Dealership misleading me about coolant intrusion in cylinders?

[kck1]

not sure i got the problem. it is a cracked block or a bad head gasket?
I am lazy....i should search... but, are these 4 cyl ecoboost engines built with aluminum block and steel liners? or pure cast iron block?

Are they open deck or closed deck?

Why can't you fix a head gasket on these engines? Not sure i got that

Ended up not finding either.

I had a non dealer mechanic pressure check the coolant system and check the cylinder with a borescope. No sign of coolant or leaks yet. Ecoboosts are predominately aluminum and open deck design.

Head gasket replacement takes more time than engine replacement.That may be why the dealership suggested engine replacement.

 

[mguy13sport]

There is a design flaw in the block which is why they opt for full replacement rather than replace just the gasket. The long block is prone to cracking and doesn't have enough tolerance between cylinders 2 and 3. There is an updated design that was put into production at some point.

The OP does not have a cracked block from what we can tell however given the reputation of this engine it is always a possibility.

 

[kck1]

There is a design flaw in the block which is why they opt for full replacement rather than replace just the gasket. The long block is prone to cracking and doesn't have enough tolerance between cylinders 2 and 3. There is an updated design that was put into production at some point.

The OP does not have a cracked block from what we can tell however given the reputation of this engine it is always a possibility.

Thanks for the great summary.

The risk of the engine block cracking could be real from what I'm reading and is what's making me nervous about keeping this vehicle. There's clearly an issue with the head gaskets leaking. It's frustrating that they have issued recalls on most of these problematic ecoboosts engines except for the explorers.

Do you have any thoughts as to why the explorers haven't been recalled or issued a TSB for this?

 

[peterk9]

I don't believe I've read any posts in this forum about cracked engine blocks.

Peter

 

[mguy13sport]

I haven't either. Honestly almost every video ive seen shows an Escape however in the video I posted Brian does mention ALL early gen 4 cylinder Ecoboosts are suspected to have the issue. Just something to keep an eye on especially as these engines age. The Escape in the video only has 70k on it but is a 2014.

 

[tljohnson80]

I haven't either. Honestly almost every video ive seen shows an Escape however in the video I posted Brian does mention ALL early gen 4 cylinder Ecoboosts are suspected to have the issue. Just something to keep an eye on especially as these engines age. The Escape in the video only has 70k on it but is a 2014.

I have a 2016 Edge and just had the engine replaced at dealership. Ford covered 60%, I had to pay 40%. Mine wasn't a recall despite many being recalls. Sigh. Not a pleasant experience at all.

 

[tljohnson80]

Thanks for the great summary.

The risk of the engine block cracking could be real from what I'm reading and is what's making me nervous about keeping this vehicle. There's clearly an issue with the head gaskets leaking. It's frustrating that they have issued recalls on most of these problematic ecoboosts engines except for the explorers.

Do you have any thoughts as to why the explorers haven't been recalled or issued a TSB for this?

I have a 2016 Edge with the cracked block. Not a recall. Frustrating because it's a known problem.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I have a 2016 Edge with the cracked block. Not a recall. Frustrating because it's a known problem.

Recalls are almost always safety issues, not design shortcomings. There’s a reason the warranty coverage is so short.

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2016 Edge with the cracked block. Not a recall. Frustrating because it's a known problem.

Welcome to the Forum.
You mentioned it's a "known problem" but as I mentioned in a post above, I don't believe there have been any posts here about cracked blocks. Are you referring to the 3.5L V6? The only thing that has led to several engine replacements here is the leaking internal water pump.
Have you visited any of the Edge forums to check on this issue?

Peter

 

[J_C]

^ I thought they were talking about the 2.0L 4 cylinder EB, gasket or block. I know a bunch of Fusions and Mustangs have had that problem with the 2.0L and smaller EB 4 cyl. I think the 2.0L EB was the base engine on a '16 Edge?

 

[kck1]

I have a 2016 Edge and just had the engine replaced at dealership. Ford covered 60%, I had to pay 40%. Mine wasn't a recall despite many being recalls. Sigh. Not a pleasant experience at all.

Interesting. Dealership never made that offer to me. Did they say why they offered to cover 60%?

 

[kck1]

Welcome to the Forum.
You mentioned it's a "known problem" but as I mentioned in a post above, I don't believe there have been any posts here about cracked blocks. Are you referring to the 3.5L V6? The only thing that has led to several engine replacements here is the leaking internal water pump.
Have you visited any of the Edge forums to check on this issue?

