I'm in the market for a truck, and have been focusing on 2018-2020 F-150's, 4x4, crew cab etc.. I really don't have a preference one way or the other between the 5.0 or the 3.5 and feel power wise either one will be sufficient as this truck will tow a boat at some point in its life. My bigger question is on reliability. Anything I need to look out for? I'm trying to find something with under 50k miles so theoretically if there were issues they should have shown up by then. Again anything to avoid or look out for would be greatly appreciated.
3.5 Eco-boost in a 2018ish F-150
- Thread starter alex3610
- Start date
definitely make sure it has the appropriate towing package.
on a 3.5 I would want to see it on a stone cold start up (like over night) to see if it has any cam phaser rattle. That seems to be the biggest issue with the 3.5.
on a 3.5 I would want to see it on a stone cold start up (like over night) to see if it has any cam phaser rattle. That seems to be the biggest issue with the 3.5.
As @DSG2003Mach1 said about the cold startup and cam phasers. There was something about Ford extending the powertrain warranty on the trucks if it had gotten an update from Ford before January IIRC. @13COBRA might be able to clarify that.
For towing the 3.5 is the way to go. You get 470 ft/lbs right off idle. If you do a lot of driving the 3.5 will get better mpg's.
For sound and feel the 5.0 wins. Even though it's about 1 sec slower 0-60 than the 3.5 it feels faster.
The 3.5 in my '19 has the cam phaser issue which after 3 visits the dealer has been unable to address. It's more of an annoyance than anything.
I believe all '18's had the 10 spd.
For sound and feel the 5.0 wins. Even though it's about 1 sec slower 0-60 than the 3.5 it feels faster.
The 3.5 in my '19 has the cam phaser issue which after 3 visits the dealer has been unable to address. It's more of an annoyance than anything.
I believe all '18's had the 10 spd.
I just picked up a 20' XLT CC 4X4 with the 3.5 at just over 18K miles, so it still has factory warranty. I bought it from Vroom so I didn't have the option to here a cold start to listen for phaser issues. I got lucky and it's pretty quiet on start up.
After about 1700 miles, i'm happy so far. Tons of power and gas mileage has been around 20mpg.
After about 1700 miles, i'm happy so far. Tons of power and gas mileage has been around 20mpg.
when towing with the 3.5 I see it mentioned a lot that sometimes its better to lock out some of the upper gears - you'll get better mileage running higher rpm and less boost
3.5 eco is a great boat tower. I went F250 mainly because of the camper but boy does it make a difference on the boat too. However our 3.5 eco f150 does fantastic with our boat (5k lbs)
My 2013 3.5 EB has the cam phaser problem. It's had it for 80k miles and the truck runs fine. The cost to have them mess with it isn't worth to few seconds of noise. They sound like ass but tow great.
If they can't replicate it, do what I did with my last vehicle: Pop the hood and video record the engine starting and then play it for them.
Also, for the 5.0's IIRC some 18's had oil consumption issues. Not sure if it was addressed in one year or not
My 11' GT had a rattle during cold start that the dealer could never figure out. Usually it was a "could not replicate" deal as it had to be truly stone cold for it to occur.
On paper the 3.5 sure seems to make more sense than the 5.0. They sound like ass for sure, but this is a daily driver and I'm only but so worried about the sound (sadly). The 10 speed definitely something I want to make sure I get? It looks like from shopping the 3.5's got the 10 speed in 17 and the 5.0s got it in 2018.
On paper the 3.5 sure seems to make more sense than the 5.0. They sound like ass for sure, but this is a daily driver and I'm only but so worried about the sound (sadly). The 10 speed definitely something I want to make sure I get? It looks like from shopping the 3.5's got the 10 speed in 17 and the 5.0s got it in 2018.
The oil consumption issue was resolved with an update to the PCM.
Turns out that when the throttle is closed on decel the high manifold vacuum was pulling oil past the rings. The fix was to tune the PCM (via a reflash update) so the throttle blade would stay open on decel and then cut the fuel injectors to get engine braking. It has worked out to be a great fix.
When I worked at a Ford Dealership we took out several 5.0 engines for "oil consumption" concerns and installed a new engine under warranty. The new engine would do the same thing, and Ford took apart the returned engines and found no wear or other issue that could cause the oil use. So they came up with the update to the PCM and that has pretty much cured that concern.
I'd go with the EB for towing. It has a torque curve like a diesel, nice and quiet, etc. Get the max tow package at the very least. That will give you the 355's or 323 gears, the built in brake controller, etc.
They do ride soft in the back, though. So if you are going with a heavier boat (8000+) you might need to do some type of rear suspension helper such as RAS or airbags.
Cold start is the way to ID the phaser issue. A nice workaround for the phaser issue is foot to the floor on the gas pedal for 2-3 seconds then let off. This lets the oil pressure get up and not rattle.
