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F150 Ecoboost high miles

7K views 38 replies 26 participants last post by  offshorefanatic 
#1 ·
Anyone here have an F150 with over 100,000 miles? Trying to figure out if I want to keep mine. I am at 80,000 now.
 
#5 ·
2012 4x4's - Platinum Crew and FX4 Crew

Got two...Platinum Crew 4x4 with 165k miles and FX4 Crew with 80k miles, both heavy loaded and EcoBoost. Take good care of them, service regularly especially oil changes and they'll run forever. I used to buy new F150's every year or two, and have since the early '80s. Like these two so much that I kept them. Other poster made a good point, 'they're paid off, look and run great'.
 
#8 ·
My old man has an '11 with well over a hundred K. He put a catch can system on it way back when it was newer and has been a great truck thus far. That truck came with the 3:73 rear end, not sure they still package them that way. But that thing is a beast, makes my 5.0 feel a little wimpy, and no comparison when we hook up to any trailer.
 
#23 · (Edited)
It supposedly lets the oily condensation drain out of the intercooler, and it was a tiny hole, maybe 3/32. The majority of the aftermarket intercoolers for the Ecoboost have removable plugs, to drain the oily mess. Lots of people on Youtube and online forums suggesting the same.
More like 1/32 and it's to let the water drain. The EB design is hyper efficient , condensation occurs inside the intercooler, but even with larger intercoolers (I had a Wagner on mine, one of the largest sold), you still have to drill the hole. The water would build up such that I couldn't tip in more than just part throttle or it would start sputtering. Dropped the intercooler (after installing the Wagner but before drilling the hole) and at least a 1/2 gallon of water poured out.

I just bought an F150 EcoBoost.
For those with success - did you do anything special? One poster mentioned the catch can. How many have done that? I think its probably more rare than normal.
The boost eats the spark plugs so you have to change them regularly or it acts like it does when it has water in the intercooler, sputters and won't build boost, because the boost is blowing out the spark, since the diode has eroded and the spark plug gap becomes too great for the spark to connect while under boost. I was experiencing the same drivability issues with worn out spark plugs as I had with water build up in the intercooler. Before I changed my spark plugs the last time before I sold it, I actually dropped the intercooler thinking that the hole had gotten plugged and it was full of water again. Bone dry. I changed the spark plugs and it was running like a beast again.

I also drilled a hole in the intercooler of my 2011, 1/32 as I recall. Had plug and coil issues prior to. Drilled the hole. I heard that they had fixed this post 2012, but have no experience with it. The truck had a hard shift from 2 to 3 sometimes, but was running great when I traded it in at 205k. For what I got, I should have seen if it went 300... still miss that truck on occasion, it had some pep.
All of my work was on my 2013, they hadn't fixed it by 2013.

I have another EB truck, a 2018 3.5 and HOLY SMOKES, these things are much faster. I sold my 2013 with 170K on it.

quoting this one again so anyone with a 2014 & earlier truck knows where to drill- the intercooler is held up by a bottom brace, this brace has two holes with rubber plug isolators that the intercooler sits in; Imagine the intercooler as a square with mounting points or legs up and down on the top and bottom 4 corners. The design of the downside leg that sits in this rubber plug isolator pocket, on the driver's side, and accessible without removing anything but the dust guard, exposes the bottom of the intercooler leg, and the lowest point of the stock intercooler. You can drill the hole without turning a wrench.
 
#12 ·
It supposedly lets the oily condensation drain out of the intercooler, and it was a tiny hole, maybe 3/32. The majority of the aftermarket intercoolers for the Ecoboost have removable plugs, to drain the oily mess. Lots of people on Youtube and online forums suggesting the same.
 
#14 ·
I just bought an F150 EcoBoost. I tried doing a lot of research. Most of the people who have had negative things to say, didn't own one. Or they "knew a guy".

I figure that Ford bet big with all these ecoboost engines (put them on everything from the focus to the Expedition), so I'm hoping for positive results.

I don't drive mine like a dog (I'm coming from a 2008 honda fit, so just kind of my learned driving style).

For those with success - did you do anything special? One poster mentioned the catch can. How many have done that? I think its probably more rare than normal.
 
#17 ·
I just bought an F150 EcoBoost.

For those with success - did you do anything special? One poster mentioned the catch can. How many have done that? I think its probably more rare than normal.
Someone who knows more correct me if I’m wrong here. From what I’ve read/watched the catch can is mainly to snatch the oil out of the evap recirculating system thing. Sucking that oily air back into the intake causes buildup on the back of the intake valves.

