Ecoboost condensate drain hole, post your results here
07-26-2016, 09:45 AM
#1941
This is my very first post here, though I've often visited for help, guidance.
I have a 2013 SCrew Ecoboost with 6.5' bed. I've really enjoyed this truck. I took it from the San Antonio area to Fort Worth a few weeks ago. I had no issues heading up. Coming back, I experienced what I call a pause in the engine's power. I found the intercooler hole solution and gave it a try. A fair amount of oil/water released from the new orifice.
I test drove it, and used it to commute for at least a week with no further issues. I felt like I had it licked.
Last Friday, I loaded it up, put my trailer with Polaris Ranger on the back and headed to the deer lease with my kids. I didn't get 10 miles from the house and the engine stalled at a red light. It just quietly quit running. It flashed the "low engine oil pressure" warning but I'm certain that's only due to it having stalled. I tried for 5 minutes to get it started. All lights, radio, a/c worked with the key on, but it would not start. It finally started and I looped back towards the house and left it in the driveway for the weekend using my wife's SUV to get to the lease.
I read where this has happened to folks before, but with no real resolution. There is no check engine light, hence no code? I wrote this off as an anomaly and drove the truck trouble free all week. I was happy and convinced it was, in fact, an anomaly.
Yesterday, returning home from a couple hours of running errands with my daughter, it died again. I coasted to the side of the road and tried for several minutes to revive it. Finally, it started. Off we went only to have it happen 3 more times in a 30 mile drive. No check engine light, no warning, the engine just goes to sleep.
Now, as I think it might be related, on Memorial Day weekend I went out to start my truck and the dash looked like a slot machine on a winning pull. It did not start, but threw every error it had in its repertoire. A quick look under the hood, revealed a freakin' squirrel was in there on its newly crafted nest. Under the next, my engine harness had been destroyed. 2.5 weeks in the shop and a new harness and ECM later...my truck was back home. I've had zero issues with it since getting it back, until the pause, hole drill, stalling issues.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm worked up and have no desire to get in this thing for any kind of trip be it local or long distance. Thoughts?
I have a 2013 SCrew Ecoboost with 6.5' bed. I've really enjoyed this truck. I took it from the San Antonio area to Fort Worth a few weeks ago. I had no issues heading up. Coming back, I experienced what I call a pause in the engine's power. I found the intercooler hole solution and gave it a try. A fair amount of oil/water released from the new orifice.
I test drove it, and used it to commute for at least a week with no further issues. I felt like I had it licked.
Last Friday, I loaded it up, put my trailer with Polaris Ranger on the back and headed to the deer lease with my kids. I didn't get 10 miles from the house and the engine stalled at a red light. It just quietly quit running. It flashed the "low engine oil pressure" warning but I'm certain that's only due to it having stalled. I tried for 5 minutes to get it started. All lights, radio, a/c worked with the key on, but it would not start. It finally started and I looped back towards the house and left it in the driveway for the weekend using my wife's SUV to get to the lease.
I read where this has happened to folks before, but with no real resolution. There is no check engine light, hence no code? I wrote this off as an anomaly and drove the truck trouble free all week. I was happy and convinced it was, in fact, an anomaly.
Yesterday, returning home from a couple hours of running errands with my daughter, it died again. I coasted to the side of the road and tried for several minutes to revive it. Finally, it started. Off we went only to have it happen 3 more times in a 30 mile drive. No check engine light, no warning, the engine just goes to sleep.
Now, as I think it might be related, on Memorial Day weekend I went out to start my truck and the dash looked like a slot machine on a winning pull. It did not start, but threw every error it had in its repertoire. A quick look under the hood, revealed a freakin' squirrel was in there on its newly crafted nest. Under the next, my engine harness had been destroyed. 2.5 weeks in the shop and a new harness and ECM later...my truck was back home. I've had zero issues with it since getting it back, until the pause, hole drill, stalling issues.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm worked up and have no desire to get in this thing for any kind of trip be it local or long distance. Thoughts?
07-26-2016, 09:48 AM
#1942
^a varmit trap an some sun flower seeds placed nearby just for future reference please !
07-27-2016, 12:21 PM
#1943
Well, if you work at it
Additionally, I have accumulated liters of water and oil in the catch can that were destined to the injection ports on cylinders 2&3 that can cause misfires and coking.
Top tier gas, high quality full synthetic oil, and factory PCM's are the best tools.
PS...the squirrel came later.
07-28-2016, 10:58 AM
#1944
International man of Myst
If I'm reading your argument right: Installing the catch can would prevent carbon build up. I don't think anyone is going to argue that. However, I really don't know how to respond to your comment as it has nothing to do with either his first problem (condensation, solved by drilling the hole) and the second problem (stalling while idling/crank no start, caused by a squirrel).
The following users liked this post:
engineermike (07-28-2016)
07-29-2016, 12:24 PM
#1945
It's a complex subject, but...
If I'm reading your argument right: Installing the catch can would prevent carbon build up. I don't think anyone is going to argue that. However, I really don't know how to respond to your comment as it has nothing to do with either his first problem (condensation, solved by drilling the hole) and the second problem (stalling while idling/crank no start, caused by a squirrel).
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Bravo3eco (08-08-2016)
07-29-2016, 01:35 PM
#1946
Senior Member
Depending on environmental variables like winter and summer here in Oregon, the amount of water gathered is widely variable. Separate from the "squirrel incident", which was secondary to the discussion of the original misfire, the largest gathering of moisture is captured in my catch can, measuring in liters in the wet months. Without it, that water would be blown back into the combustion chamber causing misfires. The CAC quickly dries up in the summer as relative humidity drops and there is barely a trace of moisture ever present there during that time (along with some brisk accelerations), and the volume in the catch can drops way down as well. But the CAC hole alone is not going to stop water from entering the combustion chamber and is barely half of the solution to the problem. When Ford originally torture tested the 3.5 Ecoboost, they did nothing but run it full out which would prevent a collection of moisture anywhere, but I guess the Ford engineers didn't plan on "grandpa driving", which allows the buildup, and "blowout" in volume. Anyway...
07-29-2016, 10:28 PM
#1947
International man of Myst
Just to summarize this thread:
- Virtually everyone who as drilled the hole has solved the condensation problem that triggers misfires, the rest changed coil packs or boots and solved the problem.
- Unfortunately, the hole has proven ineffective at addressing squirrel infestation.
- Unsurprisingly, the hole also doesn't solve something that is unrelated but also doesn't appear to be a problem either.
The following 2 users liked this post by LastResort:
engineermike (07-29-2016),
timtrace (07-30-2016)
07-30-2016, 09:57 AM
#1949
LOL So predictable
Hi Casey...I know I'll get chewed out for mentioning this on the CAC Hole blog, but the CAC hole only deals with one source of the gunk accumulation. The other source of the same sort of similar gunk comes from the PCV valve that gets blown back directly in on cylinders 2&3 which can create a very similar kind of problem as the CAC condensate. I have accumulated (and disposed) of it by the liter with the (here goes...) Catch Can. Check them out...they are readily available, and you don't have to spend a lot on one. I bought a cheapie and stuffed it with coarse stainless steel pad. Make sure there are no loose fragments if you have to cut it to fit...
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
