Ford's auto stop start

Status
Not open for further replies.
buck91

buck91

Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
3,552
Location
West Michigan
Whats the forum opinion on the start-stop "technology" out there? Specifically, as Ford has implemented it in their 2.7L ecoboost... Is it worth spending the money on a Magnusson Act complaint device? I know FORScan can do it, but this vehicle will be under warranty.
 
If you have a trailer hitch and put a trailer hitch tester in the port it thinks it's towing and it will disable the feature.

I'm not a fan personally as I think it's just add's wear/tear to the starter and the fuel savings are minuscule unless you do a ton of idling. But it's really something you have to try and see if it's for you. I'm not saying it's bad or good, I just find it annoying but that is a preference.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Colt
I hate it. You can press a button to turn it off but it defaults on every start.


Ditto. I turn it off every trip now.
 
I see the luddites are out in full force again as usual on this board.

I've got it on my 2016 F150 with the 2.7. It works fine and I've had no issues with it in the 40,000 miles I've owned the truck. As far as these systems go, most reviewers on vehicles have noted it to be one of the best implementations of a system on any reviewed vehicle if that tells you anything...

I've found it to be extremely easy to manipulate the brake pedal pressure to have it either engage or not engage if I don't want it too. The system monitors the brake pedal pressure to make this decision.

If its really hot out, the system will not engage either due to ambient air temp if hot enough or if the A/C is calling for running. If the A/C isn't engaged high enough, it will shut off, and restart again after the cabin warms slightly.

If its really cold out, it does not engage when calling for lots of heat in the climate controls. In practice, anytime the battery is below 41 degrees, it won't engage. Around here, mine has not been on for a week as a result.

If the defroster is on, it does not engage.

There are a boatload of other factors that will also turn the system off. More than I'd want cover here, but the above are often the big ones people cite.

I cannot physically move my foot fast enough from the brake pedal to the gas to catch the gas before the truck has restarted. Restarts are not the same as a cold start - there is some wizardry in the background that helps it start quicker than a cold start.

The system comes with an AGM battery that did not come on the other trucks without the start stop system. The starter is a different starter as well. (On the newer trucks, some of this differentiation has gone away since they all come with start stop standard)

I've got no complaints with it on my truck. In my typical driving, I've tried driving it with it off, and it resulted in noticeably higher fuel consumption. You will quickly realize how much time you spend at stoplights with the system if you live in an area with very many.

I have not seen any issues reported with battery or starter issues and its been standard on the F150 with the 2.7 going back to 2015 - and they've sold a ton of these. The latest numbers are showing it is actually the most installed engine in the F150 (though it is close between the two ecoboost options and 5.0).

Unless there is a specific reason you want it off (better than I just don't like the idea), I'd run with it.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC

I'm not a fan personally as I think it's just add's wear/tear to the starter and the fuel savings are minuscule unless you do a ton of idling.



I thought I read somewhere the starter system is completely different on these....

Like, no ring gear with a traditional geared starter
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by StevieC

I'm not a fan personally as I think it's just add's wear/tear to the starter and the fuel savings are minuscule unless you do a ton of idling.



I thought I read somewhere the starter system is completely different on these....

Like, no ring gear with a traditional geared starter

On my Highlander it was a conventional starter but it was beefier than the trim levels below it that didn't have this feature.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by MNgopher
I see the luddites are out in full force again as usual on this board.
Agreed. I have this system on both my Mercedes cars and the fuel savings are real and verifiable. As with the situation you describe on the Ford, the MB system has many variables it considers before engaging. I first experienced this system on a car I rented in the Netherlands years ago and initially it caused me to think there was a problem with the car, but it did not take long to understand its function. MB has had them for years and if they were that problematic, we would hear it everywhere.
 
Originally Posted by MNgopher
I see the luddites are out in full force again as usual on this board.



Classy and also a fallacy. If we don't like how it operates (and it certainly isn't perfect), maybe it isn't for us. It has nothing to do with not wanting to try a new technology.
 
It's annoying and I don't care about the minor gas savings. Like some other vehicles, I like a turn off all the time feature.
 
It saves gas if you drive where there's a lot of traffic lights.

I personally don't like it but respect those who do. IMO it causes increased wear in the starter and engine...since 80% of wear occurs at start [insert 50-page thread discussing these aspects here]

Glad it can be turned off, I'd be the Forescan guy and remove it permanently.
 
Originally Posted by Greggy_D
Classy and also a fallacy. If we don't like how it operates (and it certainly isn't perfect), maybe it isn't for us. It has nothing to do with not wanting to try a new technology.

If anyone takes offense, well, OK then. Nobody was called a name specifically. Stereotype a good chunk of this board, and its safe to say new automotive technologies are generally frowned upon, which meets the very definition of a luddite. Doesn't seem to matter what it is. When I joined, it was 5w20 oils. "Fake" synthetic oils. Lately, its GDI, TGDI, Auto Start Stop, Oil Change Algorithims, etc...

I even went out of the way at the end to say if your choice is to not use the system just because you don't like it, then I'd disagree with your choice. If you think these are terrible systems, why? What can't be engineered around? Written out with the programming (like the huge laundry list of items that will shut the system off for example). When folks come up with a reason, most of them have been dealt with in one way or fashion. When you point it out, it is often not good enough, and usually ends in a huff...

The OP asked for an opinion on this system on this specific truck. I own one, use it, and like it. Yes, I've adapted my driving style to the system. It provides quantifiable mileage gains in my use. Others may not see that, and I'm fine with that.
 
In my opinion it is the single worst automotive "innovation" I have encountered in owning 89 cars and trucks in the last 50 years. Even worse than the starter interlock seat belt fiasco.

We purchased a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee in Mar 2018 with the V-6 and ESS system. We despised the ESS system so much that we traded the POS (with only 1,800 miles on the clock) in on a 2018 GC with the 5.7L V-8 (and no ESS) in May 2018. Difference is like night and day. We love the new Jeep and it is a joy to drive.

The amount of gas saved by the system in miniscule at best. Both my wife and I would frequently forget to turn off the system every time we started the car and the engine would shut off at the first stop. Supremely irritating at least for us. If the system could be set to default to off as it does on my wife's BMW, then it would not have been an issue.

Don't take my word for it. Here are some links concerning engine stop start systems that you and others may find useful.

https://www.smartstopstart.com/general-stop-start-info.html
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by StevieC
If you have a trailer hitch and put a trailer hitch tester in the port it thinks it's towing and it will disable the feature.

I have read that, very interesting. I don't necessarily want the truck to go into tow mode all the time, but I wonder how that works and what it does. Would one of those trailer hitch brake lights suffice? Would it make the truck enter tow mode?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
Jeep Grand Cherokee L motor mounts!!
2
Replies
25
Views
996
jkasch
Wrenchturner44
Auto Start / Stop Defeators
2 3
Replies
42
Views
7K
jkasch
KrisZ
How aggressive is the Start/Stop in your vehicle?
2 3
Replies
44
Views
3K
JohnnyJohnson
N
Kirkland Synthetic vs. Valvoline Advanced Synthetic - 5w30 - Ford EB 2.0
2 3
Replies
48
Views
5K
Bill7
GON
GM to begin prevention of Apple carplay and Android Auto use in new models beginning in 2024
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
5K
Allaneddie
Back
Top