Peter

I believe you're correct. I don't think it's a cracked block problem, I do believe there is a leak problem related to gaskets in some of these engines. However, in my case, I went to an independent shop and the mechanic switched spark plugs and wires and the misfires went away. Haven't had a misfire in 4 months. Maybe I was naive in thinking the dealership would be honest about an issue of this magnitude.

 

[mguy13sport]

There is a design flaw in the water jacket around the cylinder wall being to thin and cracking. Ford has since redesigned the smaller Ecoboost blocks. They still have a water jacket around the cylinders but its thicker material. The video posted above explains what makes the block crack.

 

[Josh P]

I believe you're correct. I don't think it's a cracked block problem, I do believe there is a leak problem related to gaskets in some of these engines. However, in my case, I went to an independent shop and the mechanic switched spark plugs and wires and the misfires went away. Haven't had a misfire in 4 months. Maybe I was naive in thinking the dealership would be honest about an issue of this magnitude.

I'd have a hard time returning to that dealership for anything.

 

[matt12]

Now part of the club... 2018 Explorer... 66K miles.. just today started blowing white smoke and coolant reservoir empty... So now waiting on official diagnosis from dealer and have already filed a complaint with NHTSA and opened a case with Ford.
However, it does look like there are several class actions going/starting about this:.
.
Miller, et al. v. Ford Motor Company, is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Case No. 2:20-cv-01796-TLN-CKD. Capstone Law APC

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware: Reed, et al., v. Ford Motor Company.

If you end up out of pocket for the 2.0 Ecoboost engine failure, keep all receipts and paperwork. Make sure you are getting the new designed engine to replace the faulty designed engine. Here is a link to the lawfirm handling the consolidated case:

Lieff Cabraser

www.lieffcabraser.com

 

[peterk9]

Now part of the club... 2018 Explorer... 66K miles.. just today started blowing white smoke and coolant reservoir empty... So now waiting on official diagnosis from dealer and have already filed a complaint with NHTSA and opened a case with Ford.
However, it does look like there are several class actions going/starting about this:.
.
Miller, et al. v. Ford Motor Company, is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Case No. 2:20-cv-01796-TLN-CKD. Capstone Law APC

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware: Reed, et al., v. Ford Motor Company.

If you end up out of pocket for the 2.0 Ecoboost engine failure, keep all receipts and paperwork. Make sure you are getting the new designed engine to replace the faulty designed engine. Here is a link to the lawfirm handling the consolidated case:

Lieff Cabraser

www.lieffcabraser.com

Welcome to the Forum Matt.
Please keep us updated on your complaint/case with Ford.

Peter

 

[boominXplorer]

Just fixed this one myself, 2017 Explorer with 80k. 3rd ecoboost I've fixed with block damage. This was the worst, had to remove .012 to get it right. Thankfully there's no keys on timing so the tensioner picked up the slack from the mill job. Slapped a new turbo and cat on it as well, wastegate was loosey goosey. Think the customers bill was around $6500

Considered a used engine at 1st but they are 3k and could have this same issue. Figured the factory block was already "temperature seasoned" and knowing they had to spend almost $2k on just a turbo and cat, we decided on light rebuild.

 

[My16explorerlimited]

I have a 2016 Edge and just had the engine replaced at dealership. Ford covered 60%, I had to pay 40%. Mine wasn't a recall despite many being recalls. Sigh. Not a pleasant experience at all.

Thank you for the input, I have 2016 ford explorer limited need engine replacement, water pump went bad on me and my engine got milky oil, I didn’t take to the dealer yet. How did you have covered 60%?

 

[matt12]

So my update is that the engine failure is the same as everyone else... new engine needed... 9700 initial estimate. Contacted Ford and got their customer service to transfer me to some other dept that started a claim with Customer Relationship Center/ Ford CX Passenger Vehicle Concern Team. Assigned a rep to me... she reviews claim, tells me Ford can help with some assistance once full tear down is done. Dealer tears down... confirms needs new short block engine.. Ford rep gets dealer down to 6700 with Ford repair hourly rate.. not consumer rate for labor. They then contact me again and offer 2700 in "assistance" so I end up out of pocket 4000 with a new engine, 3 year unlimited mileage warranty, and additional 12K 12month extended warranty from Ford for "free" as a bonus so any repair costs $100.
.
So doing the math... roughly the 40% 60% that others have experienced..

Not thrilled at the outcome.. but better than the 9700 and didn't have to sign any waivers so if the class action expands to Explorers, I am still in.

 

[J_C]

Now part of the club... 2018 Explorer... 66K miles..

If you end up out of pocket for the 2.0 Ecoboost engine failure...

Yours being an '18, was the 2.3L EB, correct?