Ford 5.0L V8 vs EcoBoost: High mileage experience?

[COelk89]

If you plan to go over 100k with the truck or it is already over 100k, go with the coyote. Less to go wrong, and things will start to go wrong. I'd be worried about the transmission longevity as well if it has the 10 speed. I assume it does.

 

[Huntindog45]

i have 3.5 ecoboost and almost 200k on it. still appears to be running strong aside from the crappy manifold leak that i need to take care of. it is a pretty common problem

 

[Aluminum Rain]

I have five F150s in my work fleet. None are ecoboost. Only one is approaching 100k and none have any issues yet. However, If i were buying for myself, I would get a Chev or GMC.

 

[sbaker0029]

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

I had the same "common issue" with 2013 around 75k and 85k. Coolant leak was in two different places. Like the first fix pushed it in down the line.
Massive coolant puddle with warm to cold temperature swings.

To the OP, the 2018 5.0 was first year on a new gen and had some bad oil consumption problems on some trucks before the first oil change.
Quality issues have plagued both 5.0 and ecoboost so it really a roll of the dice. I'd choose the one that's going to be less expensive to work on in the long run. Both will have some kind of problem, especially 2018+

 

[HandgunHTR]

I have 143K on my '15 F150 with the 5.0. Followed the maintenance schedule. My lifetime gas mileage average is 18mpg. I get about 20mpg highway and 16 during my 12 minute commute and around town.

Pulling a 10' trailer with my two ATVs on it I get about 12.5.

While I know a few folks who pull a bit of weight with the EcoBoost, I personnally don't like the idea of trailering a lot of weight with a turbo-boosted 6-cylinder.

 

[DanimalW]

I drove a 2015 and 2018 to 125k miles with the 3.5 EcoBoost. No engine issues with either. Sunroof was a problem on both.

 

[Crowmangler]

I have a 2016 5.0 (105k miles) & it's been great, except for recently developing the rough idle issue that's pretty common from what I understand. VCT solenoids getting replaced in the next week or so & is supposed to fix it hopefully.
Other than that no issues. Also have a 2013 5.0 that has been flawless

 

[30338]

Had a couple of Tundras, no issues other than somewhat lacking in comfort, horsepower and mpg. Made in Texas was nice. Still a solid choice I think. Have heard of the ecoboost issues.

I got a great deal this year on a 2022 F250 with the 7.3 gasser. Getting 15-15.5 mpg for first 9000 miles. So far so good with it.

When I was shopping new I was surprised how much the F150s were going for.

 

[JVS]

the second gen 2.7 is their best engine but i can;t tell if you tow a lot and that's why it's out of the equation?

I second this.
Amazed at the drivability and power of this motor

 

[Hunthigh1]

Counting our blessings that our eco boost is still under warranty. That engine sounds like oil starved death on cold starts. It’s Headed to shop for cam phaser repair which is high $ repair. 58,000 miles. Not impressed.

 

[toddh]

2015 EB 3.5 and I have 134k on it. Have done nothing to it but regular oil and air filter changes.

 

[Dos XX]

200k on last 5.0. No problems. 90k on current 5.0. No problems.

 

[Chase0109]

Personally, I prefer the eco-boost engine. I’m on my third eco-boost currently.

2014 3.5 eco-boost bought new from dealership. Put 160,000 miles on it before trading in in 2017. Regular maintenance oil changes, and spark plug changes. Only issue I had with that truck is a couple plugs failed at the 80,000 mile mark. Learned to change out eco-boost plugs every 50,000 miles to stay on the safe side. Was running great when I traded in.

2017, 3.5 eco-boost purchased new from dealership. Traded-in October 2022 with 223,000 miles on it. Still running great at trade in. Only issue I ever had with it was water pump failed at 209,000 miles. To be expected. Regular oil changes according to onboard computer, and changing plugs every 50,000 miles. Plus all required fluid changes at suggested service intervals.

