[hurryinhoosier62]

Anybody here own a 2wd, 8ft bed F-150 with the 5.4 Triton engine? I've got a chance to purchase one locally with 15,000 miles on it. We've got a couple of jackals here that down the Ford modular V-8, but I've seen the internals of nearly 2,500 of them. With PROPER maintenance and oil changes, I've seen these engines get 300,000+ miles on them. What I want is REALLY experience, not opinions and WAGs. Fuel economy, maintenance problems, etc. are the FACTS I want to see. Thanks in advance.

[Jim Scites]

When I worked for the subway in DC I was in charge of a 2006 F350 a 2008 F350 and a 2010 F350 all with 5.4 Triton V8s. Empty they would get between 8 and 10MPG, with a salt spreader and snow plow they would get 6MPG with your foot on the floor and them straining to move. I drove Chevrolets with 350s and even 305s with more power and better economy. They were all 4WD and all f350s but they I hated every time I had to drive one of them.

[71SportRagtop]

I don't have much experience with them but I know some Ford truck motors had issues with the spark plugs blowing out of the cylinders. I am nearly 100% positive it was common on the 4.6 and 5.4 Fords. It might be something worth researching.

[gtohurstjudge]

I have a 1999 Ford Expedition with the 5.4. The engine and automatic transmission
are still going strong at 286,000 miles. Some of the engines have the spark plug blowing out of the hole problem, primarily 2001 and 2002 models, but any year can do it. I'm
in the car repair business and I have seen it happen 3 times to my customers, all were
2001 model year trucks. A thread insert can be installed for about 350.00 parts and labor
but they have been known to fail later on(sometimes several years later) GM has serious
problems with some of their LS v8 engines like cracked heads and piston slap and bad
lifters, so it's a crap shoot either way. If you like to work on your own vehicle, the Chevy
is by far easier to work on and that is it's greatest advantage, along with more power
and a little better gas mileage. What I love most about my Ford is that even at 286,000
miles and 15 years of age, it still looks almost new inside and out and never breaks on
me. It is the most dependable trouble free vehicle I've ever owned and I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years.

[David Jones]

There are some good Ford truck sites out there. I'd have a look there.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by David Jones

There are some good Ford truck sites out there. I'd have a look there.

Been to a couple, David. There's SOME info there, but not what I'm looking for....REAL LIFE experience.

[necdb3]

I worked at a Ford/linc/merc dealer for 14 years ending in 2007. The engines are pretty bullet proof other than the plug issue. Both the 4.6 and 5.4 run for a long time with normal maintenance.

As stated here earlier, the fuel economy is pretty bad considering how little power they produce compared to the competitors.

As far as being reliable, They are great engines.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by 71SportRagtop

I don't have much experience with them but I know some Ford truck motors had issues with the spark plugs blowing out of the cylinders. I am nearly 100% positive it was common on the 4.6 and 5.4 Fords. It might be something worth researching.

I've seen it on 4.6s (Romeo especially). It's amazing what a little anti-seize will do (prevent galvanic corrosion, the cause of spark plug blow-outs).

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by gtohurstjudge

I have a 1999 Ford Expedition with the 5.4. The engine and automatic transmission
are still going strong at 286,000 miles. Some of the engines have the spark plug blowing out of the hole problem, primarily 2001 and 2002 models, but any year can do it. I'm
in the car repair business and I have seen it happen 3 times to my customers, all were
2001 model year trucks. A thread insert can be installed for about 350.00 parts and labor
but they have been known to fail later on(sometimes several years later) GM has serious
problems with some of their LS v8 engines like cracked heads and piston slap and bad
lifters, so it's a crap shoot either way. If you like to work on your own vehicle, the Chevy
is by far easier to work on and that is it's greatest advantage, along with more power
and a little better gas mileage. What I love most about my Ford is that even at 286,000
miles and 15 years of age, it still looks almost new inside and out and never breaks on
me. It is the most dependable trouble free vehicle I've ever owned and I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years.

Retired ASE tech. I would love to work on them, but my docs would have a fit! What kind of mileage are you seeing? IF I can get 15+ combined, I'll be happy.

[goatwgn]

Only thing I will add is that I have seen the timing tensioners fail suddenly on them. (Loud clattering at the front of the engine). But they were on higher mileage units and they also didnt seem to have had regular oil changes. At 15,000 miles, though, I dont think you have to worry about this sort of thing.

[Icefan71]

I've owned a 98 Expedition with 5.4 for about 10 years. It spit out 1 spark plug and I spent $400 for a helicoil repair job. I replaced the stock coil packs with Accels after 8 years and 3 failed in 2 years so put Motorcrafts back in it. Also there are issues with the vacuum hoses cracking and dry rotting causing people to spend tons of $$ chasing down the "system too lean" code. Its a good motor and should last a long time if you take care of it.

[Transporter]

OK, real life exp. bought the wife a new 2006 Lincoln Mark LT (F150 with lipstick) she drove it over a 100,000 with NO issues, including the time she picked me up at the airport and it was 3 qts low!!! (I had been gone for 6 months)

6 years later she wants a new car, so I get her a new Buick Lacrosse, sell my 1999 Ford F350 with over 400,000 on it and take her Lincoln, it is now approaching 200,000 and aside from some brakes/ rotors, a complete and thorough tune up and tranny service at 100,000 it has needed nothing except tires.

