Is the Turbo-charged Engine a Concern?

[lilcharmer214]

Hi I'm shopping around for a 2016 Edge. I've had my eye on the car for years and have loved the styling.

 

I was all set to get a 4-cyl which has more than enough power for me when I found out its a turbo-charged engine. My husband has advised to stay away and after doing some research online, it seems to be less desirable and may come with more risks, questionable reliability, etc.

 

But I also read that many car makes are going this way. The 4 cyl is more in my price range.

 

So is the turbo-charged engine fear hype or are there real concerns with getting one?

[akirby]

Your husband is stuck in the 80s. Today's turbocharged engines have nothing in common with the older ones and they don't have any of the same problems.

 

They're designed with turbos from the beginning with new materials that hold up for 150K+ miles. There is no reason to avoid a modern turbocharged engine based on reliability concerns.

[Nick Halstead]

agree with above statement.

[wlepse]

I don't have a Ford turbo but my other car is an Audi A4 turbo with 260k on the original engine and turbo. Most important thing with all engines but especially true with turbos is changing your oil on time.

[pinyin]

As was stated earlier, your husband has no idea what he is talking about.

 

Fuel efficient turbocharged engines are the norm in 2016, and are very rapidly replacing naturally aspirated larger displacement engines.

 

The added bonus, aside from better gas milage on the 4 cylinder Ecoboost (the engine in question here) is that it produces more torque (more useable power) than the optional and outdated V6.

[lilcharmer214]

Thanks again. This is helpful. I may check out a 4-cyl soon.

[DRbillZ]

Very smooth. Quite powerful but not crazy. Seems to be reliable. Don't think it's a red flag on insurance.

[bce]

Based on my experience the past week, if you get one, be prepared. I'm replacing my turbo at 106,000 miles. This after replacing three other parts that are related to it failing (P0299 apparently code covers a lot of things). There is NO reason it should have failed this early.

[lilcharmer214]

Based on my experience the past week, if you get one, be prepared. I'm replacing my turbo at 106,000 miles. This after replacing three other parts that are related to it failing (P0299 apparently code covers a lot of things). There is NO reason it should have failed this early.

 

Thanks for your post. Just so I may understand how major a component this is, about how much does it cost to replace the turbo?

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

With turbo engines, maintenance schedules are even more important than with the naturally aspirated ones. Indulge the vehicle with frequent oil changes, follow the severe duty schedule for that, especially if using the Motorcraft SynBlend 5W30 oil. This is one area you DON'T want to skimp on. The PCV system can be problematic on Ecoboost engines, though less so than many other manufacturers' turbo products.

 

Also look into a Ford ESP warranty, if you like to "prepay" your way. Aftermarket warranties have not held up against Ford's. I think you can decide up to the end of the new car warranty whether you want the best/maximum coverage, though price does go up a bit.

[akirby]

Based on my experience the past week, if you get one, be prepared. I'm replacing my turbo at 106,000 miles. This after replacing three other parts that are related to it failing (P0299 apparently code covers a lot of things). There is NO reason it should have failed this early.

 

But there are just as many if not more cases of non-Turbo engines and parts also failing at less than 100K miles. These are mechanical devices and things will break sometimes. But the turbos don't appear to be any more prone to failure than other parts.

[bce]

With turbo engines, maintenance schedules are even more important than with the naturally aspirated ones. Indulge the vehicle with frequent oil changes, follow the severe duty schedule for that, especially if using the Motorcraft SynBlend 5W30 oil. This is one area you DON'T want to skimp on. The PCV system can be problematic on Ecoboost engines, though less so than many other manufacturers' turbo products.

 

Also look into a Ford ESP warranty, if you like to "prepay" your way. Aftermarket warranties have not held up against Ford's. I think you can decide up to the end of the new car warranty whether you want the best/maximum coverage, though price does go up a bit.

 

I did change the oil at the recommended intervals. However, the turbos aren't cooled with oil. Per a Ford press release:

 

"The EcoBoost approach eliminates several customer worries from previous turbocharger applications. Designed for long-life reliability, EcoBoost's turbochargers feature water-cooled bearing jackets. This architecture is designed to prevent oil "coking" that could occur in previous-generation turbochargers. The new design means that EcoBoost drivers don't need to observe special operating precautions, such as idling the engine before switching it off. The turbochargers are designed for a life cycle of at least 150,000 miles or 10 years."

 

I don't think an extended warranty would have helped with this becuase I'm at 106,000.

Edited May 9, 2016 by bce

[bce]

 

But there are just as many if not more cases of non-Turbo engines and parts also failing at less than 100K miles. These are mechanical devices and things will break sometimes. But the turbos don't appear to be any more prone to failure than other parts.

 

I didn't say anything about that. I was only replying to "your husband is stuck in the 80's" statement above. And we don't know if they are more or less prone to failure unless they get reported. When I bought my Edge, the only thing I really had to go on in terms of reliability what Ford's talk about designing them for 150,000 miles. On the boards here we now have two cases of them failing before that. I'm just trying to give someone who is looking at it more information.

