Car woes

[inthpktplayer]

Richy, I get crazy man. I use all Mequiar's on my Jeep. Once a year I clay, compound, polish, and wax. Wash 1x a week and maintain with Ultimate Quick Detailer or Ultimate Quick Wax.]

Your ride gets washed 48 more times than mine in a year (when it does get washed those 4 times a year it goes through a touchless car wash), clayed, compounded and waxed more times in one year than mine in a lifetime and......"Honey, I'm going outside to detail the car" has been said by me NEVER.

[marko138]

Your ride gets washed 48 more times than mine in a year (when it does get washed those 4 times a year it goes through a touchless car wash), clayed, compounded and waxed more times in one year than mine in a lifetime and......"Honey, I'm going outside to detail the car" has been said by me NEVER.

Many times I will wash more than once a week. I got touch wash too. Touchless doesn't get mine clean enough and I'm not afraid to polish out a scratch or two.

[late8]

Bumping this thread up. My 2006 Mazdaspeed6 died a few months ago. After I installed the new AC compressor, the PCM (Power Control Module) crashed and I couldn't start the car. I had to special order a new PCM ($1,400) from the dealer so I could at least move the car around without having to push it in and out of my garage.

After the dealer installed the PCM, the "check engine" light came on again with two trouble codes stored in the memory. 1st code was a random misfire on cylinder #4. 2nd code was a emissions related issue. An EVAP module failure. The mechanics wanted $900 labor plus $300 parts to fix the EVAP module and $400 labor on top of the $135 diagnosis fee to try to troubleshoot the random misfire issue. NO WAY!

I politely told them to "button the car up" and I would gladly pay the $135 diagnosis fee. I know there's no way I could pass my smog inspection that was due at the end of the month so I limped the car to the Ford dealer and traded in the Mazdaspeed6 for a brand new 2015 Ford Taurus front wheel drive 4 door sedan.

At the dealer:



First day at work in the parking garage:





First thing I did was to replace the stock suspension parts. The stock suspension was too soft and the car drove like a boat. I did some research and found out that Ford uses a souped up version of the Ford Taurus as their new "Police Interceptor" which replaced the aging Crown Victoria squad car. With this information, I was able to match up and upgrade to cop shocks and heavy duty sway bar end links.

[late8]

Upon further inspection of the sway bar end links, I found something rather unusual. Ford uses plastic instead of steel for their sway bar end links. No wonder the car swayed and rocked when I turned in and out of corners.



The upgraded sway bar rear end links (on top) are made of forged steel and are serviceable with zerk fittings installed for grease.



The front sway bar links are constructed in the same manner.



The cop shocks have better valving and made from better materials which firms up the ride and eliminated the "boat" feeling. I'm no longer aimlessly bouncing over highway expansion gaps on the driving surface and the car feels more stable than it did with the stock suspension parts.

[late8]

Upgraded rear sway bar end links installed. When I drove the car off the lot back in late October, it had 18 miles on the odometer. Today, I've got 5,600 racked up and only made two payments

[late8]

I also upgraded the wet cell stock battery (very flammable) with a new AGM (dry cell) battery (non- flammable) with more CCA power (Cold Cranking Amps).



I also had the mechanic pull all four brake pads to clean and re-lube the brake pad guides with better silicon gel (Wacker Silgel lube) rather than the blue factory Bendix grease. My Mazdaspeed6 had Ford brakes and the brake pads would stick to the brake pad guides and cause the rotors to wear unevenly. I learned a money saving maintenance trick with the Mazda and had the brake pad guides cleaned and lubed with Silgel lube. We were shocked to find that the factory grease on the guides had already hardened and had lost all lubricating properties.

[N2Bluz]

I figured you would have got an SHO.

I felt bad because I spent $600 a couple weeks ago to have all 4 ball joints replaced on my F250. I don't mind spending money on it....it has 210K miles on it, but will easily go another 100K. I just hate paying someone else to work on my car. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I had no time to do it, it was cold, rain/snow and I was NOT gonna drive my Mustang in the salt & snow. Plus, I just collected $1300 in November because a girl ran into the back of my F250 at a stop light and bent my bumper, LOL. I paid $800 for the truck in 2010, drove it 80K miles, collected $1300 from insurance and put a $50 used bumper back on it. I also bought a $200 set of good used tires for it and had new 3" cat-back exhaust installed with the rest of the money.

[itchie]

sh!t like this makes me never by mazda

they are made to look nice on the outside ....thats about it

[late8]

I figured you would have got an SHO.

I felt bad because I spent $600 a couple weeks ago to have all 4 ball joints replaced on my F250. I don't mind spending money on it....it has 210K miles on it, but will easily go another 100K. I just hate paying someone else to work on my car. Unfortunately, I had no choice. I had no time to do it, it was cold, rain/snow and I was NOT gonna drive my Mustang in the salt & snow. Plus, I just collected $1300 in November because a girl ran into the back of my F250 at a stop light and bent my bumper, LOL. I paid $800 for the truck in 2010, drove it 80K miles, collected $1300 from insurance and put a $50 used bumper back on it. I also bought a $200 set of good used tires for it and had new 3" cat-back exhaust installed with the rest of the money.

