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Zero Knievel

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27 minutes ago, tomek said:

Watching some clueless guy on YT? Not so much.

His favorite retarded YT mechanic (Scotty Kilmore) probably told him that turbos are bad.

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http://www.truckinsiders.com/truck-blog/3-5l-ecoboost-problems/

 

Granted, this all applied to the first generation, but for what these trucks go for new, I'd like to know up front if I need to do mods to prevent issues still existing because Ford hasn't corrected for it.

 

Keep in mind that it is frequently more difficult to get honest and unbiased reviews of things online.  Most sources shill for one party or another.

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3 hours ago, Zero Knievel said:

If a Turbo was drop-dead reliable needing nothing more than regular fluid changes I could do myself, I'd consider it.  I buy vehicles to keep for 10+ years and 100K+ miles.  I don't want to get a maintenance/repair nightmare.

 

I've had two turbo cars, that I can recall.  A Renault and an Isuzu diesel.  The Renault was well past 100k, the Isuzu 200k.  The Renault turbo did fail, but I have no idea what service was like before I got it, and the waste gate had been "tuned."  I didn't learn of that until it blew the intercooler caps off.  So probably 150k running miles with abuse.  And that's an 80s/90s car, they are far better now.  A neighbor has a BMW with 300k on the original turbos --in Arizona--.  I guess BMW is well known for reliability though.

 

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I've had at least 3 turbo vehicles with well over 200k on them.  One had a turbo-related problem, that was after I tripled the manifold pressure on the stock turbo.  It wasn't the turbo that had a problem, though, it was that the head gasket and head fasteners needed to be upgraded.  I did that and enjoyed it for years.  When I'd had my fun with it, I dropped the boost controller to 11 psi and gave it to a buddy's son who drove it to college for four years, then sold it to one of his buddies.  That thing is probably still drifting curves in El Paso.

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1 hour ago, Zero Knievel said:

http://www.truckinsiders.com/truck-blog/3-5l-ecoboost-problems/

 

Granted, this all applied to the first generation, but for what these trucks go for new, I'd like to know up front if I need to do mods to prevent issues still existing because Ford hasn't corrected for it.

 

Keep in mind that it is frequently more difficult to get honest and unbiased reviews of things online.  Most sources shill for one party or another.

 

From your link:

 

1st Generation Ford F-150s with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 Engine experience more problems that are commonly associated with any new engine platform. They just had to work out the initial problems, many of which could be solved by simple software problems. 

Just because the 3.5L EcoBoost engines are overall great, reliable trucks, that doesn’t mean that problems don’t exist. In this post, we’ll go over the most common 3.5L EcoBoost engine problems, along with how to prevent them, and how to fix them.

 

But you hear what you want to hear.

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2 hours ago, IcePrick said:

 

Examples of the "many, many models of them ...crapping up, requiring modification, or end up being a maintenance headache"?  I've not heard of widespread systemic engine issues that are unique to forced-induction engines available in the consumer market.  If they were so horrible, manufacturers wouldn't warranty them for as long as an NA engine.

 

Maintenance on a turbo car is no different than any other car.  It is more important to do it on schedule and with quality materials, but no different.  Please provide an example of turbo engine maintenance that differs from a naturally-aspirated engine. 

 

You're doing what you do, dreaming up barriers and excuses.  All of your assertions in this thread have been irrational, unfounded, and easily disproven by the millions of turbo cars on the road today.  

 

 

We've had two turbocharged Audi A4s with no problems, one with well over 100,000 miles. 

I talked to my friend who owns an import car repair business and he told me they have dealt with a few turbo failures.

He said it tends to boil down to two issues:

1. Maintenance. Changing the oil every 5,000 miles with good quality synthetic oil and filter. Cars will come in for turbo issues with 15,000-20,000 miles since the last oil change, (if they even know when the last oil change was) low oil level, oil leaks. He said it looks like some cars have never had their oil filter changed.

2: overheating the turbo. You can't just run the car at high speeds generating a lot of turbo heat and then shut the engine off. Also let it warm up a bit before taking off, give the oil a chance to circulate. He said he's not seen a case where the turbo failure was a manufacturer issue on original equipment. He said that's probably because if they are going to fail through manufacturer defect they fail under warrantee.

Most turbo failure he's dealt with are from young guys that beat the piss out of the engine playing Ricky racer. 

That's his experience. 

