Ford F-150 2.7 or 3.5 EB best for towing a 5.0TA??

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Jim Bennett
I never get my body in the position you had the truck in today either, especially when the tank is full, let alone empty. Remember the old Seinfeld episode when Kosmo Kramer takes the car for a test drive with the salesman and they “go further below the E than any man has gone before”? Yup, they ran out. I get stupid about once a year, usually early in the season and run down to low fuel and beyond. I did hit .8 gallons once last year according to the 19.2 the tank is supposed to have in it when full, but that time, knew what I was doing. Yeah right. I once ran out doing a test drive with a new Bronco and had to walk to a farm and make a phone call to the dealer. Glad to hear you’re getting a chance to work on your new rig.
Iowa “low fuel” Dave

[rbryan4]

I recall some folks used to "top off" their tank by filling it so the gas would reach the top of the neck. This was back before the modern nozzles and spill guards, auto shutoffs and vapor capture stuff. Their rationale was that it gave them "a little extra gas" when they were running on empty. Even as a youngster that never made sense to me. It just meant they bought more gas. The gauge doesn't move until the float does. If you're empty, you're empty.

Kinda like setting your clock ahead to give you a little "extra time". No, it just means you're running early.

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

I recall some folks used to "top off" their tank by filling it so the gas would reach the top of the neck. This was back before the modern nozzles and spill guards, auto shutoffs and vapor capture stuff. Their rationale was that it gave them "a little extra gas" when they were running on empty. Even as a youngster that never made sense to me. It just meant they bought more gas. The gauge doesn't move until the float does. If you're empty, you're empty.

Kinda like setting your clock ahead to give you a little "extra time". No, it just means you're running early.

And in some vehicles that can result in raw fuel getting in the carbon canister used to capture fumes resulting in an expensive repair.

[gbaglo]

All I know is I get much worse mileage once the gauge reads 1/4 full. Takes no time to get to empty, so I always fill up whenever I see a gas station.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by sclifrickson

I have never experienced any manner of degraded performance or any other problem or issue, related to

1. cold or freezing temperatures
2. humidity
3. rain or other precipitation

This jogged an almost dead brain cell.

I did have the turbo bog down in very heavy rain towing across Kansas a few years back when I goosed it to pass slower traffic. Did it a couple times to verify the problem then gave up passing. Looked it up on the F150 forum, got the TSB# for the fix and brought it in. They did whatever it was they do for such and it's been fine since. All I can see from it is a piece of plastic over part of the turbos intercooler.

So it was common enough to have a TSB out on it, as it was under warranty it was not a big deal to me. The fix and a recall or 2 took about 90 minutes if I recall correctly. The biggest hassle of it was they updated the computer software which zero's your miles towed counter.

[cpaharley2008]

I remember when turbo's were first introduced during the gas shortage in the 70's, the turbo lag as well as breakdowns seemed to plague them. Also frequent oil changes, similar to turbo diesels. I had a Jeep CRD and complained to the dealer that they did not change my oil as it was black when I checked it at home after taking it to them for a $200 oil change. It was a learning curve at first.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I remember when turbo's were first introduced during the gas shortage in the 70's, the turbo lag as well as breakdowns seemed to plague them. Also frequent oil changes, similar to turbo diesels. I had a Jeep CRD and complained to the dealer that they did not change my oil as it was black when I checked it at home after taking it to them for a $200 oil change. It was a learning curve at first.

My first exposure to turbos was in 1970 driving 5 tons in the military. The biggest difference between a deuce and a half and the 5 ton trucks was a turbo. Never had a problem related to the turbo and have to say really liked the turbo whistle.
Today the turbo is a mainstream item which will only become more common not less. They are used in commercial trucks and airplanes racking up trouble free miles every day. If you don’t trust them you can still stick with your big V8, for the near future anyway.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Hi Jim Bennett
I never get my body in the position you had the truck in today either, especially when the tank is full, let alone empty. Remember the old Seinfeld episode when Kosmo Kramer takes the car for a test drive with the salesman and they “go further below the E than any man has gone before”? Yup, they ran out. I get stupid about once a year, usually early in the season and run down to low fuel and beyond. I did hit .8 gallons once last year according to the 19.2 the tank is supposed to have in it when full, but that time, knew what I was doing. Yeah right. I once ran out doing a test drive with a new Bronco and had to walk to a farm and make a phone call to the dealer. Glad to hear you’re getting a chance to work on your new rig.
Iowa “low fuel” Dave

I actually just saw that episode a couple months ago. They certainly got high on the experience. LOL

I have only ran out of fuel once in the past many, many years, and that was because of a brain fart and forgetting one thing I had to do was fuel up before leaving, and heading on a long stretch with no stations for a long, long time. My Pilot did go 35km beyond what the range said it was, but that was still 50km short.

[salmo7000]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

Ok I agree with most of what has been said I have the 2.7 extra pay load and 35 gallon gas tank love it. I got the 5.5 bed good for me because I wanted less length and no issues towing the 5.0 but it's a small bed so if you want to haul a lot of stuff it might be better to get the longer bed. It was the right choice for me I got the large back seat which I wanted. It's a nice option that you can easily fold up the back seat to haul more stuff or dogs.

Did you find your 2.7 on a lot, or did you have to special order it through a dealer?? If the latter, which dealer did you use?? In hours of searching dealerships around the Pacific Northwest, I did find a 2.7 with the payload package and tow package, but it didn't have the 36-gallon fuel tank, it wasn't an acceptable color, and it was loaded with options I don't want or need. I'm mostly dreading the inevitable discussion it seems I will need to have with a salesperson who would really prefer I buy something they already have, and if you had a positive experience with yours, I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks again for your help!

