I found a loaded, babied 97XLT, I like everything about it except it has the 4.6 engine. I figure it has to be better than the 4.0 V6 in my Explorer so how bad could it be?

 

First let me say that a well maintained and looked after Expy with a 4.6L would be prefferable to a neglected and abused 5.4L any day, at least by me.

Second, your 4.0L Explorer (depending on model year, equipment and options) could easily be 1,000 lbs lighter weight then the Expy. Is that a SOHC 205 HP 4.0L V-6 or the OHV 160 HP V-6?

Third, I would have to say that it all depends. . .

It depends where you will be driving, such as Flat, low elevation, interstate highways (Nebraska comes to mind) or Hill / Mountainous (Rockys or even the Carolinias)

What type of driving you will be doing. Will you be Towing. Taking Family trips with full loads of luggage and folks. Making Sales calls with full loads of product brochures, samples & catologs. Hitting the backwoods trails to crawl over rocks and such, or just commuting and running errands like most?

You have reservations yourself over getting the 4.6L, you need to know that others do as well. This is not because it's a bad motor, simply because the weight of a full size SUV practicaly demands the extra low end torque that the 5.4L brings to the party. This even before you "load her up" with with weight increasing options, let alone folks, gear & trailers.

Myself, I passed on a lot of cherry 4.6L's because I know my driving style and many trips to the mountains loaded with buddies and equipment require the extra power, and as a bounus I may still wish for and purchase upgrades to get more power, I will never be sorry that I didn't get the 5.4L from the start.

BTW, a co-worker also has a 99 but with the 4.6L and his milage is no better then mine (15 GPM combined)

Petrol
99 XLT 5.4L

 

4.6

 

When I purchased my 98 Expy in Aug 01 I went shopping for a 4.6.I wanted as much gas mileage as I could squeeze out of it.I got it through my dads friend who is a dealer from an auction for only 13k.You`d be surprised at the dealer markup on used vehicles.Anyway with the money I saved I purchased a throttle body spacer,K&N filter and gibson cat back exhaust to try to make up the power difference of the 5.4.On a 700 mile round trip 70-75mph I averaged 19.5mpg.I noticed a BIG difference in acceleration with these mods .I`m very happy with my 4.6 motor.If youre not towing I personally dont think you need the 5.4.:-)

 

I've read only what seems to be bad reviews on the 4.6.
Seems it's grossly underpowered.
I believe those reviews because I find my 5.4 pretty underpowered.
If you go with the 4.6 do the upgrades mikebll did to pick up some power.

I'd love to have the power the new Cadillac Escalde has...355HP.
I'd even settle for the Navigator's 300HP.
260HP is just not enough.

 

I've got a 5.4L in my '00 4x4 and my dad's got a 4.6L in his '98. Mine definitely has more power, but once again do you really need it? What's the gear ratio in the prospective X? If it is one with a lower ratio, it'll feel like the engine has more low end power...good for typical city driving, bad for highway mileage.

Redvet, if you want 300 HP, why don't you just add a chip and K&N. Combined, these mods are supposedly good for around 40 HP which would bring your total up to ~300 HP at a cost of approximately $250-300. If you want even more power, add a couple other mods or a supercharger...and you're still cheaper than others. Have you priced the Navs and Cads lately?

 

Buzzard you're right on Nav's and Escalades costs.
There's a trans shop pretty close to me that upgrades trans.
www.levelten.com.
They've done some trans and rear work for me on a classic vette I own.
The shop told me they can ge me the feeling of 25-30 horse with a trans upgrade which is probably a chip.
The shop said it would also eliminate the downshift going up moderate inclines at 55-60 MPH.
Cost about $500.
May go for it.

 

We live in Boise, ID so there are going to be some drives through the Rockies. We have a ski boat (3500 lbs) that we will tow some of the time, so I really do worry about getting a 4.6. I'm not sure what the axle is,is that information on the door sticker? We have only been seriously looking for a couple weeks so it's still early, but it seems that many of the 5.4s with all the options we want have been beat to death. The 4.6s seem in much better condition. I guess we'll shop till we drop...

