Hey guys. Long time lurker and 1st time poster. Well, I finally let denial go and did the plug change, which was just short of 26k since the last time and broke out the 1/8" drill bit and went for it.

I had installed the new Motocraft SP534 plugs last change. The truck started running rough on a hill, so I figured what the heck. 30 bucks and 45 minutes, no problem.

What a difference. Night and day. The seat of the pants dyno was now re-calibrated and fuel economy went back up. Good times.

On to the CAC mod. I was real hesitant to do this. So much, I did not do it on my last F-150. So under the truck I went drill in hand. Drill the hole, and nothing. No drips oozing, nada. So off I go to grab a malted beverage and mix up some 5 minute epoxy to cover up the hole I just made. Upon my return, there was a spoogy mess all over my frame. Cool. It worked.

Being the clean freak that I am, I see a new problem. Spooge. I am not sure what it is, but there is a rubber cover under my IC that was covered in this stuff. So I clean it up, fold up a blue towel and cram it between the IC and the frame. Problem solved.

I took the truck for a few hits on the Interstate on ramp. Much better. On the way home, it starts running better and better. I get home and the rag looks like it was part of the cleanup from the Exxon Valdez. No problem. It kept things clean underneath, so I installed another towel. 200 miles later and 5 shop towels later, the spooge has subsided.

Would I recommend someone do this? You would be nutz if you don't. I firmly believe that my previous trucks "issues" were directly related to NOT doing this. Had I done this before, I might still have that rig. My new rig now has 79K miles, and I am sure it will go over 100k with no issues. I read where the newer rigs don't need this CAC mod and, roger that. I would not do it on one that has the new IC.

My old truck was a 2011 F-150 XLT ecco SCREW. Died with just over 70K very hard miles. The new rig: 2011 F-150 FX4 ecco SCREW. Going stronger than the last truck did at 30k miles.

Thanks for reading

 

Good deal.

Even if you hadn't gotten anything out of the hole initially, it would have been best to leave it open. You never know when buildup may occur.

As far as the mess I just make sure and wash off that area with soapy hot water once and a while.

 

So what would you say about doing this to a 13?

 

I wouldn't do it unless your truck is one of the years that may be affected by the build up in the IC. I would read up on the specifics of your year.

I guess I should have qualified by saying if you have a year that is plagued by this issue, do it.

 

How would I know if the truck needs the CAC mod done? What symptoms would the truck have? I just got a 13 Ecoboost 2 weeks ago and it runs pretty good but sometimes at partial throttle the boost sputters/flutters quickly. This mostly happens when the truck is cold. Could the CAC mod fix this?

 

Good question Nate. I remember reading something on the later model years not needing this. Not sure what years this applies to after 2011. Hopefully someone will chime in that has more info.

I am not sure about the sputters. My lack of power and poor throttle response was due to the truck needing a plug change. I pulled the charge pipe from the throttle body and saw no evidence of oil or moisture. I did the mod purely out of curiosity.

I can definitely see where water on the charge side of the compressor could raise the dynamic compression ratio and cause poor performance with garbage fuel.

 

How much did the plugs help with fuel economy? I've done over 10 hours of highway driving so far and the best MPG I can get is around 14.0. Hopefully plugs help because 14mpg highway is ridiculous.

 

Wow. I have a 13 Eco with max tow (3.73 gears), and a rack on the back for paddle boards...the rack alone creates some drag and I get at least 18 mpg hwy, 20+mpg if I slow down to 60.

I have not drilled the CAC, but I follow others advice on the forum and changed the plugs at 30,000 miles. Plugs are cheap and fairly easy to change.

 

All ecoboosts can suffer from the buildup in the intercooler, regardless of year. The early models showed it more than the more current ones.


Everyone should drill the hole. It has no ill effects on the system as long as you drill the appropriate size.


Plugs will help a little with fuel economy but mainly help out with rough idle or running issues.

 

Damn. I also have a max tow eco and I never get that high. I guess the 80 mph speed limits here in UT and WY really kill it

I do know that the later model CAC's are a bit different. I dont know if the '13s have this but the '14s definitely have some plastic flow restricters inside of the CAC to help the cause. What we should all do is just buy a Wagner and be done with it.