I’m starting the process of looking for a new (to me) truck. I’d like to find a 1/2 ton crew cab with a 6 1/2′ box. The only used ones I’ve found so far meeting the criteria is a Ford. I’m typically a GM fan but not a diehard by any means.
What are some things that may be of interest when checking out F150s? Anything to watch out for? Thoughts on the 5.4 vs 5.0 vs Eco boost? Anything else I should possibly be looking for or at?
Thanks in advance! 
I’ve had fords my whole life. I currently have a 2013 f-150 with the 5.0 love it.
My buddy has the Eco boost. He loves his as well.
Good luck on your search. Don’t go 5.4 I’ve had a couple of them. Great trucks but spark plugs break off in the motors from 04-11 I think.
Don’t go 5.4 I’ve had a couple of them. Great trucks but spark plugs break off in the motors from 04-11 I think.
This is only true prior to about 2003 or so. My ’99 had this happen twice Other than that, I had a flawless 260k miles on that truck.
Now my 2010 with the 5.4 has 130k flawless miles. This truck has so much more power than my ’99 it’s ridiculous. And yet less than the 5.0 and Ecoboost.
One thing to look for is the rear end gear. Get only the 3.55 or the 3.73 gear. Don’t sacrifice this if you pull anything heavy.
not to step on the owners who have good luck with fords,some do ,some dont,I work on them for a living,depending on the year you are looking at,transfer case seals are an issue,they will allow trans oil into the t-case,this overfills the t-case,leaks out the vent,and can ruin a transmission under load because it is low on fluid. fuel pump driver modules go out frequently because of its location,to the upper left of spare tire,the case is made of aluminum,and corrodes easily,thus breaking down and quitting,I have seen fuel pumps needlessly replaced because someone didnt know of its location,and use. the early eco-boost had problems with water settling in the aftercooler and wreaking havoc.
the later eco-boosts are suffering from premature turbo failures because they cant handle the heat generated.
ford has thirteen different types of transmission fluid,make sure you use the correct one for the application.
the 5.4 triton three valve were prone to spark plug breakage when being removed,this is expensive,so avoid them,the 4.6 and the 5.4 have had nasty timing chain breakage issues,along with cam phaser solenoid issues.
fords as well as others suffer with caliper pin seizing on the rear disc brakes because of salt on the roads in winter,I would look for one with rear drum brakes as they are usually issue free.
fords are also notorious for electrical issues concerning the generic electronic control module,as well as their door locks,security,window switches,and remote entry.
it may be the area I work in,but these are my experiences to name only a few that I deal with on a yearly basis,no brand is better than others these days,just find one that has had good care,and see if they have receipts for repair work. good luck!!!
I have a 2012 F150 with the Ecoboost. Been very happy with it, pulls very nice and rides like a Cadillac!
I have had two F 150s. A 2000 with the 4.6 and now a 2005 with the 5.4. My 2000 went to 210xxx miles before I sold it. It had a spark plug blow out of the head for the 3rd time and I was sick of fixing that issue. My 2005 was purchased 2 years ago with 54xxx miles on it. I have had to replace the IWE (wheel end for 4 wheel drive) on the drivers side, but it is an absolutely great truck. Plenty of power to pull my 17′ boat and a very comfortable ride. I would have no issues about buying another ford pickup.
I’m mostly satisfied with my 2012 f-150. I’ve got the 5.0 and love it. Tows my 19′ skeeter w/full windshield great. I haven’t pulled with my eco boost, but heard they’re solid. One complain with mine is the electrical system. For no apparent reasons, my windows won’t roll up/down. If I shut the truck off and restart, it works. This hasn’t happened for a while, but after turning and releasing the steering wheel, it sometimes won’t return to center.
I had a 2004 F-150 with 5.4 and was the dreaded vin code 5 motor and it made it to 156k miles then motor went out. The vin 5 motor seems to have a life span of about 150k miles give or take due to small oil passages to the topside of the motor.
I bought a 2014 FX4 last August and it has been great. I went from a 2005 F150 with the 5.4 to the Eco, wow is all I can say when it comes to pulling.
Below is a part of a report I posted last August on another site comparing the 5.0 to the Eco for towing
My old truck was a 2005 F150 with the 5.4 and 3.31 rear end, so I have been used to pulling my boat with that for a while.
Both new F150’s had the 3.55 rear end, the 5.0L FX4 truck was fully loaded on the inside and 20″ tires/rims. The Eco boost had the standard FX4 interior and 18″ tires/rims (tires on both were all terrain)
I test drove the 5.0L with the boat first. It had good acceleration on the uphill on ramp to the highway with the nice V8 rumble. At cruising speed (70mph) it didnt need to down shift when going uphill on the highway (not a major hill though). When I accelerated to pass someone, it would down shift and you could feel that the boat was back there but is was a definite improvement over what I have been used to. When exiting the highway, the braking was not much different that what I have been used to (no trailer brakes for me). From the highway, we went onto a country backroad with more hills. The truck would downshift more often on this road (55 to 60mph and not using tow haul mode). Regarding any hesitation when towing, when I accelerated to pass someone, the downshift and acceleration was instantaneous but I could tell I was pulling the boat. From a stop, there was no hesitation on acceleration. Overall, I was impressed with the performance compared to what I was used to.
