Another What motor can I use question?

[wgerson]

I am looking at a 98 Expy. 4.6L 4x4 auto trans. It has developed a severe rod knock at 145k. It is my understanding, after sifting through hundreds of posts, that I can replace the engine with basically any 4.6 truck engine relativly hassle free or a 5.4 with minor hassle. 6 bolt or 8 bolt crank dosent matter as long as I have a fly wheel that will bolt to it Im good..... Right? I have access to a wide varity of engines via the web and was just lookin for some advise on what year motor is the strongest & how new I can go. Basically if you were doin it,how would you do it, and why. The truck has a suspension lift, larger wheels, and sometimes I tow a 2200lb lawn trailer. Kinda want to use a 5.4 if I could get it for around the same price as a 4.6. and from what I'm seein they can both be found for around $1000 with under 100k miles. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Bill

[High_Horse]

As far as the 5.4 goes, I wouldn't use a '97-'01 because of the plug blowout issue. Ford denies this even though I blew 3 out by 493k. I put in a reman'd 5.4 just over a year ago and have put 75k on it and popped another plug at 60k. Before buying the motor from Ford I asked if they fixed that plug issue and was assured they used reinforced seats...frickin' liars.
I love my 5.4 but get one after '01 I think it is where they supposedly redesigned the heads. Not to mention a 4.6 in a 4x4 is just too small a motor for the torque needed to push the truck, especially with a trailer. Thats probably where your knock came from.

[Big Greenie]

I would do a google search for the 5.4 transplant. There is a guy who has done a 5.4 into a former 4.6 F150. He has tons of good info on the swap. I think it might be from a site different than this one though.

His opinion is that the '99 5.4 is the best choice. His reasoning is that it is the first year of the PI (performance improved) heads, last year of the aluminum intake manifold, and has a forged crank.

The plug issue seems to effect 20% or less of the engines. Going to a newer engine only changes the plug issue from blowing out to getting stuck and breaking off in the head. I don't think it is as bad as it is made out to be. In fact I think the previous post stating almost 500k miles and only 3 plugs out is actually positive testament. All engines have issues, the blown plug issue is generally an easy repair.

[High_Horse]

No disrespect BG, but have you had to do a sert in a cylinder head? If your doing 3, 4, 7 or 8 you have to either pull the heads or motor or lift the body. Plus, if your 300+ miles away from home when one goes, its an issue you don't want to pay for.
Bottom line, you should never have to do a plug sert. I have built many motors and had many vehicles and except for this motor I have never seen this before, even racing.

[dirtmonkey11]

I would swap in a 5.4 just because it would be the better engine for your application. It has more torque for towing and seeing that your truck is lifted then you probably do some offroading. The swap shouldn't be that hard due to the fact that there are tons of people on the net that have done it already. I'm not sure on how new the engine can be without causing problems. I would do some research in 5.4 swaps and see how hard it really is. I know my Expedition with the 5.4 has the 4r100 trans, I believe the 4.6 has the 4rw70 trans, not sure if it would bolt up to a 5.4. Your best bet would be to try to get the closest year engine to what your vehicle is that way there will be the least amount of problems with getting everything to work correctly, wiring, cooling system etc.

[wgerson]

Thanks for all the input. I was asking because I was thinking of purchasing/trading for this Craigslist special
Lifted Expedition
Lifted Expedition
I was alot more interested when I thought it was an eddie bauer edition.
What do you guys think? I could do all the work myself and I might have a 99 5.4 on the hook for $500 with 90k miles. His ssumption of being worth $5,000 when fixed is a little high in my opinion. I have some trades to offer but think I will come out farther ahead if I sell my truck/car out right and come with a cash offer. A crisp stack of $100 dollar bills can motivate a seller in a hurry.
Any thoughts?

[Big Greenie]

That truck looks like it has the mother of all body lifts on it

I would agree that $5k when it is done is very optomistic. The seller needs to come to grips with the fact that you can not get any money back on mods. In most cases a lift and big tires is a detriment to the sale. It takes the right buyer and they are slim pickins.

I wouldn't lament the EB version too much. I was pretty interested in one too but instead found a super clean XLT and I am happy with it. Much less stuff to break as these trucks exceed 10 years on the road.

If you can show up with cash, heck yeah I bet you could make a deal. I would offer $1500 IF the truck isn't ratted out on the premis that it needs a minimum of $2500 in repairs.

Good Luck

[High_Horse]

I agree with BG, not to mention he wants $1800 for wheels and tires that have 7500 on them and he's asking new pricing?...nope, no can do Spanky.
Being your in the Detroit area, there are tons of online auctions there you can pick up a more reasonable vehicle cheap and mod it yourself. You don't know what that person may have shortcutted to put something in, then your attempt to properly repair if it breaks may cost you more. Just something to think about for ya.

[Big Greenie]

Have you seen it in person? I would be concerned that it is trashed out. A big body lift isnt really the right way to fit 35's either. In the pics you can see how far below the bumper the hitch is, and how much of the frame shows below the body. Not my taste for sure.

I agree that you should be able to find one cheap in decent shape that probably doesnt need work. The 5.4 4r70 trans combo can be an issue too unless you swap torque convertors. The one for the 4.6 has a higher stall and coupled to a 5.4 exceeds the trannys rated capacity. Turning big tires is going to make it harder yet on the trans.

I understand that you can handle the project. Just buy it really cheap if that is your plan. Projects can be wallet drainers more often than money savers, especially on newer vehicles. One look under the hood of my truck scares me out of any engine swap ideas.

[wgerson]

I guess it wasnt meant to be. I got an email today sayin he traded it for a 96 f350 4x4.
Thanks for all the great input. You guys are grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!