I have a 1998 Ford F250 Lariat Light Duty 5.4l extended cab pickup. I bought this thing with only 101K on it and only put 3K before it blew a head gasket and at the time I thought it also cracked the block. So I went to the junk yard and bought another 5.4 and had it installed for me. Well it turns out this engine has a burnt valve and I can’t take it back because it only came with a 30 day warranty that is now gone and “they” won’t help me with it at all. So here is where I stand now.

1. I want to rebuild my old engine (it does not have a cracked block).
2. I have 2 engines to make 1 but I’m thinking about new heads (see below)
3. I want some extra power without breaking the bank.
4. I’m doing the work in my buddy’s garage this time instead of relying on someone else. (This is what I get for not getting my hands dirty the first time.)

So I was looking at maybe buying new heads and intake. I would like to switch these to PI heads and intake. However I do not know what is actually involved with doing this for these engines. I’m used to the old style engines where you can slap a new set of heads on and run, but with these you need cams, intake, and maybe even a new computer. I’m also going to put new in bearing, rings, freeze plugs, hone the cylinder walls, oil pump, along with new gaskets and completely new timing chain setup gears and all. For all of this Advance Auto Parts has quoted me a price of almost 1K.
So here are my questions:

1. Can I go with the Lincoln Navigator 4 valve DOHC heads?
2. If I can do this I’ll need a new intake, will it fix under my hood?
3. Do I have to do anything extra to the bottom end?
4. Do I need to reprogram the computer or do I have to buy a new one?
a. I have to do either how do I do this?
5. Do I have to swap out the throttle body?
6. Is there anything I’m missing besides what I’ve posted?
7. Would it be cheaper to buy a crate engine? If so where?

I’m sure I will have more questions but this is a good start as of right now. I really want a good running engine for this truck. I’m soo far in debt with the repairs that I can’t sell it to get out from under it so I need this thing to perform for the next 10 years without any major issues. I’m not looking for super high performance. I know what that is and does and I don’t want to be under the hood every other weekend. High performance = high maintenance.

Thanks in advance,

Jason

 

So no one has an answer?

 

I can't answer your Navigator swap idea but I've rebuilt a lot of motors in the past, and looking at current crate prices I think they're a no-brainer. Saves time, money, and you'll get a warrantee. You'll still have your old engine if you decide to try to fix it up in the future.

 

read this: Ford 4.6L and 5.4L Engine Build Ups

ive also read on that website that the 97-98(and lightnings) 5.4 were the only 2 years with forged crank shaft which is good when u wanna add power.

personally I would not go with navi heads not as much aftermarket power adders. and u can make good power with 2v heads.

about your PI heads, yes u would need to swap some over (don't know what work is involved) and do a cnc porting on them.

 

In order to do the PI swap, you need the PI bottom end as well. If your'e under that much debt and struggling financially, drop a PI 5.4 complete, (you will need the intake), and get it tuned. That at alone will be very simple for you as well as budget efficient AND effective. The navi swap is incredibly difficult with pinning, mounting, tuning and so on. You did a very effective job of laying out what you were looking for and asking questions. ALot of people come on here and ask one sentence answers and expect a novel of a response. Thank you for that btw.

 

Before I get into my next round of questions I first want to thank everyone for your input and helping me get my truck back on the road again.
1. I’m all for doing a complete install my next question is where do I get an engine? I’ve been looking at this website because they have a great warranty and they seem to be pretty cost effective. Ford 5.4 engines remanufactured. no upfront core free shipping powertrain products inc 888-842-0023
2. Do the PI 5.4’s come out of the crate with more power? If so how much?
3. What year engine do I have to buy to insure that I’m getting a PI engine?
4. Tex1986, you said that if I do the PI swap I will need to get it tuned. Do they make a tuner kit for this or do I have to take it to Ford to have it re-programmed?
a. If they do make a kit does anyone have a link?
b. Can I just buy a programmed ECU If so where? I found a site but I’m not 100% sure about them.
I know the PI’s can make more power but I can’t find any out of the box specs that say how much. Unfortunately Wikipedia doesn't say much about the PI’s (go figure) Ford Modular engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . I’m trying to do as much research as I can but there is such a learning curve to get caught up on this stuff. Like I said I had a 66 mustang when I was younger so making more power was not as hard as this is now. Though I’m sure I’m making it more difficult than it needs to be.
As in the last time I’m sure your answers will spawn more questions. I actually don’t see this as a bad thing. The more information I have going into this project the smoother it will go when I’m ready to start spending money.
Thanks again,
Jason

 

Dear Jason, All the questions you're asking are here in the forums. It sounds like you are in a time crunch. I would highly suggest you spend a few days browsing through this section of the forum and do a search for engine swap, PI vs NPI, and read. The stealerships can tune the new motor, but your best bet is to have a tuning shop do it. You would be best served to get a tuner. YOu'll need to read up on that as well. What you're trying to do is going to require lots of reading and understanding. Look on Ebay for a rebuilt motor as well. As you said, back in 66 it was easy. Nowdays you have timing, fuel tables, O2 sensors and so on and so forth... all controlled by a computer. Again, your best bet is to READ, read read read read... alot of what I know has come just from reading here and going through haynes manual. If you don't have one of those, get one and begin to understand the intimates of your vehicle. Good luck