Ford 3.5 Econoboost

[aczlan]

My brother has a 2011 ecoboost 150 4x4 crewcab. He has been very disappointed with its mileage. He's taken it back to 2 different dealers trying to find out why it will only get 13 in mixed and 15 on the hwy( if he drives below 70). The dealers have said..."everythings in spec". But....all you have to do is look at his blackend sooted up tailpipe to see that its running rich. He's looking to sell it now with only 20000 or so miles on it.

Odd. Have they replaced the 02 sensors yet? Would seem that bad 02 sensors would cause such a thing and the '11s had a run of funky 02 sensors.

Aaron Z

 

[Diamondpilot]

My brother has a 2011 ecoboost 150 4x4 crewcab. He has been very disappointed with its mileage. He's taken it back to 2 different dealers trying to find out why it will only get 13 in mixed and 15 on the hwy( if he drives below 70). The dealers have said..."everythings in spec". But....all you have to do is look at his blackend sooted up tailpipe to see that its running rich. He's looking to sell it now with only 20000 or so miles on it.

Does he do his own oil changes? Reason I ask is I know two guys, one with a Ford and another with a Dodge, who put in 10W30 going off old standards, and it severely hurt the MPG.

Chris

 

[yelbike]

My brother has a 2011 ecoboost 150 4x4 crewcab. He has been very disappointed with its mileage. He's taken it back to 2 different dealers trying to find out why it will only get 13 in mixed and 15 on the hwy( if he drives below 70). The dealers have said..."everythings in spec". But....all you have to do is look at his blackend sooted up tailpipe to see that its running rich. He's looking to sell it now with only 20000 or so miles on it.

Maybe driving style? Heavy foot? I tested the ecoboost. Fun truck but if your going to drive it like you stole it than mpg will be poor. race cars get poor mpg too. Maybe that's not the problem though.

 

[jejeosborne]

My brother has a 2011 ecoboost 150 4x4 crewcab. He has been very disappointed with its mileage. He's taken it back to 2 different dealers trying to find out why it will only get 13 in mixed and 15 on the hwy( if he drives below 70). The dealers have said..."everythings in spec". But....all you have to do is look at his blackend sooted up tailpipe to see that its running rich. He's looking to sell it now with only 20000 or so miles on it.

I had a similar issue and had the following done to my truck. Upped mileage considerable.

TSB
12-2-10 3.5L GTDI CALIBRATION UPDATE - VARIOUS ISSUES - BUILT ON OR BEFORE 2/7/2012

Publication Date: February 15, 2012

FORD: 2011-2012 F-150


ISSUE:
Some 2011-2012 F150 vehicles built on or before 2/7/2012 and equipped with a 3.5L gasoline turbocharged direct injection (GTDI) engine may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with various diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) and driveability concerns.

ACTION:
Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

The calibration update contains improvement actions and enhancements to address the following conditions:

Intermittent engine surge during moderate to light loads at cruise.
Enhancements to misfire monitor detection.
Powertrain control module (PCM) DTC P0430 and/or P0096.
NOTE: INSURE ALL HARD FAULT POWERTRAIN DTCS ARE ADDRESSED PRIOR TO PERFORMING THE CALIBRATION UPDATE.



If the vehicle exhibits DTC P0430 replace the left bank catalytic converter. Refer to WSM section 309-00. Proceed to Step 2.
Reprogram the PCM to the latest calibration using IDS release 77A.03A or higher. This new calibration is not included in the 2012.1A DVD. Calibration files may also be obtained at www.motorcraft.com.
NOTE: PLEASE ADVISE THE CUSTOMER THAT THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ADAPTIVE TRANSMISSION SHIFT STRATEGY WHICH ALLOWS THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER TO LEARN THE TRANSMISSION'S UNIQUE PARAMETERS AND IMPROVE SHIFT QUALITY. WHEN THE ADAPTIVE STRATEGY IS RESET, THE COMPUTER WILL BEGIN A RE-LEARNING PROCESS. THIS RE-LEARNING PROCESS MAY RESULT IN FIRMER THAN NORMAL UPSHIFTS AND DOWNSHIFTS FOR SEVERAL DAYS.




PART NUMBER PART NAME
BL3Z-5E212-E Converter Assy
W520514-S440 Nuts


WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage And Emissions Warranty Coverage
IMPORTANT: Warranty/ESP coverage limits/policies/prior approvals are not altered by a TSB. Warranty/ESP coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part and verified using the OASIS part coverage tool.

 

[94BULLITT]

Does he do his own oil changes? Reason I ask is I know two guys, one with a Ford and another with a Dodge, who put in 10W30 going off old standards, and it severely hurt the MPG.

Chris

Same with the quick lubes too, they throw anything in them.

 

[lashbera]

My father bought an Ecoboost 150 of late. It is a nice truck and in my opinion a real upgrade for Ford v. previous models. I believe his has the 3.55:1 limited slip (electronic) rear differential. He does mostly highway type driving and gets around 19-20 unloaded and does not pull much. When I pull with his truck, I have gotten for a small load (Gator plus blade on 6x14 trailer, tandem) about 3500-4000 pounds total around 13 mpg. My dad also has owned a 5.0L which was essentially identical and has become the "company truck." It did not get quite the fuel economy on the highway but very similar towing with I believe a 3.73 ring gear. The difference with a similar load was less than 1 mpg between the two. Both trucks ran well; I could tell little performance difference in how than ran unloaded but dad preferred the Ecoboost and that is the one he chose for his primary wheels--with the other going to the company. It is clear though that the Ecoboost, though a strong gasoline engine, is not a diesel. It comes up roughly 300 lb. feet shy of diesel torque output on the new engine choices and does so at a slightly higher RPM (500-800). It seems to be fuel efficient but seems to have a substantial drop in economy when pulling heavy or working hard. Those things said, I am impressed with the Ecoboost and if I were buying a 1/2 ton truck right now, it would be an Ecoboost/3.73 combination. I think the engine and components are well made and heavier than in their other gasoline engines to handle the increased pressures and temps associated with a turbo system. I do think this also goes to show that there is still a place for diesels in pulling discussions, regardless of how expensive the diesel cost may be.

John M

You must remember that the Eco Boost is about half the cubic displacement of the new diesels and produces way more then half the horse power and torque per cubic in of the diesels. It truley is an impressive package. I also own one with max trailer tow(3:73s) and it has quickly become one of my favorite alltime vehicles and I've had many. Best part is towing my trailer which weighs 9000lbs and does it at 70mph at 2200rpm most of the time. Doesn't matter what you pull with you can expect fuel economy to drop in half when you pull a substantial sized trailer close to max capacity

 

[firemanmike69]

You must remember that the Eco Boost is about half the cubic displacement of the new diesels and produces way more then half the horse power and torque per cubic in of the diesels. It truley is an impressive package. I also own one with max trailer tow(3:73s) and it has quickly become one of my favorite alltime vehicles and I've had many. Best part is towing my trailer which weighs 9000lbs and does it at 70mph at 2200rpm most of the time. Doesn't matter what you pull with you can expect fuel economy to drop in half when you pull a substantial sized trailer close to max capacity

I agree that the ecoboost is an impressive little motor, I disagree about the fuel mileage. My dodge 2500 diesel goes from 19 combined to 13 towing 10,000 of crusher run and dump trailer

 

[Soundguy]

hmm.. my 350 goes from about 13 to 13 on 10k.. and 13 to 11 on 14k.

my 450 will do about 11 on all.. and 9 if I run fast....