Going to buy a PIU, which engine should I get? (Newbie here)

[Tstaats]

Hello all. I’m new to this forum and have never owned an explorer of any kind, although I have owned many Fords over the years. I’m a retired fireman and we had a few PIUs (staff cars, medical response, etc.) that were purchased along with the police contract, so I am familiar with 2013+ PIUs. I wanna get one that will double as a daily driver whenever I want it to be and a secondary wintertime vehicle for the wife, and I’m familiar with what to look for as far as the vehicle itself goes (low miles/idle hours, etc.), but my big question is which motor to get. I’m familiar with the performance numbers, and know that the EB is obviously faster than the 3.7. However, I’m also familiar with the additional maintenance of owning one and know that in the long run it is bound to cost more money to own (caked intake and cats clog faster thanks to GDI, turbos will eventually need replaced/rebuilt, etc.), but I’d really like to hear from you guys that actually own ecoboost PIUs whether or not you regret not getting the 3.7 because of that stuff. Right now we have two 2014 Fusions, mine is a 2.0 EB and the wife has a 2.5 N/A, so again, I’m somewhat familiar with the differences. However, my F-150 is a 5.0 and I’ve never owned a V6 EB. I hope this post is not redundant and that I’m putting it in the right place. And thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[Tstaats]

Also... are there any specific years that were great or any that were horrible? I would much rather have a 13 cream puff than a 16 lemon! Thanks again in advance!

 

[peterk9]

Just wanted to say, Welcome to the Forum.

Peter

 

[Tstaats]

Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it. I spent a lot of time on the Ford-trucks forum back when I had a diesel SD, and the guys on there were a wealth of information! I have no doubts that this one will be the same. I look forward to getting my own PIU and getting to know this new family here.

 

[Volksjager]

I sold my 13 piu 3.7 this year so i could get an eb piu. So far i dont have any regrets.

after having a water pump failure on the 3.7 ive just come to expect its going to cost me to own an explorer. Last ford i owned was 97 SHO. Had cam failure on that with less than 100k. If i wanted dependability i would have bought a Toyota

 

[Tstaats]

I sold my 13 piu 3.7 this year so i could get an eb piu. So far i dont have any regrets.

after having a water pump failure on the 3.7 ive just come to expect its going to cost me to own an explorer. Last ford i owned was 97 SHO. Had cam failure on that with less than 100k. If i wanted dependability i would have bought a Toyota

Thanks for the reply, and I get everything you’re saying. I considered getting the water pump replaced with whatever I end up buying as soon as I get it home just as preventive maintenance, and hopefully to prevent me not catching it in time and melting the whole motor down. I think I’ll look for an EB but not rule out a 3.7 if it has the options I want. Then just start out with fresh plugs and fuel filter and just see how it goes I guess.

 

[Volksjager]

Check the serp belt. They’ve been trash on both my pius. Changing the 3.7 is super easy. The eb i took off the tire and fender liner to get access to remove it.

 

[VCFP153]

Hello all. I’m new to this forum and have never owned an explorer of any kind, although I have owned many Fords over the years. I’m a retired fireman and we had a few PIUs (staff cars, medical response, etc.) that were purchased along with the police contract, so I am familiar with 2013+ PIUs. I wanna get one that will double as a daily driver whenever I want it to be and a secondary wintertime vehicle for the wife, and I’m familiar with what to look for as far as the vehicle itself goes (low miles/idle hours, etc.), but my big question is which motor to get. I’m familiar with the performance numbers, and know that the EB is obviously faster than the 3.7. However, I’m also familiar with the additional maintenance of owning one and know that in the long run it is bound to cost more money to own (caked intake and cats clog faster thanks to GDI, turbos will eventually need replaced/rebuilt, etc.), but I’d really like to hear from you guys that actually own ecoboost PIUs whether or not you regret not getting the 3.7 because of that stuff. Right now we have two 2014 Fusions, mine is a 2.0 EB and the wife has a 2.5 N/A, so again, I’m somewhat familiar with the differences. However, my F-150 is a 5.0 and I’ve never owned a V6 EB. I hope this post is not redundant and that I’m putting it in the right place. And thanks in advance for any responses.

My 2017 PIU had the 3.7 and my 2018 F150PR had the 3.5EB, while my 2021 PIU has the new 3.0EB. The 3.7 was nobody's rocketship, but was plenty adequate. My point is that since you're buying used, don't sweat the engine too much. Find the right overall vehicle and whatever engine it has, so be it. Both motors will be fine with proper maintenance, both have pros and cons, so I don't think one would be an overwhelming favorite over the other.

 

[Tstaats]

My 2017 PIU had the 3.7 and my 2018 F150PR had the 3.5EB, while my 2021 PIU has the new 3.0EB. The 3.7 was nobody's rocketship, but was plenty adequate. My point is that since you're buying used, don't sweat the engine too much. Find the right overall vehicle and whatever engine it has, so be it. Both motors will be fine with proper maintenance, both have pros and cons, so I don't think one would be an overwhelming favorite over the other.

All of that makes sense and sounds like a solid plan. I appreciate everybody’s feedback. Anybody know of any really good years versus really bad years to look for or beware???

 

[VCFP153]

All of that makes sense and sounds like a solid plan. I appreciate everybody’s feedback. Anybody know of any really good years versus really bad years to look for or beware???

As with anything else, get the nicest, newest one you can possibly afford.

 

[gapcomputer]

check for idle hours on the vehicle, 1 idle hour is equal to drive 33 miles (according to Ford) that way you have an idea on how many (real) miles the engine have on it and don't get fooled by the ones in the odometer

 

[Tstaats]

Thanks gentlemen. I look forward to showing mine off as soon as I can find it!

 

[Chickensandwich]

Hello all. I’m new to this forum and have never owned an explorer of any kind, although I have owned many Fords over the years. I’m a retired fireman and we had a few PIUs (staff cars, medical response, etc.) that were purchased along with the police contract, so I am familiar with 2013+ PIUs. I wanna get one that will double as a daily driver whenever I want it to be and a secondary wintertime vehicle for the wife, and I’m familiar with what to look for as far as the vehicle itself goes (low miles/idle hours, etc.), but my big question is which motor to get. I’m familiar with the performance numbers, and know that the EB is obviously faster than the 3.7. However, I’m also familiar with the additional maintenance of owning one and know that in the long run it is bound to cost more money to own (caked intake and cats clog faster thanks to GDI, turbos will eventually need replaced/rebuilt, etc.), but I’d really like to hear from you guys that actually own ecoboost PIUs whether or not you regret not getting the 3.7 because of that stuff. Right now we have two 2014 Fusions, mine is a 2.0 EB and the wife has a 2.5 N/A, so again, I’m somewhat familiar with the differences. However, my F-150 is a 5.0 and I’ve never owned a V6 EB. I hope this post is not redundant and that I’m putting it in the right place. And thanks in advance for any responses.

I have 2018 ecoboost. $2500 on engine work. Engine was choked out with carbon, fuel injector was clogged and had to be replaced twice because of the carbon. New plugs because they kept getting fouled. Dealership foamed out the entire interior of the engine to get rid of the carbon, but it’s an expensive process. If you driving around the city, I’d avoid it. The dealership said you really have to get ikon the accelerator occasionally to clear out carbon. You have a series of plastic tubes that can rot and break and that affects engine performance severely. The ecoboost is faster, but it’s a SUV so it’s not SHO speed. I would NOT recommend an ecoboost PIU unless it was a county or state car with very low miles on it