The 3.5l ecoboost was direct injection only up till 2018 I think it was. Direct injection means you don’t get the solvent cleaning power of gasoline on the back side of those intake valves and buildup can occur. In 2018 they went to port and direct injection. This SHOULD help keep that buildup down.

Said that to say this, if you just bought a 2018 or newer ecoboost, I don’t think you have to worry as much about the catch can install.

To answer your question, I’d bet 90%+ of the F150 ecoboosts on the road do not have a catch can installed.
 
#18 ·
It’s on my mind, but turbo engines have been around forever. Heck, they use them in engines.

I feel if you don’t push the turbo and engine hard(tuning, bumping up the boost ect ect) they will last a good long while. There will always be a few that fail, but the majority will last a very long time.
 
#21 ·
I also drilled a hole in the intercooler of my 2011, 1/32 as I recall. Had plug and coil issues prior to. Drilled the hole and about 1/4 cup of green fluid came out. I never had another issue like that again. I heard that they had fixed this post 2012, but have no experience with it. The truck had a hard shift from 2 to 3 sometimes, but was running great when I traded it in at 205k. For what I got, I should have seen if it went 300... still miss that truck on occasion, it had some pep.


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#25 ·
I wish I could answer that for you, 2015 was a new design, aluminum body, maybe different motor, not sure, but there are really good F150 forums ( http://f150ecoboost.net/ ) where you can find that info.
If it needs to be drilled, you would know it.

When I first bought my 2013 truck, everything was fine (daily driving, running around the city) until I was on a highway trip. I will never forget, I'm doing 74mph down 183, I'm halfway to Rockport so I've been on the road an hour and a half, I go to pass someone and the truck stutters and goes in to limp mode, wrench light illuminated on the dash. I pull over, shut the truck off, pull up my scanner and scan for codes, cleared codes, started the truck back up and it was completely fine. Get back on the highway and everything was fine. It came to be that when I was on the highway, I could pass someone if I only needed a little power to pass them, downshifting from 6th to 5th, but if I had to put my foot in it and downshift to fourth gear, that was too great of a spike and boost and the truck would go into limp mode.

When it happens, when it goes into limp mode,all you have to do is turn the truck off and on again, and it clears out. I would pass someone, the truck would go into limp mode, I would shift to neutral, turn the truck off, turn the truck back on again, put it back and drive, and still be comfortably ahead of the people I had just passed that I never had to pull over and stop. Risky.

When Ford released the 2018 F150 eco-diesel, an unofficial group of guys who had created their own litmus test for how well a half ton performed, pulling a loaded tandem axle box trailter hrough a stretch of mountains in Colorado, had the same thing happen on the diesel test, it went in to limp mode. Don't know why, but it gave me pause at the time.

Barronj, my 2015 doesn’️t need the hole drilled?

Just bought the wife a 2019 Ford Explorer with the 3.5 and it will move on down the road!
 
#26 ·
I have 180,000 miles on my 2011 Ford F150 Ecoboost. No major repairs. Oil changes, Plugs and Plug wires.

I do have the "ecoboost rattle" on start up. It's been doing that for about 140,000 miles.

I did drill the hole in the intercooler and it helped considerably.

I hope this helps
 
#29 ·
Im on my second one. My son has my original and has 110K on it. Neither has ever been in the shop for anything other than scheduled maintenance. No shuttering or rattling. First I've heard of that.

Turbo technology is over 100 years old and turbo related failures on stock motors are extremely rare.

I doubt I ever go back to a NA V8.

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#31 ·
2013 with right at 200k miles. I used to have the shudder until I drilled a 1/32" hole in the intercooler. I am about to replace the spark plugs. The biggest issue I've had with the truck is the A/C compressor went out at 35K miles. It was covered by warranty though. I will replace it with another EcoBoost truck when it finally dies.
 
#33 ·
I have a '12 with 128k miles on it.
I've had to replace the plugs AND BOTH TURBO's!!! All just after it hit around 110k miles.
Found coolant on driveway. Took to shop. They said water pump. 3 weeks later had another leak albeit smaller. Looked underneath and could see it coming from area of turbo on driver side. On passenger side found tiny traces up there too so it had started to leak just not enough to make it to the driveway

so freakin' ticked!! Trust my shop guy and he drives an f150 as well. He's said in all of the f150's he's only seen this twice!!

other than that I love it and tows boat well too
 
#34 ·
Turbos leaking coolant is not uncommon on these trucks. Mine was leaking and I didn't realize how much had leaked out until I overheated on the way to Rockport and pulled over in Tivoli. I bought the one bottle of coolant for sale in Tivoli. I added water and coolant. I think it was green, and the truck previously had orange? For whatever reason the mixture nixed the leak, lol. It never leaked again after that.
 
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