Hi Brian. Thanks for sharing your saga with the F250. I'm glad it was just the bumper that sustained the damage and I'm glad you didn't get hurt.

No SHO for me. Reason being is I did some research and found that the 2006 Mazdaspeed6's engine, the 2.3 liter DISI MZR, was a joint development venture between Mazda and Ford from 2003 to 2010. Ford at the time owned 33% of Mazda. Ford still owns the rights to this engine platform and has developed it under the Duratec Z-Engine and L-Engine platforms and branded it as the Ford Eco-Boost engine. The SHO's Eco-Boost 3.5 liter twin turbo all wheel drive platform is the predecessor to the Mazdaspeed6's MZR engine design.

The death sentence for my Mazdaspeed6 was the Direct Injection (DI) technology that came out of the joint development between both companies and it lives in Ford's EcoBoost engine today. DI engine fuel injectors are located below the intake valves. This design keeps the cylinder cooler as the fuel is sprayed directly into the cylinder and supposedly provides better gas mileage.



As a result of this design, carbon builds up on the intake valves and causes the engine to misfire at random times. The #4 cylinder in the Mazdaspeed6 was misfiring as indicated by the PCM's error code. Here's and example of the carbon build up from a DI engine.



The 2015 Ford Taurus I purchased has the bulletproof 3.5 liter 6 cylinder Duratec naturally aspired engine that Ford developed in 1993. Unlike the DI engine, the 3.5 Duratec has the fuel injector located at the top of the intake valves. The fuel spray washes the valves clean of any carbon build up and avoids the costly clean up of DI engines.



In 2011, Ford launched the Eco-Boost engine in the Ford F150. As of today, Ford dealers have their hands full with issues surrounding random misfires, loss of power under load, and the engine going into "limp mode" due to detonation. Ford found condensation and water pooling up in the turbo intercooler and as a result engines were hydro-locking during normal driving.

A simple flapper installed in the inter cooler was the fix and Technicial Service Bulletins were issued to correct this problem on the early F150s. Carbon build up will be the next major issue Ford will have to address when these vehicles start reaching the 35k-45k mileage milestone.

I learned my lesson and will stay clear of the Ford Eco-Boost engine or any other Direct Injection technology for that matter. The auto industry needs to figure this out. Mercedes, BMW, Nissan/Infiniti and Lexus have DI in all of their marque lines. Repair work beyond the standard warranty plan will come at the cost of the owner.

[N2Bluz]

You are correct about the DI design. Most ALL manufacturers have struggled with the carbon buildup problem on DI. The kicker is that the standard "induction wash" cleaning method used on a NA engine is a BAAAAD idea on a turbo engine. Last I heard, the only factory approved fix for carbon buildup on an Ecoboost is cylinder head replacement.

[late8]

You are correct about the DI design. Most ALL manufacturers have struggled with the carbon buildup problem on DI. The kicker is that the standard "induction wash" cleaning method used on a NA engine is a BAAAAD idea on a turbo engine. Last I heard, the only factory approved fix for carbon buildup on an Ecoboost is cylinder head replacement.

Whoa... cylinder head replacement? Oh my my! The BMW dealers have devised a walnut shell blaster that has a special vacuum nozzle attachment which is the same diameter as the intake runner. The walnut shells are dumped into a sand blaster unit and a hose is inserted into each intake runner to blast away the carbon while the vacuum sucks out the debris. Cost at the dealer is roughly around $350-$450.

[wOOdshedd]

Been through plenty car issues in the past..til I picked up my baby here.. 2012 FUSION SEL V6. Last year before the design overhaul and last year with V6 mill as an option. All the toys in this car!!



Couldn't resist posting this.

[late8]

Been through plenty car issues in the past..til I picked up my baby here.. 2012 FUSION SEL V6. Last year before the design overhaul and turbo 4cyl..




Couldn't resist posting this.

Nice Fusion! Thanks for posting. I like this model better than the current model. The 2012 Fusion is based on the same underpinnings as the 2012 Mazda6, the CD3 platform, which the Lincoln MKZ also shares.

By the way, here's the actual picture of my Mazdaspeed6's #4 cylinder intake valves at 120,000 miles. I drove it like this for another 97,000 miles before the PCM failure

[BonzaiTree]

Just found and read this entire thread.
So sorry to hear about the Speed 6 Rich, they are very cool cars!

I'm a 4WD turbo freak so I'm a big fan.
I have a 2009 WRX that was a total NIGHTMARE on repairs and is currently sitting waiting for funds for a head rebuild--this is after replacing the short block with a brand new factory unit.

It was a ton of fun and a direct competitor to your speed 6 though--I had a few basic mods done to it and was dyno'd at 294awhp and 304awtq.



And then I bought a new WRX, lol. A 2016 in Dark Grey Metallic:

[late8]

Just found and read this entire thread.
So sorry to hear about the Speed 6 Rich, they are very cool cars!

