The Ecoboost engine is vulnerable to faults and malfunctions either due to poor maintenance or by other means. These faults however can be detected by the effects they have on engine performance.
The most common problems of the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine are:
- Coolant Leakage
- Clogged Fuel Injectors
- Premature Failure Of Spark Plugs And Ignition Coils
Any kind of issue can pose a threat to the life expectancy as well as the optimal performance of the engine. While these are the most common issues your Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine may come down with, prompt attention will save you some bucks and anxiety resulting from engine knocking.
Table Of Contents
What Are The Most Common Ford 1.5L Ecoboost Engine Issues?
1. Coolant Leakage
A coolant leak in the Ecoboost engine is caused by a design flaw that causes coolant or antifreeze to be used up very quickly. This leak allows coolant to enter into combustion cylinders of the engine. In many cases, it could lead to total engine failure.
The coolant is responsible for transferring heat from one engine compartment to the other. When the engine consumes it quickly, heat cannot be released by the engine so the cylinder head overheats. It also causes the bursting of the engine head and causes the engine to leak oil.
Users of the engine complain that sometimes the overheating will cause you to park your car, in other to avoid damage to your engine. Also, it causes you to continuously fill up the coolant which is not usual for vehicles in good condition.
There have been reports that this overheating has led to engine fires in the cars of some individuals.
What Causes Coolant Leak?
Coolant leak doesn’t just happen; rather, it’s triggered by a number of things. Unless you learn what these causes are, you won’t know how to prevent the problem. The result is that you may end up spending more than normal.
Let’s look at the most common causes of a coolant leak below:
- Faulty Expansion Tank: A problematic expansion tank is one of the most common reasons your coolant will leak. Typically, the expansion tank helps to transfer coolant to your car’s radiator.
As a cylinder made of plastic material and connected to the radiator by a neoprene tube, the expansion tank supplies coolant to and receives coolant from the radiator to enable the engine to maintain its rise-and-fall temperature while idling.
However, age, wear and tear resulting from exposure to high heat causes the plastic tube to crack or weaken over time. This will lead to coolant escaping through the slack can cap. If the pipe through which the coolant passes also damages, fluid will be let out uncontrollably. - Failing Water Pump: Failing the water pump is another cause of coolant leaks. The water pump is responsible for dispersing fluid to all parts of the cooling system.
The water pump can get damaged due to a loose, corroded, or weak condition of the radiator-bound lower tube. Once this happens, fluid will start to escape from its base, preventing coolant from getting to all the cooling sections. - Blown Gasket Head: The gasket head is designed to withstand high temperatures. However, when the temperature becomes extreme, the gasket head may become loose and not able to store the coolant needed by other parts of the engine.
The more coolant that leaks away, the lower is the performance level of your car. Besides, a blown gasket head is a recipe for a dangerous coolant-engine oil mixture. - Leaky Radiator Seal: Another reason coolant may leak from your engine is when the radiator seal is damaged or leaky. The radiator cap helps to keep in check the extreme pressure exerted on the radiator.
This is to ensure the entire cooling system works under normal pressure. Once, the cap is damaged due to age or wear, coolant can start to escape.
What To Look For
Since this coolant leak poses a risk of serious overheating and possible engine fire, it will be wise to detect it early. While some users of the ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine claim to have been alerted to these problems by the check engine lights, others were not.
Here are some signs that will alert you of possible coolant leakage in the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine:
- Always Refilling Coolant: If you are in a habit of always having to refill coolant in your car engine, it is an obvious sign that you are dealing with coolant leakage. A perfectly working vehicle does not require coolant refills every time.
- Engine Misfires: When coolant leaks into combustion cylinders, it damages it and this among others causes the engine to misfire. Misfiring may cause the engine to jerk, vibrate or stall. The engine loses power or it might be difficult to start.
- Emission Of Thick White Smoke From Exhaust: When thick white smoke is emitted from the exhaust, it is a major sign of coolant leakage. This indicates that the engine is burning up coolant in the combustion cylinders.
