Spent 3 hours chasing a phantom misfire on a 2014 F-150

It was a 3.5L EcoBoost that would stumble under load. I swapped coils, plugs, and checked fuel pressure. The real issue was a tiny crack in the plastic charge air cooler pipe, only visible when the engine was hot and torqued in its mounts. I finally found it by pressurizing the intake with a smoke machine. Anyone have a good source for those plastic couplers that doesn't cost a fortune?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary30925d ago

Chasing a phantom for three hours over a plastic pipe crack? I get it's the principle, but is a tiny leak under boost really that big of a deal on a ten year old truck? Those EcoBoosts move so much air anyway, a little seepage seems like it would barely matter. Feels like we overthink these things sometimes, you know? Just drive it until something actually breaks.

the_emery25d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my buddy's F150. He had a tiny crack in a charge pipe and said the same thing, "it's just a little leak." Drove it for a month like that. Then his engine started running super lean and he burned up a piston. Cost him four grand. That "tiny leak" let unmetered air in and the computer couldn't adjust fuel right. So yeah, I'd say it's a big deal.