My 11 EB has 70000 miles, with about 40000 of those pulling a 10,300# camper. It's not my daily, and it started occasionally doing the phaser rattle after sitting for a month at a time during the winter. I started doing the foot to the floor and no issues. If driven regular it doesn't rattle. Granted, this is a first gen EB, I think they've had two more versions since then.
They do ride soft in the back, though. So if you are going with a heavier boat (8000+) you might need to do some type of rear suspension helper such as RAS or airbags.
Cold start is the way to ID the phaser issue. A nice workaround for the phaser issue is foot to the floor on the gas pedal for 2-3 seconds then let off. This lets the oil pressure get up and not rattle.
My 11 EB has 70000 miles, with about 40000 of those pulling a 10,300# camper. It's not my daily, and it started occasionally doing the phaser rattle after sitting for a month at a time during the winter. I started doing the foot to the floor and no issues. If driven regular it doesn't rattle. Granted, this is a first gen EB, I think they've had two more versions since then.
interesting. I saw someone else say they fixed oil consumption with a PCM update and my knee jerk response was that's bullshit but that makes sense I guess
Wonder if they was also done for the first gen 5.0's? I know they had issues with it as well.
I previously had a 17 and while it never left me stranded it had its fair share of issues:
- Stock Thermostat was sticking and truck was seeing 240 cruising. Ford said normal ops so I swapped in the stock thermostat from my 13 GT and temps stayed in the 190s after that.
-Accessory Protocol Interface Manager (APIM) went out at 20k miles. Ford replaced under warranty and the second failed at 38k miles outside of warranty. The radio still worked but I was not able to use GPS or link my phone to the radio. When the APIM fails the entire Sync system becomes very laggy. Google APIM F-150 and you will see this is very common.
The 17s had a composite oil pan which are known to leak. They swapped back to metal in 18 or 19, I would crawl under truck and look at bottom of pan to inspect. Mine at 35k would leak enough to make the pan wet but it was not leaving any oil on driveway. I sold it with 43k miles and I was planning to take to dealer to have pan resealed if I kept it.
I was fortunate and did not have the cam phaser rattle, I did have the PCM updated through the TSB and the truck ran smoother however, the phasers probably will still fail as this is a very common issue.
The power was great and mileage was also good. Another positive is the cabs on the F-150s are very spacious, noticeably bigger than my RAM 2500 crew cab.
- Stock Thermostat was sticking and truck was seeing 240 cruising. Ford said normal ops so I swapped in the stock thermostat from my 13 GT and temps stayed in the 190s after that.
-Accessory Protocol Interface Manager (APIM) went out at 20k miles. Ford replaced under warranty and the second failed at 38k miles outside of warranty. The radio still worked but I was not able to use GPS or link my phone to the radio. When the APIM fails the entire Sync system becomes very laggy. Google APIM F-150 and you will see this is very common.
The 17s had a composite oil pan which are known to leak. They swapped back to metal in 18 or 19, I would crawl under truck and look at bottom of pan to inspect. Mine at 35k would leak enough to make the pan wet but it was not leaving any oil on driveway. I sold it with 43k miles and I was planning to take to dealer to have pan resealed if I kept it.
I was fortunate and did not have the cam phaser rattle, I did have the PCM updated through the TSB and the truck ran smoother however, the phasers probably will still fail as this is a very common issue.
The power was great and mileage was also good. Another positive is the cabs on the F-150s are very spacious, noticeably bigger than my RAM 2500 crew cab.
I personally am very iffy about the 3.5EB long term, and I mean long long term, so I guess it depends on how long you plan on keeping the truck.
My father has two F150's both bought new, a 16 Platinum 5.0 which is about to cross 140k miles and has had no powertrain/drivetrain issues. Zero.
The other truck is a 19 XLT 5.0, This truck has around 30k miles on it and hasn't had any issues either. We did have a TSB performed I believe related to a timing chain guide or tensioner for the heads, the truck had a rattle at idle which was corrected with the TSB. It also had the dash replaced under warranty due to slight warpage up by the cowl, apparently another known issue which the dealer took care of.
A friend of mine has a 2014 F150 XL with a 5.0, currently at 194k miles, he's the second owner (bought it out of texas shipped it to VA) with 180k miles, truck was used to run between hotel chains for a franchise in texas. He hasn't had any issues with the truck really, certainly nothing related to the engine.
Now for any later ecoboost ownership experience in my life
My parents neighbor has a 2012 XLT 3.5EB which had I believe cam phaser failure at 130k miles, they ended up putting a new engine in that truck
A friend of mine with a 2013 109k mile XL 3.5EB traded the truck in on a new 7.3 F250 with turbos leaking coolant and timing chain rattle
My brother has a 2015 Expedition with the 3.5EB around 50-60k miles and so far no issues I'm aware of.
IMO the V8's are just fool proof. Want more power? Slap a blower on you'll make more Hp/tq than any bolt on/tune 3.5EB. If you want to stick within a warranty period or don't plan on keeping the truck very long the 3.5 certainly has its upsides, I've towed with / driven a couple and they certainly make a lot more low end torque than the 5.0.
