We are looking at a used '15 Expy EL. I know on the F150 Ford eliminated some the problems the earlier 3.5 ecoboosts had. The F150 is their flag ship and the expy always takes second seat, with that in mind did the 2015 Expys get the updated 3.5 or the leftovers from the F150 production line?

 

The 15 to 17 expys got the first gen ecoboost engines. However, by time they made their way into the expy, ford had time to iron out most issues with it. Most owners dont have issues with their engines, but i would keep diggin this forum or the other expy forums for any engine related issues.

 

I’m sorry, I should have been more clear. I didn’t mean the second gen motor that’s now in the F150. A friend is a Ford mechanic and told me the earlier ecoboosts had some issues, that if I were to buy an ecoboost to buy a 15 or newer of the first gen ecoboost. That being said is the 15 expy motor the one he is referring to as so often we get the F150 leftovers.

 

I wasnt referring at all to the sec gen ecoboost. Your friend was referring to the 1st gen updated ecoboost in the 15-16 ford f150. The sec gen ecoboost was brought in on the 17 f150 and debuted in the expy for 18. The 1st gen ecoboost used in the 15- 17 expy was most likely updated to prevent issues that were prevalent in the refreshed last gen f150. Also, since the expy isnt as abused as the f150, the ecoboost would never be used as hard and as such, ford may have used old ecoboosts in the 15 expys knowing owners werent gonna push and break it as fast.

 

Makes sense except for the part “Also, since the expy isnt as abused as the f150, the ecoboost would never be used as hard”. You’ve clearly never seen my wife drive. She has two speeds, full throttle and stop. I’m going to get an oasis report and see what I can find out about it.

 

I meant pulling, pushing, and off roading lol. Maybe she needs an f150.

 

I would just suggest that you ask your friend if the 15 Expy motor was included in his suggestion. Sounds like he has some experience in this area.

 

Biggest problem I recall with the early 3.5 Ecoboost was moisture buildup in the intercooler in humid conditions which, when you gave the truck heavy throttle, would make the engine stumble. This was mostly in humid climates like Florida and Texas.

There was a TSB which involved adding baffles in front of parts of the intercooler that prevented moisture buildup on the early engines, and by 2015, the intercooler was redesigned to prevent the moisture buildup. I am assuming that all '15 and newer Expy's have the better intercooler design.

My biggest fear with any '17 and earlier Expy is corrosion on the lower seams of the hood and tailgate, and around the license plate area on the tailgate. I would look carefully at the lower seams, primarily inside but also outside surfaces. Warranty coverage on this oxidation seems spotty, especially after the 3/36 warranty is over, and requires repainting the hood and tailgate; a TSB specifies special prep and a specific primer. Not a cheap fix.

Good luck,
George

 

The engine would be the least of my concerns. In fact, I have a 2004 Expy that I bought new and I have no concerns with that one. Great trucks.

 

Thanks YoGeorge. We had that problem on our 07 expedition EL. I can’t believe Ford has not resolved that issue yet especially when they are building whole trucks out of aluminum now. If I recall correctly The root cause ofthe issue was the primary not bonding to the aluminum correctly. 10 years later and they still haven’t figured it out .

 

I believe the all-aluminum trucks do not have the problem but the Expy, Explorer, and Mustang seem to continue the problem. It is iron oxide contamination under the paint and some kind of faulty prep in the factory along with too-thin paint application. Ford apparently allowed the paint vendors to set up their paint operations and they screwed up. It is hard for me to believe that they did not pull a chemical-metallurgical engineer into the loop at the first sign of the problem many years ago. The warranty costs and loss of customer goodwill seems to elude car manufacturers sometimes.

There is a TSB regarding the proper preparation and fix to the problem, and it confuses the heck out of me that they can't apply this in the original manufacture. I was looking at off-lease 2015 Expy's this past fall and their paint is bubbling already on both hoods and trunks. I was looking at a leftover "new" 2017 Expy that I would have considered buying, but the inside front hood seam already looks compromised...ultra thin paint that has signs of bubbling on the edge of the crimp.

 

As far as the ecoboost itself, we have a 15 Expy and with 37,000 miles it's been flawless. I'm assuming the inter cooler issue was resolved. Driven it in 100+ degree heat and -15. No issues and awesome power.
As far as the paint- look carefully. We have bubbling (albeit small) at the lower edge of the hatch. Unbelievable. We bought our previous 2008 used and I had them repaint the hatch on it.
I'm over the top with cleanliness and paint care so I'm watching it closely.

 

The only gripe that I have about the EB engines is that they are tough on plugs. In the F-150 forum, some guys are getting over 75K with a set but most of us have had to replace plugs and boots between 40K and 60K miles.

As for the intercooler upgrade, it was fixed by 2015. My truck is a 2011 and I never had any moisture issues t hat I know of. However, I did drill the 1/16th weep hole in the lower driver side of my intercooler, no issues what so ever and actually, very little oily residue has come out.

These are great engines. My best advice is to keep the oil changed frequently. Ford says up to 10K between changes, I think this is way too long. I've settled into a 5K drain cycle and I've now reached 80K trouble free miles.

 

I remembered seeing this video some time ago--here is a 2011 3.5 EB that is over 200k miles with no problems. I seem to recall that this guy also changed his oil every 5k miles. It is actually linked on this site (FTE).

Having to change plugs at 50k is not as bad as having to pay a grand to deal with the sticking plugs in the 5.4 3 valve engine....and I would think that a normal human being could reach and change the plugs in a 3.5 V6 (standing on a stepstool) without that much trouble...no transverse engine "rear bank" that you can't reach.

The only other thing I recall was some problem with stretching timing chains (which is really chain wear and which would not be an issue with good oil) and maybe some problem with cam phasers, but nothing overwhelming. I had concern about carbon on the backs on intake valves in the EB (and all other direct injection engines) but this appears not to be a problem.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles...-going-strong/

 

looking at a 2016 Expy EL this week. Need the extended legroom again, kids are just too tall for the Tahoe

kinda disconcerting to read that the paint is STILL an issue. I was going to check all the areas that failed on my old 2008 EL...but damn, it's been 10yrs