Current truck, 2022 3.5 power boost. Ordered custom from dealer. Picked up late October 2022, currently has 13,500 miles on it. No issues so far, and a big comfort upgrade from my 2017. I expect to trade this one in in 2026 with around 200K on it.

For my personal peace of mind, I like to get an extended mileage factory warranty plan. Generally, if you shop around at different dealerships you can get a good deal.
Chase

 

[1medic]

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.

This is your absolute best advice! My family has had a Ford dealership since 1978. I’ve kept my eye on Ford’s quality and longevity first had for many years. You can argue all you want with @metroplex but he’s correct. I drive a 2011 F350 6.2L for the simple fact of all the other motors have too many design flaws that Ford will not fix.

 

[Cameron.25]

I love my 2018 2.7l ecoboost with the 10spd and 373 gears, rear locker. Got it brand new, has about 75k and no payments on it. Zero issues so far even with an exhaust, intake and tune for about 50k. I did just upgrade to icon suspension recently because the factory stuff was pretty worn out from constantly offroading but it's just been routine maintenance otherwise



Edited my Mileage and added the tranny specs. Definitely a bunch of lemon ford's out there, I got lucky, my brother in law got one with a 3.5l 2 months after my 2.7l and has several issues

 

[nobody]

Dad just traded off a 2019 with almost exactly 100k on it. It's had the timing chain rattle since about 25k on cold start, blew the transmission at 40k, never shifted right from day one, hard up and down shifts for the past 30k or so. He got rid of it right as the warranty expired. All in all, if he had to pay for all the repairs and the work it needed over the course of his ownership, it would've been about $10-15,000. By far, the most unreliable vehicle he ever owned. I had a 2015 that had 10 grand worth of work in the 7 months I owned it, between 62,000 miles and 68,000. No hot rodding or anything, just commuting. But you didn't ask about the 2015, so I'll digress there.

Grandparents had their newer (unsure of the year) ecoboost expedition catch fire getting on the freeway last fall. No warning, no perceivable reason, just flames from under the hood. Even the mechanic that was hired by the insurance company couldn't track down a cause. They had the cold start rattle from time to time, but never thought anything of it.

All 3 of those examples were the 3.5l variety. A Honda Pilot uses a 3.5l engine, and throwing some turbos on it doesn't make it a towing machine. At the end of the day, you're asking a crossover engine to do the work of a big block V8. You're asking for trouble, and that's speaking from experience.

The 5.0 is notorious for wearing cylinders out of round between 100/120k and losing compression. Ford has struggled with gas engines since the late 90's with the advent of the 5.4 (talk about a train wreck), and with diesels since 2003.5 when they came out with the 6.BLOW.

We used to be dyed-in-the-wool Ford fans, through and through. Now, there's not a blue oval anywhere to be seen. Personally, I wouldn't buy either one of them, unless the dealer is throwing in a bumper to bumper warranty on their dime, and even then, I would dump it as quick as the warranty is about to expire.

EDIT TO ADD: You say your number one priority is long-term reliability and maintenance costs. If that's the case, why on earth aren't you looking at a Toyota Tundra?

 

[Howdy Partner]

FORD rules.
Not everyone can afford them.

 

[Augie]

I drive a 2014 F150 with a 5.0 in it with 113k miles on it. Overall a very solid truck as far as the engine/transmission goes. Had water pump replaced, had to fix coolant leaks this year, couple wiring issue replacements for 4 wheel/lockers. My main problems (partially due to my lift kit and hard driving) are blowing through universals x3, replaced rear shock absorbers x2, replaced rear axle seals, re-seal pumpkin, replaced belts/pulleys, replaced control arm, replaced ball joints and a few other minor things. My biggest issue is the amount of rust formed in the cab corners into the rocker panels it's getting pretty bad there.

 

[hicountry1]

Neither of those Ford pos.

My 2500 cummins gets almost 24 on the highway

 

[Gbrecka]

My 2020 5.0 burns oil at 31k