2.7l and 10 speed reliabilty, turbos shot at 40k

[Flourman]

I’ve got 65k on my 2018 3.5EB in my F150. I had the cam phaser issue and Ford replaced it under warranty. I replaced the 4wd hub vacuum check valve. Other than those, I’ve had nothing but smiles. Oil and air filters at regular intervals.
It’s towing a camper every weekend during the summer.

With the amount of motors Ford puts out, there’s bound to be a failure here and there. Warranty that stuff and let the dealer pay for it.

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[1975U15]

This may have solidified my dealer choice. Local dealer here offering lifetime power train warranty on Bronco.

 

[Hemisfear]

Update 1/22/2021

Just got my truck back from service for the turbos. As per the repair ticket "Found excessive axial play in compressor wheels and verify compressor wheels contacting compressor housing on both turbos with damage to fins on turbos. Remove both turbos and replace Found coolant and oil tubes would not come out of turbo housing without damage and required replacement Replace all lines hardware and gaskets"

The parts list was quite extensive. I'm sure glad it was covered under warranty as I imagine it would have been quite expensive.

For those speculating and wanting to know more about the history of the truck, I've had it a little over 3 years, let the dealer do the first complimentary oil change at 7500 miles, and performed an oil change every 7500 miles after with Pennzoil Platinum and a Ford oil filter. Oil life monitor always showed plenty of oil life left and quick calculations showed olm would have gone to 0 at 10,000 miles or more. It's been a daily driver and I never towed anything with it. I would say I drive conservatively with an occasional spirited driving if I have to pee.

I've ranted in the past about problems with my 2018 F150 and I wanted to share a new one with all of you that are concerned about possible reliability with your Bronco. I have a 2018 F150 screw with the 2.7l ecoboost and 10sp trans. I really like the truck but it's reliability and Ford's ability to make it right have really let me down. 2 major issues it has had is the transmission clunk and shifting problems as well as the door locks/latches freezing in the winter. The truck has been in for service at least 5 times for each problem and yet the problems prevail.

Today though is a new one. My truck just turned 40,000 miles and the turbos are shot (yes both). Turbos are not cheap and luckily they're covered under the powertrain warranty til 60k miles. They're also backordered for an estimated 3 weeks.

If you're wondering what's wrong with them, they started making a lot of noise. It's not the known rattle of the linkage or the waste gates, but sounds more like a stick in the fans, a very loud ding ding dinging. The dealer was actually a bit perplexed by it. It took them 2 days to determine it was the turbos and they don't know what exactly is wrong with them, they just know there is a problem with them and they ordered replacements. It took me all of about 2 minutes to determine it was the turbos.

So my fear of small turbo engine reliability is not unfounded. It doesn't change my mind about getting a Bronco but I am going to research extended warranties since I was hoping to keep it for a while. The thought of having to shell out for a couple of turbos really put a pit in my stomach. Anyone else thinking long term warranty coverage on theirs? Any ideas?

Different engine, but similar tech...I currently have 250,000kms on my Focus ST and have had no issues at all, in fact I just put some Bilsteins on my baby and she drives like brand new!
Ordered a 2dr BL/Sasquatch with 2.7L with no concerns at all!

 

[Buckleup45]

Different engine, but similar tech...I currently have 250,000kms on my Focus ST and have had no issues at all, in fact I just put some Bilsteins on my baby and she drives like brand new!
Ordered a 2dr BL/Sasquatch with 2.7L with no concerns at all!

Same here. I had a Focus ST that had 157k miles on it before I traded it in. It had a stage 2 custom tune for 150k of those miles. I ran the piss out of that thing and the turbo never had a single hiccup. I wish I could say the same for the synchros in the Getrag MMT6 transmission. They are the sole reason I steered clear of the Getrag 7M in the bronco.

From what I recall the 2.7 and 2.0 ecoboost both use the same Borg Warner K03 turbos.

