Ecoboost

[daniel lawecki]

Does anyone know of any problems with Ford Ecoboost motors in Ford Fusion

[shoot-n-lead]

I have not really heard of problems with any of the ecoboost engines. With that said, I am pretty much a Ford man...and I don't want one. But, I know a good many people that have them and are tickled with them....

Biggest reason that I would not buy one is...these are complex engines and systems (expensive to fix) and I don't want Ford learning about the durability, on my dime.

Y'all go ahead and buy them, drive them and expose the weaknesses...then I will buy the new, improved models.

[Petrol & Powder]

Other than the fact that it's made by Ford ? :kidding:

[enfield]

We haven't had anything common, a few leaky injectors on a couple but that's it ( both 1.6L I think ). we have had some stretched timing chains on the 3.5L in the F150's.

[shoot-n-lead]

we have had some stretched timing chains on the 3.5L in the F150's.

That ain't a cheap fix..

[BrentD]

We have had two. One did this141269141269But we have another and I love it. This one was the 1.6L engine and I don't believe it is even made anymore (guess why? :) ). The new one is a 2.0L and gets better mileage and has a lot more "boost" to boot.

[dkf]

The 1.6l EB is still listed as in production. The NA V6 that used to be available in the Fusion was good but Ford axed it.

Carbon buildup issues at low mileage, misfires (carbon tracking in some cases), misfires (shuddering) caused by excessive condensation in the intercooler (3.5l, Fords "fix" is laughable), oil dilution (with fuel) and I am sure I missing a few. Plus all the other negatives of a DI engine. In forums it seems there is a certain (small)percentage of them that get really poor mpg vs the others.

When everything si working well they make good power. MPG is not as awesome as advertised especially if you tow anything. Overall I actually suspected more problems than they are having so far but most EB engines are still fairly new with lower mileage. Plus most are not put under much strain like with heavier towing or loads. I buy new and keep for a long time (10+ years) so any of the EBs are out for me.

[BrentD]

Perhaps it was a 1.7 then. But either way, I find they are excellent engines and I don't now of anyone that has one who thinks otherwise. I'll have another soon, in an f150.

[dkf]

I just double checked. You are right the 1.6l EB was replaced, with the 1.5l EB. A 1.5l skirts extra taxes in China. Changes all the time.

[buckwheatpaul]

I talked with a Ford mechanic, who by the way is the best diesel mechanic in East Texas, and he said that the only real problem that he has seen in the F150 ecobost engine is the spark plugs which only make about 50,000 miles instead of 100,000 miles.....I trust him and would consider buying a F150......my neighbor's son has a F150 2WD and he is a traveling sales man....says if he drives right....gets 23 - 24 mpg. I drove his vehicle....what a quick responsive vehicle.....like shoot-n-lead I am a FORD man......

[Blammer]

Eco boost = Turbo, you don't use the right engine oil and change it regular like, consider your motor toast.

I give em about 3 yrs and you'll see LOTS of them dead or for sale.

Heck my 92 chevy 350 gets 21 mpg.

[Tackleberry41]

Its a ford, they generally do well early on, then start to have issues. Like the cracked heads the exploders and Taurus used to get, generally after the warranty expires. Or just trying to cut the wrong corners.

As pointed out its complicated technology, which means more things to go wrong, and more expensive to fix. And yes it has a turbo, they only last so long, and don't tolerate oil changes being neglected like non turbo engines do. I know how people are from working on cars, 5 or 6 years from now will be a glut of these things at auctions nobody wants due to the expensive of repairs. Or massive recall campaign.

[captaint]

I have an '03 Silverado - my neighbor has an F150 4WD (nice truck) and he is disappointed with fuel mileage. My truck ha5.3 V8 (about 325CID) and the neighbor has an EcoBoost V6, about 4 years old. Our mileage is the same, around town, at least. He may get better on the road, though.

[dragon813gt]

Eco boost = Turbo, you don't use the right engine oil and change it regular like, consider your motor toast.

I give em about 3 yrs and you'll see LOTS of them dead or for sale.


Yep, I'm betting no one lets them idle to cool down properly after a hard run. I know they aren't big turbos. But they require extra care. Turbocharging is nothing new but people will treat them like their old NA engines which is going to kill them.

[dkf]

The turbos are watercooled to prevent oil coking and keep them cooler so a turbo timer or extended idle time is not a thing. When the engine is shut off the coolant still circulates through the turbo as the coolant siphons back into the rad. With the EB Fords OCI with the oil they recommend is too long IMO. I would also change coolant sooner than Ford recommends, the extra heat is hard on the coolant.

