Ice Mountain Bad Turbo 2.3L Engine Failure

[BadBradBronco]

I'm sharing the below story to help get an idea of timeline for how long I may have to wait on a new turbo for my 2.3L Bronco.

On Friday my wife and I went and picked up our 2.3L Non-Sas OBX that we reserved on 7/15/20. We are part of the 1/24 build week and had a 1/28 blend date. We were in production since 2/1 and sat on ice mountain for around 3 months. Everything went smoothly at the dealership and after a visual and quick mechanical inspection we finalized the purchase and it couldn't have gone smoother. Our dealership and salesperson were outstanding and made everything super easy. We left the dealership and less than 5 miles away before we even got above 50 mph the Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power warning light came on. I immediately called my sales person and he advised me to bring it back immediately. We pulled off the highway and made a u turn. As we were driving up the on ramp my wife commented it didn't seem to have any power and was struggling up the on ramp. We kept it under 45mph and limped back to the dealer. They immediately put it into service and ran diagnostics which revealed it has a bad turbo and it has to be replaced. The part is backordered and there is no timeline at this point. They put us in a loaner and sent us home with nothing but our paperwork and one key. This has to be one of the most frustrating things I've ever been a part of and after waiting 646 days to get a Bronco we drove for less than 5 miles before a major malfunction.

I know this has been brought up before, but I'm asking anyone else that has experienced this to share how long it took to get the part. Also, did this fix the problem and have you had any other issues since? Has anyone else from Ice Mountain around the same build date had this issue?

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[Wanted33]

I'm sorry for the bad luck Brad. With Ford using the 2.3L in the Ranger, Explorer, Mustang, etc., I hope they can find you a replacement soon.

 

[okbob]

This isn't the first 2.3l turbo failure I've read about, but still rare it seems. Hopefully it gets repaired sooner, than later.

 

[M4Madness]

This isn't the first 2.3l turbo failure I've read about, but still rare it seems.

I've seen about five 2.3L turbo failures mentioned on this forum recently, but in the grand scheme of things, that's a small amount.

Good luck, OP!

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/bad-turbo-wastegate-at-100-miles-2-3l.40523/

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/2-3l-turbo-boost-issues.38556/

 

[ZipZit]

Ouch. That really is bad news. Good luck.

I was going to say hey, look at the good news, at least you got to take home a keyfob. But that’s just pouring salt on the open wound. Apologies.

 

[MayhemMike]

If it sat on the mount for two months, who knows what critter may have decided to build a residence in the turbo piping.

 

[BadBradBronco]

Ouch. That really is bad news. Good luck.

I was going to say hey, look at the good news, at least you got to take home a keyfob. But that’s just pouring salt on the open wound. Apologies.

I’ve enjoyed holding it and pushing its buttons

 

[tjksmitty]

Same issue with mine my friend.. ice mountain Bronco.. picked up yesterday, towed back to the dealer this morning for a turbo replacement

This is the first Ford that I have ever bought..

 

[Rick Astley]

I'm sharing the below story to help get an idea of timeline for how long I may have to wait on a new turbo for my 2.3L Bronco.

On Friday my wife and I went and picked up our 2.3L Non-Sas OBX that we reserved on 7/15/20. We are part of the 1/24 build week and had a 1/28 blend date. We were in production since 2/1 and sat on ice mountain for around 3 months. Everything went smoothly at the dealership and after a visual and quick mechanical inspection we finalized the purchase and it couldn't have gone smoother. Our dealership and salesperson were outstanding and made everything super easy. We left the dealership and less than 5 miles away before we even got above 50 mph the Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power warning light came on. I immediately called my sales person and he advised me to bring it back immediately. We pulled off the highway and made a u turn. As we were driving up the on ramp my wife commented it didn't seem to have any power and was struggling up the on ramp. We kept it under 45mph and limped back to the dealer. They immediately put it into service and ran diagnostics which revealed it has a bad turbo and it has to be replaced. The part is backordered and there is no timeline at this point. They put us in a loaner and sent us home with nothing but our paperwork and one key. This has to be one of the most frustrating things I've ever been a part of and after waiting 646 days to get a Bronco we drove for less than 5 miles before a major malfunction.

I know this has been brought up before, but I'm asking anyone else that has experienced this to share how long it took to get the part. Also, did this fix the problem and have you had any other issues since? Has anyone else from Ice Mountain around the same build date had this issue?

There are some great threads on this topic as they have popped up.

Certainly worth using the search function.

You'll also find that user @flip has been helpful enough in other threads to give input on how backordered some parts are such as manual transmissions. For turbos the info is out there. But at least you didn't get the 2.7 as they tend to blow both turbos shortly after the warranty expires when in the hands of F150 owners.

 

[flip]

Depending on what the dealer ordered, the part has had two supersessions. Started with a -C, then -D now -E. See B/O date and remarks. This is a Ford product but someone else supplies the part to them which puts customers and Ford at the mercy of someone else's labor or sourcing mercies.

The only thing the dealer can do is put in an emergency order, VOR (vehicle off road) and open a GCCT/COPIS case. If the part doesn't show up in 30 days they need to go back in and code it so the system doesn't drop it from the order que.