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 22-Jan-02 AT 04:50 PM (EST)]We have a 99 F-150 ext cab 4x4 with a towing pkg and off road pkg and a 2001 expedition with out any of the above. Both have the 4.6 and I think they have enough power.The F-150 is a little sluggish on take off pulling a 4000 lb. trailer, and if I have to go up a big hill I better hope nothing makes me slow down cause it will take me a few minutes to recover. But in all when I don't pay too close attention to my speed it can easily creep up to close to 80 before I realize it. Towing I get 11 mpg, city is 12 and highway is 17 cruising at 75mph and It is a great performer off road. The Expedition has plenty of pickup and power with 16.5 in the city and 21 on the highway. Now I am in my 40's and don't try to spin my tires and unless I need to pass someone I don't drive agressively. But when the need arises to drive hard the 4.6 has the guts to move. neither truck has any aftermarket mods to them.
JImP.

 

Yes, you can find your axle code inside the driver's door. Here is a list of them:

19-3.55 non-limited slip
17-3.31 non-limited slip
H9-3.55 limited slip
H7-3.31 limited slip
H6-3.73 limited slip

Redvet, it sounds like a chip, however $500 sounds high. In addition to advancing the timing, I know the SC and Diablo also change shift characteristics. The only drawback to chipping is having to run high octane petro, but with gas so cheap (for how long???) it is very tempting.

 

Buzzard
The $500 may include more than a chip.
My concern along with cost was a warranty issue.
This upgrade would also stop the annoying downshift(passing gear) when climbing a small hill at highway speed with or without cruise control on.

 

>Yes, you can find your axle code inside the driver's door.
>Here is a list of them:


>H6-3.73 limited slip



WOOHOOOOO H6, I been wondering about that! !

 

Well Idaho is certainly in the hilly part of the counrty, and the elevation doesn't help power either.

I would say a 5.4L would be manditory, (preffer 99 or new with the uprated HP of 260 and the 350 lb-ft of torgue available down at 2500 RPM)especially in light of your towing needs. Also pass on anything without a 3.73 Rear Gear (or numerically higher).

Also look for the factory tow package which, for 99 at least included Super engine cooling (larger capacity radiator & Motor oil cooler), Trans cooler, and of course the Factory hitch with 7 pin connector & 4 pin adapter harness.

In my search I was prepared to travel and did, to Texas, remeber the laws of supply and demand (more Expy's per capa then any other state and full of good examples coming of lease, BTW with the Enron deal there are likily to be plenty of motivated sellers) I was able to get a 99 5.4 XLT loaded and pampered with 22k and 14 months remaining of the factory warrenty for $ 18. The savings paid for a 2 weeks vacation in houston, San Antonio & Dallas / Ft. Worth
(I did have a buddy who lives in Houston preview a selection for me)

 

My belief is that it depends on the model year. Back in '97 & '98 there wasn't much difference between the 4.6 and 5.4 in either HP or torque. They also had similar power curves. So, with a few mods, a 4.6 of that era can actually out-perform a stock 5.4L. Plus, these mods cost less than the "upgrade" price of the engine (when new).

However, in '99 some major changes were made to the engines that distanced the power gap and, more importantly, the powerband. In these newer models, I highly recommend the 5.4 over the smaller V8.

Our '97 w/4.6 and a few mods (including 4.10 gears) still gets over 20mpg on the open road and around 14 in the city. And, it'll spin the big BFGs until the Auburn LS kicks in.

 

A whole arguement can also be made for getting the 97 4.6 and, with the Thousand s of $$$ saved over looking for a 99 and up 5.4, pay a visit to Kenny Bell for the installation of a Super Charger System.

The Super Charger would likily give 250-275 rear wheel vs the stock 97 4.6L's relitivly puny 160 HP. This in addition to giving away very little to the dreaded "High Altitude Horse Power Bandit)

But then that is a whole different arguement, right?

If you intend on keeping the Expy relitivly stock, go for the big motor from the get go. With it you can do anything anyone else can do to the 4.6 and still have more!

Petrol
99 XLT 5.4