I am curretly looking at a 350 SRW SC 5.4 that has been on the lot for 110 days. It was built some time late in August or early September.

Is there anything I should be aware of such as recalls, flash upgrades, etc. regarding an early 04. I was planning to order one but I found this one set up to my liking except it has ESOF.

 

mike.. sounds like a good deal, havent head of any recalls, youll be good.. BUT.. If you find yourself in places that REQUIRE 4x4 to get you out of, then wait for a manual 4x4... As i go to sand dunes pulling trailer for many weekends and such.. if my 4x4 choose not to work, i would be stuck bad... Anyway i test drove 6 SDs in my search, 5 were ESOF, and 2 of them the 4x4 did not engauge!.. they were all 1 year used with between 12-39k miles.. the seller/ dealer wasnt even aware it did not work, and said, " oh its just a fuse or a vacum line, well fix it" .. No thanks.. it took me 4 months of looking to find what i was looking for, color and configuration... with the manual lever(they made FAR fewer trucks with the manual system and if your picky about the configuration, youll be looking for some time, worth the wait!).. But it was very worth it!
just some advice.
Jetjock16

 

350 with the 5.4?

Kinda counter-intuitive, isn't it?

 

js was that a question or a statement?

 

A statement, and one that you should ignore IMHO.

As for the truck, if the price is right, go for it. I'd have the dealer give it a once over and have the A-OK put in writing though, just for safety's sake.

Waxy

 

Why would you pay more for a heavier duty truck and not upgrade the engine/transmission?

I could see that with a fleet buyer. But for your personal vehicle?

If your need the 350 rather than the 250, you probably need the V-10 rather than the V-8.

It's not even the good V-8, the 3V in the F-150.

Moving from a 5.4 F250 to a 5.4 F350 gives you nothing in GCWR. They are both the same, 13,500 for a 4x2 and 15,000 for a 4x4.

Max trailer weight for an F250 with the 5.4 is 7100 lbs. An F350 with the 5.4 is 7500 (for the 3.73 axle). So you don't get much there by moving to the F350. Only 400 lbs.

Now add the V-10 to an F250, then the max. trailer weight moves to 10,500. GCWR goes up too. A 250 with the V-10 has a higher trailer rating than a 350 with the 5.4.

So, there is not much use moving up to the 350 unless you are also getting the V-10.

And that's my point and why it should not be ignored.

 

You're treddin' on thin ice there, buddy. With 921 posts behind your plate, you shouldn't need to ask a question like that. Nor with that type of condescending manner.

 

hmmm to me it sounded like a legit queastion/statement to me, a f-350 with a 5.4 sounds a little underpowered to me, but hey i only 200+ post's

 

js why do you care? If he wants a 350 with the 5.4 so what? That is OK to do. Maybe he has no reason for a bigger engine but still wants the resale value that the 350 carries.

Your statements should be ignored since at first you gave no reasons behind your nitial statement, and second can't a guy buy whatever he wants?

 

Nothing wrong the the old 5.4L. I thought it sucked at first, no power, but another user (1956MKII I think) said that they really open-up after about 6000 miles. Mine did just that at around 6500 miles. I pulled a chevy (of course...) that had dug itself in a ditch 2 weeks ago, put my truck in L and I barely had to press the gas to yank the chevy out, didn't even feel like I was pulling on anything. It isn't as powerful as V10 or a diesel, but if I had to buy a new truck today, it would be the same config I have now. (Except in wedgewood blue.) And the 5.4L made after mid november 2002 have the new 2 valve heads with 8-thread spark plug holes instead of 4 threads. How is that "not even the good 5.4L?"

 

Damn, rough crowd in here today!

I guess the question "any thing I should be aware of" does not include opinioins!
Oh well, heres mine anyway, the reason the truck has been sitting there for that long is probaly because of the engine size, nice truck I'm sure, but will not do a whole lot! That is also a red flag as far as resale (trade in value) goes also. If you keep a vehicle for a short time, think it over, research it a little. But by all means get what you are comfortable with!

IMHO, I would look some more,
Lenny

P.S. jschira: Myself, I thought you brought up a good point with facts to back it!

 

RRRRRRiiight... What won't it do? Sure it may not tow a house like the PSD's will, but it can do most normal jobs just fine. Heck our mod Yeti has the 5.4 and runs 38" tires and plows and everything. All these assumtions and "opinions" about the 5.4L that have no factual backing don't help any in making a SMART choice.

And again.. what about resale value?

 

Everything is relative: relative to price! People have posted that there is little difference between an F250 and an F350. As I recall, it's mainly a rear spring spacer and a plastic emblem on the side. (correct me if I'm wrong) Therefore, an F350 with a 5.4 isn't any different than an F250 with the same motor. If someone doesn't pull trailers, I think the 5.4 with the 3:73 rear axle would be fine and probably get good mileage to boot. People get caught up with the "bigger is better" mentality when it comes to the engine in their trucks. Personally, my last F250 HD had the 5.8 liter V8 and had plenty of power and good mileage as well. If you like the truck and can get it at a good price, go for it! Ford designed it with that engine in it, who are we to question it.

 

Yes, you are correct - the only difference is the rear block and the weight ratings. I agree that mechanically there is no difference in the 250 and 350 with the same motor.

Well said on the bigger is better thing.

 

My 250sd doesn't seem underpowerd in any way. It can cruise at 80 mph no problem, and pull hills way faster than my old truck with the same load.