Hey guys, my 2013 lease is up and ain't no way I'm getting back into another at the prices going on at the moment. So I'm seriously thinking about buying out my current lease as the buyout is pretty decent. The big thing looming over me is should I be paranoid about locking into the ecoboost motor (3.5L) . Even the dealer said I hope that ecoboost makes it (dunno if that was a tactic to get me to sign on a new one). I haven't done anything yet but not much time to decide whether I lock in to this motor or look into other options. Should I be afraid lol?? I actually LOVE the motor but I read alot about some of the concerns some have with it. I actually have a slight rattle in the motor at startup which I've read is timing chain stretch. But I'm still under warranty (barely) and plan to have the dealer fix asap. Whatcha think??? I really love the truck and Its the devil I Know vs the devil I don't if I look for a used V8

 

Personally, I'd say if you're happy with the truck and there are no SERIOUS problems, keep it. I know I totally love my 2014 Ecoboost. I see no reason why the motor should suddenly go bad in yours (or mine).

I think the concerns you cite are mostly from haters who don't own one.

- Jack

 

Since you're taking to the dealer anyway, have them give you a report on the condition of the engine. Then you'll have a decent idea of keep it or unload it. If you decide to unload it, I'd wait until the 2017s come out. The new 3.5 Ecoboost solves all of the issues with the direct injection BS. Mostly because it normally runs in sequential injection like the old EFI engines until the power is needed and then brings on the direct injection. Yes, it has 2 injection systems. While new to Ford and Ecoboost, it's not new in European cars. The new engine is eons ahead of the current power plant.

 

I know of several high mileage EB's and they have been pretty good with close to 250k on the odometer. Keep your oil changed around the 4 to 5k mark, Use good oil and good Fuel and change plugs every 30 to 40k and have fun with it.

I have 64k on mine and its been great motor wise. Only problem i have had is the front cover leak and a coolant line leak going to the turbo. That issue was fixed under warranty around 50k.

 

A traveling equipment salesman friend of mine traded his 2012 in at 23x,000 and replaced it with a 2014 EB. His company has switched over to only running them. He wasn't religious about maintenance. He did take care of it but when you're on the road all the time you do it when you can.

I'm sitting at 113,000 on my 2011 and outside of oil, filters and plugs I haven't had a single problem. There are quite a few people on forums that are getting up there in miles now and most are not having problems. Most of the people with problems seem to have had them fairly early on so if it runs good now I don't see a reason to dump it.

Change your oil and use quality oil and filter, change your spark plugs every 40k or so and drill the intercooler. This will cure most of the issues this motor might have.

 

I have 50,000 on my 2012 F150 and my wife has 110,000 on her 2009 flex (same 3.5 engine). We have had 0 problems.

 

Drill the intercooler? Hmmmm, im stumped on that one lol

 

Interesting for sure. Thanks for all the input guys, Very much appreciated. As much as I want that 2016.....a lease payment in the low 500s with money down for an xlt with chrome package just ain't gonna fly

 

You drill a very small hole in the lowest point of the intercooler to drain out any condensation. There's a ton of info about it on another F150 forum. Doing this will eliminate the water build up issue.

 

As I recall, that problem was fixed by Ford at some point. I don't think it applies to the 2014 model year and may have been taken care of sometime in 2013. Wookie, can you confirm this?

- Jack

 

There was a series of fixes starting in MY 2012 that involved blocking off part of the intercooler to increase the internal temps, install diverter shields and tweak the PCM tuning to deal with the problem. By MY 2013 the problem seems to be mostly resolved and I've seen very few complaints. The 2013-2014 trucks use a slightly larger turbo and different design for the recirculation circuit. Many of the fixes can be applied to the 2011-2012 via TSB if you complain to the dealership.

However, the fixes do not address the oil in the intake tract that comes from the PCV system. The EB design is much better than some of the earlier DI designs such as the VW FSI motors. But, there still is some amount of oil vapor that gets through and good amount of it condenses inside the intercooler. Drilling the hole lets this mess drain out instead of going into the engine.

IMO, drilling a 2011-2012 truck is a must and drilling a 2013-2016 is a good idea. But I'm not making the payment on any truck other than my own so it's entirely up to you if you would like to do it.

 

Great information, thanks again all

 

Mine is a 2013 and I made it to 54k miles before getting the moisture issue, cruised in light rain for 90 miles started to get up on the Interstate and fell on its face, light flashing and running rough. Finished the trip, got home drilled it and couldn't believe how much water and oil crap came out. I also live in West Texas and it's not known for rainy humid environment. So I definitely recommend drilling the hole in the intercooler

 

The overall humidity doesn't really create the problem. Most of the time it's people who like in cooler climates that have the issue. Water builds and when the temperature inside the IC drops below the dew point. If you're in south Louisiana it might be stupid humid but the dew point is way below the ambient temperature so moisture isn't condensing in the IC. Now, drop the air temp quite a bit and the two temps get a lot closer. Then the IC temps can drop below the dew point and the water in the air changes from gas to liquid form. If this happens long enough a big puddle is formed and when you smash the gas it gets pulled into the engine.

 

The turbos compress the incoming air and lowers the dew point.