2016 Expedition XLT EL

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Eric Wheeler

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Hello all

sitting on the patio drinking a beer. Thinking of upgrading my 2012 Expedition XLT to a 2016 EL. Both are 4x4. The 2016 has the eco boost and I have the 5.4l. I like the EL for the bigger tank when towing travel trailer and the one ft more of space. The 2016 does not have tow package. It only has the 4 pin wire. It also has 140k miles. So the questions I have are do you guys think it’s worth it. I know what I have in the 2012 but the eco boost I’m not sure of. Would it be coming up on some major work on the turbos with 140k or if the test drive was fine then go with it. I would also have to add a 7 pin connection for the trailer. Just looking for thought Thanks
 

JExpedition07

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If your 2012 5.4L is an HD tow model it is better suited for towing your travel trailer than that particular 2016 3.5L as it has a bigger radiator, bigger transmission cooler, and better gear ratio than the 2016. There’s a lot more than a 7 pin. If you want to upgrade wait for an Eco with the HD tow setup. It would suck to be watching that transmission temp needle climb into the red on that ‘16 going up a big hill lol, not worth it.
 
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JasonH

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Hello all

sitting on the patio drinking a beer. Thinking of upgrading my 2012 Expedition XLT to a 2016 EL. Both are 4x4. The 2016 has the eco boost and I have the 5.4l. I like the EL for the bigger tank when towing travel trailer and the one ft more of space. The 2016 does not have tow package. It only has the 4 pin wire. It also has 140k miles. So the questions I have are do you guys think it’s worth it. I know what I have in the 2012 but the eco boost I’m not sure of. Would it be coming up on some major work on the turbos with 140k or if the test drive was fine then go with it. I would also have to add a 7 pin connection for the trailer. Just looking for thought Thanks

Get one with HD tow and warranty. The Ecoboost EL tows great, but repairs on the engine are very expensive. The turbos and timing belt both come to mind as expensive repairs. It would suck to get one and be into 4k worth of repairs immediately.
 
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Eric Wheeler

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That’s what I’m concerned about. I’m on my second 5.4L started with 2005 then went to the 2012. That was a big difference. The 6 speed transmission over the 4 speed alone was worth it. Phasers and VCT’s are working fine on the 2012. So at the moment the 2016 eco doesn’t give me a feeling that I’m gaining anything, unless I’m missing something.
 

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If your 2012 5.4L is an HD tow model it is better suited for towing your travel trailer than that particular 2016 3.5L as it has a bigger radiator, bigger transmission cooler, and better gear ratio than the 2016. There’s a lot more than a 7 pin. If you want to upgrade wait for an Eco with the HD tow setup. It would suck to be watching that transmission temp needle climb into the red on that ‘16 going up a big hill lol, not worth it.

Real World totally disagree, with all do respect! I have owned my 2015 4X4 XLT for over two years now and it is a "towing beast" for both a two axle cargo trailer rated to 7,000 lbs. and a just bought, new to me, 25' Outdoors RV trailer, which are known to be heavy rigs. Before I bought the Expy, I researched the difference between a HD tow package and not. The only significant issues I could find is the trans cooler and lack of EB controller. The radiator HD issue is total nonsense, there is no significant difference, and that goes for the differential ratio too! My trans temp on 90+ degree days never has exceeded 208 degrees up mountain passes! I shared my factory trans cooler install in this forum a couple of years ago. BTW, I have a 4 way Equilizer Hitch and just added Falken load range E tires and it tows "nearly" rock solid.
 
