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I bought an FX4 ecoboost and only owned it for 6 months. I HATED that thing. I was from 6.2L fords, and the ecoboost was a joke. Drivability and reliability both stunk. I experienced all the common problems in that short time and I junked the truck. It nearly killed my family when it shuttered passing another vehicle. There are no proven fixes for this engine and seeing many blow up lately. Glad I got out when I did and now back in a 6.2.
Yes sir.
Put it in the shop last week and got a call - right turbo is bad.
WTH. I would have to save a boatload of gas to make up the price difference from the 5.0.
The 5.0 is tried and true.
I may have to go look at the Dodge Rebel!
I will post if they come up with some bs as to why it's failed.
Not sure I would call the 5.0 tried and true. As another poster noted it's not the old 302. However it's the same engine as is in the Mustangs. The intake is a little different in the truck. That said the design of the engine is something Ford is more familiar with. Since it's the same type of engine they have built for years. Personally I wouldn't touch a turbo boosted engine with a 10 foot pole. This has nothing to do with Ford's design or anyone else's. Normally aspirated engines in general are just a much simpler design and are more reliable just by that simplicity.
If you need that much power to pull a camper then you should be driving a Super Duty with either a 6.2 or a diesel in it. What a lot of guys seem to forget is that if the truck your hauling the trailer around with is so much lighter than the trailer it's hauling your just asking for trouble. By lighter I'm not just referring to weight I'm also talking about suspension. Just because you have the engine power to pull it doesn't make the truck suitable to the job. Anyone hauling an 11,000 pound trailer around with a half ton pickup should have his or her head examined. They not only endanger themselves but everyone on on the highway around them. Lot of guys on here are going to take offence to that so be it.
I bought an FX4 ecoboost and only owned it for 6 months. I HATED that thing. I was from 6.2L fords, and the ecoboost was a joke. Drivability and reliability both stunk. I experienced all the common problems in that short time and I junked the truck. It nearly killed my family when it shuttered passing another vehicle. There are no proven fixes for this engine and seeing many blow up lately. Glad I got out when I did and now back in a 6.2.
The catch can and the drilled hole in the CAC attempt to fix to completely different issues. The catch helps reduce the amount of oil sucked through. The weep hole drains the condensate created by the CAC to the environment. I did the weep hole and put new plugs in (.028), and drove the truck (by myself - didn't trust it to have my family in it) until I could get it sold off.
My boss's 11 f150 eco just turned 193356km(im driving it to job site) and hes said besides plugs,and a bad coil he has had 0 problems. He drives it somwhat hard but also does alot of town driving, and idling. Zero mods. Makes me feel better about my 13. He has dealer do oil changed as well so im assuming hes using motorcraft semi synth. Again makes me feel even better for fact i use mobil 1(better oil i think,not to stir up a oil debate)
Just had my oil change done, and I don't know what the hell they do but my truck stinks from chemicals now. Up until recently my dealership was great, but when I was there yesterday, only one person was there that I recognized. I used to get great service when I went there, but 2 1/2 hours for a freaking oil change and tire rotation just pissed me off.
I have 25,600+ on the truck and its less than a year old, and other than a strange transmission issue, the truck has been very good. The engine runs great, figured out the misfire issue was mainly due to my high rear end gearing and 20" tires. The engine RPM at 60 MPH is below the turbo thresholds for torque, and the program I run keeps it locked in 6th gear on a slight grade which lugs the engine causing what feels like a misfire. Now that I have 17" snow tires on, the RPM's are above 1500 at 60 MPH and no more misfire feeling. With this information on hand I can probably have 5* re-evaluate my 91 octane perf-tow tune and adjust the transmission parameters to unlock under those conditions like the factory tune does. I'm running the 87 Perf-Tow tune for winter and its doing very well. When I had the 91 in during a snow fall, I found it a bit too aggressive and lost traction a few times even with the snow tires. Had to tone down the throttle response.
My only regret is that I didn't find this truck in 2012 when I bought my first F150. For some odd reason I just did not like that truck, maybe it was too tall, maybe the color, or maybe the small issues with the stumbling and shifting and the issues others had under acceleration were enough for me to not want to keep it, but now that I have this one, I love driving it, and its not too tall for me to get into the bed, even though I have the tailgate step, I can still get into it without it and not strain anything. I parked mine back to back with a coworkers 2013 4x4 and saw the 2" difference, and said AHA, Thats what I thought!
I have a 2013 Ecoboost F150 FX4 SuperCrew. I'm the original owner. At around 8K miles I added an AFE cold air intake and the SCT X4 Economy 87 tune. The difference in MPG was not very impressive, went from 13.5 to about 15 and that is averaging my city and hwy miles. Nothing to get excited about; still terrible. I'm in California, BTW, near sea level. Altitude affects combustion and therefore MPG. The performance and throttle response, however, are VERY impressive. I can rip my tires from a dead stop. Often times it is annoying because I lose traction if I forget to put it in 4WD or don't lock the rear diff. Last night I was in thick LA traffic on "the 405 freeway" and I decided to enter the carpool/HOV lane. I waited for my opportunity then stomped on it. I sat nearly still for what seemed like too long just spinning the rears. I finally caught some road and rocketed up to 80. The drivers nearby probably pooped their pants.
