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Can anyone help with the history on the 2.3L engine? (what other Fords use it and what years they started?)

VailDan

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Hi guys,

Does anyone know the track record of which vehicles have had the same model of 2.3L and when they started getting it? -Just trying to make some inferences about sample size above 100k miles, odds that most long term dependability issues have been sorted, etc.


Thanks,

Dan
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ChetC

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The 2.3L Ecoboost came out in 2015.
Follow this link and click on 2.3L in the contents section to see all the vehicles in which it has been used.

There are only three common issues with the 2.3L Ecoboost.
-One was only in early Focus RS where they had a head gasket issue due to accidentally using Mustang head gaskets in assembly. That was obviously rectified.
-Two was some early 2.3L Ecoboost ran hot. That too is a thing of the past.
-Three is related to mileage. Since the 2.3L is direct injection, there is a concern of carbon build up on the intake valves but that's not a known issue until 100,000 miles or more and an issue with all direct injection engines, which is a majority of the fuel injected engines out there.

That's it, in a nutshell. Ford has been making a variation of the 2.3L since 1979. I've owned at least one of every version since their inception, including a 1986 turbocharged 2.3L Thunderbird, which was the first time Ford put a turbo on a 2.3L. When they announced the Bronco would be available with a 2.3L Ecoboost, I never once considered the 2.7L because I've had nothing but great luck with all the 2.3L I've ever owned. I call it the 289 of the 4-cylinder world.

As a side note; the 2.7L that is in the Bronco is not the original 2.7L that debuted in 2015. It went through a redesign and the current "second gen" has only been around since 2018.
 
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RubyRuin

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^ To add to @ChetC 's reply, there are also variations of the current 2.3L Ecoboost engines as well, specifically between the Ford Mustang, Focus RS and the Ranger/Bronco:

The Bronco gets the Ranger variant of the 2.3L Ecoboost:
https://www.therangerstation.com/ranger-tech/ford-ranger-2-3l-ecoboost-introduction/
That shows us that the Ranger motor employs a cross-drilled deck for cooling which is only found in the Focus RS at this time. We covered this type of cooling mechanism in our Focus RS head gasket story, but the general idea is that coolant flows through the block below the bore bridge instead of across the top.
Inside the block, the rotating assembly appears to be lifted straight from the Focus RS; it contains the forged crankshaft, forged connecting rods, and coated pistons found in the hot hatch.
Although the top is almost identical to the Focus RS block, the bottom has been modified and has a slightly different casting. The oil pump has been moved from its location beside the crank gear and now runs off the balance shafts in the oil pan. This move was likely done to make the front a little narrower in order to make space for the four-wheel drive components that will be used in the Ranger.
The oil cooling system has also been upgraded with the addition of a new housing that includes a larger oil cooler and a filter that now points to the side instead of down towards the oil pan. This housing is novel since it also appears to be where the motor mount will connect to the engine.
...There are likely other smaller parts that may have slight changes, but the Ranger motor appears to share most of its components with the Focus RS while adding a few new parts.
 

Tricky Dick

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Ford has been making a variation of the 2.3L since 1979. I've owned at least one of every version since their inception, including a 1986 turbocharged 2.3L Thunderbird, which was the first time Ford put a turbo on a 2.3L.
But the current 2.3L has no relation to the old Lima 2.3L. It's based on the Mazda L series which had also evolved into the N/A Duratec 2.0L and 2.3L.

When they announced the Bronco would be available with a 2.3L Ecoboost, I never once considered the 2.7L
Same, I love the 2.3L. Doug Demuro has also called it out as one of his favorite engines.
 

ChetC

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But the current 2.3L has no relation to the old Lima 2.3L. It's based on the Mazda L series which had also evolved into the N/A Duratec 2.0L and 2.3L.
True story, but in my mind I believe engineers look back at the previous incarnation to see what worked and go from there. That may or may not be true, but I know that's what I would do and the fact that they stuck with 2.3L of displacement along the way makes me feel they did the same. Regardless, I've never been disappointed with 2.3s.
 

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True story, but in my mind I believe engineers look back at the previous incarnation to see what worked and go from there. That may or may not be true, but I know that's what I would do and the fact that they stuck with 2.3L of displacement along the way makes me feel they did the same. Regardless, I've never been disappointed with 2.3s.
...as in the 1973 Pinto 2.3 I put in my 1945 GPW Jeep, perfect engine for that little Jeep
 
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VailDan

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Thanks Guys - This info helps a lot.

I doubt many people will read this, but maybe Ford does so here is my rant. I am old school and use a term I call "airplane theory" that basically means as complexity increases, so do the chances of something going wrong. Early planes were a lot simpler with single engines and lot less electronics, etc. Modern airplanes have multiple jet engines, hydraulics, electronics, autopilots, GPS, ILS, etc. All that complexity leads to more efficiency and safety(because of the fault tolerance), but also does increase the chance of something breaking even though those failures are rarely catastrophic. I want my planes to be super safe so the complexity there is typically good, but now engineers have gotten so crazy they develop stuff like MCAS that override a pilot pulling back on the yoke because it thinks it knows better/safer, and can crash the plane.

