Datalogging an EcoBoost

[ctechbob]

These are two charts, a month apart of almost the same drive from our place to the foothills of the North GA Mountains. Circa 90 degree days both.

Truck is a 2020 Ford Ranger with the 2.3L EcoBoost and 10R80 transmission, just like its big brother F150's. Only difference is that the Ranger uses a different torque converter.

Trailer is a 2022 Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DJSE.

We're loaded to a hair under 6000 pounds.

From Last weekend:

Interactive chart - https://datazap.me/u/ctechbob/log-1693270392?log=0&data=2-3-4-5-6-7&solo=5

End of July Trip

Interactive Chart - https://datazap.me/u/ctechbob/log-1690927853?log=0&data=1-2-3-4-5-6&solo=4

A few things of note:

- I don't know why the altitude scales different from chart to chart, it should be the same but, IDK what's up with it and haven't bothered to look.

About midway through the trip there is a fairly long 6% grade that we climb at highway speed, and then right at the top there is a 45 MPH speed zone and a red light. I ALWAYS hit the redlight. This is the part of the trip where the trans temp gains the most, reaching its maximum of 225 degrees. As soon as we start moving, the temp drops back down into the 210's.

On chart #2, at about 3/4 of the way, there's an outside temp drop of about 20 deg. This is a rainstorm, the cooling stack gets some help and the trans temp falls off around 10 deg.

I still want to dig the engine fan command % out of the data somehow. I might have to use Forscan for that.

Is there a point to this post?

Pretty graphics and charts, it satisfies my ASD slightly.

Also, Ford actually did a pretty good job with the cooling stack in this truck. Everything runs right where it should be, even when the truck is working hard and really burning through the fuel. We're not climbing the rockies, that much is true, but this powertrain just works, and works well.

 

[Wayne]

Good thing you said that there is a red light near the top of the climb, because I was going nuts trying to figure out how the boost and coolant temp could go down before the peak of the climb!

The data clearly shows the heat in the torque converter when the converter is not locked. It's interesting!

Peak boost looks like it's about 20psi for this engine? That seems like a lot for a TGDI, but I don't know much about them.

Ford actually did a pretty good job with the cooling stack in this truck.

Yes, it sure looks like it. Better maybe than the 3.5 Ecoboost? I've read some pretty awful stories online about people towing with the 3.5 and they can't keep them from overheating.

 

[ctechbob]

Converter on the 10R80's is locked in anything over 3rd gear for the most part. The temp climb at the top of the climb is just due to the radiator already being hot and the trans has nowhere to shed the heat until the fan comes on and you start moving again and the coolant drops back down. That's really just about the only time you see the temp rise in the trans is when you're either crawling through traffic or stopped at a light in gear.

Peak boost from what I've seen is right at 21-22psi.

 

[ctechbob]

Some things from the first chart, some of them are the same in the second.

This big temp dip is where we stopped for lunch at the Blazers Hot Wings just outside of Banks crossing on GA441. I snipped the hours worth of no data out of the chart before uploading. If you look at the speed graph (olive) you can see, Highway speed, stop, slower speed, stop, slower speed, stop, back to highway speed.

This is coming off the highway and flipping a u-turn, driving the 1/4 mile to the restaraunt and stopping. Then leaving the restaurant, driving another 1/4 mile, another u-turn, and then back on the highway up to speed.

This is the section of 4-lane highway from the Blazers Hot Wings to the red-light that I ALWAYS hit at the junction of Willingham Ave and GA441. Long highway speed climb and then STOP, another short run up to 45mph and then STOP for the second light.

We're making a little more heat this trip, it was a warmer day, and I'd decided to keep a more agressive speed and work the truck harder, just because.

This is from the July 28th chart. Same highway, same climb, same stupid redlights, same temp rise in the trans as we hit the red lights.

This is the rainstorm. Ambient (Purple) drops about 20 degrees and pulls the trans down right along with it. We're still climbing grades and working the truck at this point.

Can anyone tell that I'm doing everything EXCEPT the work I should be doing tonight sitting at my desk?

 

[Wayne]

Can anyone tell that I'm doing everything EXCEPT the work I should be doing tonight sitting at my desk?

Data is interesting, keep it coming!

 

[ctechbob]

#1 I can't believe I forgot to turn on the altitude capture, grrr...

This is a snippet of the drive back from Bryson City today. There is a portion of the route that is an 8% grade for a couple of miles and I got to play around a little with the truck and trailer.

datazap.me | ctechbob | Log 1707685699

datazap.me

We started the first part of the climb at ~60mph and I went pedal-to-the-plastic for a bit ultimately reaching 65 mph (speed limit) before having to back off for traffic. The second circle is much the same after we'd cleared traffic and started another climb, going from about 50mph to 60mph.

According to the allstays map: (We were in the southbound lane)

Full Datalog here:

datazap.me | ctechbob | Log 1707685699

datazap.me

 

[Wayne]

We started the first part of the climb at ~60mph and I went pedal-to-the-plastic for a bit ultimately reaching 65 mph (speed limit) before having to back off for traffic. The second circle is much the same after we'd cleared traffic and started another climb, going from about 50mph to 60mph.

I sure looks like Ford did a good job of engineering the engine cooling system on this motor. I've read that the 3.5L Ecoboost can have serious problems staying cool.

