Some Advice? Ecoboost Blew yesterday 124k Mi?
 

Hello forum crowd,

I have a 2012 F150 4x4 Ecoboost 3.5 Platinum. I bought it last year used, with 100k miles and have never owned such a nice vehicle. I was driving home from work yesterday when I heard a loud bang followed by lots of smoke. A little icon of a wrench lit up on the display. At first I thought I blew a tire because the truck was shaking so bad, but I pulled into a side street and cut the engine because smoke was coming from under the hood. The truck has just over 124k miles on it now.

I had heard people having trouble with the turbos, so I thought maybe the right hand one blew. There was a lot of oil dripping down. Called tow truck and hauled it over to Ford to take a look. Got a call this morning that the engine had blown. They could have me running by next week and could finance the repair if I wanted...So worried, I asked how much, they said $14,900 more/less with taxes. I only paid $22k for the Truck to begin with, so there is no way on this planet I can put that into the truck.

I called around and found reman motor for about $6k, but they don't come with the turbos, and Ford said mine were now full of oil, not sure if that would make them unusable or not.

I found a pull from a salvage yard, 74k miles with turbos still on it for $3300 +300 core. I have replace an engine back in the day on my old 1992 f150 and it wasn't too difficult, but under the hood of this beast is a whole different story, not even sure where to start. Guessing a Hanes or Chilton might have R&R information in it.

So, have any of yall replaced the 3.5 ecoboost yourself? Im wondering if it is doable, and very interested in your thoughts. I didn't think a motor would blow after 124k miles, granted I didn't own it for the first 100k.

Thanks all!

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6007-35T

I don't see why it wouldn't be doable yourself. Couple things I would do, though, when you put a new motor in: Oil catch can. And empty it every couple weeks. Pull the intake manifold and have the intake valves cleaned (assuming they are gummed up with carbon given the direct injection motor does not wash fuel over the intake valves). pull oil pan and clean it out good.

Check the used turbos for shaft play, make sure they are not contacting the housings and they spin freely. Make sure on initial start, you prime the oiling system (pull fuel injection fuse, crank several times to get oil flowing)

Thanks for the info! I've been doing some more research. I can get a crate longblock from Ford for $5,500 compared to the used engine for $3,300. Its a lot more, but I plan on keeping the truck for a long time. The crate motor does not come with Turbos, so I would either try to reuse mine which have 124k mi on them, or on ebay I seen a new set for $850. (Ford wants $900+ just for 1)

I also went talking to my local parts house and found a few shops that replace engines. The costs are all over the place.
Install Labor Costs:
Ford:$4,000
Local #1 $2400
Local #2 $1600
Local #3 #1050
So, I plan on visiting the #3 shop and see how they are setup. $1k vs me doing it myself, I almost would rather pay. At $1600, I'm would leaning towards doing it myself. My local ford place printed out the removal and install tech docs for me as well.

So if I go all out, $5,500 Reman Motor (3yr warranty), $900 Turbos, $1050 install, $300 Misc (Water pump, spark plugs, oil, antifreeze) would be $7,850.

Otherwise Used motor $3,300(90 day warranty), $1050 Install = $4,350, difference of $3500!

What do yall think. Im not made of money, and this will knock my savings down to almost nothing.

I have performed a Re & Re on an ecoboost with an autowrecker engine, took me14.5 hours and i swapped over the turbos, flushed the cooling system, changed the oil, and test drove it in that time as well. Hope that helps you when considering labor costs.

Damn that REALLLLLLLLY sucks.

Another reason why I lease these days.. These new vehicles aren't like the old days where you can fix something without needing a tech book or a set of special tools to remove fuel lines, nuts & bolts or any other nonsense.

I'd pay $1500 for a shop to do the swap for me. Unless you have buddies and plenty of beer to make it a weekend project!

Did they tell you what happened?

If it were me, I'd save the labor and buy beer, a stand, and a hoist, have some friends over (and the big assumption: you have sufficient tools) and tackle it in a day.

Have the engine ready to go on a stand, pull the old motor out, swap.

You may be able to get away with NOT disconnecting any of the AC lines such that it needs to be recharged.

$15K? Holy crap. My engine replacement last year was $7K installed, and that was with a new Ford engine. (luckily I bought an extended warranty when I bought the truck used) Could have done it for a couple grand less by going reman. Why so much?

This "exact thing" happened to my 2011 3.5. Had 68K miles, just leaving work, and kablam! Lots of metal crunching sounds. My dealer quoted me $12K for a new long block. Missed the powertrain warranty by 6months. I ended up calling Ford customer service and filed a claim. I turned over all service records. 100% maintenance+service performed by the dealer. They came back with a bit over $5K for my out-of-pocket. I had them install the new engine, and traded it to the dealership on a new '18. Couldn't hurt to file and see what Ford says. Good luck!

That right there is enough to keep me from considering an Ecoboost truck. Cost of replacement is ridiculous. I was quoted $4500 from a mechanic I know when my engine went out (using a Jasper reman), but I was still under warranty. He said the new 5.0's are are around $5500 for the Japser.

Not going to argue that's not crazy expensive, but that's factory new, installed. 3yr unlimited miles for just over $5K. There's a mighty strong case for protecting oneself at $1600 on an 8yr/100K ESP (covering much more than just engine of course). In my case, I suspect it was that darn timing chain, but the dealer never did say (or tell) root cause.

Agree with that for sure. I got a 4yr/48000 mile extended warranty when I bought my truck used. That's why I didn't have to pay for my new engine.

