9 years for the 4 cylinder Eco-boost

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Dec 31, 2017
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SE British Columbia, Canada
I noticed the new Ford Ranger has the 2.3 liter Eco-boost with 310 lb-ft of torque. I take it, the engine traces its development to the 2.0 Eco-Tech in the 2011 Ford Explorer and then being upped in displacement to 2.3 liters in 2016. Basically the engine has been around for 9 years. So what's the verdict on this engine? Is it reliable? Anyone hear of stories of them with 200,000 miles? I haven't really paid much attention to them but since they are in the new Ranger my interest has increased. Your input would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
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If the Mazda variant is to be counted, it's been around for a bit longer than that.

Some of the 2.3 in the Focus had head gasket issues because the wrong head gasket was used from the factory. The 2.0 has been rock solid. 1.6 and 1.5 versions had some issues not necessarily related to anything with GTDI.

Ford definitely figureed it out.
 
The Ecoboost 2.3 debuted in 2015 for the Ford Mustang, some Lincolns and the Focus RS hot hatch. The Ranger 2.3 is a direct descendant from the Focus RS which produced 350hp and 350lb torque. Don't think too much if anything was carried over from the old Eco-Tech engine. (Even the Ecoboost 2.0 had a major retooling after only 4 years with new twin scroll turbos and integrated exhaust manifold and other changes.)

The Ecoboost line seems to be well designed engines that with regular maintenance lasts a long time. The Rangers 10 speed transmission which is pretty much the same as in the F150 should really last a long time in the lighter truck. I'm seriously looking at the Ranger in a year or two to pull a small camper when I retire. The F150 etc. are just getting too big for my tastes.

Some reading I came across.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/detroit-auto-show/a15840269/ford-focus-rs-ranger-engine/
 
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^^^ our F150 is a good machine but I agree, there's a lot of unneccessary steel to drive around in every day. I think the 2.3EB Ranger is in a sweet spot. At some point we will no longer need the fullsize for towing, and if a truck is still a thing for us, the Ranger might do nicely. I've also been eyeing just getting a used sedan for daily use, but having an extra car annoys me from a financial point of view. It ages and depreciates and costs insurance while it sits there fading in the sun... It's cheaper to just drive the 150 daily....
 
Updating to 2022. Any further observations on the longevity of these engines? They’re still available in 2022 and made at the Cleveland engine plant.

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30k and 2 years on mine and it is running just fine.

Granted, due to circumstances, the wife is currently driving the truck and the TL has come out of its 'semi-retired' status and is back in for my daily driver.
 
I believe the design is a typical open deck block design. This can lead to head gasket problems when pushing the HP beyond the 500HP range. Other than that, it's a very robust design, with a superb cylinder head. The engine takes a "tune" very well, and I suggest that all owners do a quality tune. It eliminates some crazy programming by Ford and make the engine a whole bunch more pleasant.

But you will notice there is no slot between the cylinders on the later model 2.3, this is where other Ford Ecoboost engines develop problems. The later 2.3 has no such "built in" problems. It is a very strong design, made with excellent quality parts.

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