Does the 2.3 have a glass jaw??

[DansEBM]

I posted this on the facebook group, but I will post it here as well.

"We should make this a sticky....
1. Should I buy an Ecoboost Mustang? We don't know, only you will know if you want one by going and driving one.

2. Is my engine going to blow up? Depends, are you going to take care of your car like you did your bike when you were 2 years old? Are you going to try and make 500whp with pump gas? Are you going to drive on the factory fill oil until 10,000 miles?
If you answer yes to any of these, the answer is yes, your engine is going to blow up. You should also buy something else, or go stand in a corner.
If you answer no to any of these, the answer is probably not. It is up to you to

make sure you take the proper steps to avoid any scenario that might be unhealthy for your car. If you buy a MT Ecoboost Mustang don't floor it at 2,000rpms in 6th gear because you like the way the torque feels. If you buy an AT I recommend using the paddle shifters (while in drive) to downshift into 5th before flooring it on the highway. The factory tune upshifts too early and doesn't downshift as it should. If you plan on tuning your car, I recommend using a tuner that changes the downshift scheduling in the tune such as myself.



3. Is there anything you can do to prevent the motor from blowing up? To a point, I incorporate 2 safety factors to prevent low speed pre-ignition on these vehicles. It doesn't guarantee you that your motor won't blow from another reason nor does it give you the ability to do anything I mentioned above that could potentially damage your motor.
Final thought - These cars are great, there is nothing for you to be afraid of if you own one or you are thinking of buying one. Take care of it like you would your favorite child, not the one that doesn't listen and leaves lego's in the middle of the living room.
No if's, and's, or but's. If you are afraid of the car, it's not for you!"

What about adding a water meth system, would that help as a safety net ?

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[higdominator]

85% ethanol, 15 % gasoline. Benefits is much higher octane than the 93 offered at the standard gas pump. Allows for advance in timing which equals more power.

To run you need a tune and upgraded injectors and fuel pump. This highest you can go on stock setup is e35 I believe.

Just injectors/rail and driver/tuning hardware.

What about adding a water meth system, would that help as a safety net ?

Yes.

 

[Tune+]

Adam,will you implement a tune for EU cars as well?

Yes, Cobb will have support in the near future.

Do you not think that will be possible with a bigger turbo and maybe ported heads/cams? I understand that e85 or a mix of it is the holy grail for turbo cars, but there is something to be said about being able to fill up at most gas stations with 93 and still have plenty of power to boot.

Edit: Or is the poor flowing head what is holding this engine back from good pump gas numbers?

Pump gas and this cylinder head don't mix. You need to run a TON of boost through it in order to make power but you will have to reduce the timing in order to yield safe results with pump gas. Honestly, it is possible but my post was in reference to a bone stock motor.

[MENTION=19118]Tune+[/MENTION] I've seen you recommend Motul 8100 x-cess or Rotella t6 motor oil. I've also heard of some people stepping up in weight. What's the benefit of this and what viscosity do you recommend to mitigate LSPI and receive the best engine protection?

85% ethanol, 15 % gasoline. Benefits is much higher octane than the 93 offered at the standard gas pump. Allows for advance in timing which equals more power.

To run you need a tune and upgraded injectors and fuel pump. This highest you can go on stock setup is e35 I believe.

You need aux fuel system, upgraded injectors that are available for the EBM now do absolutely nothing. There are some new advances in technology with another company that should prove promisingly but honestly E85 should be ran with a supplementary (aux) fuel system. Utilize the factory DI system for part throttle/cruising, and use the AUX for power.

What about adding a water meth system, would that help as a safety net ?

Absolutely, but you aren't going to be spraying meth during the scenario where LSPI is prone.

 

[VargasTurboTech]

Amen. Never go WOT until at least 3k (and the engine is up to operating temp). I always thought that this was common knowledge. I've known about it since I first started driving 17 years ago. I guess everyone didn't get the memo, lol. It's not just the ecoboost engine, don't do it on anything.

This is not the case, of course never do any high power activity until the engine is up to operating temp, but normal tuning pulls are done from around 2K-2500RPM to redline in 3rd on the street, and 4th on the dyno. A dyno like a dynojet will not load the motor up near as hard on as on the street, but saying to never got WOT under 3K is way overboard. When tuning our BMW's I do pulls from 1500-1750RPM t o redline all day long on the dyno. For any platform starting around 2K for single gear pulls is the only way to get a good log of spool etc. Problems occur when people are in very high gear, and ask the car to build a lot of boost, and timing, such a passing in 6th. You will not replicate that load level doing a 3rd gear pull even from low RPM.

 

[Slow89]

IIRC Adam fixes this problem with his tunes. I downshift anyway but it is nice to know this isn't a problem with my car. Tune+ for the win!

When u say down shift are you tapping the paddles one down or just downshifting to S?

 

[higdominator]

When u say down shift are you tapping the paddles one down or just downshifting to S?