 

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1 hour ago, Zero Knievel said:

 

 

Keep in mind that it is frequently more difficult to get honest and unbiased reviews of things online.  Most sources shill for one party or another.

And that does not just apply to vehicle reviews. 

Keep that in mind the next time you choose to post something you found on the internet. 

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Turbocharger has no reciprocating parts like piston engine, nor gearbox like jet engine.

 

 Four things can kill it:

 

-Improper lubrication or basically neglecting oil changes 

 

- lack of cool down becouse heat will kill oil that happens to be in housing

 

- inhaling dust 

 

- wastegate failure can cause potentially catastrophic over speeding.

 

 

 

 

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Okay....so if YOU were considering a vehicle that used turbochargers, what questions would YOU ask before buying and what answers would make you take a hard pass?

 

For the Prius, if I had found out the big battery would die by 100K and there wouldn't be aftermarket options, it would be a no-go for me....but they are quite reliable, there's a maintenance hack to maximize life, and aftermarket batteries were already coming out before I bought it.  I've been fortunate to never own a lemon, but it's not luck...a lot of research is needed to know if a platform is good or sketchy, and everything goes out the window if the manufacturer does a whole redesign of the product.

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10 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

Okay....so if YOU were considering a vehicle that used turbochargers, what questions would YOU ask before buying and what answers would make you take a hard pass?

The same exact questions as a non-turbo vehicle and a hard pass would also be exactly the same.  I put very little merit on questions/answers with sellers, I do my own inspecting; regardless, absolutely nothing about the process changes because of a turbo.  NOTHING.  And I've been around a few vehicles in my life.  It my 30+ years wrenching and buying beaters I don't recall replacing a turbo or finding a turbo related failure.

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3 minutes ago, superhawk996 said:

 It my 30+ years wrenching and buying beaters I don't recall replacing a turbo or finding a turbo related failure.

This may be apples and oranges but I have known of turbo failures on diesel pickups/dumps.  I can't say if it came from lack of maintenance or added tuner or just worked hard.   

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2 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

The same exact questions as a non-turbo vehicle and a hard pass would also be exactly the same.  I put very little merit on questions/answers with sellers, I do my own inspecting; regardless, absolutely nothing about the process changes because of a turbo.  NOTHING.  And I've been around a few vehicles in my life.  It my 30+ years wrenching and buying beaters I don't recall replacing a turbo or finding a turbo related failure.


Maybe the better question is what sources do you trust for reliable data on makes, models, features of a vehicle you are considering.  The most I know of it to find a forum for the vehicle and see what current owners and enthusiasts have to say…however, that does come with the risk of getting opinions skewed to the favorable side.

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11 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

Maybe the better question is what sources do you trust for reliable data

I google the year and model along with "problems" or similar words.  You'll typically see only the bad stuff.

There are plenty of sites where people post reviews of vehicles grading the good and bad of each.

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2 hours ago, superhawk996 said:

I google the year and model along with "problems" or similar words.  You'll typically see only the bad stuff.

There are plenty of sites where people post reviews of vehicles grading the good and bad of each.

Same here. Go to the forums of the vehicles you are interested in and search for the problems.

A number of years ago when my Audi S8 transmission was having shifting issues I did a bunch of searches and finally found the problem and solution on the BMW forum. BMWs use the same transmission which, according to Audi isn't supposed to require any type of service. According to BMW the transmission should be serviced and new fluid and filter installed at 75,000 miles. I had the transmission serviced and problem solved.  

When I bought the S8 I knew about the air suspension issues as well as possible intake manifold issue. Nothing on the Audi sites mentioned the transmission. I think that is because on the BMW site some of the cars are more performance oriented and the owners are much harder on the transmissions.

What I also discovered is the the ZF 6HP transmission can be also found in certain models of Bentley, Astin Martin, Jaguar, Ford/Lincoln, Maserati, Kia, Hyundai and Land Rover.

So if your concerned about the turbocharger, find out who makes them and what other vehicles carry them. Borg Warner makes oem turbochargers for both Ford and Chevy trucks.  

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In the Saab 9000 fanatics would plumb in an electric oil pump that would circulate oil thru the turbo for a timed interval when the engine was shut off.

The theory is that the turbo spinning at high rpm and hot when the engine is shut off will not be getting lubed enough to keep the bearings from overheating.

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30 minutes ago, OMG said:

In the Saab 9000 fanatics would plumb in an electric oil pump that would circulate oil thru the turbo for a timed interval when the engine was shut off.

