Ecoboost condensate drain hole, post your results here
11-12-2018, 11:41 AM
#2162
Yep, if you keep your RPM's up the water won't accumulate in such large quantities in the bottom of the cac. It will gradually be ingested into the motor and U might get an occasional spark plug miss fire, no big-ee but if you drive at very low rpms constantly it will accumulate and glug into the motor combustion chambers. Reason for the tiny hole. Drive in 1st thru 5th on humidity days, those can include very cold days as well. People with 3.73 differentials may never see the problem as the motor turns higher rpms. I would think on a long trip dropping to 5th occasionally will clear the CAC in a couple of minutes
Last edited by papa tiger; 11-12-2018 at 11:44 AM.
11-12-2018, 06:46 PM
#2163
That tiny drilled hole in the CAC allows built-up condensate to be evacuated from the bottom of the CAC when the engine is under load. If left to accumulate, the condensate buildup can and does lead to catastrophic engine failure when the engine gets a big gulp of it during a sudden acceleration event. The result is hydrostatic lock and connecting rod failure. I believe this is only an issue with 11-14 boosts, as the CAC was redesigned for 15. It's not a common problem, but many dozens of occurrences have been very well documented here and on other forums. Ford is aware of the problem -- there's a TSB. Since this tidy bit of shade-tree engineering (drilling a hole) removes the risk of engine failure and has zero downsides to it, why not grab your drill and have at it? 
The reason for the oil catch can OCC is to grab the nasty, vaporous PCV mixture out of the intake plumbing before it can coke itself to the intake valves and reduce engine efficiency. The coking occurs in all DI engines because the intake valves are never washed with fuel to keep them clean, and other manufacturers have been dealing with the problem for a decade or longer. A media blast will remove the coked material, but it's kind of a pain in the butt if you're a home mechanic, and expensive if you're not. As with the CAC condensation problem, this is also well-documented here and on other forums. It's not a problem with the 2G 3.5L GTDI motor as it uses a dual fuel path design, with port injectors at low load and direct-injection at high load.
An OCC also helps to prevent unburnt fuel from diluting the engine oil which leads to premature cam phaser wear and even timing chain disintegration. Another possible source of dilution for unburnt fuel is a high-performance custom engine tune, which will sometimes flood the cylinder with excess fuel in an attempt to cool the walls and get as much spark advance as possible out of the tune. The excess unburnt fuel drains into the crankcase in small but measurable quantities.
You'll find examples of Blackstone EOAs here and on other forums which clearly show less oil dilution and higher flash points on boosts when an OCC is installed. I run the two-valve RX Performance Mega Catch Can and in the winter months I'll drain 24oz of condensate from the tank during a 14-day, 500 mile fillup.
The reason for the oil catch can OCC is to grab the nasty, vaporous PCV mixture out of the intake plumbing before it can coke itself to the intake valves and reduce engine efficiency. The coking occurs in all DI engines because the intake valves are never washed with fuel to keep them clean, and other manufacturers have been dealing with the problem for a decade or longer. A media blast will remove the coked material, but it's kind of a pain in the butt if you're a home mechanic, and expensive if you're not. As with the CAC condensation problem, this is also well-documented here and on other forums. It's not a problem with the 2G 3.5L GTDI motor as it uses a dual fuel path design, with port injectors at low load and direct-injection at high load.
An OCC also helps to prevent unburnt fuel from diluting the engine oil which leads to premature cam phaser wear and even timing chain disintegration. Another possible source of dilution for unburnt fuel is a high-performance custom engine tune, which will sometimes flood the cylinder with excess fuel in an attempt to cool the walls and get as much spark advance as possible out of the tune. The excess unburnt fuel drains into the crankcase in small but measurable quantities.
You'll find examples of Blackstone EOAs here and on other forums which clearly show less oil dilution and higher flash points on boosts when an OCC is installed. I run the two-valve RX Performance Mega Catch Can and in the winter months I'll drain 24oz of condensate from the tank during a 14-day, 500 mile fillup.
11-12-2018, 07:13 PM
#2164
Senior Member
Please don't jump on me for not going thru greater than 2100 posts on this topic. Is this condensation problem confined to both first and second gen 3.5L? I mostly drive at low speed around town. Maybe once a month on I-95.
11-12-2018, 07:31 PM
#2165
I don't recall seeing any complaints of CAC condensation in 13-gen F-150s (15-19). I believe the EB intake plumbing was significantly redesigned to work with the new-for-2015 2.7L EB powerplant, and the CAC condensation problem was resolved.
Definitely the condensation problem will be more prevalent under low-load, low-RPM conditions. Get enough RPM or load going for long enough and the intercooler will indeed clear itself.
However - it's an easy thing to do, and is documented to cause no problems, although there are some outlier instances where an owner drilled a hole larger than 1/16" and wondered why his truck started throwing codes. Just watch the YouTube vids and do the deed.
01-23-2019, 04:16 PM
#2166
Junior Member
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Eco boost motor
01-23-2019, 06:54 PM
#2167
King Hater
01-23-2019, 07:33 PM
#2168
No problem, man. This topic is leviathan. But always remember the Googles are your friend
I don't recall seeing any complaints of CAC condensation in 13-gen F-150s (15-19). I believe the EB intake plumbing was significantly redesigned to work with the new-for-2015 2.7L EB powerplant, and the CAC condensation problem was resolved.
Definitely the condensation problem will be more prevalent under low-load, low-RPM conditions. Get enough RPM or load going for long enough and the intercooler will indeed clear itself.
However - it's an easy thing to do, and is documented to cause no problems, although there are some outlier instances where an owner drilled a hole larger than 1/16" and wondered why his truck started throwing codes. Just watch the YouTube vids and do the deed.
I don't recall seeing any complaints of CAC condensation in 13-gen F-150s (15-19). I believe the EB intake plumbing was significantly redesigned to work with the new-for-2015 2.7L EB powerplant, and the CAC condensation problem was resolved.
Definitely the condensation problem will be more prevalent under low-load, low-RPM conditions. Get enough RPM or load going for long enough and the intercooler will indeed clear itself.
However - it's an easy thing to do, and is documented to cause no problems, although there are some outlier instances where an owner drilled a hole larger than 1/16" and wondered why his truck started throwing codes. Just watch the YouTube vids and do the deed.
Last edited by papa tiger; 01-23-2019 at 07:42 PM.
03-11-2019, 11:36 PM
#2169
Drilled my intercooler and....
It's was as dry as a bone! I was slightly disappointed as I wanted the satisfaction of draining oily goo from my system...but happy to know I'm not coking up my valves as bad.
Is this because it's a 2016 with the louvers and I drive it hard or because I drilled passenger side by mistake rather than drivers side?
Is this because it's a 2016 with the louvers and I drive it hard or because I drilled passenger side by mistake rather than drivers side?
03-12-2019, 01:40 PM
#2170
Senior Member
Drill it on the driver's side. That's the return side. The condensation is caused by the pressure drop across the CAC. So it's dry on the passenger side. The condensate collects on the driver's side.