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Ecoboost Coolant Intrusion


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Just wondering how many have had their engines replaced. Mine was replaced at 32,000 miles or so. The numbers are ticking up and dealers are short on supplies with vehicles backlogged on their lots. My service advisor told me they had replaced a couple dozen engines.

 

Ford EcoBoost Problems Lead To Class Action Lawsuit | CarComplaints.com

 

Ford EcoBoost Engine Leak So Bad There's A Class-Action Lawsuit (motorbiscuit.com)

 

Ford Faces New Class-Action Lawsuit Over 4-Cylinder EcoBoost Coolant Leak Issue - autoevolution

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19 minutes ago, Escapism said:

Just wondering how many have had their engines replaced. Mine was replaced at 32,000 miles or so. The numbers are ticking up and dealers are short on supplies with vehicles backlogged on their lots. My service advisor told me they had replaced a couple dozen engines.

 

Ford EcoBoost Problems Lead To Class Action Lawsuit | CarComplaints.com

 

Ford EcoBoost Engine Leak So Bad There's A Class-Action Lawsuit (motorbiscuit.com)

 

Ford Faces New Class-Action Lawsuit Over 4-Cylinder EcoBoost Coolant Leak Issue - autoevolution

 

As has been well documented, they changed the block design to eliminate the problem area.  If the replacement block that was installed (with the new design) fails, I'll simply take the vehicle back to the Dealer that provided excellent service to me earlier this year.

 

I sure as hell ain't joining a class action suit, since Ford stepped-up and took care of my problem.  I have no interest in making a bunch of lawyers rich.

 

HRG

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I just wonder about the technical issue.  Sounds like the same/similar head gasket issue the Focus RS was having a couple years ago.  Gotta wonder if it's a design issue common to all the 4-cyl duratec-based Ecoboost motors.  If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising to see this rear it's ugly head in ranger/mustang/bronco with the 2.3....

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I am at 63k with my 2.0 and have no problems. I've kept an eye on the coolant level. I am on the fence about getting an extended warranty but will make a decision by the new year.  It will cost me roughly 1k to get an additional 48k/3year powertrain warranty. I am leaning towards doing it

Edited by jcartwright99
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1 hour ago, Sevensecondsuv said:

I just wonder about the technical issue.  Sounds like the same/similar head gasket issue the Focus RS was having a couple years ago.  Gotta wonder if it's a design issue common to all the 4-cyl duratec-based Ecoboost motors.  If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising to see this rear it's ugly head in ranger/mustang/bronco with the 2.3....

 

The only issue the 2.3 had was employees installing the incorrect headgasket on the 2.3 in the Valencia plant. They were also making 2.3's for the Mustang there, which is where I assume the incorrect headgasket came from. After the putting the correct headgasket on,  I've heard of no other issues.

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1 hour ago, Sevensecondsuv said:

I just wonder about the technical issue.  Sounds like the same/similar head gasket issue the Focus RS was having a couple years ago.  Gotta wonder if it's a design issue common to all the 4-cyl duratec-based Ecoboost motors.  If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising to see this rear it's ugly head in ranger/mustang/bronco with the 2.3....

He 2.3 has been out long enough that any similar issue would have been exposed by now.

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I bet there's more to than that.  From the sound of it, the issue is the head gasket fire ring is not sealing correctly.  It gets complicated on these because the bore vs bore center relationship leaves little space for the fire ring to seat and then there is either a groove cut or holes drilled (depending on model) in the deck surface between the adjacent fire rings to provide cooling to the fire rings due to the high specific output of these engines and ensuing high combustion chamber temperature.  The open-deck design doesn't help either as it allows the cylinder cores to move (however slightly) during operation.

 

To me, it sounds like a head gasket seal design that is operating at its limits.  A different head gasket might help, as might modifications to the deck surface.  But the best fix would be 1) an increase in the bore spacing to provide more sealing surface and rigidity and 2) a reduction of the pressure/temperature in the combustion chamber.

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39 minutes ago, jcartwright99 said:

I am at 63k with my 2.0 and have no problems. I've kept an eye on the coolant level. I am on the fence about getting an extended warranty but will make a decision by the new year.  It will cost me roughly 1k to get an additional 48k/3year powertrain warranty. I am leaning towards doing it

106 K on my 2015 Edge with the 2.0. No issues what so ever. It’s a great engine. 

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17 minutes ago, Sevensecondsuv said:

I bet there's more to than that. 

