Greeting all, I am new to this board but not to Ford trucks. My first was a '51 Flathead V8. Currently I have a '89 F150 5.0L. I am looking to get a '99 F250 4x4 crew cab. The one I am looking at has had the 5.4L motor replaced by Ford at ~99,000. The new motor only has about 11,000 miles on it. The owner said it was making noise and after changing the flywheel it was still noisy so the warranty covered a new motor. My concern is, Is this enough motor for this truck?, Was there issues with the 5.4 L motor? I am not familiar with the 5.4L and I don't want to make a bad investment. Any help is an appreciated education. God Bless, Huckster

 

Some people have had problems with spark plugs popping out of the heads. I have one in a 2000 f150 w/45000+ mi so far not a problem, and runs just as strong as when it was new. Good luck.

 

Warranty @99,000 miles?? Must be nice, mine only last 36,000 miles.

There has been some piston slap issues due to the shorter piston skirts, but it is not usually an engine killing thing, just annoying.
Jimmy

 

Hello,
After 106k miles, I have only replaced an alternator and a coil.
(Mud boggin' filled up the "hole" where the coil meets the plug)

Even if one of the eight coils sh@!%s the bed, the engine will still run, with that pleasant "bucking" and rough idle.

You can expect a P0301-->P0308 Depending on cylinder of failure.

Of course oil/filter changes @2-->2.5K, air filter, fuel filter, trans fluid/filter and whatnot along the way.

According to my experience, and many posts, a rough idle can be expected for reasons I am working to reveal.

(Dealer said they all do it and ford does not recognize this as a problem, fine.)

I experience loss of power these days even after cleaning all of the nasty residue from the throttle body assy. and cleaning the MAF sensor.

The cause of the said nasty residue is likely evidence of needed maintenance the truck will receive. 2BDetermined.

That said, and much left out, I love my truck and recommend it.

Good luck.

 

Huckster,

What size motor you get should depend on what you plan to do with it. I have a similar truck to the one you are looking at. I have the right sized gears for my bigger tires and it goes great off road, plenty of power off the line, and tows a 6000# trailer with ease, with a light load in the cab. For frequent towing or towing larger loads the bigger engine would be a better bet. As far as relibility goes, any engine can have problems. Specifically you may expect to lose one of your eight coils form time to time, but the truck will still run till you can replace it. Other than that change your oil frequently, avoid abrupt starts, and avoid excessive idiling.

 

Apparently, these 5.4L have the same spark plug pop on some of these motors. Well, it happened to me and needs a new head now. Problem is, I dont have 2300 bucks to have the dealer fix i , not to mention my warranty from another company doesnt cover it. If this is happening to these motors, why isnt ford adding this to the recall list?

anyone have any ideas? I called Ford directly and made a stink. I dont know where it will get me but it was worth a try.

any suggestions on how to get this repaired by ford/?

Thanks.


truckless

 

What year, model, and mileage do you have? Sounds like you purchased an extended warranty. Even the most basic extended warranty should cover powertrain, I'd be suprised if they could back out on an engine repair. You said the spark plug popped out? Could that be because somebody changed the plugs and did not tighten them properly? If that was the case the warranty company may have a leg to stand on. I have never heard (in my twenty years of driving, I have replaced dozens), of a spark plug popping out.