Ford 5.0L V8 vs EcoBoost: High mileage experience?

[Idaho_Potato]

My 5.0 coyote 2013 is problem after problem after problem. And every one of them apparently is a “common problem” for that engine. Hopefully the newer ones are better

I had this exact engine/year. “Had” because cylinder 8 lost compression at 89,000 miles. I’m still not over it two years and a new Tacoma later…

 

[chapman8523]

Had a 2018 3.5 ECO, Ford bought it back 3 years after. Issue after issue after issue. Now running a Sierra 1500 3.0 diesel.

 

[TSAMP]

2014 f150 1 owner with the 5.0 engine. Just passed 160k on it. Only issue has been a water pump at 60k. My mpgs were 20 highway from factory . It has 34" tires now and highway is 17 mpg. It's consistent

 

[LittleLebowski]

If you want a KISS reliable engine from Ford? The 7.3 Godzilla or 6.2L are your only choices.

The Coyote Tick is an issue that Ford has yet to fix.

The 3.5L EcoBoost has had cam phaser issues on the trucks forever and STILL have not been fixed by Ford on the latest trucks, and it includes the Raptor's. The 3.5 runs this super long timing chain as well, so you need to keep up on your oil changes to prevent the soot from wearing down the chain rollers. 5000 mile intervals are recommended, whether it is synthetic 5W-30 or pixie dust uber handcrafted artisanal multi-level marketed oil.

Your Transit's 3.5L EcoBoost is going to be different from the 2018-up F-150 Gen 2 3.5L EcoBoost.The Gen 2 has split injection (port and direct) so the intake valves get washed. The Gen 2 for 2018-up also run the same HO turbos as the Raptor. The only differences are the turbine wheels on the Raptor HO are made of a different material to handle high temperature desert racing schedules and the HO has slightly reduced compression ratio for the same requirement. Otherwise the Gen 2 3.5's for 2018-up have the same turbo compressor maps (HO or Non-HO) so with a tune you can get the non-HO to run about the same or more power than the HO. The Raptor and non-HO engines are torque limited by Ford with the programming for the advertised ratings.

But again if you want a reliable truck engine, the 6.2 or 7.3 Godzilla are really your only choices. I know people are going to fight me on this chiming in with their 2 cents on their experience with their personal EcoBoost engines or Coyote Engines, but there are several known issues that Ford has yet to fix on these engines since their debut. Hard pass from me.

No, the updated cam phasers fixed the noise on my Gen2. I agree on the 6.2 and 7.3 being great engines, but my Ecoboost has never let me down and those turbos are great at altitude.

 

[tony]

I had a '13 F150 with the 5.0. Traded it in on a '21 Ranger with the 2.3 EB.
F150 if I remember had 160,000 on it, general maintenance, water pump, few leaks here and there I'd chase and fix.
Had some sort of transmission sensor go out. Dealer said it was a known issue but not bad enough to recall it. Was fixed for free so I didn't care.
Ranger is a year old, 24,000 miles, so far the little EB is doing good, average 22 up to 26 MPG as the best.

 

[Glory]

I had this exact engine/year. “Had” because cylinder 8 lost compression at 89,000 miles. I’m still not over it two years and a new Tacoma later…

Major coolant leak right now. Apparently it’s a thing with that year/model.

 

[Slugz]

Thanks for all the info here. I greatly appreciate it. Not to hijack the OPs thread but......I have a 2017 / King Ranch / F150 with the Ecoboost. 65k on it. Doing all the proper maintenance.
?? When should I look to get rid of it before something major happens ?

 

[BigDawgWill44]

I have the 2016 5.0 Coyote, great motor. No problems, tow travel trailer, push it hard and no issues. I just follow the maintenance schedule in the manual.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TheHammer]

Thanks for all the info here. I greatly appreciate it. Not to hijack the OPs thread but......I have a 2017 / King Ranch / F150 with the Ecoboost. 65k on it. Doing all the proper maintenance.
?? When should I look to get rid of it before something major happens ?

When it’s rattles upon cold start up. I would say 70k or less is what the dealers want to see on them prior to trade. Typical life based on valvetrain is 120k, ford reman engines on that year are 9month lead time as i just found out. Manifolds are common, turbo failure, transmissions and obviously the phasers.

 

[freddyG]

Yikes, it sounds like newer fords need to come with a personal mechanic nowadays.

 

[MtGomer]

I bought a new F150 in July, with the 3.5 eco-boost. I had every intention of getting another 5.0 V8, but after driving both went with the eco-boost. I obviously don’t have anywhere near enough miles to give you any information on its reliability, as it is only at 11,000 right now.