Next we hooked up to the Eco Boost. When pulling out from a stop sign, there is a slight hesitation (I would guess it to be less than 1/4 sec) but then you accelerate very well (better than the 5.0). Going uphill on the same on ramp to the highway, the acceleration is noticeably better than the 5.0 and it seemed to me that if the truck was already moving, the slight hesitation mentioned above was no longer there. Cruising speed on the highway was the same as the 5.0, it didnt downshift at all when going up small hills. When I accelerated to pass someone, you could not feel that there was a boat behind me at all – the acceleration made me think holy $^%#!. I noticed it and the Salesperson was the first to say it out loud. When exiting the highway, braking was no different than the 5.0L. When driving on the country backroad (55 to 60mph), the truck did not down shift at all (not using tow haul mode)
Once I got done with both test drives, there were 3 other people that asked which truck pulled the boat better (dealer employees) as they have never had anyone test drive both while towing something.
Just from research, I expected there to be a little difference between the 2 motors, but I was very surprised at how much the Eco boost outperformed the 5.0 while towing.
It would expect that when not towing, it would be much tougher to tell a difference in performance between them.
I hava a 2013 F-150 Eco-boost, it has all the power that you need for twoing,but it lacks the suspension for towing a 21′ boat. At times when changing lanes at freeway speed the tail tends to wag the dog.
I have a 2013 F-150 Eco-boost, it has all the power that you need for twoing,but it lacks the suspension for towing a 21′ boat. At times when changing lanes at freeway speed the tail tends to wag the dog.
Has anybody heard of poor mileage. I have a 12 that went from 20 to 12 almost over night. no light on taken it to several places and they say nothing is wrong.
Coming from a all Ford family, I have personally had 4, F-150’s one Expedition. and an Explorer. 2, 5.4’s and 4, 4.6. (Oldest being a 97 and newest is a 2004)
They all have been very reliable, the most miles I had on was the 1997 (4.6) with 312,000
I have replaced a cam chain tensioner on the high mileage one, Did this myself. The other thing I did was replace the exhaust manifold studs, (I believe ford resolved this by using stainless in the later models) I don’t want to make this a brand vs brand, but I have watched a few of my friends replace e a 6.0 engine and trans in another brand twice already.
Does anyone personally currently have over 100,000 miles on any Ford Ecoboost engine?
I’m just curious how well the engines and turbos are holding out after 100k miles.
Grouse
Has anybody heard of poor mileage. I have a 12 that went from 20 to 12 almost over night. no light on taken it to several places and they say nothing is wrong.[/quote
I have seen a few things that will cause this,one,the computer has lost the ability to differentiate between E-85 and regular fuel,two,the fuel pressure regulator has failed,three,the computer needs re-flashed to the newer programming,four,if you are the type to keep clicking the fuel nozzle to get as much gas as you can into the tank,you have saturated the charcoal canister,and it has lost its ability to properly process fumes,or a vent solenoid has failed,but this will usually trip a light,last,an oxygen sensor is laying down on you,but it wont trip a light as the catilytic converter is plugged just enough to let the computer think everything is fine,good luck!!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fargotridad wrote:</div>
Has anybody heard of poor mileage. I have a 12 that went from 20 to 12 almost over night. no light on taken it to several places and they say nothing is wrong.[/quote
I have seen a few things that will cause this,one,the computer has lost the ability to differentiate between E-85 and regular fuel,two,the fuel pressure regulator has failed,three,the computer needs re-flashed to the newer programming,four,if you are the type to keep clicking the fuel nozzle to get as much gas as you can into the tank,you have saturated the charcoal canister,and it has lost its ability to properly process fumes,or a vent solenoid has failed,but this will usually trip a light,last,an oxygen sensor is laying down on you,but it wont trip a light as the catilytic converter is plugged just enough to let the computer think everything is fine,good luck!!
Remember the days when a vehicle had about 10 parts in it and most anyone could fix it themselves? Ah the good old days. I myself am a Ford enthusiast and am always daydreaming of that new F150 but i do take pause at all the technology being applied to cars. I for one dont like it and half had thoughts that rather than spend 30k on a new truck i should head south and get a rust free truck from the 70’s and just put the 25k into restoring that to mint… its nice to dream while i drive my 15 year old ford ranger
not to hi-jack the thread anymore than I have,I have been in the business for over thirty five years, yah,the good old days,always thought a cool old travelall or willys overlander with the early mechanical 5.9 cummins in it,a good overdrive tranny,and four wheel drive would make a classy tow rig.you could get thirty miles to the gallon,and go anywhere you wanted to.
I have a 2013 F-150 Eco-boost, it has all the power that you need for twoing,but it lacks the suspension for towing a 21′ boat. At times when changing lanes at freeway speed the tail tends to wag the dog.
Jeff,
Do you have the max tow package by chance?
Thanks,
FDR
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