Then it was pretty popular among companies to offer such engines for trucks and vans. But after that companies started looking at the ecological rules and restrictions and the average displacement of engines started dropping.

But Ford knows for sure that small-displacement engines are not very durable. Even if you can get a lot of torque and power with the help of turbochargers, these engines will not show good longevity in heavy vehicles like big vans or some commercial transport. That's why they decided to move to a 7.3-liter unit.

Here are some facts you should know about this engine:

• it was aimed to replace the V10 engine that was produced from 1997 and up to 2020;
• the new engine offers 8 cylinders and quite a lot of cool features that make it really good;
• also, the company offers the Godzilla unit as a crate engine for sale;
• the engine block is prepared to offer better cooling and greater durability;
• also, the company refused from using variable displacement for better longevity of the engine;
• materials are traditional, no way you can find a part in this engine that can fail early.

As you see, the company did a great job and created a V8 engine instead of a V10 one which is better for ecology. The interesting fact is that the V10 engine had 6.8 liters of displacement while the new V8 has 7.3 liters.

And still, the company worked hard to make this engine more or less eco-friendly. There is an economy tune of this engine that even replaced the older 6.2-liter V8 engine in many Ford trucks. It means that the Godzilla engine is a really great invention that is better in terms of economy and ecology than many other Ford engines.

What are the main specs?

Ford is probably going to install the 7.3L Godzilla engine in all big cars. We mean not only commercial vehicles, but also some trucks that may be bought for private use. Also, the fact that you can buy this unit as a crate engine is really cool - you can equip your RV or some project car with a very up-to-date and cool engine with wonderful longevity.

But first, you should have a look at the specs. What do you expect to get from 7.3 liters of displacement? These engines aren't made for power and they certainly aren't intended for sports driving.

Let's look at some of the main specs of the Godzilla engine:

• there are three types of the engine offering 300, 350, or 430 horsepower;
• the torque range is between 425 lb-ft and 475 lb-ft;
• the block is made of cast iron, while the head is aluminum;
• variable valve timing is presented while no other "cutting-edge" technologies are offered;
• compression is 10.5:1 which is an average level - not too high and not very low;
• simple and reliable MPFI injection system can live for ages;
• the construction is extremely simple and we suppose very reliable.

This durable engine is just genius and we can't find a lot of counterparts on the market. Do you know any better engines for trucks and vans?

Ford introduced this engine for the E-350 van but after that, it was also presented for the F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and F-600 trucks. As you see, you can even buy some trucks with this engine for private use. But initially, this is a heavy-duty engine that is aimed to work for years and decades in harsh conditions.

Longevity question - what do we know?

Unfortunately, we can't say for sure how many miles this engine will go. It was only presented in 2020 and yet not so many cars have been sold with these engines under the hoods. After investigating the technical specifications and construction features, we can say that this engine should be more durable than all V10 and V8 engines made by Ford within the last 20 years.

Everything in the 7.3L Godzilla engine is made for longevity. It means that you will be able to use it for a long time and experience no problems with the engine.

If we turn to figures, we believe that the Godzilla engine is made to last at least 400,000 miles. Also, if you provide a solid repair at this mileage, it will go another 200,000 miles before dying. By a solid repair, we understand piston replacement, crankshaft replacement, and valve system revision.

But for achieving wonderful longevity, you will need to maintain the engine as it should be maintained. We don't just mean regular oil changes, but thorough attention to all malfunctioning units and all minor problems that show up. If you do this, your Godzilla engine will virtually be eternal.

What are common problems with the 7.3L Godzilla?

Again, it's too early to talk about the problems with this engine because the vehicles powered with it haven't yet hit high mileage marks. But some facts we already know and will tell you below.

Ford owners publish some reviews where they criticize the manufacturer for some small engineering mistakes in this engine. But if you look at the reviews of other engines by Chevy, Chrysler, or Toyota, you will find even more criticism, so it's absolutely OK. But let's try to find some true disadvantages of the 7.3L Godzilla engine.

Here are some of them:

1. Gas mileage. You aren't expected to drive more than 12 miles per 1 gallon of gasoline in a truck or a van with this engine. Yes, the fuel consumption will be high, so it's hard to say that the Godzilla is an economical engine. But who would call it Godzilla otherwise? Ford hints to us that this beast will drink up all fuel from the gasoline tank as soon as possible.
2. Spark plug wiring problems. Spark plugs are OK, but the coils and wiring cause problems even on low-mileage vehicles. We see that this problem is common for all big-displacement engines made by Ford. And it's a really important thing to know because ignition coils are not cheap at all.
3. Oil consumption issues. We know cases when this engine starts burning some amount of oil after 10 000 miles which is ridiculous. It's not a massive problem but rather an isolated one, but still, this type of engine shouldn't bother its owner with such problems at all.
4. Timing system issues. You will have to keep an eye on the timing system because it's not that simple. It has a variable valve timing which is used for better fuel mileage (really?) and is not that reliable. Once something happens with the timing system, the valves can be damaged and you will have to repair your vehicle.

Unfortunately, now we don't know much about the problems of the V8 7.3L Godzilla engine offered by Ford. But we know that it also has some issues like any other engine in this world. So you have to be ready to deal with some problems. But potentially, this engine can last for ages and be one of the most reliable units in your experience.

Should we say that the engine has one more disadvantage? It's all about its price. The price of a crate engine will be around $8,300 which is not cheap at all.

Final words

We know for sure that the Godzilla engine by Ford is one of the best V8 engines with extra high displacement in the world currently. It's better than some counterparts and it's one of the most traditional engines in the modern lineup of trucks and vans. You can easily repair and maintain it without spending a lot of money. Yes, it will burn a lot of fuel, but you will not have any serious problems with the engine for a lot of years.