I have an '07 F150 with the (dreaded) 5.4, I only kid, I try to love this motor but it's a losing battle. I had plugs and coils done a month or so ago. Last week I got a misfire cyl #4 cel so I took it back to the shop that did the work thinking maybe it was something that was overlooked. Turned out to be a hole in the piston, on a reman motor with just under 50k miles on it. They said they didn't break any plugs taking them out but I really have my doubts given that #4 seems to be one with a high break off rate to begin with. The reman is out of warranty (put in in 2016, 2 year, 100k mile warranty) I have an extended warranty on the truck but apparently they have a cap of $5000 and my mechanic quoted $7500 put in. So now I'm at the crossroads, fix the truck or trade it in for little to nothing and move on. I think I already know the direction I'm heading though. I like the truck, how it rides and I know what it is and isn't for the most part. I just spent $$$ on basically having my front end redone late last year I just didn't have any engine work in the budget for quite awhile so this caught me off guard. A truck that books for around $6k and will have almost $10k in work done in the last 8 months. I'm not one to need the latest and greatest, once I get the '78 that's in the garage put back together it'll probably be my go to anyway lol. Until then though I'll probably have a new 5.4 dropped in the '07, do the plugs myself from here on out just for piece of mind if nothing else, and if all else fails drop a 351m and c6 in it later on in life Hope everybody has a great and safe 4th!!!

 

You may need a new mechanic if they quoted you above dealership price for the installation. A Ford reman is 3900 and a Frasier reman is 3300 and lots on here have had great luck with the Fraiser units and they have all the upgrades.

 

That's a tough break because if you knew 8-months ago you'd spend $10K, you like most, would've traded it in. The hole in the piston happen because a wrong heat rang sparkplug was originally installed or a large piece of the sparkplug fell in there when they were changed. It's easy to speculate and hard to prove. This is the #1 reason most around here do their own work, we know it's done right.

 

should not see broken spark plugs on a rebuilt motor only 2 years old.... broken plugs happened on plugs built 12 years ago.. and the motor with 50K miles would be rare to need new plugs. ??

 

Find a new mechanic who will put a Frasier or Jasper reman in it for around 4. That mechanic is trying to rip you off. Care to share the name and location? Because they deserve some terrible reviews and hopefully lose business for that price. Hell, for that price, I'd have it towed to FTMYL and let him work on it.

 

Nor should they on a recently swapped reman. Your shop messed something up. Pistons don't just magically get holes in them right after a plug change. Even if some porcelain fell into the combustion chamber it wouldn't put a hole in the piston. It would more than likely just break apart and fly out the exhaust valve (at least that's what I heard Fordmakuloco claim).

 

OP: your instincts are telling you which way to go: get out and consider it a lesson learned. My '08 needs a full timing set plus the left front strut is blown (although it's an Icon and that's not Ford's fault), the dash needs repaired to fix the brake and dome light ghosts, and I need to get the drivers seat bolster repaired.

I'm sooooo tempted to just sell it off as-is and start over with anything that is not a 3V....

 

Yah, you gotta know when to keep her and when to send her down the road.

I'm in the opposite boat, not that anyone asked, lol. My '06 has 163k miles, needs the timing replaced, but other than that it runs like a top. Everyday I see the newer '15+ F150's and talk myself into selling the '06 to get one. Then I look at my '06 and just can't bring myself to part with such a well running, good condition PAID OFF vehicle. I literally only have $3k into this thing. Other than the timing (which at this point just the chain rattles, no other issues) literally everything works on this truck. Because it's in such good shape, it makes way more financial sense to keep it. I'm lucky.

 

So just an update, I decided to go ahead and have a Jasper put in but at a different shop. I just got the truck back over the weekend but they ended up being close to $1500 cheaper than my original estimate! Less than $1k out of pocket was manageable Driving the shops rental, a Chrysler Town & Country was manageable (barely lol). All in all I think this made the most sense. Buying another truck is always exciting but at the same time I didn't want another monthly payment as we're looking to buy a house in the near future. Thank you all for your input as it helped the process along and helped me find a better deal in the process!

 

How is that Jasper treating you? I just had one put in as well. I only have about 1K miles on it so far, but so far so good. It's definitely quieter.

 

I love my '07, 5.4 3v and all. I see guys beating on them, complaining about reputation while they have 150-300 K miles on them. Lifts, huge tires, and pedal to the metal. The '07 pulls good, gets decent mileage, smooth as silk it runs. I'm old enough to recall well when a 100K was high mileage. If I needed serious work, I have the place picked out that specializes in Fords.

 

I think what we are seeing here is a lot of people on here are probably coming from 9th and 10th gen. My 2000 5.4 2v has 355k, original engine and timing and still runs great, No doubt that my 07' fx 4 will smoke
my 10th gen. I will end up putting a lot more money in repairs by far in my 07'. Just imagine if they would have put the same 6.2 2v in the f150 like they did int the f250s!

 

People get mad hearing this on a Ford board (brand loyalty mystifies me) but during the same time GM was putting out the 5.3 which -- like it or not -- is a great engine, will go 300k+ with never being opened up or getting a "timing set". Think I'm a GM guy? Nope, three Fords and one FCA are all I register and insure.

Call a spade a spade: the 3V is an engineering abomination. It doesn't mean the owner is a bad person - people inexplicably feel like if they admit something they own sucks they're somehow admitting they personally suck....I don't get it.

I own one. I'm not threatened by saying it's a terrible, overly complicated, unreliable design.