For the 5.4s, are there specific good vs. bad years for the engine? I'm looking for a used 1 ton and I can find some older ones with either the 5.4 or 6.8 in decent condition. I think the 6.8 was more popular in the F350, but I do see some 5.4s. I'd probably rather have a 6.8 in that vintage truck for additional hp/tq, but don't want to pass up a low mile, nice condition truck with either engine.

 

Get the one with the most TQ.

 

2000 to 2003 would be my choice. Too many problems with the three valve versions IMO.

 

The 5.4L had 2 major variants: The 5.4L 2v & 5.4L 3v.
I remember reading somewhere that there may have been a 5.4L 4v (dual over-head cam) engine but that was never in our trucks so it doesn't matter.

There has been a LOT of shade thrown at both of these engines, some legitimate & most not.
Don't get me wrong, they both have inherent flaws in design but so do a majority of engines.

5.4L 2v
The 5.4L 2v you will hear a bunch of complaints about spark plugs "blowing" out of the hole.
Apparently there are only "a few" threads in the head to install the plug in & proper torque when installing is key.
I believe this engine has similar (or the same) issues with some of it's parts I will list below on the 5.4L 3v.
Does this make this engine "Bad"? No.
It means you need to perform proper maintenance & may even need to replace parts with the Ford revised parts, but for an oil pump, the Meling HV pumps are the way to go.

5.4L 3v
The 5.4L 3v you will hear a TON of complaints about spark plugs "breaking" in the hole, phasers failing, timing chains flapping, valve / rocker ticking, bad catalytic converters, poor oil pressure, etc....
Do all of these complaints make this a "Bad" engine? No.
Many of these parts have flaws in the design but almost ALL of them are "wear" items & need to be replaced & if ignored will lead to catastrophic failures.

Spark Plugs - excessive carbon build-up in the well causes the shank of the plug to freeze in place making removal a "challenge".
Solution: "Most" of the time this can be avoided by changing the plugs at 50-75k miles & ensuring you aren't driving with CEL.

Phasers & Timing Chain - Improper oil change intervals & debris clogging the VCT can lead to premature failure.
Solution: Regular oil changes & doing a proper FULL timing service prior to letting it go to failure is CRUCIAL.

Valve / Lifter / Rocker - Improper oil change intervals is the biggest culprit. The roller bearings DO wear out (this is normal)
Solution: Regular oil changes & once you start hearing some tapping there are "updated revisions" of the roller followers with a smaller & more directed oiling hole. This is the time to replace the hydraulic tensioners / lifters too.

Catalytic Converters - These "should" last the life of the truck but can go bad like anything else.
Solution: These "usually" go bad when the owner ignores CEL, misfires, & other problems until it clogs & fails.

Oil Pump - The pump doesn't usually go bad but it also doesn't provide the best oil pressure.
Solution: During a timing job, replace it with a Meling high volume pump.

With all of that, many will say you should run from a 5.4L.
I don't share that view.
Most things can be fixed &/or improved through a series of maintenance intervals & how well the truck/engine has been taken care of.
If you are looking for an engine that will not bite you when you ignore ALL the warning signs, then no, this is not the engine for you.
I have yet to find an engine like that but the gutless old 70s Dodge "slant six" was pretty close.
That stupid thing would practically run no matter what you did to it. (topic of another forum)

 

Nice post Wraith! Minor correction though, the 3V is 24 valve. The 32 valve was only available in Lincoln Navigator, Blackwood and Ford Mustang Cobra R and first generation Ford GT. I'd own any of them, but not really in my price range LOL!

 

lol - I just noticed that. I cut-n-pasted from the section above, added the 3 & forgot to delete the 2.
I didn't mean to suggest it was a 32 valve. Oops.

I fixed it.

 

2003-2004 if you're looking at 2 valve version, that way you avoid the potential plug blowout issue. 3 valve version id just avoid altogether as its got more than one problem that's common enough. I know to many 3 valve owners who took great care of their engines and still dealt with phaser issues before 100k and of course the two piece plugs breaking off but that was remedied in 2008 or 2009 with a one piece plug.

My 3 valve is still kicking with 223k on it so I do play the lottery... haven't won yet though.

 

Can I convert a 04 f150 3 valve to run a 04 2 valve heritage motor

 

Can I convert a 2004 f150 2 run with a valve motor

 

"Can you"? Yes.
Will it cost you WAY more than it's worth? YES
Anything is possible with enough time, effort & money, but it is in NO WAY a simple swap to go from a 5.4L 3v to an older series 5.4L 2v.

You would be far better off updating the original weak components in the 5.4L 3v with updated designs.

 

To be fair, if we’re talking heads with more plug threads (“threadier heads”, to invent a term) that’s not a given from I’ve read before. Not using Ford’s initial torque value (~11 ft/lbs, IIRC…) helps that. I’ve seen posts of Tritons with one head with extra threads while the other head doesn’t. The skimpy threaded heads carried passed 2004.

 

If thats true, I definitely got lucky because all my 2003/2004 V8 and V10 Tritons came with the revised heads and double the thread count. Id have to go back through company records for an exact number but off the top of my head I know for sure we had six foreman F250 with the 5.4L and at least four F550 with 6.8L from those years. I changed plugs at least once on them all before they were replaced with 3V Tritons.

 

I purchased my 2003 F150 with the 5.4L back in December 2002. I had a spark plug blow out at around 30k miles, I got it repaired and they replaced all 8 spark plugs. The truck now has 135k miles on it and has been running great and I enjoy driving the truck. It is used as our winter vehicle to keep the salt off of our new vehicles we own. Every winter I say this is the last winter however I think I have a few more winters left. Truck has memories as it was the first major purchase my wife and I made after we got married in 2002.

 

Maybe so! It’s possible those heads filtered from the top down? I heard for the longest time about a concrete date of Ford switching to more threads and it turns out to not really be the case. What was left over got used up (even mid engine build) and the rest was history.

 

Good to know for future buyers. Luckily no more 2V Tritons are in my future to buy. Still have few kicking around and when they are rotted, to the scrapyard they go.