2023+ F150 w/ 2.7l ecoboost- thoughts?

[TacoFergie]

Has the hurricane moved passed the camshaft failures? I love me a straight six!

I think that was an early production issue in the Wagoneers because I haven't seen any mechanical issues on the Ram Hurricane facbook pages I follow, just electrical. There was some Ram Hurricanes that had a coolant leak like the early Wagoneers, but I think that was very early production.

 

[Number_35]

Hard to beat the 2.7 ecoboost. It's arguably the most reliable modern F150 engines. Gets great mileage for a full size truck and has more than enough power to tow anything a 1/2 ton should be towing. There are many out there with well over 200k miles. My recommendation is keep oil changes to no more than 5k using a good quality oil and filter. The oil pump wet belt sounds concerning, but I'm not aware of any failing.

A friend is looking to replace his Nissan Pathfinder with a half-ton pickup. (He tows a camper several times a year.) He likes Nissan, and would like to find a low-mileage Frontier, but they're rare here. So, he's also considering a Ford F-150.

I warned him that the 3.5 EcoBoost has mixed reviews, but he had already heard that, and said he's only considering the 5.0 V8.

So ... do you consider the 2.7 EB a better engine than the 5.0?

Thank you! In this case, really asking for a friend.

 

[TacoFergie]

A friend is looking to replace his Nissan Pathfinder with a half-ton pickup. (He tows a camper several times a year.) He likes Nissan, and would like to find a low-mileage Frontier, but they're rare here. So, he's also considering a Ford F-150.

I warned him that the 3.5 EcoBoost has mixed reviews, but he had already heard that, and said he's only considering the 5.0 V8.

So ... do you consider the 2.7 EB a better engine than the 5.0?

Thank you! In this case, really asking for a friend.

Them's fightin words on the Forums and Facebook pages comparing those 2 engines. lol

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the engine choices for 21+ F150's. If it's 17-20, then the 2.7 would be the best bet. In those years the 3.5 had phaser issues and the 5.0 had oil burning issues. In 21+ the 5.0 gained cylinder deactivation and oil pump wet belt, but I haven't heard of any issues with that system yet. That 2.7 is actually quicker than the 5.0 as well and the coyote guys hate hearing that. No matter the engine choice keep OCI's to no more than 5k miles, ideally less if towing and any of those engines will run a long time. I also haven't heard of any oil pump wet belt issues either, I know that's a concern to some. The 2.7 (17+) and 5.0 (21+) have the oil pump wet belt, 3.5 is a standard oil pump design.

If he's at altitude or tows at higher altitudes, the 2.7 would be the better buy for sure. Unloaded the 2.7 gets significantly better fuel economy as well, but loaded they seem to get about the same economy. The 5.0 is still a great engine and sounds amazing, but does take some RPM to get into its powerband when towing. I'd recommend for him to watch Getty's Garage (fellow Canadian) towing tests where he's tested every 1/2 ton engine option availabe with very detailed info and possibly TFL's Ike Gauntlet towing tests between the two engines.

Alternatively if he's looking at new trucks as a possibilty, the F150 Powerboost is a beast! So much POWER!! Plus you can get the 7.2kw onboard generator that will easily power his camper if he boondocks. I would stick with as new as possible with a Powerboost to get as much of the 8yr/100k (miles) hybrid system warratny as possible. While they have proven to be reliable so far, I just like the piece of mind of having the warranty. The base generator is a 2.4kw, so watch out for that. But there are many people who have used their Powerboost to power their campers, job sites (my FiL has used his a bunch to power his seamless gutter machine and metal roof forming machine) and people power their homes when power goes out. It uses very little fuel in generator mode, many have gone a 5-7 days on a tank of fuel powering their camper. There is a good F150 Powerboost page on facebook to follow if that sounds appealing to him.

 

[jghall00]

Tiny turbos in a truck are not a good idea. Ok for a daily driver but if you truck it like towing or hard off roading not a good idea.

My 3.5 turbo would beg to differ. They've had a few issues. Cam phasers, manifolds, and transmission. But those issues have been remedied. The phasers were redesigned. The manifolds were switched to stainless. And the CDF drum bushing design was modified to prevent it from spinning. I'm not aware that any of these issues apart from the transmission was a problem on the 2.7. It's the most reliable and capable of the engines in the F150.

 

[CKN]

My neighbor just bought a new F150 with I believe he said twin turbo six cylinder. It's a really nice truck especially inside with all the leather. Anyway I had to listen for an hour or so about how it would out tow my Hemi and how powerful the Ford was. He towed a heavy piece of equipment a few times and then I noticed it sat for about a week. When I asked him about it he said it's scheduled to return to the dealership for repairs. It won't run and is having electrical problems and it started running hot from towing. He is young and still works so they buy new vehicles every couple years and I've yet to see any of them not break down in the first year. Especially the Jeeps. This Ford is replacing the Chevy 2500 that hardly ran for more than a week. He should just buy the old less shiny vehicles and save his money.

I am on a three week vacation where I am towing my 5,000 pound travel trailer with my 2023 Silverado (5.3) through desert, mountains and two lane roads for hours at a time in 95 degree ambient heat. The truck has used lots of gas- but otherwise has performed flawlessly.

 

[meep]

I’ve posted several times on my 2018 2.7 with the 10R80 and 36gal fuel tank.

The bones of the truck are wonderful. Ford builds a good chassis. My 2018 was making timing set noise and metal flakes in the oil filter at 80k so those years aren’t immune to timing problems. Transmission was a royal pain. 2 dash-off hvac repairs. Also super comfortable for me in XL trim, handled lovely and was a truly wonderful tow vehicle. (Mine was extended cab by choice for more bed space). The 2.7 is a fabulous tow motor, but once I hit 72k it started needing a little TLC.

If he’s a DIY guy it’s really hard to work on these tall engine compartments without a topside creeper.

 

[spj]

I've owned/ been issued 3 F150's. 2 with the 2.7 and one 3.5. I would buy either again without reservation. If I had to pick one it would probably be the 3.5 as that is a mature design and the bugs have been worked out and no wet belt. I would say the 2.7 if Ford didn't put the stupid wet belt in it. That said, they don't seem to be a problem. I get 21 mpg in my 2022 2.7 with 10 ply AT tires.