As by my name, you can see that I haven't purchased a Ford truck yet however I'm looking at an '02 F-150 Supercrew FX4 with a 5.4L. I've read about some of the various issues encountered with a 5.4L such as replacing the entire head if the plug breaks in the aluminum block, how you have to replace coils every so often, poor gas mileage, and so on.

I'm only towing a 2000lb boat so the 4.6L will do but I do like the extra power. Which engine is the better of the two - 4.6L or 5.4L for less issues/durability?


Thanks

 

I have a '02 2wd S'crew w/5.4 and 88000miles. I avg. 17mpg and only had to replace one "COP" (33000 miles, under warranty). I know the FX4 doesn't get as good MPG as the 2wd, but it shouldn't be that much less. I know folks who have the 4.6 in the FX4 and are wishing they had the 5.4 (somewhat less power and torque). As for pulling, I've pulled my son's Dodge on a dolly without any problems. If I'm not mistaken, the "blown plugs" were in the earlier head designs (I'm sure someone with more insight on that problem will chip in). Good luck, and welcome to the Ford "fold"!

 

I've never driven the 4.6, but I have a 99' with 5.4, it has 93,000 miles and I have never changed any plugs or COP. I did just have the trans rebuilt last week, I guess there is a problem with a bushing that causes play and premature disk wear on the 2wd. I've been bery happy with the power and pulling ability of my 5.4, on occasion I pull our 32' enclosed trailer with funny car.

 

They both use the same heads, so the plug issue isn't a concern. The added torque of the 5.4L is worth it Especially with the power loss thru the tranny, transfercase. My 2001 tows great.

 

I special ordered a 1997 Ford F150 Supercab 2wd with the 4.6L even after test driving one with the 4.6L and one with a 5.4L. Big mistake. I thought the 4.6 would suit my needs but the test drive of the 5.4 showed me that there was a noticiable difference in the power. Later after I got the truck and started towing my bass boat, I realized I made a big mistake in getting the 4.6. Do yourself a favor and get the 5.4. You won't regret it.

 

Real world fuel economy will be about the same. Head issues are the same. Both use cops (4.6 from 2000-on). I would go for the 5.4.

 

Thanks for all the updates on which engine would better suit my needs. I test drove a XLT with a 4.6 and it seemed like it had enough power, but then again I was comparing that against my Dodge V6!!!!


Maybe the 5.4L is the way to go since I chose the underpowered engine one time before and look where that got me!!!!

 

I thought that the 5.4 was a twin cam engine instead of a single cam like the 4.6. I have read alot about the plug blowing problem and from all reports it seems that this problem is much more prevalant in the 5.4.

My $0.02,

 

There are SOHC and DOHC 5.4's. The DOHC's are in Navigators and the like. All the F150's should have a SOHC. You'll find conflicting views, but all the mod motors had the four thread heads before the 03 model year. Some people equate the "fixed" heads (more than 4 threads) with PI heads, which started in 99 with 5.4's and 00 or 01 with 4.6's. All fixed heads are PI heads, but not all PI heads are fixed heads. There were a few problems in 4.6's, a few more in 5.4's and the most in 6.8's per capita, as far as I have been able to tell. Even in the 5.4's, when you look at the number of engines out there versus the number of problems, there are a relatively few failures of any kind. Just the same as any other engine by any other manufacture.

As for 5.4 versus 4.6, if it's an auto tranny the differences in gas mileage are basically nil and then the only other real factor is power and the 5.4 is where that is at. Probably the best thing going for the 4.6 is that there is a ton of aftermarket stuff out there for it. The bottom line is they are both good motors, you just get more umph with the 5.4.

 

Buy the 5.4. It's still only 330 CID, so it's really not that big of a motor anyway. The 4.6 is just too small for a 1/2 ton truck, it's great for a Mustang, but that's 1000 lbs lighter at least. The 4.6 feels ok around town unloaded, but take it out on the freeway with a load, and you'll find out why the 5.4 is so popular.

 

I don't know guys, we have a 16 foot enclosed trailer that we use to haul mantles in, we tow it with a 2004 E150 4.6/auto. It does a great job, and the van is loaded with various tools as well. The van itself weighs in at ~6000k, then that trailer is heavy even when empty. So it's probabyl pushing close to 3500k with the mantles in it.. We have been very impressed with our 4.6, and have no problems on the freeway with it.

 

Well, I should change my name to newavalancheguy as all the bad news about Fords, plus review/test drive of two 2003 4x4 S'crew's scared me right away from Ford. One of the 03's had rust on the bottom of all the door inner panels; the other had some rust/tailgate wouldn't open and the check engine light was on. The first one also had some funky business happening with the front end which vibrated through the steering column (seemed tranny related).

So, there was an Avalanche at the dealership and I took it out for a spin and bought it since I couldn't find any faults with the drive/body plus it had the full service history present. A large, reputable dealership by the way. They had 7 4x4 S'crew's there so I got to look at Lariats, FX4's, XLT's, and 1 King Ranch. They also had about 5 Avalanches there as well.......

So I'd like to thank everyone for their input as I decided to stay clear of Ford's for now as I'm not a fan of known engine faults. GM isn't perfect either, but this vehicle did not show anywhere as poorly as all the S'crew's that were there (low mileage vehicles).

 

Good luck with the Avalanche! I didn't really like the first ones, but after they started offering them w/o the cladding they look a lot better (to me anyway). They are just too heavy for me to pull behind the motor home, so I'll stick with my S'crew! Again, good luck!