The theory is that the turbo spinning at high rpm and hot when the engine is shut off will not be getting lubed enough to keep the bearings from overheating.

There have been pre and post lube devices for many decades, and some people used them on non-turbo engines.  The most common is pre-lubing.  For turbo cool down I think the "turbo timer" is much more common than an oil pump.  It's a device that keeps the engine running for a set amount of time after you take the key out.  I've never worried about it, but I don't beat on any engine when I'm approaching shut down so things have already cooled some.

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I lot of things go through my mind, probably because it's like a sieve.  As I explore options in the light of looming retirement, one avenue might be a new (cough, gag, retch) truck.  The idea being that I'm not buying something someone else has beat up, and I can get what I want instead of someone else's hand me down to drive for the rest of my life. I would need it to do everything, which means it wouldn't be great at anything, but hopefully at least passable.

 

One rabbit hole I've gone down is finding more in-depth information about the GM L3B 2.7 4-cylinder turbo, available in the Silverado and Canyon pickups (and their GMC counterparts).  There's quite a bit of background information online, but you have to dig past the total idiots on youtube and forums to get to it.  It seems to have the design and parts to be in the game for a while, as well as the performance spread to do no work, or lotsa work, with the tradeoff being that while it can get decent mileage unloaded, working hard is going to burn through fuel like crazy. 

 

Most of the time my truck is a car that's easier to get into and sits above traffic. I only pull a trailer a few thousand miles a year, and yes I would like 900 foot pounds of torque I would get with a diesel.  I also would not like to do $100 oil changes, pay $2 more per gallon than gas, stink like fuel oil, and avoid listening to the engine for fear I'll hear a multi-thousand dollar noise.

 

Anyway, check out the L3B.

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2016 F150 3.5 ecoboost

 

182k miles few hiccups here or there mostly easy fixes, 100gal fuel tank, tool boxes and other random shit in the bed since new. Suppose to weigh just over 5000lbs, she is typically at 7,200lbs on the scales at work, 12,000lbs with my dedicated trailer. Work for a mining company so think of all the dirt, gravel, mud you can throw at a vehicle and it doesn't matter. 3.5L eco produces more torque than even the 6.4L in the Ram 3500. Trick is to have the turbo's spooling, that is their only downside, little lacking on take off pulling a trailer but once boost is building extra weight is an afterthought. 

 

Truck has plowed over deer, been struck by lightning, rear ended twice and seen more dirt than a ground hog. I have it serviced when needed, put gas in and drive it. It is due for replacement, will be passed down to someone else in the quarries to drive.

 

I personally didn't care for the truck when new, but it is one tough truck. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Zero Knievel said:

Toyota will supposedly have a new small truck next year…similar to the Maverick.  Good thing I’m in no rush….

You know you can get the Maverick with the 2.5 hybrid engine or the turbo for the same price starting at $22,595?

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16 hours ago, rockmeupto125 said:

I would need it to do everything, which means it wouldn't be great at anything, but hopefully at least passable.

 

16 hours ago, rockmeupto125 said:

Most of the time my truck is a car that's easier to get into and sits above traffic. I only pull a trailer a few thousand miles a year, and yes I would like 900 foot pounds of torque I would get with a diesel.  I also would not like to do $100 oil changes, pay $2 more per gallon than gas, stink like fuel oil, and avoid listening to the engine for fear I'll hear a multi-thousand dollar noise.

My thought is to look for a truck that does everything except the heavy towing and leave that to a rental.  It'll eliminate one of the qualifiers and probably open the door to many more truck options and at a lower cost.  Despite not having a heavy trailer any more I still want that ability so I understand wanting to own a 'do all' vehicle, but if it were gone I wouldn't look for a replacement.

 

If you still have your 6.4, get the engine rebuilt and 'bulletproofed', you should have a good long term truck for way less $ than new.

 

Unless you need a truck bed, consider SUVs.  When I was looking for a heavy tow vehicle I was only thinking pickup, the only reason I bought the Excursion is because it popped up on CL as the cheapest 7.3 Ford which had become my new search words.  Once in a great while I wish it was a PU, most of the time I'm glad it's not.  Other than tall stuff, it'll hold just as much stuff and everything is more secure and out of the elements.  An air bed makes it a decent overnighter and my guns camping gear is more secure.  The interior can be a long bed 2 seater, short bed 5 seater, or 8 seater with a trunk.

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