WHY YOU CAN’T GET AWAY WITH EXTENDED SERVICE INTERVALS ON THE FORD ECOBOOST 3.5 ENGINE
Catastrophic engine failure. The three words that can bring tears to any gearhead’s eyes. It can strike anything from trucks and SUVs, to purpose-built sports cars. Usually, it’s a result of lazy maintenance, improper usage, or not following manufacturer recommended service intervals. Sometimes, it’s just manufacturing defects. And sometimes, catastrophic engine failures can happen to seemingly healthy engines, EVEN if you do follow the recommended service intervals! Like in the case of the Ford EcoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine.
It’s one of Ford’s most ubiquitous motors, going in everything from the best-selling Ford F-150 to the 2017 Ford GT supercar. It came in as a replacement for Ford’s large capacity V8 engine, offering more torque and better efficiency, thanks to modern tech like direct injection. But one thing most people get wrong when it comes to maintaining an EcoBoost is in trusting the vehicle’s onboard diagnostics and Ford’s recommended extended service intervals. And this video from YouTube channel FordTechMakuloco show’s exactly why you shouldn’t.
Related: 10 Signs That Your Car Engine Needs Maintenance
If You Own An EcoBoost, Don’t Follow Ford’s Advice For Oil Changes
Going by the comments of thanks from people that Brian from FordTechMakuloco receives, his advice regarding maintenance of Ford EcoBoost engines is sound stuff. And it really is very simple. It goes a little something like this — don’t follow Ford’s “normal use” service interval guidelines! And certainly don’t rely on the vehicle’s onboard diagnostics, Ford’s Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor, to tell you when to change out things like oil and oil filters.
Ford says you should expect the onboard diagnostics to prompt you to change your oil at the 7,500-mile mark under normal commuting and highway driving on flat to moderate hilly roads, with no moderate loads or towing, and no extended idling. The guideline says the oil change reminder may pop up sooner, around the 5,000-mile mark, if there’s moderate to heavy load towing, across mountainous or off-road conditions, and extended hot/cold temperature operation. Lastly, there’s the extreme set of operating conditions, where the system will remind you to change oil every 3,000 miles — maximum load or towing, and extreme hot/cold conditions. Ford is quick to point out that these are merely guidelines, with variations depending on severity of use.
This is slightly in contrast to FordTechMakuloco’s advice which is to service oil and oil filters with fresh fully-synthetic oils and OEM filters at the 5,000-mile mark even under normal use, if not sooner. You may question the logic of not following the manufacturer-recommended intervals, but Brian has a great explanation for why you shouldn’t.
Related: This Is Why Ford Recalled More Cars Than Any Other Carmaker In 2022
Ford EcoBoost 3.5 Engines Are Reliable If You Change Oil Every 5,000 Miles
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Years | 2009-Present |
| Configuration | V6 |
| Displacement | 3.5-liters |
| Power | 310-660hp |
| Torque | 350-550 lb-ft |
| Fuel | Gasoline |
| Noteworthy Applications | Ford F-150, Ford Expedition, Ford GT |
One of the common issues with direct injection engines is excessive carbon buildup on valves, thanks to the nature of the technology. With port injection motors, there’s a steady stream of fuel to wash away deposits from the valves, which doesn’t happen with the more modern technology. But that’s not the reason why Ford EcoBoost engines need clean, fresh oil more often than some other vehicles.
With twin-turbocharged, direct injection engines like the EcoBoost 3.5, there’s a lot of demand being placed on the engine oil. It’s lubricating pistons under extreme pressure, it’s lubricating the turbos that spin at up to 180,000rpm, and it’s cooling a high-compression engine that sees work in a lot of different applications. Brian explains that it’s the reason newer grades of fully-synth engine oils were developed for the EcoBoost motor, just to keep up with the extreme demands.
And unfortunately thanks to the extreme operating conditions for the oils, even under regular use, these oils break down quicker. There’s also the question of the oils carrying around soot and other particulates that lead to premature engine wear. More unfortunately, these particulates can’t be filtered out as they’ll clog up anything that tries. Which is another majorly overlooked issue in these engines, that can be largely avoided by just sticking to a rigid maintenance schedule.
Related: 10 Most Common Engine Upgrades And Their Benefits
The 3.5 EcoBoost Can Last Over 300k Miles When Taken Care Of
Coming back to one of the major overlooked issues on the 3.5 EcoBoost, which can lead to catastrophic turbo failure, and even engine failure if it’s not caught in time. And that’s not periodically changing out the oil feed line filters to the turbochargers.
If you use old oil in your Ford EcoBoost motor for extended periods of time, you run the risk of clogging the fine mesh filters in the oil feed lines for the turbochargers. And when the engine in question, like the 3.5 EcoBoost has twin turbos, that’s asking for big trouble. When the oil feed line filters get clogged, the turbos eventually get starved of oil, and this can lead to play in the bearings of the turbine, which could then lead to structural damage, and a total meltdown.
The best way to avoid it is changing out the oil, so there are lower chances of soot buildup. But another area that needs regular maintenance is the oil feed line filter itself. Brian explains that most technicians avoid doing the job as it’s in a hard-to-reach area of the engine bay. But as he points out, it’s a small job in the overall scheme of things to ensure a long, healthy life for your 3.5 EcoBoost motor. While Ford says you can expect up to 250,000 miles on one, Brian has seen over 300k miles on well-cared for engines with minor preventative maintenance.
Related: 10 Most Durable V6 Engines Ever
Post-2018 Are The Best Years For The 3.5L EcoBoost
Ford made a pretty big change to its 3.5-liter V6 Duratec engine with the introduction of the EcoBoost in 2009. Early gen-EcoBoosts had some bugs that could lead to premature engine wear, like timing chain stretch. Subsequent generations of the 3.5 EcoBoost fixed them. As such, the 2018 release of the 3.5 EcoBoost and later are considered to be the most reliable in the line.
Of the early EcoBoost engines, the 2011, 2013 and 2015-model years are generally regarded as having the most issues to sort out, including stalling and loss of power. So if you're looking for a cheaper truck with an older version of the Ford 3.5 EcoBoost, it's worth keeping in mind. Still, even with newer EcoBoosts, it's worth sticking to the unofficial, but now largely accepted 5,000-mile service interval for the best results in normal running conditions. You wouldn't want to become an EcoBoost failure statistic, now would you?
2023-06-04T16:09:06Z dg43tfdfdgfd