 

[UncleBuck]

Turbos are the future of ICE's for horsepower and MPG. They are not going anywhere and have lasted forever in diesel engines. I'm not sure why people suddenly think turbo = bad because of a few bad experiences. The ecoboost has been a standard in the Ford lineup for over ten years and is in their performance models like the raptor and GT...

 

[Hemisfear]

Same here. I had a Focus ST that had 157k miles on it before I traded it in. It had a stage 2 custom tune for 150k of those miles. I ran the piss out of that thing and the turbo never had a single hiccup. I wish I could say the same for the synchros in the Getrag MMT6 transmission. They are the sole reason I steered clear of the Getrag 7M in the bronco.

From what I recall the 2.7 and 2.0 ecoboost both use the same Borg Warner K03 turbos.

I haven’t had any synchro issues, but then again I’m still on my original clutch!

 

[Buckleup45]

I haven’t had any synchro issues, but then again I’m still on my original clutch!

Good to hear! If you google "Focus ST 2nd gear" there's quite a lot of information on the synchro issues. None of the other gear synchros have much of a failure rate at all which is somewhat odd. Glad yours is holding up just fine though!

 

[craigaria]

My neighbor just traded in his 2016 f150 2.7 2wd. He had 176,000 miles, zero issues.

 

[H - 2 CHARLIE]

?‍

My friend with 2.7 2016 F 150 uses premium platinum pennzoil and changes it at 50 % on the oil reminder gauge .

 

[Auto Paint]

What does this have to do with the new Bronco?

Back in 1992, my dad bought my mom a new Town Car that turned out to have been previously wrecked.

So go cry to your momma and don't buy a Ford?

 

[The Driving Viking]

Not going to lie. This is one of the reasons I've been leaning towards the 2.3 Ecoboost. A 1 turbo engine design is a lot more reliable then twin turbos. People will point to Carbon build up in the 2.3 but it's really not as bad as people make it out to be in that engine and can also be fixed with a catch can. Not much you can do to prevent turbo failure. Tough call.

 

[The Driving Viking]

Not going to lie. This is one of the reasons I've been leaning towards the 2.3 Ecoboost. A 1 turbo engine design is a lot more reliable then twin turbos. People will point to Carbon build up in the 2.3 but it's really not as bad as people make it out to be in that engine and can also be fixed with a catch can. Not much you can do to prevent turbo failure. Tough call.

 

[Fordmanbob]

I've ran Mobil 1 full syn in my 2018 f150 with 3.5Ltt 7000 mi oil and filter change with filter change at 3500mi. 61k on truck with no problems. My 2cents

 

[moejoe34]

FWIW I’m currently on my 4th Ford Ecoboost vehicle with close 300,000 miles logged and have never replaced a single turbo. The most problematic vehicle I had was my 2015 Explorer Sport which had lots of transfer case issues.

I am not saying there are longevity concerns with twin turbo cars but these are generally very reliable.

 

[MSparks909]

Ecoboosts are hard on oil. 7500-10K is WAY too long even with a good synthetic. Used oil analysis on these engines show 5W-30 shearing to 15W or lower after longer oil change intervals. For peace of mind, I strongly recommend using a full synthetic 5W-30 and changing it every 5K miles with a Motorcraft or other quality filter (hint, don’t ever run a Fram on these or anything you care about).

I’m personally going to run Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5W-40 in my 2.3 Bronco and change the oil/filter every 6K. Rotate the tires every 3K. Easy to remember. Same oil that’s going to be in my JL Rubicon Ecodiesel as well. Same oil change interval/tire rotation schedule planned for that vehicle too. Fresh air filters are also important to keep grit from going through the turbos. Change the air filter every 25-30K tops if it’s your daily driver and change them more frequently if you’re in dusty conditions a lot. Spark plugs every 30K is wise as well.

The Focus RS 2.3 owner’s manual specs 5W-30 for daily driving and 15W-50 for track use. I’m going to be driving my Bronco in a...spirited manner regularly so I figure 5W-40 is a good compromise.

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