Hello, I'm new to the forum, so hopefully I've posted this in the right place. I have a 2015 F150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost, with a 3;55 axle ratio. Current mileage is 17, 000. Bought the truck brand new. Since about October of 2015, while going up a moderate to steep grade I am experiencing a shuddering sensation from the truck. Almost seems like a misfire to me. It only occurs while in 6th gear [traveling around 55-65 MPH] when the engine is lugging a bit and going up hills. Sometimes the problem is so severe that I'm afraid to drive it, sometimes it's very mild and sometimes it goes away. It has only turned on the check engine light once while driving. The dealer replaced the crankcase pressure sensor and harness, and this seems to have corrected the multiple check engine lights that I've experienced during cold starts.. This seems to me like a coil pack problem, and feels like a secondary ignition system issue. It shudders and feels like an ignition miss, and only happens while the engine is ''lugging'' up the hills. Towing makes the problems worse.
I have tried two dealers for help. The first said they could not replicate the problem. The second say's it feels like a bad coil pack, but cannot verify that the coil pack [s] are bad, therefore they cannot replace them under warranty! I am at the end of my rope and desperate to get my truck fixed! When I bought the truck I loved it, and it was perfect, but has slowly developed this problem. Is anyone else experiencing this sort of problem with the 2.7 Ecoboost ?? There has to be someone at Ford who can help me out. Thanks !

 

This is a dangerous situation IMHO as mis-fires can easily induce a piston failure...........the dealers should have a san tool that they can hook up to the diagnostic port and let you drive it ...............then they should be able to ID the issue........if they don't have one, contact Ford for assistance.

 

You should be able to manually shift down when the shuddering starts. Do that and see if it quits.

Possibly, the part throttle shifting has gotten out of calibration. If so, I would expect a malfunctioning sensor or maybe an ECM/TCM flash would correct the problem.

Your truck is under warranty though. This is something the dealer should be able to correct, and if he can't, try a different dealership. You need to create a record that you tried to get this corrected while the truck was still under warranty, in case it causes more severe problems down the road.

- Jack

 

Well, an update on my driveability problem on my 2. 7 Ecoboost . The truck now has 19,000 miles. I regret the day I ever bought this truck ! After 3 dealerships, i have not been able to get it fixed. 2 weeks ago, I drove it for 60 miles, at 50 mph all the way to the dealership. On each and every hill, the truck would shutter, as if it had a misfire.. The dealer kept it for 2 weeks, and, since the check engine light came on, they did replace some sort of a fuel tank dip tube, as per the service bulliten for the particular code. I'll have to look at my receipt to see what that was. After 2 weeks they said to come and get it. On the way home, the air conditioner flooded the passenger floor board. And guess what?? the shutter miss pulsating problem is STILL there. I drove the truck back the next day... After a few days they say the problem with the AC is fixed. It needed an elbow on the condensation drain installed, so it wouldn't drain back into the cab. They say the 2.7 ecoboost engine is ""very small'' and it's normal to have my misfire [or whatever it is] going up hills because of the ''tiny'' engine ! Can you believe it? The last time I took it in, the problem seemed to go away somewhat, and after the tech rode with me with his lap top hooked up, said he does not see a problem. he also said that he makes no money on his pay check, if he can't find anything wrong. He sayes ''no codes found'' ! In other words, he cannot replace spark plugs or coil packs if they don't set a code, or show up as defective on the computer graph.
Here is a question.. Can the computer in my truck see a bad spark plug?? I'm a marine mechanic by trade, and I can't get my head around that one. I spent $40,000 on this truck, and it seems I'm stuck with it. No codes found ! And I'm fresh out of dealerships within a reasonable distance from where I live. This will be the last new truck I will EVER buy, period.
Luckily for me I still have my 2001 F150 with a 4.6 Triton, along with a 1996 F250 with the 460 V8. Both work horses, unlike my new Ecoboost F150. I would appreciate any help I could get here. Sorry for the venting !
BTW, anyone familiar with the Federal lemon law? Seems I'm past the limit for the lemon law in Missouri. I went past the limit while the truck was in the shop, not being fixed..

