Hey guys, well i think my wife and I have decided to buy either a 4 door jeep wrangler or a crew cab f150. I don't want to spend more than 15k so that pretty much limits me to the F150. So... what should I watch out for. I know the 4.6 and 5.4 engines are great motors. I have a fair amount of knowledge about the older 4.6 and 5.4 but not the newer (04+) engines. However I have no idea about what to look for in the rest of the tuck. What I want is a truck with lowest miles, most options, and newest, in that order. (pretty much what everybody wants. My wife wants something with a moon-roof, satellite radio, and speaker inputs. However, I know the older trucks don't have speaker inputs.

Any info and pointers would be great. Thanks guys.

 

I only know what I read on these forums as far as newer Fords.

The 5.4 is supposed to be a great motor, but there were 2 major issues with the spark plug that didn't get resolved until around 2007.

When they first went to the 3V motor, the plugs occasionally blew out of the heads -- requiriing some major fixes. I don't think it was that common, but it was probably pretty annoying. From what I read, you had to carefully install the plugs, and only torque them to something like 12 ft lbs.

The first fix for that led to an issue with removing the plugs at all. It was apparently a 2 piece design, and many would crack -- causing possible issues with plug debris getting into the cylinder. There are tons of posts about changing those plugs. The proper procedures have been repeatedly described.

Now that I've tried to help. I can say with a clear conscience,

If you want a truck for your wife

Please post a picture of her

Sorry, best of luck,

hj

 

Old joke from the late 90s:

Bill Clinton: Hey, I got a dog for Hillary!

Bill's Buddy: Hey, nice trade!

Couldn't resist!

 

How about the difference between the 4.6 and the 5.4. We wont be pulling much with the truck, so if the 4.6 gets considerably more fuel mileage, I wouldn't mind having that. I have my own truck to pull with.

Also, do the lariat have aux inputs?

I know you guys have more pointers than just jokes.

 

The 4.6 will prob get 1 or 2 mpg more than a 5.4 but is much more reliable. It is the 2v engine and doesnt have phasers or 2 piece spark plugs to deal with.

 

The aux input plug was added to the trucks in 2006-2007 range and was available on the XLT and higher trim packages. (I think)

The 4.6 is basically the same motor they used in previous years. The 5.4 was redesigned but still a good engine. The first few years they had some issues so I would look for one late 2006 or later.

The 04, 05, and early 06 models had the cam phaser problem. Some dealers have covered the noise up by using a heavier oil to sell the truck and claim they didn't know about the issue. Mostly people who have bought the truck from a non ford dealer but I wouldn't put it pass any dealer to try it.

In late 2007 and 2008 they all had the plug issue with breaking them off when changing to new plugs. Not the major issue it is made out to be just time consuming when replacing plugs.

 

Ok, what about the power differences between the 4.6 and the 5.4. I know we wont be pulling much with it, but I don't want a dog of a truck.

 

The 4.6 will get you around but if you test drive both you will certainly notice the difference. Overall either engine is good for what you are describing for use. The big difference is if down the road you want to use it differently then you may have an issue. For either truck I would invest in a tuner after purchase it will help with power and gas mileage for both engines.

 

If you looking for a truck with the most options, then you will most likely end up with the 5.4 as the lariat, the high end model, only comes with the 5.4. I would shoot for the 5.4 anyways simply due to the fact that the 4.6 doesn't get much if any better mpgs. These trucks are not hard to come by, so don't buy the first one you come across cause you may see one a week later that is exactly what you want.