I'm a 4WD turbo freak so I'm a big fan.
I have a 2009 WRX that was a total NIGHTMARE on repairs and is currently sitting waiting for funds for a head rebuild--this is after replacing the short block with a brand new factory unit.

It was a ton of fun and a direct competitor to your speed 6 though--I had a few basic mods done to it and was dyno'd at 294awhp and 304awtq.



And then I bought a new WRX, lol. A 2016 in Dark Grey Metallic:

Very nice car Bonzai! WRX with that boxer engine is flat out...a monster. Those Subbies ate the MS6 for lunch all day long. Congrats on the new WRX. I was looking at the 2016 Subaru Legacy AWD 3.6 liter before I pulled the trigger on the Taurus. My wife felt more comfortable in the bigger sized Ford. I had a hard time to try and convince her to go for an import again. The Mazda has cursed us!

[N2Bluz]

Whoa... cylinder head replacement? Oh my my! The BMW dealers have devised a walnut shell blaster that has a special vacuum nozzle attachment which is the same diameter as the intake runner. The walnut shells are dumped into a sand blaster unit and a hose is inserted into each intake runner to blast away the carbon while the vacuum sucks out the debris. Cost at the dealer is roughly around $350-$450.

Yeah, I don't completely understand the replacement option. I can understand not allowing any cleaning methods while the engine is in tact, but if you pull the head, then why not clean it up. Plus, if it's out of warranty, why would Ford care? Maybe they have changed their status since last time I talked to a Ford tech. I suspect they've doubled down on the DI approach, so they're a little protective of the Ecoboost until they get things sorted out.

[N2Bluz]

I'm a little apprehensive about the new engine shutdown/stop feature that many new vehicles are going to. Most engine wear occurs at startup....why would I want my engine to shut off every time I stop?? I wonder what issues that will develop over the course of 100K miles.

[late8]

Yeah, I don't completely understand the replacement option. I can understand not allowing any cleaning methods while the engine is in tact, but if you pull the head, then why not clean it up. Plus, if it's out of warranty, why would Ford care? Maybe they have changed their status since last time I talked to a Ford tech. I suspect they've doubled down on the DI approach, so they're a little protective of the Ecoboost until they get things sorted out.

The major complaint I keep finding is that the EcoBoost engine has issues concerning shaking and spurting engines.

Quote:

"Three Ford owners are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company's 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine is defective and can shake, misfire and lose power at highway speeds. The suit charges that the defect can cause moisture to build up in the enginer's intercooler, which can cause the engine to run poorly under acceleration, when the moisture is sucked into the engine. In February, Consumer Reports magazine was highly critical of turbo-charged engines, including the EcoBoost, saying they often fail to return the acceleration and fuel economy.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Eastern Division in Columbus, charges that Ford has known of the problem for some time because it has published several technical service bulletins about the problem, Automotive News reported. Vehicles affected by the alleged defect include the popular F-150 pickup, the Ford Flex crossover, Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKT and MKS sedan from various model years. The engine was introduced in 2009

Two of the plaintiffs in the suit say their 2010 Ford Taurus SHO lost power and stalled several times. Another plaintiff says his F-150 pickup lost power while accelerating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received nearly 100 complaints about the engine, the lawsuit states."

"I have the Taurus SHO with the EcoBoost engine. The vehicle occasionally shudders when accelerating. ... It will 'miss' and then 'catch' and accelerate when pressing the gas pedal," the Ford owner said. "I took the vehicle to the dealer in December 2012 and they claimed they could not replicate the issue. They indicated no awareness that this was a 'known issue' with the car." NHTSA has not opened a defect investigation and Ford has not issued a recall ."


End of Quote~

[inthpktplayer]

Wow. Too bad you've spent so much on this. At some point isn't there a diminishing returns thing going on here? You've prolly spent more on that car than its actually worth.

[late8]

Wow. Too bad you've spent so much on this. At some point isn't there a diminishing returns thing going on here? You've prolly spent more on that car than its actually worth.

I tried to convince the wife of this a few years back but it was futile. I dare not say "I told you so" but the look on my face as we drove onto the car lot said it all.

[SpazApproved]

Wanna talk about spending more than the cars worth... I did that and then some hahaha I have more into the engine than what I paid for the car. oops... oh well

[N2Bluz]

Spaz, at least you're getting something for your money (i.e. better performance, handling, aesthetics, durability, etc.). Nothing more irritating (to me) than being required to spend money just to keep the car functioning and usable. But, I can spend money on performance parts I don't really need and it doesn't bother me. It's kinda screwed up, but only a gearhead understands. How do I explain to the wife that although the factory 3.27 gears are perfectly fine, I MUST spend the money to swap in a set of 4.10's.........because it will decrease the fuel mileage, make the car louder at a highway cruise, require more shifting in town driving.......BUT pull harder on the rare times she's not with me and I decide to break the traffic laws?

[longgun]

traffic laws?

Traffic Laws? What are those?

[N2Bluz]

Traffic Laws? What are those?

those driving rules that my wife is constantly reminding me of when I'm driving and she's a passenger, but she pays no attention to when she's driving