roughneck11

I can't speak to a 1st gen, but I have owned a 2nd gen for almost 2 years now. I came from a 2014 Hemi and I will say it is far superior. Truck makes tons of tourqe and pulls hard, especially down low in the rev range. Cruising on the highway going into headwinds and uphills it never tries to shift out of top gear. This motor/tranny combo can really sit you back in your seat if you drive it hard. Babying the throttle in the summer time I have seen month long averages of 10.8l/100km...(Dashboard readout) Right now, (Winter) driving it like a regular person, I am seeing 13.1/100km. I live in the city and would estimate I do 60/40 Hwy city split. This is by far the best powertrain I have owned aside from the cam phaser noise that is so prevalent with these engines. I have had the noise for a year now though and I am unsure if it will cause issues in the future. Overall, the motor is far more then halfton needs.

Chomp Em

joshd472

millemk

I have a 2017 Lariat with the 2nd gen 3.5 eco. I understand that the 2nd gen design went to a stronger more reliable timing chain system comprised of two chains with thicker chain side plates instead of one to (hopefully) eliminate or minimize the common chain stretch issue with the 1st gen. There was also a cam phazer / VCT change design. My engine did develop a noise/tapping on the passenger side of my engine but was remedied by the dealer with replacement of the intake and exhaust VCT's on the passenger side. No noise issues now after15,000 miles. Other changes included a repositioning of the fuel pump, and added port injection to better clean the intake valves. I'm sure there were other changes that other experts could better explain. I think the jury is still out on long term reliability of the 2nd gen, but in all probability it is now more reliable than the 1st gen which was suffering from premature timing chain stretch and resultant engine failure (based on my observation of issue reports in this forum). All my opinion, of course.

mbrick

millemk, I wasn't aware of the cam chain changes but I wrote up all of the info I could find here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_E...ond_generation)

D_D_in_KY

@mbrick I dont know how to answer that. Both were really great. The 2015, XLT did not have the traction control system ( 4A snow/rain mode ) like the 2018 Lariat had. The traction control system is absolutely wonderful. I would recommend it to everyone who drives inclement or rainy conditions. That was the mode we were in when the (out of control) Dakota tagged us on the driver's front, sending us off road, down an embankment. The truck did its job protecting us. We did not roll over .

• Never got the chance to drive the 2018, 2.7 for mileage like I did the 15. (Interstate at approximately 62 mph got 27 mpg ) so I can not attest to its capabilities.
• Did some towing with both and the 2018 really did shine in (Tow/Haul mode) with the engine braking. Don't get me wrong, the 2015 did a wonderful job too but with the extra gears, the 10 speed was an improvement.
• The 2018, 2.7 liked to be doing 58 mph before hitting 10th gear. With cruise control ON, at 55 mph we stayed in 9th gear for the most part, with a quick drop into 8th on most of the longer, steeper grade hills locally. Again, not a problem because the shifts were smooth and predictable.

millemk

Great write up in Wikipedia. Now need to add more detail, maybe from the mechanical experts in our forum? Yes, the two chain system (separate chains driving each cylinder bank) was added to 2nd gen and in my opinion a key change as important as the dual port and direct injection. This two change system has been previously described in the forums, I believe in the www.f150ecoboost.net forum with very detailed information provided by RMB_Ryan who is a supporting member and avid engine builder. See https://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/1...rformance.html

user 83720

Have a Gen2 3.5EB with the 10spd and let me say it has some serious gettyup. But I detest that 10spd. One day it'll shift to 7th at 28mph, the next, 38mph. is not consistent whatsoever & that goes for gears 6-8 usually. Cant speak to any possible mx issues about the 3.5 even though mine has had a funny sound that is intermittent. Also my particular mpg seems to be 1-1.5mpg lower than comparable 3.5's but I learned today that the tires on it are the GY wrangler kevlar AT...... far from fuel efficient. All I can say is that the 3.5 has a crapton more power than the 2015 2.7 6spd, obviously.

jharmon203

OP, you are doing some great research on the engines. The gen 1 ecoboost doesn't particularly have an issue with carbon build up or you would hear tons of stories about it here on the forums. Many people have driven their gen 1 ecoboosts for thousands of miles without an issue. However, you cannot ignore the fact that Ford redesigned it to have port injection. In their brochure, they talk about fuel efficiency and better operation at lower RPMs. Of course, they wont have anything in there about carbon build up because to say that would mean to presume that it's a bit problem. From what my research found, it really wasn't.

I know what you are talking about with VW and Audi having big issues with this, but I don't think Ford's have the same issue.

Having said all of this, I personally thought the addition of port injection would add to reliability so that was something I wanted to invest in. There are other improvements in the Gen 2 that help with reliability as well, but port injection was what I really wanted.

acdii

I have had 6 Gen 1 3.5 EB in different vehicles, three F150's, two Flex and an MKT. All performed flawlessly. The one in my 2014 was the best out of all of them, could be due to the tune I had, or the gearing, or both, but it got really good MPG, pulled like a diesel, and was quick, clocked it @ 117 passing two semi's one day. My last one was in a 2016 with the 6 speed and it was a dog, not even a tune helped it.

Now I have a Gen 2 in my 2018 and it is like the tuned 2014 was, and it is bone stock! Getting better MPG than any of the previous ones, including the FLEX/MKT ones. It tows my trailer effortlessly, is quiet, and smooth. The 10 speed is mostly OK, at times it shifts clunky, sticks in gears when it should either shift up or down, but overall has been good. I think its an overall good improvement over the Gen 1. The Gen 1 is prone to fuel saturation in the oil if idled too long or short driven, and adding the MPFI should solve that.