 

[MSCH]

Converter on the 10R80's is locked in anything over 3rd gear for the most part. The temp climb at the top of the climb is just due to the radiator already being hot and the trans has nowhere to shed the heat until the fan comes on and you start moving again and the coolant drops back down. That's really just about the only time you see the temp rise in the trans is when you're either crawling through traffic or stopped at a light in gear.

Peak boost from what I've seen is right at 21-22psi.

it depends on where they read trans temps exactly what you are going to see, so what exactly is normal depends on the brand of trans and sensor placement.

.. yeah, when you get in traffic after heavy use, and the temps climb it is more of a heat soak think going on than anything actually going wrong. Happened to be in Wilderness battlefield VA, 95 degrees ambient, heavy stop and go traffic... 68RFE gets up to about 190F.... soon as I hit the expressway it was right back down into the 170's as soon as I got some airflow... Same thing will apply in reverse when you've been steady cruising and then you pull off the highway and all the heat rejection goes backwards and into the trans cooler and you get this temp climb. Completely normal.

 

[MSCH]

I'm trying to think of some of the more severe mountain passes and grades I have pulled a trailer over.

Granite Pass in Wyoming was pretty impressive (US14)
so is MacDonald Pass in Montana.(US12)
highest I have taken a trailer over is the Falls River Pass in Colorado. ( almost 12000 feet) but the road (US 34) is so winding and you go so slow it doesn't seem all that steep. Its also one of the sort of roads where you don't dare look over the side or you will realize that if you mess up it's about one thousand feet before you are going to come to a stop.


good thing about any hard climb is you find out what your tow rig is made out of.
I generally turn off the display of temps when I do these sort of drives.
I don't want to know.

 

[Wayne]

highest I have taken a trailer over is the Falls River Pass in Colorado. ( almost 12000 feet) but the road (US 34) is so winding and you go so slow it doesn't seem all that steep. Its also one of the sort of roads where you don't dare look over the side or you will realize that if you mess up it's about one thousand feet before you are going to come to a stop.

That's Trail Ridge Road that goes through Rock Mountain NP. We live about 40 miles from there and have driven the road many times. If you pulled your trailer over that road, then you have serious stones. I'm not sure I'd be willing to.

I have not pulled Granite Pass or MacDonald Pass, but have looked at them on the map. Both appear to be a pretty tough pull.

We have pulled Vail and Loveland Passes many times and the roads are much less windy than Granite or MacDonald, but the grades are steep and long. You just gotta understand energy management, else the energy will manage you right over the edge. Those passes are not to be trifled with. Can you imagine people with no pulling experience trying get safely down one of those grades?

 

[ctechbob]

I generally turn off the display of temps when I do these sort of drives.
I don't want to know.

Lol, my brain won't let me do that. I have to know.

I had a bit of a moment on the way back from Cape San Blas last fall where I'd overfilled the 10R80 just slightly on accident and ran enough at elevated speeds on I75 that it caused a huge temp spike and blew a bunch of fluid out of it. Scared me to death. Apparently, they are super sensitive to being overfilled.

 

[MSCH]

That's Trail Ridge Road that goes through Rock Mountain NP. We live about 40 miles from there and have driven the road many times. If you pulled your trailer over that road, then you have serious stones. I'm not sure I'd be willing to.

I have not pulled Granite Pass or MacDonald Pass, but have looked at them on the map. Both appear to be a pretty tough pull.

We have pulled Vail and Loveland Passes many times and the roads are much less windy than Granite or MacDonald, but the grades are steep and long. You just gotta understand energy management, else the energy will manage you right over the edge. Those passes are not to be trifled with. Can you imagine people with no pulling experience trying get safely down one of those grades?

Wayne, since you know what it looks like a the Alpine Visitor Center.. this one is for you. as far as descending any steep grade, I manually select a gear range that requires me to keep my foot on the gas pedal to go downhill. It is that EZ.. I want that thing running 2500 rpm downhill, that way if I let off the pedal I get full exhaust brake. Engine management system isn't smart enough for these sort of roads.

I forgot about any of the stuff west of RMNP, in 2016 we came across CO from the west side from Vernal UT on US 40 and then switched to US 34 in the middle of CO, some climbs which was pretty severe as far as climbing grades go.

 

[MSCH]

Lol, my brain won't let me do that. I have to know.

I had a bit of a moment on the way back from Cape San Blas last fall where I'd overfilled the 10R80 just slightly on accident and ran enough at elevated speeds on I75 that it caused a huge temp spike and blew a bunch of fluid out of it. Scared me to death. Apparently, they are super sensitive to being overfilled.

that's why they put a breather on the transmission so it lets the extra fluid out..

seriously, I used to sit there watching the display and spending too much time looking at those numbers... which is sort of the opposite of having an old fashioned gage, where it is just pointer that is sort of in the middle which means everything is OK...
these electronics are actually a form of TMI.
I remember being out west and the ambients were hot, and the truck was periodically running 220 on coolant temps and 240 on oil temps, knowing in my head 225F is considered overheating, and 280F is considered hi oil temp on a Cummins ISB and wondering why the fan isn't kicking on.... and just totally overthinking stuff like that, and gradually coming to the conclusion that this sucker is computer controlled so then I decided if the idiot light wasn't on, why worry about it so just turn off the graphic display and watch the road instead. .