DavidKR

those of you who have had your engine, whether it be the short or longblock replaced, a few questions -
what caused the failure leading to the need for a new engine?
how many miles did your truck have?
how many miles have you put on the new engine?
have you had any residual problems from the engine swap?

at 9,816 miles my 2014 Ecoboost blew up. I was driving to work, the engine was at operating temp and I was getting on the highway so probably around 3/4 throttle and 3500 rpm when I heard a clunk and that was it. cylinders 1 and 4 both had holes in them. I was never told what caused the failure. it was almost 6 months exactly from the time I purchased the truck that it blew, and in that time I never experienced so much as a single shudder or hiccup. it was completely unexpected and out of the blue.

so after 2 1/2 weeks, I got the truck back. they removed the longblock through the front rather than lifting off the cab. Ford approved replacement of the longblock with a brand new (not remanufactured) one the first day they looked at the truck - doesn't seem like they ever really looked into the cause of the failure but I could be wrong. they never told me anything about it. they also ended up replacing the intake manifold, charge air cooler and both turbos due to metal fragments being found throughout, and cleaned all of the inlet and outlet pipes.

so far I have put about 300 miles on the new engine. I have been avoiding extended idle times, using varying throttle pressures and not using the cruise at all. I'm trying to do everything right and so far the only issue I've noticed is that when I'm idling in gear, there's a buzz that comes from underneath the cab that goes away immediately when I get on the throttle or shift into park. other than that, it's been fine.

but I am just insanely paranoid. the first failure was so unforeseen that I do not trust this truck at all and I don't want to drive it anymore. when it blew up I was just a few miles from home but I was leaving on a 3,000 mile trip a couple days after it blew up and I was planning on taking my truck. if this would have happened in the middle of nowhere going through the Rockies, I cannot even imagine how I would have reacted. it certainly doesn't help that there was no clear cause for the failure. if I were in a position where it would be financially feasible to get rid of this truck, I would, but I'm really not.

so I guess what I'm hoping to hear is that those of you who have had engine replacements have had smooth sailing from there on. any and all feedback is appreciated, and thank you for reading my long-winded ramble.

iFord

Thanks for the ramble, David! Sorry to hear about that! All I know is your post is helping me decide to NOT get the '14 Lariat Ecoboost I have been wanting. Just can't do it after all the issues I've been reading about.

osris

That is crappy but at least it was replaced. Every motor has its issues. I currently have 25k trouble free miles on my Eco over the last 11 months. Mileage isn't great but that's not why I bought the truck anyway.

itguy08

Engines have been blowing since, well, there have been engines. Guys blew 4.6, 5.4, 6.8, 5.0, and the Ecoboosts. Poop happens. But Ford has a couple million of these engines on the road since 2009 and there is not an epidemic of them blowing.

Do the math - at 1,000,000 engines, a .1% failure rate is still 1,000 engines. .01% is still 100 engines.

I'd not worry, enjoy the truck and you probably got a fluke.

Firedaniel

These engines are solid. I have had both the 5.0 and 3.5l. Both great engines. People dont get on these boards and say I am so happy with my truck! Most people get online to gripe and complain when they crap out. I wouldnt worry about getting one. It sounds like Ford took good care of you to me.

fordtruckman2003

Just had my Eco rebuilt and I have no worries about the future. 34000 miles without an issue before the cam shaft break and I still plan to keep rolling with this truck until 2020.

Keep in mind most people only get on sites like this to complain. Likely thousands of 2011 Eco out there over 100k miles without a problem.

NASSTY

If you're not concerned about buying a 5.0 than you must be ignoring the 5.0 knocking, ticking, short block replacement threads. I've seen several of those lately, not all on this forum. But I've seen enough recently that I wouldn't be any more comfortable with that engine than I would with the 3.5 Eco. But I may be biased because I owned one of the first 2011 3.5 Eco's to roll off the assembly line and didn't have a single issue in the 3.5 years that I owned it.

Mark Miller

X2,I had a 2011 Eco Boost F-150 put almost 17,000 miles on it with no problems.I now have 2013 Eco Boost F-150 over 20,000 miles with no problems.

Mark Miller

I would guess maybe a connecting rod broke by the sounds of it.

Mark Miller

X2,if nothing ever broke there would be no need for replacement parts and warranties.You have put over 143,000 miles combined on your Eco Boost F-150 and Eco Boost SHO any problems with them?I feel bad for the people having problems but things do break like you say.