 

Where is the Ford rep that hangs out on this forum when you need her?

 

In short....yes and a misfire with the EB can easily lead to fractured piston or rod out through the block.......get in touch with Ford customer service immediately IMHO and get a claim started!!!!

 

I have contacted Ford customer service 3 times already. They say it is in the hands of the dealership, and it's up to them to determine what needs to be done. The first dealer sayes they cannot replicate the problem. That's because after I drive it at highway speeds of 70 plus MPH, the problem seems to go away and gets better. By the time the dealer mechanic drives the truck, the issue is not really noticeable, and since they don't make any $$ money driving my truck around, ( that's what the tech told me) they only will drive it a short distance and give up. Now, after i drive the truck home, then drive it locally for a few days or so,l the problem comes back, and gets really bad. That's why this time I drove it at 50 MPH all the way to the dealer ( 50 miles) in an effort to keep it broke, so to speak, in hopes that they could fix it. Much to my frustration, the problem seemed to go away again on the last trip back to the shop. People think I'm emagining this whole thing, but I can assure you that something is wrong here. It get so bad that I'm afraid to drive the truck.. my local dealer said, ''yea, we can feel the problem, and something is definetely going on here''. ''But we don't know what to do to fix it'' Ford won't pay us to replace parts, so we can't guess at it either'' That dealer finally gave up and would NOT return my phone calls. I suspect since they did not sell me the truck, they don't want to mess with it. I got the truck back with a bashed up Rf wheel, where they apparently ran into the lift rack. Of course they denied damaging the truck.
I think when the truck starts acting up bad again, I will load it on the trailer and take it to someone else. This sounds crazy, but I don;t know what else to do! In fairness, I think the dealerships are not reaching out to Ford for some help or guidance to fix this truck. When asked to do this, the reply I get is ''we never get any help when we call the hot line''

 

What the dealer can do is to monitor the systems during operation- ie...place a "box' in the floor of your truck connected to the diagnostic port and they can data log what is happening....fyi...this is a little on the expensive side for dealers so not everyone has this capability..............but if you cannot find a dealer who has the capability to do this then engage Ford and request assistance to locate a dealer that does have those capabilities.

 

In your first post you said this only happens in 6th grade. Is this true? It sounds a LOT like a torque converter that's failing to unlock completely and causing a chatter that feels just like a misfire. Next time it happens drop down to 5th then 4th gear and see what happens. The converter only locks up in the over drive gears so knowing this will isolate the problem and help you sort it out.

 

I had this EXACT problem with my 2012 3.5 Ecoboost. FINALLY got it fixed after four trips to the dealer. Long story short, during my last trip to the dealer they tested my fuel and said that the octane was very low. So they pulled out a sample and let it sit in a water bottle on the technicians work bench and after a while it seperated! the bottom third of the sample was PURE ETHANOL! (Ecoboost doesn't like Ethanol). I had very little fuel left in the tank so i dumped a bottle of Seafoam in there and drove the the gas station and filled up with non-ethanol with some more Seafoam and I have not had one misfire problem since.

 

Are you sure it wasn't water? Ethanol shouldn't separate like that.

 

It could have been water. The Service Manager said it was ethanol. I didn't taste it. (haha) But I do know my ecoboost won't run on ethanol or water and the problem is fixed. Over the last several months they tried plugs, plug boots, one coil, throttle body, computer updates and multiple TSBs that did not fix the problem.

 

The 6R80 transmission in the 2015 2.7l locks up in 3,4,5 and 6th gear. Other than the fuel issue listed above, I would try taking our the plugs and gapping them or replacing them altogether. a lot of shuddering that feels transmission related is actually ignition sourced.

 

I had the same issue you are explaining on my 3.5 Ecoboost. Dealerships could not replicate the problem. It ended up being spark plugs not being gaped correctly. I know it sounds stupid, but I replaced them with new/gaped correctly plugs and problem went away instantly. Even gained 1.5 mpg. I thought it was my transmission. I was wrong. I ended up finding the problem after a guy mentioned I should replace the plugs.