I've been very pleased with the used 2012 Ecoboost I purchased a week and a half ago, however one thing really bugs me. There are hidden winch kits which will mount a winch behind the center bumper opening, but not compatible with the Ecoboost because of the intercooler. I'm almost kicking myself for not getting a 5.0L now, but coming from a Powerstroke, I love the Ecoboost.

One solution is to install a Full Race intercooler, which moves the cooler up in front of the other coolers behind the main grille. Spendy, but would allow me to mount a winch. What do you all think of this? Should I be worried about voiding my warranty? My truck is a Ford Certified Pre-Owned, which comes with 12mo/12k comprehensive and 7yr/100k powertrain warranties. I also purchased a Ford CompleteCare 7yr/100k comprehensive warranty, but may still cancel that.

Maybe the Ford Service Rep will chime in

The only other option I see is to make a slide-in winch mount for the same area, but not near as elegant.

Full Race intercooler:
Ford F-150 EcoBoost Intercooler / CAC Upgrade Kit - Full-Race.com

Winch mount:
Winch Mounting Systems

Pretty sweet setup:

 

Interesting question Ean.

There is no such thing as a mod that completely voids a warranty. In order for a claim to be denied they have to have reason to believe that the mod caused the component failure. I don't know enough about the control systems behind these engines, but if the fuel and timing curves are based on a certain temperature delta then it could be reasonable that this could cause issues if the truck isn't tuned. And of course if you tune the truck as a result then they have yet another plausible culprit to blame a failure on.

Is a winch that important? Why not install a front hitch and use that to secure your winch?

Front Hitch by Draw-Tite for 2013 F-150 - 65061

 

I can't comment on the warranty/intercooler issue...but damn... that winch setup sure is sweet.

 

That looks like a great solution Tom and likely will hold more weight than any OE bumper mounted set-up.

 

That is a slick looking setup!

 

Thanks Tom. The name change threw me for a minute A winch isn't that important, until you need it and don't have it! The only problem I see with the slide-in type, is I won't have it on the truck all the time and might not have it when needed.

 

I'd go for that badass looking setup. So clean

 

Given the current history & issues involving the ecoboost engines (going back to Lincoln- pre F150 days) and the current investigation by the feds, I think I would hold off for just a bit until a clearer picture emerges.....just to ensure there are no questions in the event there becomes a benefit to you as a result of all this...........

 

Yeah, I won't be doing anything very quickly. Kinda wishing right now that I had gone with the 5.0L so this wasn't an issue, but really like the Ecoboost in all other areas.

 

For those of us not in the know, what are the issues with the ecoboost?

 

That setup looks awesome. The upgraded CAC is quite spendy though. As mentioned, they would need to prove the the aftermarket parts caused an issue to deny warranty claim. That's what the magnum moss warranty act protects. With that being said, I'm sure they would try to find a way to try and deny your coverage if there was an issue and you had an aftermarket CAC... I'm sure every dealer is different. Just looking out

 

Feds probe Ford F-150 EcoBoost for acceleration issues

a quick overview.........

 

I personally think a bigger inter cooler would help the EB after all when build up a diesel YOU usually install a Much larger Cooler.

 

Is it possible to move the one you already have? Best, CB

 

Moving the intercooler would probably have the same effect on warranty as an aftermarket one, but not sure. I'm sure it wouldn't be easy to move out of the way since the aftermarket one is a totally different shape and plumbing.