DO NOT BUY A 4.2 4X4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I recently purchase a 97 4x4offroad pckg. super cab 4.6 xlt
my uncle is shop foreman at a local ford dealership and when i had him look over the truck before i bought it he said. "If it has the V6 in it, do not even look at it" For what thas worth to you a 40 year veteran of ford trucks.

My truck has 172k miles on it, no problems, occasionaly haul a 18 foot boat, do a good bit of mud boggin my god i love 4 low, pulled a stuck tractor out of a mud hole, 1,750 rpms, all four tires turnin slow enough u could read the letters, jus crawled out of the mud hole w/ a tractor behind it

5.4 is extremly more powerful, quicker, everything than my 4.6 i would recomend the 5.4, but i am happy w/ my 4.6

 

If all you want is a glorified car and will only use the truck part to tow your lawnmower and the little league equipment a 4.2 is fine (and overkill). If you intend to use it like a truck and bang it around and tow or dragrace, you really need a V8. I wouldn't recommend ever getting the small 8 if you intend to tow heavy trailers or load up the bed to its max. You will need the power of the 5.4 to be comfortable. I love my 5.4 and would only let it go for a desiel (in a heartbeat), but I tow 3 ton or more quite frequently.

 

Thanks everyone. I will have to look that up and find out. It will be in the shop AGAIN on Friday. This is only minor, but I am still tired of putting money into it. It needs a window switch and with it raining all this week in the dallas area, I have no choice but to pay the $200 and get the window to roll up again. aghhh.

 

Ok, the door said 9LYAA, does that mean anything to anyone? Thanks for helping me learn all of this. I still get lost sometimes, but I know it will help in the future.

I want something that is definately a V8, I want it more for speed than for towing. Eventually I do want to get a small trailer for jet skis or dirt bikes, for now, my son's dirt bike goes in the back of my truck, it's a jr50 so it isn't heavy. I would love to have a small boat just for cruising and for pulling an intertube. That is a ways away though. I am getting so frustrated with everything on my truck right now. I was looking at the diagram of how to change out the belt, which is pretty simple on the diagram, it's just a matter of getting in there, having the right tools and fitting my hands in there (then hoping it starts and works afterwards).

The guy at O'Riley said I would need to know if it is a 6 or 7. I don't have a clue what he is talking about. I told him a 6 cyl, 4.2 and then he asked if a 6 or 7 for the belt. It's about $40, which isn't bad, but he wouldn't even come outside to tell me if that is what it is. It squeeks contantly now, so I am assuming that is what it is. I want to learn this, but for now I am getting frustrated, more like overwhelmed with all the crap that needs to be fixed on my truck. Maybe in finding this site, I can learn enough to get through it with minimal expense. Thanks for everyone who has put input into my questions. It is greatly appreciated.

Kaitlyn.

 

Oh, and I did look at the light on the cluster panel, I think that's what you called it. It flashes twice, then 7 times and it does this a total of 5 times, then stays on all the time. It did the same when I started it.