Odd F150 3.5 Ecoboost problem

My 2017 67k mile F150 developed an odd problem towing a 9k lb trailer back from Roebling Road to Charlotte last Sunday.

About every 10 minutes or so, when a little extra throttle was needed like climbing a slight grade on the interstate, it would develop a misfire or something. The engine would quickly become rough, get choked down a bit and there would be a noise under the car ( I assume in the exhaust) that would start under the driver's floor board and move over to the passenger side then back towards the rear of the truck, then it would clear up and run fine until the next occurrence. Like a slug of something was going through the engine and then getting blown out the exhaust. Total time from rough to clear was about 3-5 seconds. It did this all the way home.

No CEL, no codes logged. All temps normal, etc.

Earlier in the day we had been sitting in the truck running the AC off and on for a few hours since I was in the last run group and it was hot and muggy out. Also, heavy rain moved in about an hour before we left and turned the paddock into Lake Ponchartrain.

The conditions (hot, high humidity/rain) and symptoms sound pretty much like the known issue with the earlier EB trucks where the intercooler would collect condensation. The homebrew fix is to drill a small hole in the intercooler. The thing is it was supposedly fixed in the later versions, and I haven't found a single post on line anywhere where someone claims to have had the issue in a later truck and needed to drill the intercooler. Plus, I think the earlier trucks threw a code.

I did a 50 mile drive yesterday without towing - it was hot out but dry, and the truck still exhibited the problem, but to a lesser extent. Obviously, I need a lot less power to drive at interstate speeds without the trailer, so the lesser symptoms could just be the reduced throttle needed for the task.

Also, I ran the Torque app looking for misfires on each cylinder, but none were registered.

I'm pretty sure the truck is running the original plugs, so I will swap them out, but I can't help feeling like it's a version of the condensation issue that the earlier trucks had.

Anybody encountered anything like this?

Sort of- we saw something like that in development. Probably water accumulating in the intercooler which gets picked up under high flow conditions. 
 

Kinda shows how effective it is, being able to condense water out of the air....

Thanks. Seems like it would  evaporate and clear up while being driven for roughly 300 miles, but I guess not.

In reply to sevenracer :

67k is also too much for plugs. They seem to need replacement around 40-50k miles.

What does the noise sound like?

Maybe a spit-valve is needed, like the one on a trumpet?

I have a 2013 and had something like this happen exactly once. Turned right onto a freeway onramp and just then, it felt and sounded like someone had thrown a wrench into the engine. Severe bucking and felt like it was running on three cylinders. Pulled over, shut it off, waited a minute, then restarted it. No warnings, and hasn't happened again in 130K miles. This is in SoCal where it doesn't get terribly humid, and hadn't been leading up to this.

In reply to kb58 :

Doesn't take a lot- we originally saw it in Dearborn. Compressing the air, and then cooling that really makes it humid. 

Check for timing variance. If it's still happening without condensation you might have lost a cam phaser or tensioner.

I've seen a bunch of plugs and coils cause problems on these and not throw codes but obviously misfire.

Haven't seen the condensation issues on the newer ones.

I removed and cleaned out the IC with acetone this morning. Surprisingly easy job - great access from underneath and don't have to remove anything else to get to it.

There was a little frothy oil/water gunk in there, but not much. Test drove after and truck still exhibits the symptom. Will change plugs tomorrow sometime and see if that makes a difference.

Well known issue with the EB trucks, it's intercooler condensation being sucked into the intake. Drill a 1/8 inch hole in the lowest spot on the intercooler end tank. It is a tiny boost leak, but it won't affect performance and all the condensation will go out the hole instead of in the intake. 

The EB engines are brutal on spark plugs. I changed mine at 70k and they looked like they had been dragged down the road behind the truck. 

So that we aren't totally dumping on this engine, mine currently has 135K on it and other than this one hiccup, it's been great.

kb58 said:

So that we aren't totally dumping on this engine, mine currently has 135K on it and other than this one hiccup, it's been great.

Great motors for sure. In many ways I liked it better than the 6.2L V8 in my current F-250, I just needed a more capable chassis. Except for the issues described here and an oil leak from the vaccuum pump at the back of the head, mine was bulletproof. 

This thread has me considering an ecoboost for my next truck, but I tend to buy used vehicles and keep them for a decade. The complexity puts me off. 

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

I have one and it pulls amazing. They're not really complex if you've ever had a turbocharged vehicle before. 

I do want to get into an F150, I'm looking at the 2018+ 3.5 ecoboost trucks. 

I've had 2 3.5 EBs and loved them both. 

yupididit said:

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

I have one and it pulls amazing. They're not really complex if you've ever had a turbocharged vehicle before. 

 

Okay, there's an association that I could do without. My one turbocharged ownership experience was six months of disappointment with a WRX. 

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

If you can put up with a turbo Subaru for 6 months then you can do an ecoboost truck for life. It might be faster too lol. 

Speaking of turbo Subarus, it's fun pulling up along side and saying, "that only has one turbo, right?"

kb58 said:

So that we aren't totally dumping on this engine, mine currently has 135K on it and other than this one hiccup, it's been great.

I keep hearing about manifold warping issues and the like.  I have never seen it.  Then again, all of the 3.5 trucks I have ever seen still have the undertrays present, which are active components of the external cooling system.

I have seen enough cars with mangled/missing undertrays thanks to KwikLoob jockeys that I can believe there is a correlation here.

The 3.5 Ecoboost is stout, and I'd own one in a heartbeat except that I have no room in my life for a truck.  (The Taurus SHO is big enough to qualify as a truck, too)

I've never had any overheating or warping issues either, and/but my undertrays are in place.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

... I have no room in my life for a truck.  (The Taurus SHO is big enough to qualify as a truck, too)

With the sale of Midlana looming, it's unlikely that I'll be towing anything anytime soon... buuuuut, there are still many trips to landscaping supply yards, which include bringing home diverse things such as horse troughs, for raised vegetable gardens, rocks, sacks of chicken manure, etc. It's also Way cheaper buying planting mix in bulk, so, yeah, currently no plans on selling the 2013 F150, and since I'm no longer piling on 250 miles/week commuting, I expect it to be around a long time.

I own a 2013 EB F150 with 150K on it. Never had this issue. But I don't tow much and not in a very humid area. Upper Midwest only.

FYI for those EB owners.  Be aware that there is an issue with the trans cooler line running to the radiator. Ford used aluminum fittings and over the long term,(Think miles and not years) these fittings can fatigue and crack.  This leads to a trans fluid leak and a loss of drive and may require a trans replacement.   Ask me how I know this. 

Other than this issue I have no bad things to say about it. 

In reply to jimbbski :

Is there an upgraded part number? 

jimbbski said:

I own a 2013 EB F150 with 150K on it. Never had this issue. But I don't tow much and not in a very humid area. Upper Midwest only.

FYI for those EB owners.  Be aware that there is an issue with the trans cooler line running to the radiator. Ford used aluminum fittings and over the long term,(Think miles and not years) these fittings can fatigue and crack.  This leads to a trans fluid leak and a loss of drive and may require a trans replacement.   Ask me how I know this. 

Other than this issue I have no bad things to say about it. 

It's also worth noting that they used stupid quick-connect fittings for all the coolant lines to the turbos.  Eventually the seals give out and you start leaking coolant.  You can replace all the fittings, but it's a pretty big job that involves removing the turbos.  I chose to just keep putting more coolant in every month or two.