[bob208]

I have a 83 chevy heavy half. 305 auto with overdrive. it gets 21-22 mph on trips. not as good around town. but then it has no computer or sensors to through a fit and not let it run.

bought it 7 years ago for $650. one battery tires and oil changes.

[badbob454]

we just got some fusions in our fleet the ones i drove on highway got 35 mpg ,@75mph the gas savings would pay for a lot of work if it needs it...

[snuffy]

FORD,,,--- Found On Road Dead----- First On Raw Deals---Funky Old Rebuilt Dodge----Fix Or Repair Daily-----.

I had 2 NEW fords back in he seventies, both lemons. The dealership's answer to warranty work was to drive it from the drop-off area to the finished area without touching it for the multiple problems I was having. The first was a Pinto wagon, it would not start below 30 degrees, some problem with spark timing. It also burned oil for the first couple of miles. This was later traced to fords cost cutting by leaving OUT piston expanders that were in the German built engines.

The second one was a 76 mustang 11 mach 1 302 with a four speed, it really was fast. Fastback design had lots of room. It ran great for the first year. Before the warranty ran out, I started having problems. The dealership could not find the problem of faltering during acceleration. I found another dealership in another city that stayed on the problem until it was solved. Even calling Detroit for a roving diagnostician, to come look at it. Turned out to be the tachometer sender was shorting the ignition.

Would I buy another Ford of any model or year? Not even if it were the last car on earth!:x

The '79 firebird that followed the "stang" was driven for 150 thou. with total reliability, including -25 cold starts that amazed me.

[dkf]

Its not the seventies anymore. Everything pretty much sucked in the seventies.

[dragon813gt]

The turbos are watercooled to prevent oil coking and keep them cooler so a turbo timer or extended idle time is not a thing. When the engine is shut off the coolant still circulates through the turbo as the coolant siphons back into the rad. With the EB Fords OCI with the oil they recommend is too long IMO. I would also change coolant sooner than Ford recommends, the extra heat is hard on the coolant.

Guess I should have done some research first :laugh:

Air to water just complicates things even more. Honestly modern turbo engines aren't hard to work on. Unfortunately there is a lot of shoddy mechanics out there that don't know what they're doing.

[Moonie]

I've got a 2011 Taurus SHO with 3.5L EcoBoost. Great car and great engine. Tons of power. 0-60 in 5.0 in the largest car Ford currently makes, and that is stock, some of the guys using methanol injection and stage 4+ tunes are doing 0-60 in 4.0. I've had the car for several years and have had no issues, I've got 54,000ish miles. I do change the plugs every 20,000 miles (they are 100,000 mile plugs) as the 10.5-1 compression and up to 20lb of boost eats them. I keep the oil changed and run full synthetic. About 420ft/lbs of torque max and 90% of that available at 1,800rpm, it is a torque monster for its size. I do average 19mpg but have seen 28mpg on long trips on the highway.

These engines have been out since at least 2010, the bugs have been worked out.

[Rick Hodges]

Smiling at all the Chevy guys saying "I got a V-8 and get the same mileage" your V-8 makes less HP and less torque and you get the same mileage? That doesn't sound like such a good deal to me. Turbo's are different breeds, economical if you don't spool up the turbo, but you pay in fuel when the boost kicks in. If you like to feel the kick every time you start up you won't see the mileage gain. I am not convinced on the durability yet, but the performance is unquestioned.

Check out the latest MSP and CHIPS squad car performance tests....the little V-6 Taurus all wheel drive is the quickest bar none...second fastest you ask? The all wheel drive Explorer K-9 wagon...another V-6 turbo. Both blow the doors off of GM's best offerings and the worst performing Hemi Charger.

My point is those little turbo's make more power than the V-8's for the same or slightly better mileage.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I bought a new Ford Taurus in 1988. I gave up on dealership service after the warranty expired and went to a garage close to home. He told me at the rate the car was going I would spend as much in repairs as I did to buy the beast. Biggest problem, transmission went to lunch 11 miles west of Needles, Ca. the last week in August. The car was just out of warranty. Do you think that was part of the design? What a fun week that was. We were headed to the NRA center at Raton. Needless to say, we didn't make it. I still haven't made it. I have not bought a Ford since.

[BrentD]

Gopher,
Sorry to hear that. I happen to be a Ford driver who has made it the last 7 or 8 years in a row Will be making another run at it in 3 weeks.

Whether you like Fords or not, Raton is NOT TO BE MISSED! Go. BPCR nationals in the first full week of July. Be there!