What To Do
Sadly, since this problem originates from the design flaw of the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine, there is no permanent fix for the leaking coolant problem. The only thing that you can do is to properly maintain the engine. Most owners end up replacing the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine with another engine.
Since this problem is an inherent one, it is necessary to always observe coolant levels so that the problems of overheating do not occur.
2. Clogged Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectors of all engines are responsible for spraying fuel into the combustion chamber for burning in the internal combustion engine.
They are one of the most important pieces in the working of the car engine. Like every other part, they can become faulty. In the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine, clogging is its most probable threat.
Fuel injectors can get clogged with time, because of the deposition of sediments and impurities in the fuel. Also, moisture that enters fuel due to the hygroscopic nature of ethanol, causes the metal components of the fuel injector to undergo rust. Rust also causes clogging of the fuel injectors.
When this occurs, the combustion chamber will not receive an adequate amount of fuel at the right time. This will cause the engine to misfire. Leaking or unresponsive injectors is also a possibility.
Causes Of Clogged Fuel Injector
There is a number of things that can be responsible for the fuel injector getting dirty or clogged:
- Gasoline Debris: Debris from the fuel system or gas is a primary cause of a clogged fuel injector. Although you rarely come by impurity-filled gasoline these days, yet, you can’t rule out the chance of having dirt get into your gas tank.
Also, the gasoline doesn’t clog the injector, but the deposits left behind in the fuel injector by the energy-generating heavy hydrocarbons. The deposits get into the fuel filter. - Corrosion Within The Fuel System: Another major reason your Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine fuel injector can get clogged is when there is corrosion within the fittings and lines of the fuel system.
This is caused by the presence of water in the fuel system. If water gets into the fitting or other metal parts of the engine for a long time, it will cause rust and so leave behind deposits.
What To Look For
When fuel injectors become clogged, It will have various effects on the overall engine performance and the automobile.
Here are some signs of a clogged fuel injector:
- Rough Idling: This is characterized by the shaking or bouncing sensation of the car when you stop at a sign. It is one of the most certain signs of a bad or clogged fuel injector. You might also notice inconsistent RPMs in the car while driving.
- Car Not Starting: Because the injections supply an inadequate amount of fuel to the combustion chamber, the amount of burning necessary to start the engine cannot occur or might be inadequate. The engine might fail to start or you would have to crank the engine for long before it starts.
- Engine Misfires: Because fuel is not being supplied at the right time to the combustion cylinder, engine misfires occur. It is a common effect that should alert you of a problem with your fuel injectors.
- Poor Fuel Economy: When a fuel injector Is working perfectly, it helps to regulate the amount of fuel being consumed. When you have to stop at the gas station every time, it could be a sign that your fuel injectors are bad.
What To Do
If you confirm that your fuel injector is clogged or faulty what can you do about it? Since impurities and debris are responsible for clogging the fuel injector, cleaning them provides a temporary solution. However, a more definite approach to this problem is to replace the fuel injector.
Replacement of the fuel injectors of the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine is fortunately not very expensive. A set of 4 injectors for this engine costs only about $100 to $300. Because they are relatively cheap must people would rather have them replaced than cleaned when clogged.
Knowing how to replace it yourself will save you some money that you would have to pay the mechanic.
3. Premature Failure Of Spark Plugs And Ignition Coils
Spark plugs continually need changing as part of a vehicle’s maintenance. Although it is not very frequent, spark plugs and ignition coils fail prematurely. One of the causes of their premature failure is turbochargers.
Turbochargers are induction devices that increase the power produced in an internal combustion engine by forcing air into the chamber. They are connected to an engine to give it more power. Turbochargers allow small engines like the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine to generate more horsepower and torque.
Although turbochargers have their benefits, they also affect the spark plugs and ignition coils. This is because of the higher cylinder pressure and greater sparks that they initiate in the engine.
