I'm looking at ditching my Subaru and going back to having a pickup. There is a dealer that has a pair of '08 F150 XLT extended cab 4x4's, pretty much identical in mileage(around 50k km) and price. One is a 4.6 and the other a 5.4.

I've been poking around about the 5.4, and for such a popular engine, it seems to be a bit more of a problem child and comes across as a gamble, problem-wise, more than the 4.6 would be.

Am I making too much out of it? It seems as though if you get a good one, it's great, but bad is really, really bad.

 

Yeah the 08 is a great year no problems with the cam phasers and the plugs are not as bad as some make out. Just get the lisel tool and got to town on taking them out when the time comes.

There is nothing wrong with the 4.6 but the 5.4 is a good engine and by 08 they worked out the issues they had which for most people were pretty minor. Yes of course there is the lemon in the bunch and some have gotten a complete **** deal on it but these happen to anything.

You would be very happy with the 5.4 or the 4.6 but like all engine they just need to be maintained.

 

Like Coskid said .... either one will be fine. 50K km is like 31K miles I think? Neither one is hurt there. Mileage is even pretty close I think, the 4.6 with a slight edge I believe.

Love them Subarus too!

 

My '06 F150 has the 4.6, the '00 Expo has the 5.4. Both are SOLID!

I wish the F150 had the 5.4, WAY more power. Get the 5.4, you won't regret it

 

Go for the 5.4. I think you will regret getting the 4.6 just for the power alone, and if it helps in your decision any, I have an '05 150 with the 5.4l (the supposed problem child) and it has at present 195,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ. Like Coskid stated, you just have to keep up the maintenance, on anything you own, otherwise nothing will last. I see a lot people these days who think anything and everything should last forever, problem free without having to maintain whatever it is in question. Well that simply just isn't the case with most things today.

 

I wouldn't be afraid of the 5.4. I just bought a 2004 with 60K and it's a great truck. I'm going to change the plugs this winter when I have a whole day to do it right. If you do it yourself follow the TSB posted on this website and I don't see any problems. I have a Mountaineer with the 4.6 134K and it also is a great motor. (Transmission another story). I would not get a F150 with the 4.6 though I think it would be underpowered. I see some people change the plugs with an impact wrench which for my two cents doesn't seem like a good idea. It may work well but may be the cause for some of these plugs popping out at a later date. I wouldn't want to force them on aluminum threads care should be taken. Just my opinion though, believe me everybody has one but I think we can all agree regular maintenance is the most important part of any vehicle if you want them to last. Good luck and I'm sure you will love your new truck.

 

I love my '08 5.4 4x4 Screw. 60K miles, No problems since new, except having the dealer reprogram the transmission under a tech bulletin for a minor driveability issue early on.
The spark plug issue is fixed in the '08 and later 5.4s.

 

If you are not planning on towing or off roading get the 4.6 I personally have had 4 5.4s and 1 6.0 and my father has an 00 4.6 with no problems.

 

the spark plug issue was fixed on most. it depends on the manufacture date of the motor. i believe it s any manufactured after 12/??/07. i found the date somewhere on this site shortly after buying my 08. i lucked out by 3 weeks

 

I think the 5.4 has the bigger transmission. Fuel consumption is about the same, Plug design was changed to a normal plug and phaser concerns pretty much resolved providing proper oil changes and use of correct oil filter. 5.4 is very finicky about oil filter and oil choice.

 

Another vote here for the 5.4. As was said earlier, issues seem to be pretty much resolved in the 08 engine. I think you will find it a good all around engine for you, especially if you tow with it. It aint the fastest out of the gate but provides you with good power througout the RPM band. And I will add on the earlier post. Do yourself a favor and use a Motorcraft 820-s oil filter and Motorcraft 5-20 oil. I am lucky that the wal-mart in town carries both at really good prices.

 

Thanks for the input all. Turns out they've sold, though.

I did find an '06 with only 30200 km(!) on it(5.4 as well), waiting to see what the dealer is asking for it. I'm trying to get a feel from around here what I should be telling the dealer I want done to it service-wise, if/when I sit down with them.

I take it the phaser thing was a recall issue as well as the plugs? Anything else I should bring up?

 

Cam Phaser and Plugs are not a recall issue and most won't do it for free. The plugs are a pain but they aren't the end of the world and depending on when the 06 was made will depend on the phasers. By late 06 they had fixed the issue with them so you may be in the clear.

Other then that the only other issues that are a big pain and common in the 06 model's are a drivers side window button issue where the connectors failed and made the window work part time only. The other one is the rear leaking third brake light from a failed seal around the light itself. The second one is just silicon it and the leak will stop.

 

Well I have a leak coming from the third brake light and was wondering what can I use to seal the leak up? Also If I end up replacing the light is there a better alternative?