Anyway, at 20K miles I noticed, for the first time, the engine stutter going up a lengthy hill. I was at about 90MPH with the gas pedal floored. I'm not going to lie, I take great joy passing the ********s in the fast lane who usually do 60-70, but are so goddamn pompous that they refuse to move over for faster moving traffic (as is normally the courtesy of decent human beings and actually required by law in many states). Welcome to CA. Actually this is Southern CA. There are some places in northern CA where people aren't complete and total *****holes and they actually have some measure of decency but not Orange County. Regardless of how fast you or the other car are traveling, people WILL NOT get out of your way when in the "fast lane". Ah but I digest. My engine stuttered, I lost power, and it sounded like someone threw a handful of wood chips into the radiator fan. Then my turbo blew off pressure with a very loud PSSSSS and my engine went into "limp mode" which means it basically had about 60% the power and I steadily lost speed and had to move over so as to not hinder traffic behind me (like a f#cking decent human would do). The engine light came on but my truck continued to run. I crested the hill and began the descent. If I remember correctly, the engine light eventually disappeared and my truck seemed to return to normal for the remainder of my drive (about another 10 miles). It wasn't raining. The temp outside was cool (it was about 9pm) but definitely not moist. This is CA, it's dry as **** here. Approximately a week later I was driving the same route around the same time (10pm) and decided to repeat my steps to see if my truck would act the same. Yes, it did. The exact same thing happened. However, the next day I noticed a knocking sound coming from the engine. I didn't really notice a performance difference in my truck but the knocking sound was quite noticeable. I took my truck to the Ford dealer and explained everything as I described above. Over the next two weeks the dealer systematically disassembled the engine and notified me AND Ford warranty dept with each and every step of the procedure and their discoveries. They were meticulously documenting everything. What they found is that my #4 piston "came apart" or in other words, shattered. From my research this is typical due to these types of problems discussed in this article. They found plenty of metal chunks in the oil pan and ended up replacing my entire engine. After the engine replacement I drove my truck for a few thousand miles in the stock configuration (no SCT tune). Even with the new engine my truck CONTINUED to experience the same problem. I then retuned my truck with the 91 Performance Tune. The problem continued; climbing a hill, pedal down, approximately 80-90MPH the engine would stutter and knock and the engine light would come on but I could not find ANY engine/error code when I connected my SCT tuner/analyzer even while the engine light remained on. At the time that my engine was replaced I had no idea about the widescale misfire and detonation problems that have been plaguing many Ecoboost trucks. I only became aware of these issues shortly after my engine replacement. At around 23K miles (2K miles on the new engine and still experiencing the aforementioned problems). I then added the RX Catch Can at the suggestion of my friend Jim. He had just bought a 2015 F150 and had been researching this issue for a while. When I installed the catch can I also checked my spark plugs; they were ALL gapped perfectly at .032).
I seize every chance I get to repeat the "test" up a long hill but so far the problem hasn't returned. I repeat: I have not experienced the stuttering since adding the catch can.
My advice:
1) Make sure you gap your plugs correctly. My understanding is they should be .030 to .032. There are many benefits/reasons. Primarily this will prevent the "flame" from getting blown out by the blast from the direct injection and will create a hotter spark which will result in a more reliable ignition. = fewer misses.
2) Add a catch can. There are a few on the market to choose from. I added the RX Monster Stage 2 with standard hoses, nothing fancy. I figured if I was commited to solving this damn problem, might as well spend just a little more and get the big boy. Another good brand seems to be the UPR Billet. The catch can collects/removes the condensation and oil from the vapor recycling system. (at least that's my understanding). The oil will cause carbon build up on your valve backs. The condensation is just not good for many reasons, mainly because it doesn't compress as well. Water doesn't compress at all but you get the idea.
I've been meaning to write up my findings and advice for some time now though I wanted to wait until enough time/miles have passed to confidently say my problem is solved. I'm sure there are plenty of mechanics and engineers who can better explain the benefits and results of my two points in more detail. I hope this info finds you in time to prevent any damage to your engine.
BTW, I LOVE my truck. I especially LOVE smoking all these dip****s in their Range Rovers and Escalades. My favorite is when the right lane ends shortly ahead. There will ALWAYS be some douche in that right lane who expects to cut to the front with the traditional "ME FIRST, I'M SO IMPORTANT" attitude. Not on my watch, soccer mom. Not on my watch. So much fun. I'm normally very chill on the road as I don't like to blow my whole paycheck on fuel but sometimes... people need a lesson.
In the attached pictures are a few of my plugs when I checked them after about 2000 miles of use. They were gapped perfectly at .032. The fluid in the bottle is what my catch can collected after 2500 miles of driving in Southern California Summer/Fall timeframe.