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Eric Wheeler

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Real World totally disagree, with all do respect! I have owned my 2015 4X4 XLT for over two years now and it is a "towing beast" for both a two axle cargo trailer rated to 7,000 lbs. and a just bought, new to me, 25' Outdoors RV trailer, which are known to be heavy rigs. Before I bought the Expy, I researched the difference between a HD tow package and not. The only significant issues I could find is the trans cooler and lack of EB controller. The radiator HD issue is total nonsense, there is no significant difference, and that goes for the differential ratio too! My trans temp on 90+ degree days never has exceeded 208 degrees up mountain passes! I shared my factory trans cooler install in this forum a couple of years ago. BTW, I have a 4 way Equilizer Hitch and just added Falken load range E tires and it tows "nearly" rock solid.

Are you saying you have the 3:31 Axel and it tows like that. If I get the 2016 without tow package and get a trans cooler from U haul I could be ok.
 

JasonH

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Are you saying you have the 3:31 Axel and it tows like that. If I get the 2016 without tow package and get a trans cooler from U haul I could be ok.

I tow with the 3.31 because I have a Limited 4x2. It's my first towing setup, but I have no issues pulling my 7,000 lb trailer. The Ecoboost pulls like a diesel, with lots of low end torque. Most of the time I tow it's running in 6th gear. Not sure how the 5.4 towed, but I've heard mixed things, from it towed like crap to it's ok with 3.73. Based on the difference in engine design, I'm sure the Ecoboost would be a worthwhile upgrade for heavy loads. But as I said, beware the maintenance.
 

07navi

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Real World totally disagree, with all do respect! I have owned my 2015 4X4 XLT for over two years now and it is a "towing beast" for both a two axle cargo trailer rated to 7,000 lbs. and a just bought, new to me, 25' Outdoors RV trailer, which are known to be heavy rigs. Before I bought the Expy, I researched the difference between a HD tow package and not. The only significant issues I could find is the trans cooler and lack of EB controller. The radiator HD issue is total nonsense, there is no significant difference, and that goes for the differential ratio too! My trans temp on 90+ degree days never has exceeded 208 degrees up mountain passes! I shared my factory trans cooler install in this forum a couple of years ago. BTW, I have a 4 way Equilizer Hitch and just added Falken load range E tires and it tows "nearly" rock solid.
So what do you think the difference is between the "heavy duty" rad and the regular one?
 
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Eric Wheeler

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I tow with the 3.31 because I have a Limited 4x2. It's my first towing setup, but I have no issues pulling my 7,000 lb trailer. The Ecoboost pulls like a diesel, with lots of low end torque. Most of the time I tow it's running in 6th gear. Not sure how the 5.4 towed, but I've heard mixed things, from it towed like crap to it's ok with 3.73. Based on the difference in engine design, I'm sure the Ecoboost would be a worthwhile upgrade for heavy loads. But as I said, beware the maintenance.

Is the maintenance that much a headache than the 5.4l. I thought It would be easier to maintain. Let’s see phaser vs turbos, VCT’s compare to what on the eco boost. Oil pump on 5.4 to what. What’s the biggest gotcha with the eco boost. I like the idea of a newer MY but I would like less headache and worry with the family in the car. Thanks for any info
 

JasonH

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Is the maintenance that much a headache than the 5.4l. I thought It would be easier to maintain. Let’s see phaser vs turbos, VCT’s compare to what on the eco boost. Oil pump on 5.4 to what. What’s the biggest gotcha with the eco boost. I like the idea of a newer MY but I would like less headache and worry with the family in the car. Thanks for any info

Technologically, the Ecoboost is a great performer, but it comes at the cost of more complexity. The Ecoboost can suffer from timing chain stretch, which is like a 3 - 4K job, and turbo failure. Which I've read can run up to 8K. I think a lot of the maintenance needs depends on the driving conditions (city/highway, towing, etc) and frequency of oil changes. The F150 forum would probably be a better source of info on the maintenance since it's the top selling vehicle in America and there are more of them on the road. There are horror stores on F150 forum about blown engines and turbos after buying used Ecoboosts. No way I would want to get one of these things without a warranty. Example:

https://www.f150forum.com/f11/some-advice-ecoboost-blew-yesterday-124k-mi-396090/index2/
 
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