OT: Another Car Buying Question- Turbo 4 Engines

[Chin Diesel]

We have to do this every few months.

This question has less to do with the car and more with the engines. I realize smaller displacement engines take up less room and should weigh less, so if you can get the same production from a smaller package, that is the way to go.

That being said, I've never had to maintain and upkeep a turbo 4 engine. My son is looking to buy a car, he actually likes bigger sedans vice trucks, SUV or compacts. Whatever, it's his choice and he's saved a bunch of money. It'll be his first car, my sole goal is to help guide him towards a good use of his money.

Ford has an EcoBoost 1.5L which is showing up on several searches. Does anyone have experience directly with that engine?

I realize many European manufacturers have been making turbo 4's for decades and many of them are now less than 2 liters. Anyone have experience with upkeep cost on these smaller 4's? I'm less worried about $60 oil changes than I am long term costs of the engine reliability.

 

[HuskyHawk]

My wife has a Corsair with a slightly larger eco boost. But we’ve not had it long. Ford switched to these engines several years ago. Put a turbo 6 in the F150 and a turbo 4 in the mustang. I think they are pretty solid engines.

As for reliability long term? They are not 250k+ mile engines. But they should be fine over a normal vehicle lifetime. Turbos have improved a lot in the last 30 years. I don’t hear about the valve seal issues that were common on cars like Saabs.

 

[formerlurker]

If you get a Subaru or a Prius they seemingly work best in the left lane at 51 mph.

 

[JMick]

I've owned multiple turbo fours of varying displacement.

Maintenance nowadays on a turbo engine is exactly the same unless the turbo goes. There's also stupid stuff that can happen like boost leaks but that's usually just a clamp that needs to be tightened.

The only other major issue with some of these engines is carbon buildup on the valves in the cylinder head. This is only an issue on direct injection engines. Engines that have port injection or dual fuelling don't run into the issue. The solution to make sure you don't get carbon buildup is simple. You just make sure you redline it every once in a while.

The ford 1.5T is a solid engine. I've seen escapes with that motor go 100,000 miles on the original turbo without any major issues. I think the wastegates (or BPV? it was an issue with one or the other) used to go bad but that's really not a huge deal unless it happens at a really bad time. I'm pretty sure they fixed it at some point too.

 

[8893]

I've got the 3.0 liter EcoBoost V6 with twin turbos in my Explorer and it's a freaking rocket ship when I want/need it to be. Only around 9,000 miles on this one but no issues so far. Really great ride.

This is my third Explorer with the EcoBoost turbo and I have driven them up to 70,000 miles with no issues, but I've always traded them in so I can't speak to reliability past 100,000 (unlike our Hondas, which we keep and drive past 200,000).

 

[CL82]

The only other major issue with some of these engines is carbon buildup on the valves

 

[Watchdog]

Non-turbo V-8's here, so my only comment is advice from a friend with a long career in aircraft maintenance (where there are lots of turbos).
Turbos have improved greatly but still require you to follow the recommended maintenance schedule if you want long life.

His biggest recommendation regards cooling down after long drives at high speeds: let the engine run at idle for a minute or two to allow the turbo(s) to cool down before shutting the engine off. As I recall, it's the bearings that are affected by the heat generated by the high RPM's of the turbos at speed (20,000?) and the cooling down prolongs their lives.
For around town, local trips to nearby stores, you don't need to do that.

 

[JMick]

Non-turbo V-8's here, so my only comment is advice from a friend with a long career in aircraft maintenance (where there are lots of turbos).
Turbos have improved greatly but still require you to follow the recommended maintenance schedule if you want long life.

His biggest recommendation regards cooling down after long drives at high speeds: let the engine run at idle for a minute or two to allow the turbo(s) to cool down before shutting the engine off. As I recall, it's the bearings that are affected by the heat generated by the high RPM's of the turbos at speed (20,000?) and the cooling down prolongs their lives.
For around town, local trips to nearby stores, you don't need to do that.

new cars have built-in turbo timers so you don't have to idle before turning it off anymore. it won't hurt, but that was really more of an issue through the mid-2000s or for custom turbo builds that don't have a turbo timer.

essentially the turbo timer does what your friend recommended. it just does it on its own.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Those Ferrari V12s with multiple Weber carburetors. Bet they did need tune ups all the time.

 

[JMick]

Those Ferrari V12s with multiple Weber carburetors. Bet they did need tune ups all the time.

I thought about doing ITBs on my next project but they're such a hassle. Great for performance. Terrible for maintenance.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We ended up getting a 2019 Ford Fusion SEL with the 1.5L.

Son did real well overall. We probably looked at 20-25 cars online, went to three dealerships and drove Ford's, Hondas, Acuras and Nissans. He said he didn't like Toyotas or Hyundais. He did good describing features he wanted, thing he didn't like and things he was indifferent about.

