Chugging when coming to an incline

[ExplorerDude1]

Have anyone had issues where the car begin chugging and lugging when coming to a hill. Took to a dealership and they cannot replicate the problem so they refuse to do anything even though it happens all the time when I'm driving. It acts like a standard transmission vehicle and feels like the RPMs are not high enough to pull, because when I have it in sport mode and keep the RPMs above 2000, it doesn't do it, or at least I can't feel it. I've noticed that the transmission shifts very early, never higher than 2000 rpms, and remains around 1500-1800 rpms when driving.

Basically if I'm on flat surface coming to a hill (small inclination) the car will start chugging. If I would to pour a Chevron Fuel Cleaner it doesnt happen. I have a 2016 Explorer Limited Ecoboost.

Anyone with similar issue ?

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
Are there any hills around the dealership area? If you can replicate the problem every time when you come to a hill then the best thing is to have a tech come with you if that is the only way.

Peter

 

[ExplorerDude1]

There is a two hills near the dealer and of course when I drive with the tech I couldn't get it to replicate. The hill near my house that I can almost get it to replicate all the time is 15 miles away from the dealer and the tech refuse to go for a long ride. I don't know why, I think I'm quiet friendly and pleasant to talk to. LOL . One thing I noticed , different gas station also makes a different. On a full tank of Shell , it wasn't as severe as normal gas station that I use (Sunoco). Maybe an Ecoboost issue ? I only use 87 octane for my gas as well

 

[peterk9]

There is a two hills near the dealer and of course when I drive with the tech I couldn't get it to replicate. The hill near my house that I can almost get it to replicate all the time is 15 miles away from the dealer and the tech refuse to go for a long ride. I don't know why, I think I'm quiet friendly and pleasant to talk to. LOL . One thing I noticed , different gas station also makes a different. On a full tank of Shell , it wasn't as severe as normal gas station that I use (Sunoco). Maybe an Ecoboost issue ? I only use 87 octane for my gas as well

I've used 87 in both my 2014 MKT and current 2017 Platinum without any issues. I use Petro Canada gas exclusively. They are owned by Sunoco which I did use up until it became a Petro Canada station as part of the takeover agreement with the government. I believe it is the same gas as they also offer Ultra 94. Maybe take the tech out during lunch break and offer to pay for lunch IF he can diagnose and fix the problem.

 

[ExplorerDude1]

Yeah , I'll do that when I talk to the rep, it's in the shop now , last night while I was pulling out of the driveway , the car stalled and threw all sort of error. My entire dashboard lit up like Christmas tree.












screen shot pc

 

[peterk9]

That lighting up like a Christmas tree has been a common indicator of a bad battery according to other such posts.

Peter

 

[ExplorerDude1]

That lighting up like a Christmas tree has been a common indicator of a bad battery according to other such posts.

Peter

I saw that , I only have 10,000 miles so I dismissed the bad battery. It's at the dealer now , looking through older forums threads throttle body is also a cause for it ? The service manager first question to me was when was the last time you change your battery when I described the issue to him. Kinda scary if that's the case , bad battery and the whole car goes crazy ? I lost power and the car felt like ABS was kicking in each time I try to brake.

 

[peterk9]

I saw that , I only have 10,000 miles so I dismissed the bad battery. It's at the dealer now , looking through older forums threads throttle body is also a cause for it ? The service manager first question to me was when was the last time you change your battery when I described the issue to him. Kinda scary if that's the case , bad battery and the whole car goes crazy ? I lost power and the car felt like ABS was kicking in each time I try to brake.

Batteries have been replaced as soon as a month so I wouldn't rule that out as a possible cause. Should be a warranty item if it has to be replaced and yes, the 2016 models were also know to have the throttle body problem. Good luck.

Peter

 

[ExplorerDude1]

I just got a note that said my car is ready . On the email it said it - REPAIR CIRCUIT RCA20 . Not sure what it means.

 

[peterk9]

I just got a note that said my car is ready . On the email it said it - REPAIR CIRCUIT RCA20 . Not sure what it means.

Well I hope that solves it.

 

[thefranchise713]

When the vehicle chugged, did it almost sound like a grinding? Mine does this every once in a great while and I can't figure out what the hell it is.

The throttle bodies in the 2.3L EcoBoosts have been pretty solid.

 

[jdmac27]

I think what you are feeling is most likely EGR Surge or Exhaust Gas Re-circulation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_gas_recirculation

Here is how I would describe what I've noticed in my 2017 Platinum with the 3.5 Ecoboost... Slight surging or hesitation sensation on light throttle input at less than 2000 RPM. Feels like a series of surging I would describe as a "hiccups" or "coughs" from the engine, but not hesitation in that the engine doesn't feel like it won't go. When you step on the gas, it goes without hesitation. The condition is most noticeable when at a steady speed and encounter a slight incline where more power is needed to maintain speed than required on flat terrain, but not enough to require a downshift raising RPMs. Manually downshifting (or stepping on it to initiate a downshift) to increase RPMs eliminates the condition.

I only use Top Tier fuel (usually BP), E10 as ethanol free fuel here is close to $4/ gallon, and usually 87 Octane.

I noticed my dad's truck exhibits the exact same symptom on his 2016 F150 with the 2.7 L Ecoboost. He is a retired ford calibration engineer and immediately identified it as EGR Surge. He described it as calibrating the engine to "eat its own S#!T" to lower emissions and has always been a delicate balance of compromise - as engine calibration inherently is.