I'm looking to buy a new truck sometime soon. Just haven't decided if I want to wait for the 19's next year or not. I want to order a new truck this time so I can get every option I want, instead of looking for a used truck I like. The cost of replacement will likely keep me out of an Ecoboost, and in a 5.0 V8. I don't tow with any regularity anyways.

I did some more digging, the guy that is going to be able to install for $1k, called another Ford, and was able to get the engine for $4990, so that saves me an additional $500 bux. Its been a busy week calling around, but it seems to have really helped. Now I need to figure out the turbos to buy for it, I seen both ebay and amazon having remans for $300 each, and new ones about $400 each. I think it would just be smart to put different ones since the ones on mine had the 125k miles on them.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Ford Corp to see if they will do anything, but I won't wait too much more, need to get the truck back on the road. The other thing I am validating is that the Core will be ok for Ford, especially since it has a hole in it.

Thanks for all the advice, i'll update you as I make progress.

Man, I wish you the best of luck. I hope the swap goes smooth and you don't run in to any more expenses.

most diesel shops that rebuild turbos could probably rebuild and balance your OEM turbos, just in case you want to consider that option. As an added benefit you could have the housings extrude honed for some additional flow.

Okay, so here's my story. Know recall issue with 2011-2012 F-150s. Downshifts to first gear unexpectedly. I experience this problem. Ford says my VIN is not part of the recall.

Last week while on the highway at 65mph it drops down into first. Engine revs to 7k+ . Now have a loud rapping noise. Dealer says I need a new motor for the tune of $9500.

Mine is a 2012 3.5EB with 81k. I opened a case with Ford and got a polite email reply saying sorry dude but you're out of luck, have a nice day. I'm pissed.

Any of you guys have any advice fighting with Ford for anything similar ?

Thanks

Hey guys,

Sorry about the long stent. I finally got her back!!! So I had it towed from the Ford dealership, and that was quite the show. The tow truck driver couldn't get to the truck, so I had to move it out of their garage and into the lot. Their pristine garage suddenly changed. When I started it up, it ran, though rough, and it put out so much white smoke that it filled the entire shop and they had to open all the bay doors, was quite the site. She didn't run very well on 5 cylinders.

Took it to a country shop I found and we started the process. The block on the last cylinder closest to the firewall had a rectangular hole on both sides. The connecting rod had broke loose from the piston and began slapping around in the engine, knocking the sides out, guess the aluminum just didn't hold up. Anyway I got a new motor from Ford with 3 year warranty for a total of $5400. New engine came with Oil, Filter, Sparkplugs, Waterpump, and other odds and ends I didn't expect, but was happy it included.

There were other things that we needed Prices Rounded.
Such as Fuel Injector o-ring kit, $150.
Turbo Gaskets, $40
Drive belt $20
AC Belt $20
AC Gaskets $40
Antifreeze $30
Exhaust Nuts $14
Exhaust Studs $40
Refrigerant $12

I also purchased 2 new turbos for $350 each. It took quite a bit of work to get the old engine out. Lots and Lots of hoses for the turbos, then all the electrical. Radiator, Air Conditioner condenser, headlight units all had to come off. Bumper had to be loosened and dropped down.

We filled the bed of the truck with all the stuff that had to be taken off just to get the engine out :)
Labor just under $1300, and I was really happy with his work, great mechanic.

So All in, with $400 in tax, I am sitting at $8,200. So was it worth it? I now have a 2012 F150 Platinum Crew with max tow that I paid $22k for, now have $30k in it. Its is a very clean truck inside and out. So about 300 miles now on the engine and 125k on the body and drivetrain. To me, it was worth it.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...f54bf4e4e4.jpgHmmmm that isn't supposed to be there, there is a matching one on the other side!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...1a3c845f1c.jpgHere is the new one going in!
I have never had a nice truck in my life and I saved up for this one, granted it REALLY sucked to have to put $8k into it, but I am hoping she'll be around for 10 years. I appreciate all the comments and advice from yall.

Next thing I want to replace is the front struts, but i'll do that myself once spring/summer comes around and its not 12 degrees outside.
Wondering if an extra 1"-1.5" of Lift would make any noticeable difference on how she handles/tows?

Cheers!

I would really like to know what "really" caused this. On mine, the service manager said that there was sludge that they felt led to the failure. If that's true, then there NO way anyone should trust the Manufacturer's recommendation to change oil when the IOLM indicates an oil change - Ever. I have 100% compliance with all MFG recommendations, and was well within all limits, and at 68K, catastrophic failure - rod through the block.

I am really thinking the cause of these blow outs are from fluids collected on the intercooler and/or piping.

you accelerate and suck the fluid quick and hydrolock the cylinder. The fact that none of us seem to hear any noises or issues and its just sudden, leads me to believe that is the case. Something is hydrolocking these pistons or the rods are just failing randomly from poor quality and just snap at random times and peple. way too many of us having this issue and it seems to all sound like the same story.

The more I read the more I think 5.0 next time.

Transmission shot at 76k really
 

I was building turbo engines in the 90's, I carried a whole person's weight of tools to try to keep from getting towed. I worked at several dealerships and took many classes for all kinds of procedure and process for new engine platforms coming online...they still blow (head gaskets, rods, blocks, valve trains, transmissions)
BOTTOM LINE buy a V8, it is the least likely to just pop for no apparent reason and just be shy of the warranty.....If you want to haul balls or tow/ a V8 is the ticket most of the time. oB

I'm thinking about doing the same thing I have a 13 ford f150 fx4 3.5l

I think if I blew a 2012 engine I'd be talking about options to retrofit a 2018+ engine/transmission. What do the custom guys on TV get?

Without a doubt I would have dropped in a 2018 or newer engine for a fraction of the cost . . But not everyone can do that.