I currently have a 01 F150 supercrew with the 5.4 and I am looking to downgrade / get a more affordable truck I have been looking at some 93-96 F150 trucks with the 5.8 /351W and would like to know which one is the better motor for( power , torque ,mpg and durability how many miles before they have major issues?

 

Well your coming to a 87-96 truck section asking if our motors are better than a 5.4.

I can tell you right now what we will all say.

But my dad say a 07 5.4l and its a great motor. No problems at all. Ill stick with my 5.8 though.

MPGs well the 5.4 will probably get better.
That 5.4 had like 260hp 350tq
95 5.8 had like 210 / 325


But any engine if taken good care of will last forever. Plenty of people with tons of miles on their trucks and they keep on going.

What will you be using the truck for?

 

this is the main reason i will not own one of the 1997-2003 f150 second worst crashtest rating of the year
crash test video

i havw had 2 304 trucks and now have the 351 and love it.
but to be honest the 4.9straight 6 will pull just as well as the 5.8 and get you better mileage when not towing from what i have heard but i have never owned a 4.9 so i cant really say to much there

 

pulling a 18' car trailer with my 46 Ford 1 ton to car shows and hauling 4wheelers to go play in the mud! I can't afford my 01 payments so I sold it to buy something older and half the price! I have had a 93 with 5.0 and it was lacking in the pulling power that is why I want the 5.8

 

my 01 had 125,000 and had to replace all 8 c.o.p.'s and #7 plug 2 times then MAF went bad then the fuel pump! My dad has the same truck since new and his blew out 2 plugs at 150,000 and it has only been serviced by Ford dealer and had same issues with C.O.P's I have owned a few 351w and don't remember having to many issues! I am looking at 3-4 trucks with the 351W and they all have over 150,000 miles so I am just wondering how long before I have problems?

 

I love the 302/351's, but they dont compare to the 4.6/5.4's.

The 5.4 will get you better power, towing, mpg, but the durability im not so sure of. There is some good examples of each engine that have very high miles on them.

The 351's sure have their place though, but it does sound like for what you want, a 5.4 is probably a better choice for ya. (minus the cost factor!)

 

the 302's i have had when you get to around 320000KM the rear main seal is nautaurious for going and the obvious body rust issues but other then that i dont have any complaints

my father had a 1991 f150 with the 351 and he went throu 3 transmissions in 140000km but according to the tranny shop that year had a unreliable tranny

 

I have seen both motors with 300k on them but the Windsors have no spark plug problems so +1 Windsor. In stock trim the 5.4 will outpower the 5.8 but you can turn those tables completely around with a few basic mods(cam and exhaust), I never ever lost a stoplight dragrace to a Modular powered truck with my 5.8 under the hood.. but of course it had those mods I'm talking about. It was also capable of pretty impressive fuel milage.. 17+ strictly highway at 70mph on mostly flat highways.
Ideally you want a '95+ MAF truck because it will allow you to get more agressive with the cam.

 

The 5.8 will definitely pull better than the 5.0. The longer stroke of the 5.8 yields better torque. One thing you might consider is trying to find one of the later units with MAF rather than speed density. You can get a lot of help on this (& the small block/windsor) forums on cam selection, stroking, & the like. And, these engines do not have the appetite for eating spark plugs like some of the modular engines. No "tensioner issues" like those OHC engines either. My 5.8 (351 to us older guys) had no discernible cam sprocket or chain wear after 400,000 miles so I merely replaced the gasket that had developed a leak (& installed a new water pump while it was apart) and put it back to work - 36,000 miles ago.

Too bad they got you for the sales tax on that newer truck when you bought it. But your annual property tax bill will be smaller with the older truck! To say nothing of lower insurance costs.

T-shirt/bumper sticker slogan idea: "If the Lord had meant for camshafts to be overhead He would not have given us push rods."

dn.

 

I have a 2004 SC 150 5.4 with about 100k on it , no problems yet , runs very good , has more power than the 351 , but my 95 302 will whip its butt , but the 5.4 works good with a SC if you need more power.....Lew

 

The 3 valve 5.4 is a more powerful engine than a 5.8, stock for stock. Before the PI head upgrade (i think pre 03 or 02) the 2 valve 5.4's and 4.6's were known for spitting spark plugs. So if you get a later model or a 3 valve version then that wont be an issue. If cost is a main concern, then the 5.8 versions are generally less expensive and would be a better option over a 5.0 or 4.6 in the same size vehicle.

 

I'll take the one with fewer parts every time.

 

i second that notion. . . .

i used to think the 302 was the most unfit motor ever put into a 3/4 ton truck, until i drove a 4.6 f150 . . . . and to be honest the 5.4's ive driven arent any better. all of them were stock except for maybe cat-back ex. and all of them have been gas guzzlin turds. a stock 5.8 is a turd, but with less than 500 bucks it will outperform any 5.4 to date. the 5.8 with is large"er" bore and stroke is a very nice paltform to start from, and was designed at a time where 120cc intake runners and absolutely horrible flowing exhaust was an acceptable means of emissions control. you can address all of the above for dirt cheap and some wrench turnin.

(for ease sake, from here on out as i refer to the 5.8 i will be referring to one that has had its '80s issues "fixed")
ALSO, by addressing all of the above said hinderences, you will increase your cruise mileage. the mileage of the 5.8 will actually get better cruise mileage than the 5.4 powered trucks. the smaller displacement modular makes it power at higher rpm, AND PUSHES A MUCH HEAVIER TRUCK. the ole body style ford trucks weigh comparable to a large car, and the trucks havnt stopped getting heavier since. "mpg" matters most on the weight of the vehicle, not the motor. although, maximizing a motors efficiency is a means of gaining mpg (a tangable increase of power without increasing fuel input). and the 5.8 can be made to be more efficient than the 5.4 for virtually no money at all. so for 1/2 the price (or less) you will have a more powerful, lighter, better mpg truck that is much cheaper/easier to repair when the time comes. as for reliability, i dont think there is a question that either can last long. . .but theres no way a modular motor with coil packs and weird spark plugs is gonna be more reliable than a venerable SBF (the ole single cam fords are superior to the other brands of that era in many ways, pre ls1 of course ).

i would never own a modular powered truck . . . . . .

 

[QUOTE='89F2urd;10394119i would never own a modular powered truck . . . . . .[/QUOTE]

Count me in this group. I would consider one if I ever have occasion to buy a Crown Vic, but not for a truck. While they have made a lot of progress with the chain tensioners, plugs, & coil packs modulars are still far too Rube Goldbergesque for my tastes in a truck.

dn.

 

Wait until u have to remove or pay someone to remove a spark plug that came apart in one of those three valves. Two piece plug design that 7 out of 10 times the plug breaks leaving the bottom part of the plug still in the head and u have to fish it out.
I have had the unfortunate pleasure of doing this procedure since I do mechanic work for a living.
I say 5.8 L all the way!!!!