Beside supply chain shortages across this industry and just about every other one that relies on a sub supplier(s). In this case the dealer can only look at this DOW inquiry screen to figure out when it might start shipping. There's no reason this can't be communicated as it's not confidential info and can assist the service department planning for rental/loaner needs and help manage customer expectations. Not that anyone involved likes the delays but it's out of Ford's, the dealer's and customer's control.

 

[flip]

It would be nice to know what failed with the turbo. Was it the wastegate actuator, the wastegate, or the impeller(s). Maybe it just needs some lube...

Agreed. Based on the part number changes they likely either changed something with the design or switched suppliers. Hard to know for sure which but based on other threads with 2.3 turbo issues I'm going to say it sounds like actuators. That said, there are tons of actuators in stock at most of the depots which makes me second guess that theory. I do know from Ford and heavy truck diesel turbo problems, corrosion from sitting, coking from excessive idle and not enough hard driving to keep everything moving, can cause issues. If the OPs Bronco was a dirt mountain refugee, I could easily see rust buildup causing the problem. These little turbo vehicles really need to have the shit driven out of them regularly to keep everything moving. If you just drive it a couple of miles back and forth to work every day you are at more risk for not getting the battery fully charged and possible turbo sticking issues. Not like moderately high, just slightly.

 

[flip]

I'm secretly hoping someone will drop a Godzillra in one of these years. Will be a complete waste of time, money and overkill, but will definitely be pure awesomeness.

 

[BadBradBronco]

Depending on what the dealer ordered, the part has had two supersessions. Started with a -C, then -D now -E. See B/O date and remarks. This is a Ford product but someone else supplies the part to them which puts customers and Ford at the mercy of someone else's labor or sourcing mercies.

The only thing the dealer can do is put in an emergency order, VOR (vehicle off road) and open a GCCT/COPIS case. If the part doesn't show up in 30 days they need to go back in and code it so the system doesn't drop it from the order que.

Beside supply chain shortages across this industry and just about every other one that relies on a sub supplier(s). In this case the dealer can only look at this DOW inquiry screen to figure out when it might start shipping. There's no reason this can't be communicated as it's not confidential info and can assist the service department planning for rental/loaner needs and help

Agreed. Based on the part number changes they likely either changed something with the design or switched suppliers. Hard to know for sure which but based on other threads with 2.3 turbo issues I'm going to say it sounds like actuators. That said, there are tons of actuators in stock at most of the depots which makes me second guess that theory. I do know from Ford and heavy truck diesel turbo problems, corrosion from sitting, coking from excessive idle and not enough hard driving to keep everything moving, can cause issues. If the OPs Bronco was a dirt mountain refugee, I could easily see rust buildup causing the problem. These little turbo vehicles really need to have the shit driven out of them regularly to keep everything moving. If you just drive it a couple of miles back and forth to work every day you are at more risk for not getting the battery fully charged and possible turbo sticking issues. Not like moderately high, just slightly.

It was an Ice Mountain survivor. It sat on Ice Mountain from Feb 1st - April 2nd. I have seen at least 5 others between this forum and Facebook groups that were all delivered around the same time as mine and had the exact same issue within days of taking ownership, many on the way home like myself. The dealer was told by Ford to replace the Turbo assembly. I have asked about the wastegate and they were only informed to replace the Turbocharger. The vehicle was purchased on Friday April 22 and put into service the same day. My dealer had the Turbocharger on Monday April 25th, but they need 3 gaskets to complete the install. The gaskets are on national backorder and have an ETA of May 20th. My dealership has escalated this above an emergency order to the highest level they can. I have also reported the problem to Ford and was provided a case number and a Customer Experience Specialist who is also in communication with my dealer as well. I was unable to get the part numbers for the gaskets. I have not been told what exactly is wrong with the part other than it was determined to be a bad part. Edit: The part number for the turbo ordered is LB5Z*6K682*C when I looked this up it states not compatible with 22 Broncos and shows as a Ranger part. Any thoughts on this?

 

[ILoveTacos]

Sorry you are dealing with this. My build date was the middle of January, I think I just missed being on Ice Mountain by a couple of weeks. I have 2900 miles on my 2.3 engine with no issues so far. Hope you get this resolved soon.

 

[flip]

It was an Ice Mountain survivor. It sat on Ice Mountain from Feb 1st - April 2nd. I have seen at least 5 others between this forum and Facebook groups that were all delivered around the same time as mine and had the exact same issue within days of taking ownership, many on the way home like myself. The dealer was told by Ford to replace the Turbo assembly. I have asked about the wastegate and they were only informed to replace the Turbocharger. The vehicle was purchased on Friday April 22 and put into service the same day. My dealer had the Turbocharger on Monday April 25th, but they need 3 gaskets to complete the install. The gaskets are on national backorder and have an ETA of May 20th. My dealership has escalated this above an emergency order to the highest level they can. I have also reported the problem to Ford and was provided a case number and a Customer Experience Specialist who is also in communication with my dealer as well. I was unable to get the part numbers for the gaskets. I have not been told what exactly is wrong with the part other than it was determined to be a bad part. Edit: The part number for the turbo ordered is LB5Z*6K682*C when I looked this up it states not compatible with 22 Broncos and shows as a Ranger part. Any thoughts on this?

This is from Microcat. Not sure if your dealer is using Snap-On or Ford E-Cat but when I went to DOW to see what availability was I got the supersession notes that it went to -D.
I don't think this part number is specific to Bronco based on the prefix and likely shared with Ranger.

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