*UPDATE*
08-09-2016
I recently purchased a 10 foot enclosed trailer. I was returning home from the dealer with the trailer in tow and I was climbing a large hill (hwy 241 South), the same hill that originally caused me to notice the misfiring in my original post above. I had the SCT "performance" tune enabled. I was charging up the hill at 90MPH, passing people like they were standing still when my truck demonstrated the classic misfire and limp mode symptoms. I had to quickly pull off the road. I was crushed. I thought the problem had been eliminated. I turned off the truck and proceeded to upload the "performance tow" tune. After a few minutes I was able to start the truck and proceed up the remainder of the hill and on my way home (about 15 miles remained) without incident. This made me very worried as I had a cross country trip planned for the next week.
The next week I proceeded to pack the trailer heavily and then drive from southern California to Minnesota over 4 days. I HAMMERED my truck on this trip. I mean I really made it work, and work hard. I screamed up Ike Gauntlet just like you can see in this Youtube truck challenge video:
Ford F-150 EcoBoost takes on Nissan, Chevy & the Ike Gauntlet 2.0 Mega Tow Test (Episode 2)
In the video, they keep it at 60MPH in the interest of safety. Well... "safety third" is my motto. I was passing people like they were stationary! I was very impressed. In retrospect, I think I was trying to expell any doubts that had been building in my mind about the condition and reliability of my truck. I have since reverted to the "performance" tune and been driving in Minnesota for almost 2 months without a problem. I'm now pretty confident that with the correctly designed aftermarket tune in place that the truck will behave like a champ. I've been regularly emptying my catch can at about 3000 miles and, as expected, it is catching quite a bit of liquid. Also, if I remember correctly I think I got about 10.1MPG over 2000 miles.
Below is a photo of the fluid that I emptied right before the cross-country trip. I have not emptied it since I arrived in MN.
*UPDATE*
08-09-2016
I recently purchased a 10 foot enclosed trailer. I was returning home from the dealer with the trailer in tow and I was climbing a large hill (hwy 241 South), the same hill that originally caused me to notice the misfiring in my original post above. I had the SCT "performance" tune enabled. I was charging up the hill at 90MPH, passing people like they were standing still when my truck demonstrated the classic misfire and limp mode symptoms. I had to quickly pull off the road. I was crushed. I thought the problem had been eliminated. I turned off the truck and proceeded to upload the "performance tow" tune. After a few minutes I was able to start the truck and proceed up the remainder of the hill and on my way home (about 15 miles remained) without incident. This made me very worried as I had a cross country trip planned for the next week.
The next week I proceeded to pack the trailer heavily and then drive from southern California to Minnesota over 4 days. I HAMMERED my truck on this trip. I mean I really made it work, and work hard. I screamed up Ike Gauntlet just like you can see in this Youtube truck challenge video:
Ford F-150 EcoBoost takes on Nissan, Chevy & the Ike Gauntlet 2.0 Mega Tow Test (Episode 2) https://youtu.be/QR-gMWRzvOg
In the video, they keep it at 60MPH in the interest of safety. Well... "safety third" is my motto. I was passing people like they were stationary! I was very impressed. In retrospect, I think I was trying to expell any doubts that had been building in my mind about the condition and reliability of my truck. I have since reverted to the "performance" tune and been driving in Minnesota for almost 2 months without a problem. I'm now pretty confident that with the correctly designed aftermarket tune in place that the truck will behave like a champ. I've been regularly emptying my catch can at about 3000 miles and, as expected, it is catching quite a bit of liquid. Also, if I remember correctly I think I got about 10.1MPG over 2000 miles.
Below is a photo of the fluid that I emptied right before the cross-country trip. I have not emptied it since I arrived in MN.
I installed the same RX "Catch Can" (16 oz) in mine last January. Those not using one would be stunned at the amount of junk coming through the PCV system and being pushed right back into the intake manifold. The PCV system is designed for a normally aspirated engine not a turbocharged DI engine. The intake valves in the DI engine are not washed by any gasoline so all the products going through the PCV end up in the intake manifold, are inhaled through the hot intake valves and can burn onto the back of the valves...not good. The crud does not really combust well either. Since installing the "Can", the exhaust pipe does not have near the carbon build-up either...indicating there is a lot less crud going through the engine. The catch can is said to eliminate more than 90% of those products. During the winter in MN, I was emptying the "Can" weekly and getting probably 10 ounces of crud (Oil/fumes, Water, Sulfuric Acid, Gasoline fumes and whatever). Below 40 degrees the engine produces a lot of water. During the summer I am getting much less...maybe 2 ounces weekly. The truck runs great. A mechanic friend at Ford is pretty impressed and is going to take apart the CAC this fall and see if there is the build-up of the gunk that used to occur before installing the catch can. All that crud going back into the cylinders can't be good for the valves or the spark plugs. Ford knows they have this problem, I would suggest that's why they changed the CAC for '15. But did they change the PCV system that is the root of a lot of the problem? One other thing. An inexpensive 2 ounce "plug and play" catch can is not able to handle all the crud, especially in colder weather. I made the mistake of trying one of those first.
01-08-2016, 03:39 PM
