F150 ecoboost drilled my intercooler

[Snobdds]

The diesels never had the problem because the outlet to the intake was in the middle of the intercooler. The ecoboost had the outlet to the intake at the bottom of the intercooler where all the water pooled. Every intercooler has condensation in it, that's what it does.

I don't daily drive my ecoboost, I really only use it when I go skiing and on the weekends sometimes. I've never had the condensation issue because all the water evaporates in the intercooler before I drive it again. The turbos condense a lot of air over the cooler, in a way the intercooler is too efficient for the truck.

 

[Snobdds]

They only real issues I saw as an engine mechanic on these engines were turbo's going out (not very often, but would fill the cooler with oil and excessive smoke, and lack of power) and water pumps on the early engines. Maybe in other parts of the country, there was an issue, but here in humid Mo I have never heard of it. Also, to ad to my prior statements, drilling and not plugging a hole in the charge system will also give you a misfire, check engine light, and poor fuel economy(eventually fouling the converters) as it will be running off the factory mapped fuel code and expecting full boost so adding full fuel (look up diesel smoke switch or clogged air filter on a diesel)

Thats not true. There are tons of people out there driving with a hole in the intercooler with no side effects. There was even an engineer that did tests to see the pressure drop from the hole. The results were negligible to a non drilled intercooler.

 

[PJ The Kid]

So I guess the >1/16" hole in the intercooler I replaced last month for low boost codes wasn't the issue?

 

[Snobdds]

There's a variety of reasons it could have low boost, but based upon the amount of people driving with a hole in the intercooler with no ill effects...I think it's safe to say the cause was not the hole.

 

[jejeosborne]

So I guess the >1/16" hole in the intercooler I replaced last month for low boost codes wasn't the issue?

That is correct. The turbos are capable of making more than enough airflow/pressure to hit the cap limit the ecu allows. Here is the video I made to prove it.
F150 Ecoboost PSI intercooler test - YouTube

 

[jejeosborne]

They only real issues I saw as an engine mechanic on these engines were turbo's going out (not very often, but would fill the cooler with oil and excessive smoke, and lack of power) and water pumps on the early engines. Maybe in other parts of the country, there was an issue, but here in humid Mo I have never heard of it. Also, to ad to my prior statements, drilling and not plugging a hole in the charge system will also give you a misfire, check engine light, and poor fuel economy(eventually fouling the converters) as it will be running off the factory mapped fuel code and expecting full boost so adding full fuel (look up diesel smoke switch or clogged air filter on a diesel)

I too live in the humid Midwest and have a lot of issues with condensation. Here is my video on that. I got about a 1/4 cup of water out after one day of towing. With almost 15,000 YouTube views I would say others too have the problem.
F150 ecoboost 1/16" hole in CAC drilled - YouTube

 

[sld]

As a Sr master Ford certified technician, with 2 years college in the Ford ASSET program and over 10 years experience, this makes my brain hurt!
That being said, I personally have never seen condensation cause a problem in any turbo system. Ford has been using air to air coolers since 1998 on diesels and before that in a couple turbo cars. If you make even the tiniest hole in the charge air system you will get reduced power from a boost leak. It would be ok if you really think this is an issue to drill the hole and tap some threads in it, but as I said, I have never seen this issue. If it is happening with a eco-boost building low boost pressure, wouldn't it happen worse on a power stroke building upwards of 40psi of boost? I would lean more towards fuel system, or exhaust system (ie cats restricted.)

Might ask for a refund at whatever college you went to. The condensation issue is well known and well documented and a small hole has a negligible impact on performance.

 

[BandannaMan]

The truck with the replaced electrical plug on the CACT/Turbo Pressure combo sensor did the trick! Towed for two days through Colorado Mountains and not a single misfire, no CEL, no Wrench. However, I am concerned that my engine performance may be off a bit now. Generally, when towing, it seems to operate down a gear, presumably because it cannot generate enough power (through boost) at the next gear up. So in situations where previously we were in 6'th towing, now it looks like it needs 5'th. Certainly, before the problems and the fixes, towing on a flat level road, it would get to 6'th gear pretty quick, now it can only do it in 5'th. Have to be going down a slight decline to get to 6'th now.

 

[aczlan]

The truck with the replaced electrical plug on the CACT/Turbo Pressure combo sensor did the trick! Towed for two days through Colorado Mountains and not a single misfire, no CEL, no Wrench. However, I am concerned that my engine performance may be off a bit now. Generally, when towing, it seems to operate down a gear, presumably because it cannot generate enough power (through boost) at the next gear up. So in situations where previously we were in 6'th towing, now it looks like it needs 5'th. Certainly, before the problems and the fixes, towing on a flat level road, it would get to 6'th gear pretty quick, now it can only do it in 5'th. Have to be going down a slight decline to get to 6'th now.

I might pull the battery cables off and touch them together. That should reset the adaptations and "self learning" that it did with the bad CATC/Turbo Pressure sensor (which could be throwing things off now).

Aaron Z

 

[Diamondpilot]

My guess is the "tune" that's in the computer now after the reflash is the culprit.

Chris