So the ignition coils and spark plugs of this engine faces premature failure relative to those of engines that are not charged.
Causes Of Failed Spark Plugs
There is a wide range of factors that can be responsible for your engine spark plugs failing:
- Improper Torquing: Improper torquing has been identified as responsible for more than 90% of the damage done to your spark plugs. This occurs if the plugs are not able to disperse heat into the cylinder head out of the combustion chamber during combustion.
Incorrect Heat: This is the direct effect of improper torquing. Heat build-up inside the combustion chambers can cause damage to the spark plugs and eventually affect the engine. - Chemical Contamination: Chemical contamination results from not cleaning the spark plug hole surrounding with compressed air. If you allow carbon build-up or lubricant to clog the plug thread, the spark plugs will be greatly affected.
Another thing you should avoid during installation is the use of chemicals. Do not use anti-seize on your spark plugs during setup. If not, you may cause serious thread shell damage. Alternatively, follow the manufacturer’s recommendation and advice. - Hasty Installation: Another factor that may cause your spark plugs to fail is not allowing the engine to cool before setting up or dislodging the spark plugs. If you do, you might be wreaking serious havoc on the cylinder head.
What To Look For
When spark plugs and ignition coils are faulty, they affect the overall performance of the car since they are needed for combustion.
Here are some sure signs that will alert you of their fault:
- Engine Misfires: Since plugs and ignition coils are needed for sparks to be created for combustion, their damage will cause engine misfires. This is because the air-fuel mix in the cylinder cannot fully ignite.
- Rough Idling: A bad spark plug is one of the common causes of rough idling. When spark plugs are functioning well, engine sound is smooth but when it is damaged, it causes the engine to sound rough when idle. A sensation of vibration might also be felt when in that car.
- Poor Overall Performance: The spark plugs and ignition coils are necessary for the combustion process that starts the car engine. When they are damaged, this function is compromised and the engine cannot perform well.
What To Do
Maintaining or replacing spark plugs is one of the easiest maintenance in the car engine. Even with some help from the internet and the appropriate tools you can do it yourself.
But if you feel like calling in the experts you can do so. Purchasing a set of spark plugs costs about $30 to $50; ignition coils may go for something in the region of $100 to $200.
How Does The Ford 1.5 Ecoboost Engine Fair?
The Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine issues look scary; this is the same for every other engine. The engine is pretty reliable and does not cause a lot of trouble with proper maintenance and care. Due to its cool exhaust, the turbocharger lasts long.
While the injector is a source of concern, this problem can be easily averted with the use of high-quality fuel. With quality engine oil needed for turbocharged cars and proper maintenance, this engine will be able to produce over 150,000 miles or more.
FAQs
1. Is The Ford 1.5 Ecoboost Engine A Good Engine?
Overall, the engine is good. Yes, it comes with its flaws; nonetheless, it is reliable and strong. Its small size is made up for by its turbochargers, to produce more power. With proper maintenance, you can be sure of getting your money’s worth off this engine.
2. Is The Ford 1.5 Ecoboost Engine A Turbo Engine?
Yes, it is. The Ford 1.5 Ecoboot engine is a turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the Ford company. It offers all the benefits you’ll enjoy in all turbocharged engines.
Since it combines air compressor and turbine, the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine doesn’t waste the exhaust gases it emits. Rather, it supplies more air into the cylinders to increase the power the engine produces.
In addition, the Ford 1.5 Ecoboost, like many other turbo engines, is an efficient engine and features a massive power density. The engine gives off more horsepower and torque.
Final Thoughts
The Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine has a lot of inherent design problems that can potentially reduce the lifespan of the engine. However, the majority of the problems that it faces can be averted or curtailed with adequate maintenance.
The Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine problems do not define the engine considering its amazing features and optimal performance level on the road.
Don’t forget, a DIY thing may not produce the perfect result you may desire. In fixing any of the problems, the few bucks a professional technician will take shouldn’t break the bank. Go for the expert job on your engine.