:)

Brent

[MT Chambers]

FORD,,,--- Found On Road Dead----- First On Raw Deals---Funky Old Rebuilt Dodge----Fix Or Repair Daily-----.

I had 2 NEW fords back in he seventies, both lemons. The dealership's answer to warranty work was to drive it from the drop-off area to the finished area without touching it for the multiple problems I was having. The first was a Pinto wagon, it would not start below 30 degrees, some problem with spark timing. It also burned oil for the first couple of miles. This was later traced to fords cost cutting by leaving OUT piston expanders that were in the German built engines.

The second one was a 76 mustang 11 mach 1 302 with a four speed, it really was fast. Fastback design had lots of room. It ran great for the first year. Before the warranty ran out, I started having problems. The dealership could not find the problem of faltering during acceleration. I found another dealership in another city that stayed on the problem until it was solved. Even calling Detroit for a roving diagnostician, to come look at it. Turned out to be the tachometer sender was shorting the ignition.

Would I buy another Ford of any model or year? Not even if it were the last car on earth!:x

The '79 firebird that followed the "stang" was driven for 150 thou. with total reliability, including -25 cold starts that amazed me.
GM: General Maintenance
GMC: Gotta Mechanic Coming
GMC: Girly man's car

[MtGun44]

Turbos are expensive, complex and short lived compared to a normal piston
engine. Not a chance I would own a gas turbo car. Too many friends with too
many stories. If I lived in CO, Wyoming or Montana, maybe would consider due
to altitude, but probably not.

My previous Accord was running great when I sold it at 347,000 miles. Had
to replace a rear wheel bearing, a front wheel bearing, a catalyst and the
two Oxy sensors, plus clean the EGR valve once. Pretty decent, IMO. Original
shocks, exhaust system other than cat, no rust, and the seats looked like
new (cloth). Original clutch (!?), too.

If there is a turbo, it means the engine was not properly designed or sized to
begin with, unless it is a diesel where the turbo boost can be unlimited and
the benefits are entirely different, and worth it. On a spark ignition engine,
boost is limited by octane, and losses across the throttle plate hurt a lot,
except at WOT, which is a microscopic portion of the performance map.

With no boost limit and no throttle plate, diesels are a really good fit for
a turbo, even if they do fail before the rest of the engine. Turbo diesels are
a really, really great concept for an efficient engine, with large boosts in
both power and efficiency due to extremely high effective compression
ratios with turbos.

[Moonie]

Turbos are expensive, complex and short lived compared to a normal piston
engine. Not a chance I would own a gas turbo car. Too many friends with too
many stories. If I lived in CO, Wyoming or Montana, maybe would consider due
to altitude, but probably not.

My previous Accord was running great when I sold it at 347,000 miles. Had
to replace a rear wheel bearing, a front wheel bearing, a catalyst and the
two Oxy sensors, plus clean the EGR valve once. Pretty decent, IMO. Original
shocks, exhaust system other than cat, no rust, and the seats looked like
new (cloth). Original clutch (!?), too.

If there is a turbo, it means the engine was not properly designed or sized to
begin with, unless it is a diesel where the turbo boost can be unlimited and
the benefits are entirely different, and worth it. On a spark ignition engine,
boost is limited by octane, and losses across the throttle plate hurt a lot,
except at WOT, which is a microscopic portion of the performance map.

With no boost limit and no throttle plate, diesels are a really good fit for
a turbo, even if they do fail before the rest of the engine. Turbo diesels are
a really, really great concept for an efficient engine, with large boosts in
both power and efficiency due to extremely high effective compression
ratios with turbos.

Actually you are mistaken, this was certainly the case before direct injection and other technological advances of the 21'st century.

[BrentD]

Europeans have been running small turbos for years. It's not "new" in any sense. I like the one I have and I'll buy another late this year or early next.

[high standard 40]

I own a 2011 F150 which I purchased new and special ordered so I could get exactly what I wanted. The three smallest engines included the EcoBoost V6, a NA V6, and the 5.0 V8. I could not make myself buy the turbo engine, too many stories of costly repairs on turbos. The other V6 I felt was too low on power for my needs. I opted for the 5.0 V8. Plenty of power, and I mean plenty. (360HP) In all fairness, it is also a very complex engine.....32 valve, four overhead cams, variable cam timing. In the four years I've had it I have had zero issues with the engine. Totally flawless and great mileage getting 18 in town and mid 20s on the open road. Time will tell on longevity.