I was planning on trading it for a new 2015 F150, but since they will not come out till end/first of year I will probably keep it till next spring.

It's a 4x4 with 355 gears and gets 18+ hwy miles at 70+ mph, stop and go around town figure 12/13 it has been a good vehicle. Since you didn't list a year, is it a 2 valve motor, or 3 valve?

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by gtohurstjudge

Some of the engines have the spark plug blowing out of the hole problem, primarily 2001 and 2002 models, but any year can do it.

That problem has been resolved.

The current problem is getting the spark plug out.

I call on new and used car dealers, independent repair shops and fleets. It's not unusual to break off half of the spark plugs when doing a plug swap today. I have one shop that quotes $800.00 to change 8 plugs on a 5.4L Ford to cover the pain and aggravation.

[ponyakr]

When considering a used pickup I did a little research. It seems that the spark plug problems were with the 3 valve engines. The 2 valve engines seem to be OK. There is lots of info about 'em online.

[69goatboy]

I had a 99 f-150 for 10 years. I had the 4.9 and would get 17mpg. I've known many with the 5.4 that maybe managed 12 or 13. That's my only problem with Ford, relatively low mpgs for the engine size. My current driver, a v6 Explorer, gets worse gas milage than the v8 version.

[68BeaumontSD]

I have a 2004 F-250 with the 5.4. It has a little over 190,000 miles on it. I've never had any problems with the truck other than the fuel pump. I ususlly get 14 to 15 mpg depending on how I drive and if I am hauling anything.
James

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by Transporter

OK, real life exp. bought the wife a new 2006 Lincoln Mark LT (F150 with lipstick) she drove it over a 100,000 with NO issues, including the time she picked me up at the airport and it was 3 qts low!!! (I had been gone for 6 months)

6 years later she wants a new car, so I get her a new Buick Lacrosse, sell my 1999 Ford F350 with over 400,000 on it and take her Lincoln, it is now approaching 200,000 and aside from some brakes/ rotors, a complete and thorough tune up and tranny service at 100,000 it has needed nothing except tires.

I was planning on trading it for a new 2015 F150, but since they will not come out till end/first of year I will probably keep it till next spring.

It's a 4x4 with 355 gears and gets 18+ hwy miles at 70+ mph, stop and go around town figure 12/13 it has been a good vehicle. Since you didn't list a year, is it a 2 valve motor, or 3 valve?

Stan, it's a three valve engine (2007). Since it's 2WD, I'm figuring it will get at least as good mpg as my BIL's Ram 1500 Hemi (20-21mpg on the hwy). A tuner, cold air kit and cat back exhaust are on the agenda IF I decide to buy it.

[77 TRASHCAN]

The big issue isn't the plugs blowing out, which they do...
When you go to change them and either break the plug or strip the 2-1/2-3 threads that hold them in. Then you get to drill and heli-coil a spark plug hole on the vehicle. After doing so, you insert a thin air blower into the plug hole to hopefully blow out most of the shavings. Hopefully you don't strip too many holes

Yes, this is how the mechanics do it at the dealer!!!! What a cluster, to change a spark plug.

Don't let the oil go over about 3000 miles. The tolerances on the rod bearings is REAL close, they will try to swap places if you get lazy on oil changes...

Ever wonder why that engine is no longer produced (except for the V-10 in motor homes)????

[Simple Man]

I traded a 2003 F250 Lariat, for my 2011. The 03 was a 5.4, automatic. it had about 96,000 when I traded it. 70,000 of that was put on by me. The engine used NO oil, ran great, never any problems. Regular maintenance was done religiously. The body was getting bad, or I would have kept it.
It would get 13-14 MPG on the highway, and around town mix, but I don't know which rear gears it had.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

The big issue isn't the plugs blowing out, which they do...
When you go to change them and either break the plug or strip the 2-1/2-3 threads that hold them in. Then you get to drill and heli-coil a spark plug hole on the vehicle. After doing so, you insert a thin air blower into the plug hole to hopefully blow out most of the shavings. Hopefully you don't strip too many holes

Yes, this is how the mechanics do it at the dealer!!!! What a cluster, to change a spark plug.

Don't let the oil go over about 3000 miles. The tolerances on the rod bearings is REAL close, they will try to swap places if you get lazy on oil changes...

Ever wonder why that engine is no longer produced (except for the V-10 in motor homes)????

I'm VERY familiar with the main bearing tolerances on the 4.6/5.4 engines. Spent a week mic'ing bearings because our QA dept COULDN'T believe a .0002-.0004 difference in bearing thicknesses could cause crankshafts to seize. IT DID!! IF you use dino oil, don't let it go over 3,000 miles. I use NOTHING but synthetic(preferably Amsoil). Matt (my mechanic) says the spark plug problems really aren't an issue IF you have the correct tools (he does), but $99 for a set of spark plugs WILL take some getting used to. The secret to keeping the 5.4 in service seems to be REGULAR SERVICE, something I've done for years. My current vehicle ('03 Silverado) has 150,000 miles on it with 90% of the ORIGINAL parts still installed. The clutch is still the GM original. All I've done is regular maintenance with a steady diet of synthetic motor oil and regular (4500-5000 miles) oil filter changes. I would keep "Ol' Red" IF she had air conditioning and an automatic transmission, but S. FL is no place for a truck without a/c and my doc and my wife on on my back to get rid of the manual (apparently it hard on your back to use the clutch?).