[rbryan4]

Katherine, I would check out a dealer in a larger town and see if they can locate the right truck in your region. They can search inventory at numerous dealers at once and save you alot of time. Maybe a dealer in Boise or Spokane vs one that's closer. Lithia Ford of Boise seems to have alot of good customer feedback.

[Fox hunt]

I bought my 2.7 with extra pay load and ext gas tank off the lot in Olympia WA but i was OK with the short bed. i think its harder to get the longer bed. I have had issues with my door latch It wouldn't latch - after the truck warmed it was fine- it only happened once. I guess i should take it in and get the door latch fixed/recall.
My dealer highly recommended the turbo he said he had not heard of any issues with the turbo engine but of course he was selling me a truck. So far i love the truck its my 3rd Ford Truck.

[salmo7000]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Katherine, I would check out a dealer in a larger town and see if they can locate the right truck in your region. They can search inventory at numerous dealers at once and save you alot of time. Maybe a dealer in Boise or Spokane vs one that's closer. Lithia Ford of Boise seems to have alot of good customer feedback.

Good advice! The closest dealer to me is Joe Hall Ford in Lewiston, and they may well have a good person who will work with me without being a jerk. They do not, however, currently have what I'm looking for in their inventory, and their advertised "sale" prices seem pretty high compared to others. I'm basing my trepidation on past experiences. Maybe things are better now, but you're right, there may be a dealer who can find the right truck already on a lot, thanks!

[phalaney]

Originally Posted by Chotch

My first exposure to turbos was in 1970 driving 5 tons in the military. The biggest difference between a deuce and a half and the 5 ton trucks was a turbo. Never had a problem related to the turbo and have to say really liked the turbo whistle.
Today the turbo is a mainstream item which will only become more common not less. They are used in commercial trucks and airplanes racking up trouble free miles every day. If you don’t trust them you can still stick with your big V8, for the near future anyway.

Drove them as well as a Seabees Equipment operator, at about the same time. But were those intercooled and with water cooled bearings like modern? I honestly can't remember. But I do remember being told to let them idle for a minute, pre shut down to slow down the TC and to cool the bearings. I've owned a few since then, and NONE had that distinctive whistle....

[BCnomad]

Originally Posted by padlin

This jogged an almost dead brain cell.

I did have the turbo bog down in very heavy rain towing across Kansas a few years back when I goosed it to pass slower traffic. Did it a couple times to verify the problem then gave up passing. Looked it up on the F150 forum, got the TSB# for the fix and brought it in. They did whatever it was they do for such and it's been fine since. All I can see from it is a piece of plastic over part of the turbos intercooler.

So it was common enough to have a TSB out on it, as it was under warranty it was not a big deal to me. The fix and a recall or 2 took about 90 minutes if I recall correctly. The biggest hassle of it was they updated the computer software which zero's your miles towed counter.

Thanks for the good info Bob. I figure that little nugget might help someone at some point.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by phalaney

... I've owned a few since then, and NONE had that distinctive whistle....

My 1999 7.3L PowerStroke whistles when you wind it up.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by salmo7000

Good advice! The closest dealer to me is Joe Hall Ford in Lewiston, and they may well have a good person who will work with me without being a jerk. They do not, however, currently have what I'm looking for in their inventory, and their advertised "sale" prices seem pretty high compared to others. I'm basing my trepidation on past experiences. Maybe things are better now, but you're right, there may be a dealer who can find the right truck already on a lot, thanks!

I'm not sure how common it might still be anymore, but back when we bought our 1999 F-250 SuperDuty 7.3L PowerStroke, the dealership that had the fleet contract with the City of Montgomery, and focused on sales volume, would order any vehicle at their cost plus $500 for processing the paperwork. We walked in the door, handed our full spec sheet (pulled together at the time using Kelly Blue Book for dealer costs) to the sales manager, and 7 months later we drove off the lot with exactly what we wanted. It was a long wait, but then it was custom built for us. The aging owner of the dealership retired a couple years back, and it's now an AutoNation. No more sweet deals there. But if you have the time to wait, maybe you can find a fleet dealership in your area willing to work with you. You never know...

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by phalaney

Drove them as well as a Seabees Equipment operator, at about the same time. But were those intercooled and with water cooled bearings like modern? I honestly can't remember. But I do remember being told to let them idle for a minute, pre shut down to slow down the TC and to cool the bearings. I've owned a few since then, and NONE had that distinctive whistle....

No intercooler or watercooled turbo. Although the huge air filter mounted on fender was an early version of cold air induction. Despite not having all that modern-day tech they worked fine even in less than ideal maintenance in Vietnam.
Like I said got to like the turbo whistle back then but glad my F150 doesn't have it.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[advenas]

I really appreciate this thread. It's been of great interest to me and helped me in my TV decision making. I like the new trucks especially the Fords. However after some soul searching I decided I'm not comfortable owning a gas vehicle with a turbo. A turbo adds a level of complexity for maintenance that I'm not sure I want to deal with nor do I want to rely on a dealer to do so. I’d rather have a basic motor and if I need a full size truck I’ll buy a V8. It’s just less to go wrong in my mind. Just my opinion…..YMMV. For those of you who have a turbo on your tow vehicle….I hope it runs a million miles trouble free. Thanks!

[Rossue]

From the studies done, there doesn't seem to be much real world mileage difference between the ecoboost and 5.0 V-8: https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/2...-liter-v8.html

[BCnomad]

Looking forward to a 250+ mile towing range in an all-electric 1/2 ton pickup. Whenever that mythical creature appears on dealer's lots...