How many miles is the 5.4 good for?
 

Hello,

My wife and I are considering moving to a full size SUV - well used. I'm seeing a number of Expeditions in our area with 140k-180k on them. What's the thoughts on how many miles a well maintained 5.4L is good for? What other things on a high mileage truck like this should I consider? How does the tranny hold up?

If I HAVE to look at a high mileage truck do you think I'm better looking at a 5.4L Expedition or *gulp* Tahoe with a 350?

Thanks!

I have truthfully seen 300K.............

Bob

thats really hard to say, a very well maintained and serviced one may last a very long time. it also depends on how it was driven. mine has 120k on it and its still kickin (i have a 5-speed though). my friend has 65k very hard off road miles on his and all he had to do was replace one sensor cause it got wet. no biggie. but then ive seen some drop trannys and motors at 25-30k.

Thanks guys. I know there was a head gasket service recall for the 5.4L for one of those years - forget which it was. But if the engine has 150k on it - do you think it would have acted up by then? If I remember correctly Ford has to lift the chassis to get at the engine. Don't want to get stuck with that.

I'd love to run any vehicle that old through a compression check, but I just don't know that that's reasonable to ask and even affordable.

I have seen 240k!!

I often drove a F250 that had 177,000+ on it, before I left that employer. The engine was still strong.

That's all good news - thanks!

500k plus if you take care of it

I have around 215K and had my first issue, blew a spark plug out. I maintain it religiously and do not baby it. Luckily it was a front plug and a $200 fix.

206k on the last one (and still going) when it was traded. This one has 8k so far.

I have a shop and have customer with a f150 with 434,000 miles on it. replaced injectors but no other major motor work. Did install new transmission. Any truck with this many miles on it with need a little TLC.

The 5.4 in my dad's 97 3/4 ton van just rolled over 380,000 miles today. It has only had basic maintenence (oil changes, tune up's) and nothing major.

172,000 on my '99 and it honestly runs the same as the day i bought it at 26,000 seven years ago.

My opinion, these engines are never silky smooth or quiet when new or with low miles, but years and thousands of miles later they still run exactly the same...not any worse, not any better. And that's a great thing.

New GM engines run like a sewing machine when new, but I think they really start to fade after 50,000 to 75,000 miles. Not as smooth or quiet.

And let me throw this out there for everyone to answer (Yes, I am bashing Chevy/GMC). How many GM trucks w/350CI V-8s have you seen with around 100,000 miles (or more) on the odometer for sale...and one of the "selling points" is a new engine or tranny was recently dropped in? That tells me all I need to know about those trucks, as well as my own personal experience when I jumped on the Z-71 bandwagon a few years ago and had some issues with the "almighty 350".

I agree, I have noticed the same thing.

And drive by a mine or public utility that owns 150 work trucks in their yard and keep track of the yards filled with plain jane superduty's. You can argue (like my bowtie buddies) that it's cause they are cheap to buy... But - we all know, and a multi-million dollar mine knows - cheap is not the way to go. Reliable beats cheap any day. I beat the old 460's day after day across the eastern 2/3's of the beautiful US of A for years and never a problem. I ran a 351W 2bbl for 300k with one clutch and them chevys would be eating oil and leaking and spitting trans. FoMoCo for me...