My father has two F150's both bought new, a 16 Platinum 5.0 which is about to cross 140k miles and has had no powertrain/drivetrain issues. Zero.
The other truck is a 19 XLT 5.0, This truck has around 30k miles on it and hasn't had any issues either. We did have a TSB performed I believe related to a timing chain guide or tensioner for the heads, the truck had a rattle at idle which was corrected with the TSB. It also had the dash replaced under warranty due to slight warpage up by the cowl, apparently another known issue which the dealer took care of.
A friend of mine has a 2014 F150 XL with a 5.0, currently at 194k miles, he's the second owner (bought it out of texas shipped it to VA) with 180k miles, truck was used to run between hotel chains for a franchise in texas. He hasn't had any issues with the truck really, certainly nothing related to the engine.
Now for any later ecoboost ownership experience in my life
My parents neighbor has a 2012 XLT 3.5EB which had I believe cam phaser failure at 130k miles, they ended up putting a new engine in that truck
A friend of mine with a 2013 109k mile XL 3.5EB traded the truck in on a new 7.3 F250 with turbos leaking coolant and timing chain rattle
My brother has a 2015 Expedition with the 3.5EB around 50-60k miles and so far no issues I'm aware of.
IMO the V8's are just fool proof. Want more power? Slap a blower on you'll make more Hp/tq than any bolt on/tune 3.5EB. If you want to stick within a warranty period or don't plan on keeping the truck very long the 3.5 certainly has its upsides, I've towed with / driven a couple and they certainly make a lot more low end torque than the 5.0.
My plan is to keep this truck most likely 10 years. Hell, at that point my son will be 16 and maybe it then becomes his first car (assuming we still leave the house at that point and don't just exist in the meta verse / matrix). So yeah, I'm looking for 250k+ miles of longevity, which in this day and age you'd think wouldn't be too much to ask.
I guess I'm going to have to dig into service records for any of the 3.5's I come across. The bump in fuel economy and low end torque on the 3.5 is pretty nice, but at the same time I certainly won't turn down a 5.0 if it has all the options I'm looking for. Slapping a blower on is really tempting too, but I really need to kick up my side hustle to make that happen.
I have a 15 F150 Lariat FX4 3.5 EB with the max tow package. I am currently at about 74000 miles.
The engine and drivetrain have had zero issues. I have K&N drop in filter, a Cora Resonator Delete, and silencers removed from the intake.
I towed my 03 Mach 1 about 300 miles or so with a Uhaul trailer. The truck sat level and knocked down 16mpg. I set the cruise at 70 with the trans in Tow/Haul mode. The truck engine brakes down hills and has electronic sway control.
I have had the door latches fail once in zero degree weather right as the recall was released.
I have had the radio replaced as it started making a buzzing noise.
Last was the panoramic moonroof has broken the track and motor once. Then the mounts broke. The design, in my opinion, is inadequate. The track and mounts are not metal.
My last complaint is not unique to the truck. It seems like new vehicles have massively adopted aluminum brake rotors and they warp easily. I think I am going to replace the stock rotors with something aftermarket.
I would get a 2016-2017 F150 EB so you have the better 6R80 and the Sync 3. 2015s have the 6R80 but sync 2. Now, you can upgrade the Sync 2 to Sync 3.
I have seen too many complaints about the 10R80 that it has me against a newer one.
The door latch and moonroof issues seemed to pop up at the most in opportune time.
Outside of that, the truck has been amazing.
Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
The engine and drivetrain have had zero issues. I have K&N drop in filter, a Cora Resonator Delete, and silencers removed from the intake.
I towed my 03 Mach 1 about 300 miles or so with a Uhaul trailer. The truck sat level and knocked down 16mpg. I set the cruise at 70 with the trans in Tow/Haul mode. The truck engine brakes down hills and has electronic sway control.
I have had the door latches fail once in zero degree weather right as the recall was released.
I have had the radio replaced as it started making a buzzing noise.
Last was the panoramic moonroof has broken the track and motor once. Then the mounts broke. The design, in my opinion, is inadequate. The track and mounts are not metal.
My last complaint is not unique to the truck. It seems like new vehicles have massively adopted aluminum brake rotors and they warp easily. I think I am going to replace the stock rotors with something aftermarket.
I would get a 2016-2017 F150 EB so you have the better 6R80 and the Sync 3. 2015s have the 6R80 but sync 2. Now, you can upgrade the Sync 2 to Sync 3.
I have seen too many complaints about the 10R80 that it has me against a newer one.
The door latch and moonroof issues seemed to pop up at the most in opportune time.
Outside of that, the truck has been amazing.
Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
@Deceptive The 10 speed is a love/hate trans. My 18 2.7 EB has about 40K on it now, and have had no real issues.
Users who are viewing this thread
