So thanks to all the great advice here - I bailed on buying a 08 F250 5.4 V8..
never saw so much bad press on that engine...but the question is
What NON diesel engine V8 in a good one and what year ??

HELP !!!

Pastor Scott

 

I had a 2008 5.4 that was very reliable for the 175K that I owned it. I replaced it with a 2012 6.2, which is supposed to be a great engine. Mine broke a valve spring at 42K. I think you are overthinking. Both are good, but anything can happen.

 

The 6.2 V8. Most reliable SD you can get. Came out in the 2011+ SD.

 

Other than being underpowered for how fat the truck was, the 5.4 in 2008-2010 wasn't a bad motor by any stretch?

 

I've put about half a million miles on three 5.4's and never had to do any work to them other than routine maintenance. It's the least powerful engine in the super duty line up, but it's far from under powered. I've had every engine from the obs series and my 5.4 is more powerful than any of the obs trucks I had, including my 7.3 and 7.5.

 

I've go 108k on my '07 5.4L. It's been a great engine.

 

I've had zero service needed for my 05 F250 3v V10, which only last week turned over 80,000 miles. My 02 F250 2v V10 was stellar as well, and I've had several V10s in church vans and buses that had no engine issues.

If going with a newer year, the 6.2 V8 gets great reviews. Wikipedia has a thorough comparison of Super Duty years and engines here.

Pastor Drew

 

The 5.4 has known concerns but none are life threatening by any means. I see them traded in with over 200k on a regular basis. They don't make the truck fast by any means but they did the job well. If you want trouble free the newer 6.2 is a good motor/transmission combo.

 

I've had a couple 5.4s and had great service from them. You have to keep in mind people come to the internet to complain. If you want a good deal on an older F250 look for ones with the 5.4. You should consider stepping up to a 2011+. The 6.2L is a nice engine choice for the F250.

 

I have a 6.2 and love it. Dad had several pre 2005 5.4's. other than shooting a spark plug out, he had zero issues. The spark plug took about 45 minutes and $35 to repair. He pulls a 6200 lbs s185 bobcat on an equipment trailer around to a nearby piece of property occasionally. It has no trouble pulling it around on local roads. I used it to pull a race car about 100 miles up the interstate. It wasn't effortless like my new 6.2 would be, but it held the speed limit and merged into traffic ok. If your towing over about 5k on a very regular basis, I would look to a v10 or 6.2. But for most people, the 5.4 is plenty. Yes you do have the famous cam phasers 2005+, but it's not the end of the world to replace them if you ever have to, and then you're good for a long time. Other than cam phasers and loosing spark plugs, there aren't many issues with 5.4's, and you get a lot of miles out of them. With 2005+, 4x4's get a better riding coil spring front end(good or bad is a matter of preference), a better transmission, and updated interior along with more hp and torque.

 

The cam phaser isn't a huge issue. Look up a video on YouTube on how to replace it. That issue is blown way out of proportion. Never have figured out why. Keep your oil change intervals reasonable and you may never see the issue.

Spark plugs, yes the factory plugs on the 2005 to early 2008 3V V-8 and V-10 engines can break when extracted. On the 100k service, I had the new 1 piece plugs installed. Problem solved.

 

The 5.4 is a solid engine, it won't win any races but it's pretty common to see them with over 200,000 miles on them.

The V10 is also a stout platform, it's a good option in place of the old 7.3 diesels. They are thirsty but it's pretty common to see 200k on them now.

 

The 6.2 is a great engine. I absolutely love mine.