BLU4TJW

People just need to do whatever they can to justify or reassure themselves they made the right choice and the proper purchase (most purchases, not just our beloved trucks). The truck market traditionally has been a fairly hard egg to crack. Another thread mentions an actual Ford dealer in Texas that won't even stock Ecoboosts. Probably sees nobody but old farmers come in to buy trucks (no offense if you're an old farmer), who can't see past 50 years of tradition. Old world conservatism is still alive and well in our fairly fast moving, progressive world. But the quick, overwhelming success of the EB culture shift in our truck market, couldn't even have been predicted by Ford. They took a huge gamble. But in the long run, it is going to pay off huge for all of us. I'm a very happy 5.0 owner. But if Ford had of scrapped that motor, I'm sure I would have been a very happy EB owner all the same.

CWPINST

Nope, it is 5 YEARS or 100K miles. The truck was 7 years old with 67K miles.

CWPINST

The VW 2.0L engine is a GAS engine. The residue deposited on the intake valves is NOT from the fuel, it is from OIL blowby. All engines have this and as far as I know. They all use some sort of crankcase ventilation and recirculation of gases. Since direct injection engines don't wash the valves with gas vapor, how are deposits prevented from occuring on the hot intake valves?

It is a simple question, and replys like "just drive it and enjoy it" don't answer it.

For goodness sakes, quit being defensive about the EB's. I hope that they are a tremendous sucess, but I really want to know how Ford has designed the EB to prevent this coking. Maybe they have. If so, how?

Coord

Roundly roundly is always better than back and forth motion when it comes to mechanical designs Too bad gas turbines never made it in the auto industry, interesting read is about Chrysler's attempt in the sixties with gas turbine powered cars, a bunch were given to selected customers to use a test beds under real world driving conditions...poor gas mileage was the biggest complaint.

69428SCJ

Stephen Russ, technical leader for combustion for Ford’s 2-liter Duratec DI engine, said that similar to GM, engineers have determined the proper injection-timing calibration to help eliminate the carbon deposits. But Russ also said the technology of injection components – particularly the high-pressure solenoid injectors – has quickly matured, meaning excess valve deposits in most DI engines should become a thing of the past as these improved components are incorporated into production.

Tony Chick, principal engineer at European Performance Labs in Stratford, Connecticut, has made a career of repairing and rebuilding high-performance engines from Audi, Porsche AG and BMW, among others and his operation has garnered a reputation among car enthusiasts as a go-to place for cleaning DI engines that have become choked with carbon. Chick thinks the problem for most affected engines can be traced to the breathing system – specifically, the design of its crankcase ventilation and exhaust-gas recirculation components.

All modern gasoline engines return some crankcase and exhaust gases back through the intake manifold in order to help control emissions, but, according to Chick, some exhaust-gas recirculation designs are “dirtier" than others. Some, he said, are less-effective at preventing the passage of tiny bits of oil, carbon and other particulates that eventually get baked onto the intake ports and valves.



Chick reached his conclusion after inspecting dozens of different DI engines at his shop and finding some, like the V8 in Boyadjiev’s Audi RS 4, regularly choked with carbon while others, like the DI version of Porsche’s horizontally opposed 6-cylinder, remained much cleaner.

If he’s right, the rapid adoption of DI has actually illuminated an issue, not caused one. A “dirty” intake or exhaust-recirculation design can easily go undetected in a conventional port-injected engine due to the cleaning effect of gasoline passing over the intake valves. When the same engine designs are adapted to direct-injection fueling, however, that cleaning effect is suddenly lost – and the carbon layers can build.

There is no simple fix for engines that are prone to carbon build-up, Chick says. What’s needed is a complete redesign of the crankcase ventilation and exhaust-gas recirculation systems to prevent particulates from getting through. Fortunately, the manufacturers whose engines are frequently cited in carbon build-up reports – mainly VW, Audi and Lexus – appear to have taken this step with many of their latest models. For instance, Audi’s new 3-liter supercharged V6, used in the S4 and A6 models, has so far been free from carbon-related complaints – a far cry from the 3.2 liter V6, which has numerous threads dedicated to the condition.

If Ford and GM engineers and Chick are correct, the carbon-buildup problem now may be relegated to previous engine designs that were not well-adapted for DI. But that’s probably little consolation to some early adopters like Boyadjiev, who must add regular carbon cleaning services to their cars’ ongoing maintenance requirements – a cost that, for now at least, they are expected to absorb entirely on their own as they grapple with the “dirty” secret of this emerging technology.

Jaws1

It seems that Audi did learn their lesson with the RS4 issues. Lots of issues with coking and thus driveability. That was my only concern when I bought my Audi, and I have not heard of one issue with coking with the 3.0TSFI. That engine has been out for three years now. I think the manufacturers have got the DI thing figured out now.

fordfan77

While this is very interesting, I am still wondering about the original question. Has anyone had failure with a Ford turbo or intercooler on the F150?

TurboSalsa

Of the 200,000 turbos on EB F150's I have yet to hear a single confirmed case of one of them failing or being replaced. The worst turbo-related problem I've heard of was a stuck wastegate.

I never understood where the intercooler hysteria came from, but I'm guessing it was the "no replacement for displacement" crowd trying to find some reason to hate the new engine. Diesels have used intercoolers for years and most of them I see on the road are not pulled over on the side with pebble holes all over the intercooler. Nor have I ever heard of or seen a tree branch go through a bumper.

KGSloan

good old resistance to change.....

we should all have push rod v8's again! those were the days!

KGSloan

actually, forget that.....let's go WAY back, before there was a v8! now THOSE were the days!

progression is inevitable. you're either an early adopter or you're a traditionalist.