I've found running 93 Octane seems to eliminate the condition on my Explorer.

I suspect many posts on the forms about hesitation (other than those with the throttle body defect) are actually noticing EGR surge.

I look forward to some debate on this and wonder if anyone with the NA 3.5 can replicate the condition or if it is only noticeable on the Ecoboost engines... I think I have a pretty reliable source for identifying the condition, but any others want to speculate???

 

[ExPlat]

I think what you are feeling is most likely EGR Surge or Exhaust Gas Re-circulation.
Here is how I would describe what I've noticed in my 2017 Platinum with the 3.5 Ecoboost... Slight surging or hesitation sensation on light throttle input at less than 2000 RPM. Feels like a series of surging I would describe as a "hiccups" or "coughs" from the engine, but not hesitation in that the engine doesn't feel like it won't go. When you step on the gas, it goes without hesitation.

When I purchased my used Platinum with 6,000 miles on it I thought it was sort of sluggish with poor throttle response, felt like that 'hesitation, surge or cough' that is described here. The previous owner used 87 octane fuel only and according to the Trip gauge the car had been averaging 14.1 mpg when I got it. After I read up on these Direct Injection engines I decided to try a a couple of suggestions I saw on these forums. I began using 91 octane Tier 1 gas right away and nothing much happened but I continued that for a few tanks, then I bought a can of BG 44K Fuel System Cleaner and put that in a full tank.
I have no computed performance facts but presently the hesitation is gone and the performance is much improved, no complaints about acceleration now. In addition, my overall mpg's are now at 17.9 mixed, but I might be a better driver than the previous owner.
I will continue to use 91 octane gas and one can of the BG 44K at every oil change as recommended by FordTechMakuloco and keep my fingers crossed.

 

[613GT500]

IMHO, fuel and oil type, plays a big role in FI vehicles.
I don't care that the manufacturers managed to tune these boosted vehicles to use regular fuel, it's not running optimal.

I've been using top tier 91 octane since day one, along with synthetic oil only and have not experienced any of these abnormal behaviours (knock on wood).

 

[peterk9]

IMHO, fuel and oil type, plays a big role in FI vehicles.
I don't care that the manufacturers managed to tune these boosted vehicles to use regular fuel, it's not running optimal.

I've been using top tier 91 octane since day one, along with synthetic oil only and have not experienced any of these abnormal behaviours (knock on wood).

Neither have I on the recommended 87 and using regular oil. You knew I'd have to reply. I agree it isn't running at peak performance but neither is using 91. Ford's specs were obtained using 93 octane. In any case this wasn't the OP's problem.
Happy New Year.

Peter

 

[613GT500]

Neither have I on the recommended 87 and using regular oil. You knew I'd have to reply. I agree it isn't running at peak performance but neither is using 91. Ford's specs were obtained using 93 octane. In any case this wasn't the OP's problem.
Happy New Year.

Peter

Never said anything about "peak" performance, but according to the owner's manual; best overall performance at premium 91or higher.

 

[ExplorerDude1]

Wow , I didn't realized that they have been so many response. The car still behaves the same. I'm going to try to use Premium for two weeks and see if the issue goes away. It's rather annoying , it doesn't do happen as much as it used to but from time to time there's the hesitation exactly as describe by jdmac27 post.

On a separate note , can you check if a recall was done on your car ? The service manager claimed that he had switch out my Throttle Body on one of my visits to the dealer but there's no documentation for it. Not in the receipts that I've received or anything on their website's "vehicle repair history" , I seriously believe that the service manager just out right lied to me to stop me from complaining about it.

 

[peterk9]

Wow , I didn't realized that they have been so many response. The car still behaves the same. I'm going to try to use Premium for two weeks and see if the issue goes away. It's rather annoying , it doesn't do happen as much as it used to but from time to time there's the hesitation exactly as describe by jdmac27 post.

On a separate note , can you check if a recall was done on your car ? The service manager claimed that he had switch out my Throttle Body on one of my visits to the dealer but there's no documentation for it. Not in the receipts that I've received or anything on their website's "vehicle repair history" , I seriously believe that the service manager just out right lied to me to stop me from complaining about it.

If there was work done on the vehicle there should be an invoice and on it it should state what was done and that it was done under warranty.
I'm guessing that the throttle body was not replaced. Since there appears to be no record of it happening there is nothing to prevent you from going to another dealer to see what they say and possibly having the TB replaced.

Peter

 

[mwittman77]

I think what you are feeling is most likely EGR Surge or Exhaust Gas Re-circulation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_gas_recirculation

Here is how I would describe what I've noticed in my 2017 Platinum with the 3.5 Ecoboost... Slight surging or hesitation sensation on light throttle input at less than 2000 RPM. Feels like a series of surging I would describe as a "hiccups" or "coughs" from the engine, but not hesitation in that the engine doesn't feel like it won't go. When you step on the gas, it goes without hesitation. The condition is most noticeable when at a steady speed and encounter a slight incline where more power is needed to maintain speed than required on flat terrain, but not enough to require a downshift raising RPMs. Manually downshifting (or stepping on it to initiate a downshift) to increase RPMs eliminates the condition.

I came here looking for this exact problem, and found a description spot-on to the issue I'm experiencing. Glad to know it's considered "normal". Thanks for the info! Might have to try a higher grade fuel to see if it resolves this issue, as that's what I thought the problem may have been prior to seeing this.

 

[peterk9]

I just came across this post this morning which I found very interesting.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...t-bought-piu-surging-rpm.462399/#post-3627564

Peter