Catastrophic failure on tuned Ecoboost

[Spidergears]

Ran across this video on YouTube. It’s an older model truck, but I took it as a tale of caution. I suspect there are plenty here that run tunes with no issue, but push it too far and you could end up with these results. The video author didn’t get into detail of the tune, but I’m guessing he didn’t know them. The carnage is pretty gnarly.

Sponsored

 

[Fordphanatic]

I would love to tune my truck to clean up the sloppy shifting 10 speed. I have my Reservations though after seeing this. I'd like to know more on what tune that truck was running

 

[JExpedition07]

The 3.5 EcoBoost and 3.3 Duratec share the same mediocre at best connecting rods. I cringe when I see people doing these crazy tunes for 500+ horsepower etc….the main bearings and connecting rods will let loose at those power levels at some point or another. Tuning in general is safe, but these extreme tunes are not very safe. That engine is all ready running at the cusp of its internal power holding capabilities for a good service life from the factory. You can crank up the juice, but you pay with a shortened lifespan. The 3.5 EB is a great motor from the factory even at stock power levels. I guess it’s still not enough for some lol.

 

[Snakebitten]

"Aggressively tuned"

There's a wide margin between tunes. There are plenty of fellas with tunes 3.5 Ecoboost trucks from Gen1 & Gen2 era. Ford leaves considerable low hanging fruit that can safely be harvested and still get a good long life out of the motor.

But yea, if you are going to mess with the factory calibration on these trucks, it's best to put on your big boy britches and be accountable for your decision.

I ran a tuned 2018 for just short of 4 years. The truck was flawless and the 10r80 tuning was spectacular. My default tune was about 420RWHP and was dedicated to 93, but OAR was not disabled in case I got caught out from being able to get some.

I haven't tuned my 2022 Powerboost. But that thing is so ready to scoot as it is that I haven't missed the tuned power. I DO MISS the magnificent improvement of the 10r80 though. It's amazing how poor the factory shift strategy is compared to what the thing is capable of.

 

[Samson16]

Isolated dramatic anecdotal nonsense.
There’s a forum member right now with a grenaded unmodified 5.0. Too bad he doesn’t have a slick YouTube video of how bad it looks so we can rag on the engine components. Please

 

[Snakebitten]

It's not difficult to pop an Ecoboost if the tuner and the owner are both in consensus to push things.
I have seen plenty of examples discussed. And it's refreshing when the owner openly admits that he knowingly was playing on the edge.

These guys are actually doing folks a favor in establishing the boundaries in the tuning community. Usually the 1/4 mile timing addicts. Chasing the magical 11's(?) without building a bottom end.

The tell tale signs are XDI HPFP, Wallbro type in tank fuel pump, sometimes bigger injectors, aftermarket Intercooler, front differential brace, and lots of E85.

 

[Samson16]

I thought the cheap hp debate was settled by Japan ?

 

[Samson16]

It's not difficult to pop an Ecoboost if the tuner and the owner are both in consensus to push things.
I have seen plenty of examples discussed. And it's refreshing when the owner openly admits that he knowingly was playing on the edge.

These guys are actually doing folks a favor in establishing the boundaries in the tuning community. Usually the 1/4 mile timing addicts. Chasing the magical 11's(?) without building a bottom end.

The tell tale signs are XDI HPFP, Wallbro type in tank fuel pump, sometimes bigger injectors, aftermarket Intercooler, front differential brace, and lots of E85.

Understood and appreciated but claiming mediocre connecting rods are at fault is nonsense.

 

[Chili]

The 3.5 EcoBoost and 3.3 Duratec share the same mediocre at best connecting rods. I cringe when I see people doing these crazy tunes for 500+ horsepower etc….the main bearings and connecting rods will let loose at those power levels at some point or another. Tuning in general is safe, but these extreme tunes are not very safe. That engine is all ready running at the cusp of its internal power holding capabilities for a good service life from the factory. You can crank up the juice, but you pay with a shortened lifespan. The 3.5 EB is a great motor from the factory even at stock power levels. I guess it’s still not enough for some lol.

I'm sorry but this just sounds like v8 only crowd rhetoric. Ecoboost has been out for over 10 years and has proven to be a very stout engine that only continues to improve. ANY engine, stock or modified can have this issue. Tuning opens up a whole can of worms and is much more complicated than it sounds with a lot of hacks out there, yet everyone claims to be the best out there. Tuned engines don't break because of power levels, they break because of poor tuning, too lean, too much boost at the wrong time (low rpm, high load), incorrect timing events...the list goes on.

 

[nitrobass24]

If you listen closely to the beginning of the video he mentions this guy was running E85 and an aftermarket fuel injector/pump. People are getting 600 RWHP on factory turbos with this type of setup.

 

[JJSnell]

So he "aggressively tuned" the truck, puts 137,000 miles on it in 4 years and was trying to pass someone.
Owner sounds like an idiot who wanted 1000hp commuter car...
Nothing in this video said the owner took care of the truck.
I'd like to see the mechanics invoice when it's done so I can give a thumbs up...

 

[spiritrider1]

"Aggressively tuned"

I haven't tuned my 2022 Powerboost. But that thing is so ready to scoot as it is that I haven't missed the tuned power. I DO MISS the magnificent improvement of the 10r80 though. It's amazing how poor the factory shift strategy is compared to what the thing is capable of.

I don't have any need to tune my PB engine either, but can the transmission still be tuned? Seems not or you would have done it. Does having the electric motor in the mix create an issue?

 

[diambo4life]

'This is a truck that had an aggressive tune. The tune was literally called "aggressive tune." 'I laughed so hard when he said that...

 

[Snakebitten]

Understood and appreciated but claiming mediocre connecting rods are at fault is nonsense.

Rods often get blamed when the cast piston is what let go first. 3.5 Ecoboost factory pistons aren't anything to write home about. If you are unfortunate enough to get a flawed skirt .....

I don't have any need to tune my PB engine either, but can the transmission still be tuned? Seems not or you would have done it. Does having the electric motor in the mix create an issue?

I would think a 10R80 could be tuned and not touch anything else related to the engine management. But you would still be dealing with the nuances (inconveniences) of a tune.

Potential warranty issues
OTA PCM update stepping on your calibration.
Expense of tuning hardware and tunes.

I'm VERY fortunate to have a well behaved 10R80 MHT. If I didn't, I probably would have reached out to Gearhead and asked him to take the keys to my Powerboost and let me know when HE was happy with it. His personal bar is really high for polished shifting.

 

[Spidergears]

Brian makes good videos.

Engines explode when abused.

Bet that thing was a monster before it let go.

Oh well.

Pretty much this

Sponsored