Tap a paddle to downshift. If you are in D it will downshift long enough to get going. I drive mine in S and manual shift all the time and never have any issues.

 

[ultimate warrior]

Is it possible these vehicles are the victim of not only a poor EFI solution (ie in stock trim my car will try and hold 14:1 AF until I tip WOT - ie its not linear as it builds boost)

but also Ford just having poor build quality compared to japanese manufacturing/design? their tolerances and manufacturing could be all over the place compared to some import brands. why do i think this is possible? how many ecoboosts had loose hose clamps, body panels that dont line up well, squeaks, smoke, etc, etc

also compared to other vehicles running the 2.3 ecoboost, how much does the mustang weigh in comparison?

 

[Lsstefan]

It has $10 connecting rods. That is all that stands between you and a windowed block, $40 worth of rods. It is shameful on Ford's part if you ask me.

You're serious or trying to prove a point?
Because I see some serios rods are like one stack. OEM have to be a couple hundreds, right?

 

[higdominator]

Is it possible these vehicles are the victim of not only a poor EFI solution (ie in stock trim my car will try and hold 14:1 AF until I tip WOT - ie its not linear as it builds boost)

but also Ford just having poor build quality compared to japanese manufacturing/design? their tolerances and manufacturing could be all over the place compared to some import brands. why do i think this is possible? how many ecoboosts had loose hose clamps, body panels that dont line up well, squeaks, smoke, etc, etc

also compared to other vehicles running the 2.3 ecoboost, how much does the mustang weigh in comparison?

Essentially you are only registering a low load, regardless of RPM. When you tip in your load increases and the commanded AFR will richen what you see. It doesn't work purely off of boost.

There are only two vehicles running the 2.3, one isn't in show rooms yet.

The issue is uneducated drivers doing the wrong thing, intentionally or unknowingly lugging the car.

 

[cosmo]

but also Ford just having poor build quality compared to japanese manufacturing/design? their tolerances and manufacturing could be all over the place compared to some import brands. why do i think this is possible? how many ecoboosts had loose hose clamps, body panels that dont line up well, squeaks, smoke, etc, etc

also compared to other vehicles running the 2.3 ecoboost, how much does the mustang weigh in comparison?

All those issues you listed occur at vehicle assembly *cough cough auto workers not doing their job*. Engine assembly plants are different, and engine assembly is much more strict. There are still issues, but there are more checks. At engine assembly, each step has to be cleared by the computer. At vehicle assembly, the lines are setup to be more continuous rather than stop-go. This brings up missed steps in the vehicle assembly plants.

The smoking issue is due to the design of the pcv system and turbo rather than assembly.

There are only two vehicles running the 2.3, one isn't in show rooms yet.

The issue is uneducated drivers doing the wrong thing, intentionally or unknowingly lugging the car.

Actually, the explorer has a 2.3L as well, albeit a little different. However, the difference between the explorer and mustang 2.3 will be about the same as the focus and mustang 2.3. Either way, the explorer had to undergo tow testing, which is a nightmare.

EDIT: also, the MKC has a 2.3L
Agree with your last point.

 

[friendgr]

. If you buy a MT Ecoboost Mustang don't floor it at 2,000rpms in 6th gear because you like the way the torque feels. If you buy an AT I recommend using the paddle shifters (while in drive) to downshift into 5th before flooring it on the highway. The factory tune upshifts too early and doesn't downshift as it should. If you plan on tuning your car, I recommend using a tuner that changes the downshift scheduling in the tune such as myself.

20+ years with MT turbos (4 cars - no tuning at all) I have NEVER heard such a things. I floored the pedal whenever I liked.
Is it a Ford malfunctions?

 

[cosmo]

20+ years with MT turbos (4 cars - no tuning at all) I have NEVER heard such a things. I floored the pedal whenever I liked.
Is it a Ford malfunctions?

Your cars weren't direct injected and didn't have as tall of gears. It's inherent to the design of GTDI engines, not just Ford. You were probably knocking though, even if you didn't hear it.

 

[gojensen]

Shouldn't the car (auto transmission) downshift automatically when you floor it? (My old Toyota did...)

 

[higdominator]

Shouldn't the car (auto transmission) downshift automatically when you floor it? (My old Toyota did...)

It takes it a second, it just so happens that's all it takes to blow a motor.

The small turbo spools so fast that a large amount of boost is build up with that kind of load. I could do the damage before the transmission makes the downshift.

That's why I que the trans with the paddle if I'm long distance cruising in D. I hit the paddle to downshift, make my pass, and relax back into cruise mode as the trans shifts back to 6. I've never had an issue getting the trans to downshift, I just prefer to make it happen faster and on my command.

 

[gojensen]

That may explain why I thought the '13 v6 auto was'sluggish' too then don't remember any kick down lag from my old auto - then again, the entire car was lagging ('73 1.2L auto)

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