GDI Engines Worth It?

[LSchicago]

Not a fan of just GDI. Really like Dual injection. Runs of port injection at idle, and switched to DI on demand.

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[TheSEARCH]

I posted actual videos of pretty severe carbon buildup, of course it's an issue considering how much money Ford spent replacing cylinder heads to address carbon buildup in the old Focus ST that had a lot of issues with it. I was part of that community. There's a reason Ford has moved to a dual system of Port and Direct Injection on other engines and why other manufacturers are already using a dual system. Can people get lucky with their driving habits and go 100k miles without running into an issue? Sure but there are plenty of customers who have had degraded idle/performance and fuel mileage as a result of carbon build up. Most people are just ignorant and probably couldn't pull the intake manifold off to check let alone clean their valves if they wanted to. If it wasn't an issue why did Ford change the 2024 Escape 2.0 to a direct and port injection system?

No argument from me, I agree. I wonder if they will install the port injection on this engine in the future.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

No argument from me, I agree. I wonder if they will install the port injection on this engine in the future.

Two years ago I would have said there's too little profit margin in the Maverick but now with all these year over year price increases we could see it in 2025. I've walnut shell blasted my valves every 30k miles in my last two 2.0 ecoboost motors and while it's not a terrible job to do I would still love to not have to do it.

 

[notfast]

Just ignore these wannabe experts, use the lowest octane top-tier fuel and the recommended spec for the low volatility oil, and drive it normally. It will not carbon up.

Unless you authored a peer-reviewed study, welcome to the "wannabe experts" club, AKA an Internet forum full of anecdotes that may or may not have actually occurred.

The technology is light years ahead of the carburetored engines you and I grew up with.

I took my '72 Ford F-100 with a 300 inline to an old timer because I couldn't get it to run under load without stumbling. The old timer took a mechanic's stethoscope, tinkered with the carburetor for maybe ten minutes, and told me it was fixed.

RedRider, thanks for the top tier fuel info. Lucky, after checking for stations in my zip code area, there’s a ton of stations nearby. Now I gotta look for the top tier logo/sticker at the pumps.

I think fresh fuel is just as important. I drove fuel tankers for a bit. Some stations on our route got deliveries 2 times a week (Costco) while others got deliveries once a month (neighborhood stations).

 

[Oscarcat]

Armchair philospher here. When all is said and done, my conclusion is "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch". What we save in fuel with this efficient and powerful little gem of a GDI 2.0L EB we ultimately spend on mystery additives, more frequent oil changes and walnut shells used to blast the carbon off our valves. Did I get that right?

 

[710-oil-614]

Gas quality has nothing to do with valve buildup, it's direct injection, the fuel gets injected directly into the cylinders and never touches the top side of the valves. There will be carbon buildup after about 30k miles, severe if you change oil less frequently, use an inferior oil or have certain driving habits/routines. When it gets bad you'll experience a cylinder miss or possibly a loss of compression. How do I know? I clean my valves every 30k and there is ALWAYS buildup. I will be sure to take photos of my next cleaning in about 12k miles but you can easily do your own google search or watch videos on youtube.

How do you clean your valves?

EDIT: I see you mentioned walnut blasting. Are you actually doing this yourself? If it is possible to DIY it is definitely something I would do every 30-45k miles.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

How do you clean your valves?

EDIT: I see you mentioned walnut blasting. Are you actually doing this yourself? If it is possible to DIY it is definitely something I would do every 30-45k miles.

I do it myself, for me it's an easy job thanks to the fact that the intake valves are on the front side of the engine. I already had a suitable compressor and the handheld media blaster was about $50 at harbor freight. I designed my own nozzle with a 3d printed adapter and flared piece of aluminum tube that goes into the harbor freight media blasting gun. The most difficult part is making sure that the cylinder you're working on is at TDC so the valves are completely closed. All that being said I don't really recommend this for your typical home "mechanic" and normally shops charge from $300 to $500 to do this. I will post a how to in about 12k miles when I do it for the first time on the Maverick.

 

[TacoTanium]

Hopefully they'll have duel injection in the near future for these. A ford will break down sooner than normal giving the opportunity to trade in for one.

 

[shark978]

Not running cheap poor quality gas will help too. Just keep up on oil changes at 5k miles (ignore the non-sense in the manual) and you'll be fine.

Ignore this NONSENSE. Change the oil no less than every 1k miles IMO. If not more often would be my preference. Your Mav will thank you. It cant hurt I'll put it that way, but it sure can help.

 

[CajunMick]

Ignore this NONSENSE. Change the oil no less than every 1k miles IMO. If not more often would be my preference. Your Mav will thank you. It cant hurt I'll put it that way, but it sure can help.

I don’t think will change every 1k miles. Maybe every 3k mikes, like back in 60’s.

My Maverick is new. I plan to have oil/filter changed at about 1k miles, after I draw oil sample, send to lab for initial analysis. Prob will see metals, indications of new engine wear. And maybe fuel dilution? I have a vacuum kit to draw oil out of the crankcase thru the dipstick tube.

We mostly drive short local trips. Hence, I have the habit to change oil each fall and late spring times. Like to have fresh oil for winters and summer times. In these southern parts, winters often presents moisture on those cold starts. Any short trips to stores during winter not get oil warmed up. Summers means hotter ambient.

Using this scheme, our vehicles engines have lasted 10+ yrs.

Have regularly used Ford dealer Quick Change service center. And watch for The Works coupons. I also don’t let them have free rein when I bring my vehicles. I check, double check those service mgrs, making sure of proper oil, filters they may use. I found they don’t always follow Ford maintenance plan in the manuals. One mgr suggested rear end lube change on my F250 SRW at its 45k miLes service. I query him. Told him to pull up Ford truck plan. Taught him that the Dana dualie rear suggest lube change at 45k, whereas the Sterling SRW requires change at 100k miles! Similar for the transmission. Got to be educated, watch these guys.

 

[GtiDude]

Owner of 3 GTIs ranging from early aughts to '19. The earlier DI engines did have some issues but those have long since been fixed. Carbon cleaning gets done whenever the car's feeling a little sluggish (about every second time I change plugs) and it's no biggie. I've taken those motors to 200k+. I wouldn't cross off a purchase of a Mav bc of direct injection. It actually does help to give it some spirited revs from time to time btw.

 

[Bob The Builder]

I live in a drinkwater that still uses wood fired computers and a string and two tin cans to communicate and I have exactly 100 top tier gas stations within a 25 mile radius of my house. No excuse not to use top tier gas in the Mav. Initial oil change at 1 - 1.5K miles and then every 3.5K max with Mobil One advanced.

Now, don't sweat it, just drive the Maverick and enjoy your awesome EcoBeast engine. I would fully expect yours to be every bit as much fun to drive as mine.

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