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- Jan 28, 2001
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F150 Ecoboost - important things to know
I have seen a ton of misinformation and new folks asking about the same ecoboost F150 issues so I figured I would lay it out here. Feel free to add your learnings as well.
I have always had V8 F150s, and after I bought my 13 Shelby, I needed a pickup. I found a 12 FX4 ecoboost for the right price, but I had sworn I would never buy an ecoboost. I drove it and it rode fine, not overly impressed with power, but it worked. I bought it and began my F150 ecoboost saga and research. My truck developed all kinds of engine related problems (nearly killed my family) from the get go, but was actually par for the course according to my research.
1) stutter / shudder - this occurs when you have a quick burst of acceleration and the truck falls flat on its face. This is due to moisture buildup in the CAC. The CAC works too well and produces condensate that gets passed through the spark and blows them out. If you have enough moisture, you can hydrolock the engine. Secondarily to this, you will then eat O2 sensors and cat converters. A Fix to prolong this issue is drilling a weep hole in the CAC. Keep in mind Ford has done many TSBs for this with no fix that works. This issue is still happening - even on new trucks. Weep hole is best defense.
2) spark plugs - this engine eats plugs. Plan on changing every 15k miles. Use motorcraft sp534 gapped at .028
3) if you ever do ANYTHING with your battery, swing in to the dealer and have them reset your Battery Monitor System. It is free, and save you frustration. This is a system that is on there for gas mpg, and needs to be running properly.
4) timing chain rattle on cold start - this is a stretched chain and also relates to cam phaser issues.
5) since this is a direct injection engine, it gets fuel in the oil. With that, you will need to change oil every 3k miles - no more.
6) carbon build up on valves - no safe way to get rid of. No aftermarket cleaner as it will cook the turbos.
7) fuel injectors - wise to run Chevron w/ Techron every 2k miles. It keeps these finiky injectors clean and lubed.
8) gas mileage - this will drop when issues arise, so watch it. Factory dash gas mileage works perfectly compared to hand calcs IF you follow the instructions. To work, you must reset the meter at each Fill up. Also, best mpg realized by getting the truck up to the desired speed as quick as you can and then set cruise control. You should see no less than 18mpg doing this.
After understanding and working through all of the above, I sold the truck after just 6 months. This was absurd as I never have had to work on any vehicle like this... Just to get it to go down the road safely. So, I am back in a V8 truck with no worries.
I have seen a ton of misinformation and new folks asking about the same ecoboost F150 issues so I figured I would lay it out here. Feel free to add your learnings as well.
I have always had V8 F150s, and after I bought my 13 Shelby, I needed a pickup. I found a 12 FX4 ecoboost for the right price, but I had sworn I would never buy an ecoboost. I drove it and it rode fine, not overly impressed with power, but it worked. I bought it and began my F150 ecoboost saga and research. My truck developed all kinds of engine related problems (nearly killed my family) from the get go, but was actually par for the course according to my research.
1) stutter / shudder - this occurs when you have a quick burst of acceleration and the truck falls flat on its face. This is due to moisture buildup in the CAC. The CAC works too well and produces condensate that gets passed through the spark and blows them out. If you have enough moisture, you can hydrolock the engine. Secondarily to this, you will then eat O2 sensors and cat converters. A Fix to prolong this issue is drilling a weep hole in the CAC. Keep in mind Ford has done many TSBs for this with no fix that works. This issue is still happening - even on new trucks. Weep hole is best defense.
2) spark plugs - this engine eats plugs. Plan on changing every 15k miles. Use motorcraft sp534 gapped at .028
3) if you ever do ANYTHING with your battery, swing in to the dealer and have them reset your Battery Monitor System. It is free, and save you frustration. This is a system that is on there for gas mpg, and needs to be running properly.
4) timing chain rattle on cold start - this is a stretched chain and also relates to cam phaser issues.
5) since this is a direct injection engine, it gets fuel in the oil. With that, you will need to change oil every 3k miles - no more.
6) carbon build up on valves - no safe way to get rid of. No aftermarket cleaner as it will cook the turbos.
7) fuel injectors - wise to run Chevron w/ Techron every 2k miles. It keeps these finiky injectors clean and lubed.
8) gas mileage - this will drop when issues arise, so watch it. Factory dash gas mileage works perfectly compared to hand calcs IF you follow the instructions. To work, you must reset the meter at each Fill up. Also, best mpg realized by getting the truck up to the desired speed as quick as you can and then set cruise control. You should see no less than 18mpg doing this.
After understanding and working through all of the above, I sold the truck after just 6 months. This was absurd as I never have had to work on any vehicle like this... Just to get it to go down the road safely. So, I am back in a V8 truck with no worries.