 

To me, it sounds like a head gasket seal design that is operating at its limits.  A different head gasket might help, as might modifications to the deck surface.  But the best fix would be 1) an increase in the bore spacing to provide more sealing surface and rigidity and 2) a reduction of the pressure/temperature in the combustion chamber.

 

This wasn't a problem with the pre-2015 2.0L so I doubt it had anything to do with bore spacing.  And the problem always occurs in cylinder 2.

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25 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

This wasn't a problem with the pre-2015 2.0L so I doubt it had anything to do with bore spacing.  And the problem always occurs in cylinder 2.

I had this coolant intrusion issue on a late 2014 Escape with a 2.0L, unfortunately. I added over 2 QT of coolant to the reservoir across the duration of ownership. I started having to add coolant only 1 year and 12,000 into ownership. Local dealers didn't perform the proper pressure test until last year. Fortunately, it only misfired once. I may have been in the minority for 2014 models.

 

In my infinite, wisdom, I traded it in (transmission issues beginning to surface as well as heater core issues) on an Edge with a 2.0. I'm hoping the issues have been corrected for 2020!

Edited by Alex D.
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1 hour ago, akirby said:

They probably made the engine change right before the 2015 model year.   Daughter's 2014 Escape was an early model - keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope for the best! My fingers will also be crossed. Hopefully the percentage of engines with issues is relatively small.

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4 hours ago, jcartwright99 said:

It will cost me roughly 1k to get an additional 48k/3year powertrain warranty. I am leaning towards doing it


At that price you’d be foolish not to.  The 2.0L EB is a good engine but not free from issues.  To me that seems like cheap insurance.  Its pennies compared to a repair or new car payment. 

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1 hour ago, Alex D. said:

Hope for the best! My fingers will also be crossed. Hopefully the percentage of engines with issues is relatively small.

With a class action suit, sounds to me problem is significant, only adding to Ford's huge warranty costs. In the suit, I believe 2016-19 vehicles are included since the small displacement EBs cover much of Ford's lineup. Worrisome to say the least. 

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Has Ford extended the warranty yet?   All these failures should already be covered unless you've exceeded 60K miles since most should still be within the 5 year period.  That would be the only purpose of a class action suit is to extend the warranty to maybe 7 yr/100K miles.

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14 minutes ago, akirby said:

Has Ford extended the warranty yet?   All these failures should already be covered unless you've exceeded 60K miles since most should still be within the 5 year period.  That would be the only purpose of a class action suit is to extend the warranty to maybe 7 yr/100K miles.

Even with a warranty, having to get a new short block after a few years is a huge pain in the ass. Will probably not see your vehicle again for many weeks if not months if waiting for parts. However, class action suits are only profitable for lawyers. But pissed off customers will sign up for class action suit. The more the merrier for law firms. Something out of a John Grisham novel who hates lawyers.

 

 

 

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26 minutes ago, akirby said:

Has Ford extended the warranty yet?   All these failures should already be covered unless you've exceeded 60K miles since most should still be within the 5 year period.  That would be the only purpose of a class action suit is to extend the warranty to maybe 7 yr/100K miles.

 

Out of the 4 plaintiffs listed, (3) had more than 60K miles (65000, 64041, 66331) and (1) had 55265.  The 55265 vehicle was in-service 63 months, or just over 5 years (July 2015 to Oct 2020).

 

I have not been offered a warranty extension.

 

HRG

Edited by HotRunrGuy
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34 minutes ago, akirby said:

Has Ford extended the warranty yet?   All these failures should already be covered unless you've exceeded 60K miles since most should still be within the 5 year period.  That would be the only purpose of a class action suit is to extend the warranty to maybe 7 yr/100K miles.

 

I haven't heard anything yet. It's kinda a irritating situation to be in to be honest. I bought the Fusion knowing that if not properly maintained, the PTU and trans could be potential issues. I thought, the 2.0 had the bugs worked out but apparently the new design didn't. So more than likely, I will throw down a grand for a Powertrain extended warranty. It sucks but at this point there are too many red flags for me not to. I have thought about putting it on the market for a private party sale, knowing that I can payoff my loan that way and have some extra. That is a pain I don't want to have right now though. 

 

I know issues happen on all cars but it seems I have the potential for 3 big repairs (PTU, engine, trans). The engine being the biggest cost and now sounding like the most likely. Part of me wishes I would of bought an Accord. I can see how these things turn people off to certain brands.

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This is where Farley can step up and prove he cares about quality and customers.   Extend the warranty to 7 yrs/100K miles.  Offer anyone with the problem full market value towards any new Ford or Lincoln with A plan pricing.   Make the customer as happy as they can be under the circumstances.

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