boost leak?

[nw1143]

So I have been experiencing some wierd issues with my car. It's a 2011 and I get a hesitation and surging while under light acceleration or while going up hill. Under full throttle it seems fine but if your not beating the pants off it it drives weird. The rpms fluctuate like it cant pick a gear. I have scoured the Internet for a fix. I drained the intercooler, cleaned all the sensors, replaced plugs, had the dealer run diagnostics for a miss/possibly bad injector or coil pack but nothing showed up. After reading it seems like it may be a boost leak somewhere or tansmission sensor. I'm getting annoyed with it because all the speed limits are 40 around here and that's right when i start getting the surging. Also if the rpms start fluctuating and i apply more gas I get a nasty shake like the tranny is slipping. Any advise or troubleshooting would be appreciated. I just want to have the car running normal. It hasn't since I bought it and I want to experience the greatness that this car has to offer.

 

[SHOdded]

You have checked all turbo & intake piping for cracks/loose clamps? There might be telltale signs of oil/dirt accumulation where there is an issue. There is a small possibility that there's a problem with one of the wastegates, but not enough yet to throw a code.

 

[nw1143]

I looked mildly at all the piping. I'm going to do a smoke test on Thursday to make it definitive about a boost leak. Do you think that would be the reasoning behind the violent shake?

 

[SHOdded]

It's possible, if the pressure is not being built consistently. It would be like you getting on and off the throttle multiple times in rapid succession.

 

[nw1143]

Ok I'm hoping that's the issue. I'll find out Thursday. Is there an easy tell if the turbo has gone bad or is it going to be trial and error?

 

[SHOdded]

Not sure on what a bad turbo would show up as. It could be oil smoke out the exhaust (seal failure), grinding/ whining sounds (failed bearings), etc. IF there's a lot of carbon buildup on the blades, I imagine that would cause issues as well. Other than boroscoping or pulling the turbo, probably not many ways to verify.

 

[nw1143]

Ok just going to cross my fingers and hope it's a boost leak

 

[13blacksho]

Ok just going to cross my fingers and hope it's a boost leak

Just an idea... My "noise maker" was not sealing properly giving me a noticable boost leak. Once I removed it and capped the while it was perfect.

 

[nw1143]

This may be a dumb question but by noise maker do you mean blow off valve? Or that wierd low pressure blow off by the throttle body?

 

[13blacksho]

This may be a dumb question but by noise maker do you mean blow off valve? Or that wierd low pressure blow off by the throttle body?

It's that waste of plastic right before the throttle body.

 

[nw1143]

I can just remove that and block that off? I'm still running an all stock tune.

 

[13blacksho]

I can just remove that and block that off? I'm still running an all stock tune.

You can, the Flex and Lincoln MKS don't even have that part.

 

[twbyard]

My 2010 exhibited this behavior because of the wire chaffing issue:
http://www.shoforum.com/index.php?threads/inspect-your-wires-for-chaffing.118283/page-2#post-1416549

A wire to the knock sensor shorts on the intake and gives the ECM a false signal.

 

[Daniel P Cummings]

I having the same problem with mine I have done spark plug and check fuel pressure. It shakes and rpm goes up and down

 

[nw1143]

Hey I have been meaning to get back to this. I got mine fixed. The torque converter was messed up. It also compromised the valve body so after 2 long weeks of no car I got it back with a new tranny. They scrapped the whole thing and put a new one in with a new torque converter and warranty. I was hoping it was small but atleast its fixed and at no cost to me.

 

[Hebes10]

Hey I have been meaning to get back to this. I got mine fixed. The torque converter was messed up. It also compromised the valve body so after 2 long weeks of no car I got it back with a new tranny. They scrapped the whole thing and put a new one in with a new torque converter and warranty. I was hoping it was small but atleast its fixed and at no cost to me.

How was it not cost to you ? Isn't a 2011 out of warranty?

 

[nw1143]

The dealership I bought it from has a "forever warranty" on their cars as long as you keep up with a regular service. I only had the car for 1 month before I started having problems so I tried plugs, then checked for boost leaks, then checked the knock sensor wire. Everything was fine so I had the car looked at by the dealership and they found metal in the tranny fluid and took it apart to find it all messed up. So the "forever warranty" covered all the internally lubricated and put a new one in.

 

[Pintony]

That is GREAT news nw1143!!!
Fantastic that Ford figured it out and fixed it FREE!!!!

 

[SHOdded]

How many miles on your SHO, nw? Transmission failures (at least catastrophic ones) on the 6F55 are rare. Glad the warranty took care of it.

 

[nw1143]

I only have 45k so I was surprised that it wasn't something small. I'm thinking the previous owner beat this poor car up because i took it in for an inspection and i need a lower control arm, a tie rod and some other links in the rear all replaced. Came to about $1000 all said and done. Was not happy so now I'm waiting on the dealership to let me know if they are going to replace that for me also since the car went through a pre-sale inspection and supposedly passed also they realigned everything once they finished putting the tranny in so they had to have noticed things were not right. I'm a good driver and don't smash *** holes or jump curbs so I find it hard to believe I destroyed all those components in less than a month of driving plus where I'm at all the roads are covered in snow so it's pretty smooth sailing around town.