Would I buy an ecoboost again? Probably. I wouldn't rule it out because of this.

[bce]

 

Thanks for your post. Just so I may understand how major a component this is, about how much does it cost to replace the turbo?

 

$2000 for the turbo. Plus cost of any other parts they replace.

[akirby]

They've been in use for almost 7 years now. I think if there were any longevity issues we'd be seeing more failures. So far I don't think it's any worse than failures on NA engines. Obviously that could change over the next few years but so far so good.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Labor costs are what get you, TBH. The parts aren't that expensive once they have been in use for a couple of MYs. The problem is that getting to the part that failed is a major PITA. I find that in a lot of cases, the banjo bolts that Ford puts in end up leaking or clogging, causing problems. It's not the big items, but the small items are co-located with the big items, so the labor ends up being practically the same. Modern engine packaging for ya.

[Cadolid]

I had the same concerns when I was searching my new edge. I chose the 3.5 even though the 2.0 seemed to drive better. The ford lots local to me have more 2.0 in stock so I had to drive 3 hours to find 3.5 with the color I wanted which is ruby red. Only owned for 5 days but happy so far. Good luck with your search!

[wlepse]

Water cooling does help quite a bit but turbos still get hot and the oil tends to break down faster. I don't know what oil Ford recommends for this engine or what the OCI's are but if I were to buy another turbo I would be using the highest quality oil in the correct weight I could find. Bob is the Oil Guy is a good resource for this. Also, sure I will get flamed for this, but I would change my oil more frequently than what the manufacturer recommends, at a bare minimum I would follow the severe service guide. I say this because several times mfgs have made mistakes in either their oil selection, OCI's, filter size or all of the above. I mentioned above that my other car is an Audi A4. This car has a 1.8 liter engine that is known to be a sludge problem and many had this happen before 100k. I suspect I have gotten over 260k because despite their claims of 10k changes on regular oil I did 5k changes with Mobil 1. Later they revised it to 5k with only synthetic oil, changing from 5W30 to 0W40 and at least doubled the size of the filter. To me oil changes are cheap and easy to do so I would rather leave a little on the table with still serviceable oil rather than have a major mechanical failure because I tried to save a few fractions of a penny per mile. I do the same with the 3.5 in the wife's Edge, when I see about 40% left I change the oil.

[lilcharmer214]

Thanks everyone.

 

I purchased a 2016 SEL V6 non-turbo yesterday. Loove it! But thanks for the information.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Ford did go from 5W20 to 5W30 on the 3.5 GTDI V6 and all Ecoboost vehicles, for unknown reasons. Speculation has it that fuel dilution issues were better combatted with the heavier weight oil, thus making it more likely to survive the normal OCI as stated in the OM.

Later they revised it to 5k with only synthetic oil, changing from 5W30 to 0W40 and at least doubled the size of the filter.

[wlepse]

Good info. Do you know if the Ford turbos also have oil coolers? I would hope so if they were ever running a 5W20. Just seems like too low a viscosity to be running knowing turbos can shear the oil down and reduce the viscosity over time. 20 weight is already pretty damn thin.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

I'm only familiar with the 3.5 TT engines, but I think 2013 was the first year that engine oil coolers were implemented, at least in the Taurus line. 2010-12 had trans fluid coolers but no engine oil coolers. That's why there is now a mod in place to transplant 2013 engine oil coolers (and brake components btw) onto the 2010-12 MY vehicles. Makes a big difference. Still gotta run good oil & filter tho, no getting away from that.

 

A sampling:

2014 Escape 1.6 EB - oil cooler mounted to the block, the filter mounts to the cooler; other engines in this model do not have one

2012-2014 Focus 2.0 EB - ditto

2014 Fusion 1.5 EB, 1.6 EB - ditto; since the MKZ uses the 2.0EB or 3.7 Duratec, it does not have an oil cooler at all

2012+ Fiesta 1.6EB ditto

Edited May 11, 2016 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W

[bce]

Labor costs are what get you, TBH. The parts aren't that expensive once they have been in use for a couple of MYs. The problem is that getting to the part that failed is a major PITA. I find that in a lot of cases, the banjo bolts that Ford puts in end up leaking or clogging, causing problems. It's not the big items, but the small items are co-located with the big items, so the labor ends up being practically the same. Modern engine packaging for ya.

 

Turbo: $1425

All Parts: $1644 (gaskets, sensors, etc)

Labor: $674

 

Labor:

[IWRBB]

Thanks everyone.

 

I purchased a 2016 SEL V6 non-turbo yesterday. Loove it! But thanks for the information.

 

Good choice. The turbo cannot fail if it's not there. I'm not big on turbo engines- lots of heat, rough on the oil and eventually, all turbos fail. I've seen lots of naturally aspirated Ford engines go 300 to 400 thousand miles with nothing but routine maintenance. Simpler is better when it comes to durability.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Congrats, hope it serves you well

Thanks everyone.

 

I purchased a 2016 SEL V6 non-turbo yesterday. Loove it! But thanks for the information.