I am looking to buy a Ford pick up for a truck camper and would like advice on what to look for when looking at an Eco Boost Ford. I have heard mixed reviews on them and one in particular is that they get lousy gas mileage. Any help would be appreciated.

 

This primarily depends on what year of truck you're looking at. For instance, the earlier ecoboost 3.5L, 2011/12 did have some timing chain stretch issues and some condensation build up issues in the intercooler. The condensation may present a misfiring type of event as the engine stumbles while ingesting some moisture.

A loose timing set could be noticed during cold start in the morning for instance. If you're looking at an older 3.5L, be the first person to start it up in the morning and listen closely for a slight grinding noise. If none is there, you should be good to go.

The EB engines tend to eat spark plugs. They should be changed in "about" 50K mile increments or as needed. Some say more frequently some have better luck.

Lousy MPG's: What's lousy? The 3.5L does get worse towing mileage than a comparable 6.2L powered truck when towing. But, it gets significantly better mileage when empty. Do you plan to log more towing miles than empty miles?

The little six will out work most any small V-8 on the market right now. There are plenty of engines out there with 100's of thousands of miles on them and there are those that met an early demise. Just like any other engine, it all comes down to how it was maintained.

On my truck, I did drill a 1/16th inch hole in the lower driver side of the intercooler. This has mitigated any moisture build up and I've never had an issue. I also change the oil every 5K miles and this keeps the timing set operating in clean oil. The ecoboost just like any other turbo engine will suffer from some fuel dilution in the oil. This thins the oil and lowers the viscosity. Changing frequently is important and cheap insurance IMHO.

 

Thanks for the advice. I do not plan on towing but I will be carrying a truck camper.

 

I don't think a truck camper and half-ton go together very well, unless its a shell. You'd be better off with a one ton.