I do not know a lot about car engines, and that is part of the problem, but I do worry about all the additional complexity when I want to keep my Bronco for 10 years. I just think that the law of diminishing returns have lowered the additional engine efficiency gains, but greatly increased the chances of engine issues over longer periods of time. I would just rather have a simpler well-built naturally aspirated engine that is designed to go 300k miles, even though it might not be quite as efficient. The engine in my last Toyota truck was 100% with no issue at 275k miles when I sold it. So basically, when I hear about carbon build-up on the valves over time, I get a little mad.

I know both of these engines have direct injection and that the 2.7L actually has port injection as well to help keep the valves clean, but with all of the extra complexity in these engines I would just rather have something that has the best track record. To me at this point it sounds like 2.3L just has a better track record mostly because the 2.7, has additional complexity, and is also dropping valves. Those numbers are statistically low for now, but it feels like fanboys are trying to lump them into specific engine build dates(awesome they are finally tracking it to figure out if that is correct) or say they should occur within the first 5k miles, etc., when I do not think they have the information yet to do that(mostly because Ford is not assisting).

I do not have a build date yet, but each time I hear of a newer 2.7L engine failing with dropped valve(one with a build date of October just occurred), I have concerns about that engine. Not really because of the current failure rate(one guy threw out a guestimate of 1.3%, but that sounded high to me), but because Ford is not communicating and that failure rate is expanding.

I am still not 100% on dropping the 2.7L, but you guys have made me feel a ton better with the 2.3L and given me some info where I can start looking into its track record more as I keep an eye on the 2.7 failure thread(absolutely awesome thread which actually makes me feel better)

@Lucchese @mpeugeot - you guys are helping a ton and Thank-you so much. If you are starting to feel more comfortable with saying it is probably confined to engine build date range, probably does occur in first 7k miles, etc. or see anything incorrect, please advise.

Thanks,

Dan
 

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Thanks Guys - This info helps a lot.

I doubt many people will read this, but maybe Ford does so here is my rant. I am old school and use a term I call "airplane theory" that basically means as complexity increases, so do the chances of something going wrong. Basically, early planes were a lot simpler with single engines and lot less electronics, etc. Modern airplanes have multiple jet engines, hydraulics, electronics, autpilots, GPS, ILS, etc. All that complexity leads to more efficiency and safety(because of the fault tolerance), but also does increase the chance of something breaking even though those failures are rarely catastrophic. I want my planes to be super safe so the complexity there is typically good, but now engineers have gotten so crazy they develop stuff like MCAS that override a pilot pulling back on the yoke because it thinks it knows better/safer, and can crash the plane.

I do not know a lot about car engines, and that is part of the problem, but I do worry about all the additional complexity when I want to keep my Bronco for 10 years. I just think that the law of diminishing returns have lowered the additional engine efficiency gains, but greatly increased the chances of engine issues over longer periods of time. I would just rather have a simpler well-built naturally aspirated engine that is designed to go 300k miles, even though it might not be quite as efficient. The engine in my last Toyota truck was 100% with no issue at 275k miles when I sold it. So basically, when I hear about carbon build up on the valves over time, I get a little mad.

I know both of these engines have direct injection and that the 2.7L actually has port injection as well to help keep the valves clean, but with all of the extra complexity in these engines I would just rather have something that has the best track record. To me at this point it sounds like 2.3L just has a better track record mostly because the 2.7, has additional complexity, and is also dropping valves. Those numbers are statistically low for now, but it feels like fanboys are trying to lump them into specific engine build dates(awesome they are finally tracking it to figure out if that is correct) or say they should occur within the first 5k miles, etc., when I do not think they have the information yet to do that(mostly because Ford is not assisting).

I do not have a build date yet, but each time I hear of a newer 2.7L engine failing with dropped valve(one with a build date of October just occurred), I have concerns about that engine. Not really because of the current failure rate(one guy threw out a guestimate of 1.3%, but that sounded high to me), but because Ford is not communicating and that failure rate is expanding.

I am still not 100% on dropping the 2.7L, but you guys have made me feel a ton better with the 2.3L and given me some info where I can start looking into its track record more as I keep an eye on the 2.7 failure thread(absolutely awesome thread which actually makes me feel better)

@Lucchese @mpeugeot - you guys are helping a ton and if you are starting to feel more comfortable with saying it is probably confined to engine build date range, probably does occur in first 7k miles, etc. or see anything incorrect, please advise.

Thanks,

Dan
The 2.3 historically has about 3 weaknesses. 1, which is inherent to forced induction, is a lean condition can be catastrophic. 2, the direct injection means dirtier valves. 3, thin casting at cylinder 3 which can fail in high HP builds (2.3 builders like to use the thicker 2.0 block when building a "bulletproof" 2.3).

Overall I consider the 2.3 to be a fairly simple engine by today's standards and is 100% my preference over the 2.7 for long term ownership.
 
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VailDan

VailDan

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Thanks - I do think the 2.7L engine issues are still probably statistically insignificant, but we need more data to confirm. If those numbers keep coming in and start to confirm it was just certain build dates, or more importantly that if it does occur, it should occur under early while the bronco is warranty and not waiting to occur until the vehicle has 80k miles on it, etc. then everyone starts feeling a lot better about both engines. For now, I am not changing my engine yet, but you guys helped a lot.
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