I always chuckle at the "Ford vs GM" debates. Nobody will ever win that argument. Both sides have pluses and minuses and you are unlikely to win over either side. I will say this. The fact is that Ford trucks outsell Chevy every year and have done so for a long time. That has to be for a reason. Also in my own "very un-scientific" survey while traveling widely across this country I have seen Chevys abandoned on the side of the Interstate highways at a ratio of about 4 to 1 vs Ford.

[dragon813gt]

Europeans have been running small turbos for years. It's not "new" in any sense. I like the one I have and I'll buy another late this year or early next.
You mean decades. They were using it a decade before they brought it here. Which I was adding turbos w/ stand alone management to VWs in the mid 90s. Those engines were not designed for turbos but held up well. The ones that were designed from the ground up to be turbocharged are a tuners dream. Don't have to touch internals until you start knocking on the 500 hp door, started at 180 hp. As long as you stay off the boost you get great fuel economy. My 500 hp GTI still gets 30+ on the highway and is well mannered enough to be daily drivable. Put your foot the floor and lots of fun ensues :)

[dagger dog]

"If there is a turbo, it means the engine was not properly designed or sized to
begin with,"

That's a wide statement, there are plenty of vehicles, trucks, cars, planes,and boats that were designed with superchargers (exhaust gas spinning a turbine or belt driven) from the get go and not added because they are under powered.

[BrentD]

You mean decades.
I was trying to be nice :)

Actually, I had typed decades originally...

[Tackleberry41]

US cars are way behind the Germans. A German car with a carb was pretty rare by the late 70s, and then only something like a VW rabbit. Mercedes by the 70s didn't even know what one was. Where the US tried to get them to work far longer, some might remember a Detroit engineer thought a plastic carb would last any length of time, cheaper than doing it right. I worked on and drove VWs for a long time, I had no practical experience with an EGR valve, Germans engineered a solution. US auto makers went with cheap, vs better. Never saw a VW or Mercedes with a 'smog pump', again US went cheap, just bolt a pump on it, no engineering required. I could easily tune my VW rabbit GTI to pass the smog test without a catalytic converter in the car, and it still ran fine that way.

Then I switched over to shop that worked on mostly American and Japanese cars. After only having worked on Germans cars, where they actually planned things, I was shocked at the garbage Detroit was putting out. German cars all the relays and fuses were in one place, US cars they put stuff everywhere, because it was cheaper to do that way. A cracked head in a German car, I guess, never seen one. Warped ones from over heating, they had a way to fix them, no machining involved. It was way to common to find cracked heads in US cars. Or transmissions, was a time your average US dealer had stacks of trans in the back they were replaced so often. How much did it cost ford because they didn't want to spend 40 cents on wiring to move the distributor module further from all the heat?

I had a Ford, once, won't again. Yea maybe they have gotten better since I had that Bronco 2. That thing would get stuck on a piece of bubble gum. My dad had a wagon that my grandfather gave us. I remember we would stop, dad would take some tools, poke around under the hood adjusting something, then we would drive it some more. Anymore if someone asks, what car to buy, Toyota or Honda, or Nissan. I wont even look at a US brand car. A honda with 150k miles is getting broke in, US brand its ready to fall apart by then. I know some say well buy American. My Nissan is made with 80% US parts right here in TN. Where alot of US stuff is assembled in Mexico and is including more and more Chinese made parts.

[dragon813gt]

No one brand is superior. And you can't make blanket statements like "all American cars suck." I love VWs and currently own quite a few. But there is such a thing as "VW problems." You can read that as random electrical problems that are a pain to find the cause of and they keep coming back.

There is also a big difference in repair cost when it comes to foreign versus domestic. My daily is a GMC Savanna 2500. Before we started leasing them we routinely put 200k on them before moving them on. Personal truck is a GMC Canyon w/ 132k and the only repairs have been a thermostat and U joint. Some of my VWs have been the same. But others have had laundry lists of problems.

Like I said, no one make is superior. If you take care of your vehicles you most likely will only have to perform routine maintenance. But most people run their vehicles into the ground. You can't protect the vehicle from the driver.

[Moonie]

I opted for the 5.0 V8. Plenty of power, and I mean plenty. (360HP)

My EcoBoost V6 has 365HP and is much lighter than the 5.0.

[high standard 40]

My EcoBoost V6 has 365HP and is much lighter than the 5.0.

I'm aware of that and was so at the time that I purchased the 5.0. I could not convince myself to purchase a twin turbo after working for 15 years at a dealership and seeing day to day the cost of repairing turbo equipped engines. I do admit that technology and dependability is getting much better every year. I still could not spring for a turbo.......not just yet.