My previous truck was a 2013 F150 with the 5.0.
It ran perfectly to 150k and then cylinder #8 failed. Then at 175k the transmission went out.
I put a reman engine with a 100k mile warranty in it, had the transmission rebuilt and sold the truck in Sept with 195k on it.
The miles I put on this truck we’re hard miles but it seemed like I may have gotten a bit unlucky with its longevity.

 

[MtGomer]

I had this exact engine/year. “Had” because cylinder 8 lost compression at 89,000 miles. I’m still not over it two years and a new Tacoma later…

Same but it waited until 150k. It seems to be a common problem.

 

[Hondo64d]

Anyone have experience with these engines, 2016 and newer, with 100k+ miles? Looking for reliability and maintenance experiences.

I’m looking for a new or close to new F150 and need to make an engine decision. FWIW, I own a 2016 T250 Transit with the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost. First gen of that engine I believe. No real complaints other than approximately 1.5 mpg drop since new. I’ve towed one heavy load from Chicago to Texas and felt it did great. Averaged 11 mpg (it was still pretty new at the time) driving approx 70mph. Pulled a Subaru Outback on a Uhaul trailer with about 600 lbs in the cargo bay.

I’m a KISS kinda guy, keep-it-simple-stupid, so bells and whistles, in general, don’t excite me much. But I’m no Luddite and I won’t avoid tech so long as it can be trusted and add value that interests me. The increased power and MPG of the EcoBoosts would be nice. But not at thousands in extra expense over the life of ownership. Performance wise I‘m indifferent to the V8 vs 3.5L EcoBoost, either will accomplish easily more than I’ll demand from them on a regular basis. But, I’d like to own this for the next 10-15 years so I’m focusing on reliability and long-term maintenance cost. Thanks!

Only 76,000 miles on my 2019 w/ 3.5 ecoboost, but so far, no problems. The amount of performance they can pack into that little engine is impressive. It pulls noticeably harder than the 5.7 Tundra I had before it, and does 5 MPG better than the Tundra did.

John

 

[Idaboy]

Really glad you posted this. I have 65K on my 2015 3.5 ecoboost, zero engine problems, just some ticky-tack, but annoying electronic issues here and there. Nervously waiting for something to go wrong or the dreaded phasers issue. Can't really swing a new truck right now so just keeping up on maintaining

 

[BRTreedogs]

If your interested in a Ford.
Especially an f150
This guy specializes in them and tells all the secrets. Was a Ford tech and specializes in the repairs.
And its why I chose Tundra over F150

https://youtube.com/@FordTechMakuloco

 

[406life]

I've had three F150s with the EB and I'll have a fourth. I've not had any major issues with any of them, trade in around 250k for the next one. I tow my travel trailer with easily, and get around 12mpg. I do regular maintenance and keep it in good repair. But, I do hunt it hard and put more miles on it than your average guy. I'll not speak to the mechanical issue above but I will say I've not had those problems.

 

[Wolf_trapper]

I had this exact engine/year. “Had” because cylinder 8 lost compression at 89,000 miles. I’m still not over it two years and a new Tacoma later…

Same here around 140k on a '13 5.0

 

[RAPTOR]

Really glad you posted this. I have 65K on my 2015 3.5 ecoboost, zero engine problems, just some ticky-tack, but annoying electronic issues here and there. Nervously waiting for something to go wrong or the dreaded phasers issue. Can't really swing a new truck right now so just keeping up on maintaining

They have a TSB for the phasers thats just a reprogram, you may be out of it at 65k but it's worth a call to your service center. If the phasers do fail, it's honestly not that big of a deal I had it on my 2018. It's a loud startup rattle. They gave me a loaner and had my truck back to me quick.

 

[Idaboy]

They have a TSB for the phasers thats just a reprogram, you may be out of it at 65k but it's worth a call to your service center. If the phasers do fail, it's honestly not that big of a deal I had it on my 2018. It's a loud startup rattle. They gave me a loaner and had my truck back to me quick.

OK, that's good into...my buddy got a 2018 eco after me, and had tons of phaser issue they couldnt fix (but I don't know all the details) and ford ended up buying it back from him.

 

[couesbitten]

No opinion on the Ford engines in question, as I drive an '08 Toyota Tundra. Agree with the comments about buying a '21 or older Toyota, if a person chooses that truck. The 5.7 engine is pretty bulletproof if taken care of. Mine is my primary mode of transportation and I probably drive 400 - 500 miles/week. Other than a synthetic oil change every 10k miles, I do very little upkeep and have 240k+ miles on it. Only issue has been the starter that was replaced 2 months ago. Gas milage averages at 15 mpg.
To the OP, good luck in your search and I hope whatever you choose gives you years of trouble-free use.