Just wonderin how many of you here have blown up a 4.2 in the past. I know of 4 or 5 in my town alone. I've seen a few guys trade them in on a 4.6 or 5.4 because of their weakness. Personally, I wouldn't wish one on my enemy (unless he's in the other lane, haha) Anyway, just curious to see who else has totalled one.....or more.

Trevor

 

I fear I may be missinterpereting your quote hear, but the 4.2 is NOT a weak engine...and I'll just end there.

Although you could be saying that the guys are weak for trading a 4.2 in for a 4.6 or 5.4...which is it?

 

Uhhhh, 4.2 liters is not much less than 4.6 liters regardles of whether it's a single cylinder or an 18 cylinder. The 4.6 in the trucks only puts out a few more ponies than the 4.2. Certainly not worth trading your truck in and wasting all that money just for a few more ponies. Don't make sense to me.

But then, it depends on what your looking to do with your truck. If your a young kid and live in a town absent of police and want to hot rod up and down your street running over pedestrians and children while ripping up fresh lawns and laying down black rubber patches all over the road, then perhaps a 4.2 is not for you. And perhaps someone should take a baseball bat to your head to knock some sense in you.

But, if you're looking for a great truck with modest power enough to do the job it was intended to do, then the 4.2 has more than plenty of power. Even enough so to push my 35" tires and 7.5" lift kit through 3 feet of marsh and swamps in S. Florida.

And p.s., you can blow up anything if you beat it enough.

Last time I was at the track a guy dropped the entire rear end out of his brand new 350Z as soon as he popped the clutch on the green light.

Story goes, if you beat it, it's gonna break eventually no matter what manufacture it's from.

Tom

 

Tom, are you saying I should have gotten the 4.6 or 5.4? Damn....

Armand

 

I'm just saying that personally I beleive the 4.2 to be inferior to a 4.6 or post 99 5.4 (I think its 99). There not a work engine, and aren't capable of doing any real grunt work. They can't take the same abuse as either V8. So yeah, I'm saying the engine itself is weak, and people are afraid of them blowing up. People are makin truck payments, and they want something with some reliability, so they ditch the 4.2 in favour of the V8's. Everyone who has owned a truck with a 4.2 around here has either blown the engine up, or traded the truck because they didn't want the risk. A friend of mine has a 97 with a 4.2, and the truck is on its third engine. The first engine he put in was used and didn't make 12,000km. It had similar km's on it to the truck (around 133,000). Then he bought a $4500 long block, which has held together so far. Granted, he isn't very easy on it, but doesn't do anything that it shouldn't be able to handle, and that I know my 351 or my friends 305 can withstand. I believe the problem with the 4.2 to be that during higher RPM the crankshaft "foams" the oil (creates bubble, can't think of the proper term) and that Ford should have installed a plate to stop this. Maybe they do on newer engines. So thats my story and my beef with the 4.2

Trevor

 

Ha ha There's the baseball bat

 

And Trevor, outside the 97 98 gasket problem, i don't know too many people who've blown their engines up. Seriously, i'm curious. Maybe you should post a new thread and run a poll on how many people know someone who blew up their 4.2, outside the 97 98 gasket issue which we all know about.

I'll post it if you'd prefer, what do you think. Ah, you know what, i'm just going to post it right now.

 

That'd be fine, cuz I'm curious too. I just know that over half of them around here have gave some trouble. The one is competely the owners fault: the truck is an auto, and he was drunk and rather than putting it in D, pulled it into 2. So that can't really be blamed on strengh at all. But for sure, I'd like to see how many have went **** up.

Trevor

 

ok, the poll is up so you can start. I goofed and should of put a "zero" column but didn't.

Tom

 

Trevor,

I don't think there is much difference between the 4.2 and the 4.6, so saying that it wont do the grunt work or take the abuse?

Maybe your buddy with the 97 keeps putting in the hydrolock prone motors. You said the second one he put in had similar mileage. Maybe it was just on the verge of hydrolocking? I figure while putting in a new motor you'd swap gaskets and whatnot,,,

Just a theory.

Armand

 

Tell ya what, get you 4.6 to Lufkin and I'll race him...and I'll win. Then, lets hook up a trailor and have a race...I'd beat him again...at least when I get the 4.10's in!

I've been beat once in a race by a single cab 5-speed 4.6 truck....of coarse I was stock and he had a full Lightning cat back exhaust, Full CAI, Superchips 1715 programmer, 4.10's, and a T-Lok. I think he had more than that, but that's where he left off. He ended up running a 14.9 to my 16...something. I'll be in the 15's soon though!

 

The thing is, none of these have hydrolocked, they all spun a bearing. The friend who has ruined 2 engines was pulling a derby car with his truck (4500-5000lbs I'd guess), and couldn't do 90km/h, and he's got a 5spd. It should do more than that.

Trevor

 

Sounds like............"GEAR CHANGING TIME!!!"

4.10's or 4.56's if your going to be doing all that haulin'

 

In that case....

"0"

I don't know a single person.