Hey there. My question is... what is a good performance set up for this motor. I am researching chips, exhaust, airflow kits ,plugs and wires also. Can anyone out there give me some solid suggestions? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Andrew

 

You're absolute best bet would be to put lower gears in it, but that can get pricey if yours is 4x4.

Alot of folks recommend the SCT tuner from Mike at 5-star. He's a sponsor here. However, I don't think power-wise it will do a whole lot for the 2V 5.4L like yours (and mine). But, he can work some magic with the transmission strategy to make better use of the power you do have.

Another popular mod that adds noticeable power is to replace the y-pipe on the exhaust. Assuming yours looks like the one in this pic:

http://www.frontiernet.net/~jray77/0.../Y-Pipe-01.JPG

Some of the earlier gas engines had a little better design. If yours looks like the on in my pic, see the rest of my write-up here for what it takes to replace it:
2004 F250 Broken Exhuast Manifold Stud

I don't have much info on an exhaust. I'd say a good free flowing exhaust along with the y-pipe would help.

From what I read, a cold air intake won't help much. Definitely don't bother with "high performance" plugs or coils. From what I've read these Triton motors sometimes actually run worse with those products. Stick with factory Motorcraft parts in that area.

Good luck!

 

Hey thanks alot. So are these motors just dogs? I hope to try and get something out of this thing...I have four kids and there dirt bikes to haul around!

 

I just bought a 2000 5.4 2wd and it does not like to start and stop. It likes to get on the interstate. I was thinking of upgrading it but heard the same thing that exhaust is the only real benefit. I thought about a supercharger but that would be more than the truck is worth. It does fine for what we need.

 

Depends on your expectations. Some folks are ok with the 5.4L for power and others think anything less than a PSD is a dog. And even some folks must think their PSD's are dogs, otherwise modding them wouldn't be so common

One thing you should know is to not be afraid to let that thing turn some RPMs. These mod motors make their power in the higher RPMs. If you plan to lug around at 2k RPM all the time then yes it will feel like a dog. If you're pulling a hill or something, don't be afraid to run it at 3500+ RPMs for as long as you need.

 

I'm not sure if I just got a good one or my expectations are different. But mine was a dog til I changed the ypipe and put a tune in it. I also got rid of that hideous resonator on the back. I also raised the shift pressure +20 to get rid of that lazy shift that they have stock. My truck is no dog now. If I punch the gas from a stop it will try spinning the tires. It spins grabs then spins alittle. Before the mods it wouldn't spin'em in the rain.
1/4 throttle almost as powerful as full throttle from before

The stock tune is terrible.TERRIBLE! As soon as I backed out of the driveway I could feel a huge difference in throttle response and lowend grunt. I have the diablo tuner from summit racing.

 

Just remember you have the smallest motor offered in the Ex. And the beast weighs 7000+ lbs.!!!

 

Really? Coz when I pull my toy haulerloaded down like I do, I'm pulling about 6000# for nearly 240 miles, and most of the time, I just have to leave it out of O.D. so it CAN maintain road speed. Listening to and watching that RPM gauge run that high just makes me even more white knuckled.

So in reality, I really probably shouldn't EVER put it back into normal drive (take it out of the tow/haul mode) pulling that kind of load, since the RPM's are jumping all over the place? The 7.5mpg just REALLY sucks.

 

Yep... anytime I'm towing something I just leave OD off.

If you do some searching around in the V10, 5.4, or Super Duty forums you'll find alot of talk about "letting these engines sing" because that's where they like to run, and where they were designed to run. Even the V10 won't pull too well if you don't let her sing a little bit.

If you want to read some deep discussion about running at high RPMs and such, go to the V10 vs PSD thread.

 

I drive a 2004 4x4 with the 5.4. I know it's the smallest motor offered, but it does just what I need it to do, which is haul the family around. I wanted the V10, but was worried about the gas mileage difference. I got it for $12, which at the time was $3K less than what it was worth. It had 64K on it. I've owned it for 28 months now, and it has 83K on it now. My forst and only mod thus far was a custom cat back and headpipe rework at the local exhaust shop. I went with all stainless steel magnaflow SI/DO, and the reworked downpipe and noticed a hell of a difference in throttle response. I'm gonna do the cold air intake and tune next, and it should put it right where I want it to be, but it runs just fine now for my needs.

 

When you talk about replacing the Y-Pipe, are you talking about with a custom one or just having a new one with a bigger diameter made?

 

With a 5.4 in an Excursion I wouldn't be towing anything in OD. Just lock OD out and go. I pull 9000#s with my V10 and get 7.5-8 mpg, thats just the nature of the beast.

 

SPD Performance makes a replacement y-pipe that is very popular here. However, it requires welding to install it. There are no bolt on y-pipes available right now. I've also read about some folks taking their trucks to a muffler shop and getting them to fab one up that's more free flowing.

Original T-pipe


SPD Y-pipe

 

I think I remember measuring the restrictors ford put in there to be 1.25 inch on each downpipe. Heck my 600cc quad has a bigger head pipe!

 

Mine isn't as nice as the spd BUT it made a difference