For parents who have done this with young adult children I can now join the club of simultaneously setting the kids free to make a choice but still holding on a bit to guide the choice.
For parents who haven't gotten to this point yet, stay calm and lead from behind.
For those who don't have kids but have had your parents help you buy a car, give them a call and say thank you.

 

[CL82]

Those Ferrari V12s with multiple Weber carburetors. Bet they did need tune ups all the time.

If you’ve never seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It is very underappreciated. “Carbon on the valves“ is a gag that runs through the movie.

 

[JMick]

We ended up getting a 2019 Ford Fusion SEL with the 1.5L.

Son did real well overall. We probably looked at 20-25 cars online, went to three dealerships and drove Ford's, Hondas, Acuras and Nissans. He said he didn't like Toyotas or Hyundais. He did good describing features he wanted, thing he didn't like and things he was indifferent about.

For parents who have done this with young adult children I can now join the club of simultaneously setting the kids free to make a choice but still holding on a bit to guide the choice.
For parents who haven't gotten to this point yet, stay calm and lead from behind.
For those who don't have kids but have had your parents help you buy a car, give them a call and say thank you.

I think he made a good choice. The Fusion is a pretty proven platform at this point and all the kinks should be worked out.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I think he made a good choice. The Fusion is a pretty proven platform at this point and all the kinks should be worked out.

Yeah. I would buy the car he got. He had his head set on a lower model SE with cloth seats and $1k more. I asked him point blank why he'd buy a lesser car for more money. He said he just wanted to get it over with. I said let's look at one more today and he knew we made the right choice overall.

He drove a 2016 Acura TLX with Advanced Tech package with 50k and the 2.4L engine that was about the same price. I probably would have bought that one.

 

[storrsroars]

As for reliability long term? They are not 250k+ mile engines. But they should be fine over a normal vehicle lifetime. Turbos have improved a lot in the last 30 years. I don’t hear about the valve seal issues that were common on cars like Saabs.

Easy there big guy. Had my 1993 Saab 9000 at 237K when I gave it up. It was the tranny that was going south, the turbo still purred beautifully.

 

[JMick]

Yeah. I would buy the car he got. He had his head set on a lower model SE with cloth seats and $1k more. I asked him point blank why he'd buy a lesser car for more money. He said he just wanted to get it over with. I said let's look at one more today and he knew we made the right choice overall.

He drove a 2016 Acura TLX with Advanced Tech package with 50k and the 2.4L engine that was about the same price. I probably would have bought that one.

Sync is better than Acura/Honda's setup (I've owned both) so if he was concerned at all with the infotainment he made a good choice. personally I hate the drivers assist that come on cars now, so the tech package would have been a negative for me.

 

[HuskyHawk]

If you’ve never seen the movie, I highly recommend it. It is very underappreciated. “Carbon on the valves“ is a gag that runs through the movie.

Found it. A New Leaf. Putting it on my list.

 

[Hoophound]

The Ford Eco Boost engines are very good—so far. I’m not sure how they will age, but these days Ford engines are pretty maintenance free for 100k.

VW and Audi have had great success with their 1.8 and 2.0 liter turbos. They are probably the best example for evaluating long term viability and they’ve been very good. That’s why they keep rolling them out. Reliability isn’t their bag, but those engines have served them well. A Passat R-Line is a really sharp, spacious car with a huge trunk. My son has a 2018 and he loves it. I always admire it in the driveway. Looks like a much more expensive car than it was.

 

[NJHusky]

Easy there big guy. Had my 1993 Saab 9000 at 237K when I gave it up. It was the tranny that was going south, the turbo still purred beautifully.

I’m on my 3rd Saab. All 4 cyl turbo. None have had turbo issue (knock wood). But I always did the idle trick mentioned above to cool the turbo. Current one is an 07 convertible ?

 

[Watchdog]

new cars have built-in turbo timers so you don't have to idle before turning it off anymore. it won't hurt, but that was really more of an issue through the mid-2000s or for custom turbo builds that don't have a turbo timer.

essentially the turbo timer does what your friend recommended. it just does it on its own.

Well, after learning that, he's not my friend anymore!

 

[JMick]

Well, after learning that, he's not my friend anymore!

it's still good advice if you're on the track or if you're trying to climb a hill in full boost. old turbos were only cooled with oil, so when the engine was shut off, the oil wouldn't cool it. nowadays turbos are cooled with water, and when you shut off the engine, water continues to circulate to cool it.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Easy there big guy. Had my 1993 Saab 9000 at 237K when I gave it up. It was the tranny that was going south, the turbo still purred beautifully.

Yeah, a tranny going south is usually bad juju.