i am looking for a new truck. i have had bad luck with electronic sotf 4x4, and auto tranys, so i am dead set on finding one with manual everything. i want a '99-'03 f.150 ex-cab 4x4 off-road. i found one that is everything i want, except it has the 4.6 v8. i am a "go big or go home" kind of guy so i realy want a 5.4, i don't tow that often, but i like to know that i can when i need to. i am having a heck of a time finding the manual drivetrain i want, and i need a vehicle fairly soon. how much stronger is the 5.4? i also thought about buying this one and then swaping in a 5.4, or possibly a supercharged 5.4 from a lightning! how much trouble am i looking at. my oter option is to just keep waiting til i find "the one"

 

Definately go with the 5.4L you won't be sorry. There are a few guys that have done the swap here so they will probably chime in.

 

that's kinda what i thought. i thought this truck had the 5.4 when i went to look at it, but i popped the hood, and it was a 4.6. i was realy disapointed, cause the truck was EXACTLY what i want besides that.

 

I am not 100% positive but I think the manual transfer case only comes with a manual transmission. I have the electric shift in mine and haven't ever had any trouble with it.

 

I have the manual T case with the 5.4 and the auto.

5.4 hands down. More power, same MPG. These things get crap MPG, so you might as well get the most power that you can.

Mike

 

I have a MSOF transfer case and auto trans - but before you're dead set on a manual consider that the manual trans isn't rated to to NEARLY as much towing capacity as the auto trans is. Just look up the owners manual online and compare the numbers. The manual trans in these trucks is a light duty mazda built unit. As long as you maintain and auto trans and flush the fluid periodically ~30K you shouldn't have any troubles. I used to drive a manual everyday and considered myself a die hard manual trans guy but I really don't miss it now. I've put almost 140K on mine and have had zero problems or slippage so far *knock on wood* I also have the 4.6 and have been pretty satisfied with it, however if you can find a 5.4 for comparable price go for that since the fuel milage from what I hear is pretty similar.

 

You will not find a 5.4 with a manual tranny in a F-150! They never built one.
If you want a 5.4 with manual tranny,,,you'll have to get an F-250

 

You cannot get the manual transmission with a 5.4L in the F150. The 5-speed only came behind the 4.2L and the 4.6L. And the Mazda build 5-speed is WEAK! I wouldn't tow more than 4,000lbs with it at all.

The manual T-case is available behind all trannies...

 

If it is the truck you want why not get it and just mod the 4.6L with a supercharger or just all the other bolt ons other than a supercharger. Or if you are afraid of auto's think about this, the Lightning and the PSD's all use automatics and if you find a truck with a 4R100 it is that same tranny.

 

never thought about that, i didnt realize the autos could pull more. is the manual in a 5.4 sd any better?
what kind of milage are youguys getting anyway?

 

The ZF 5 or 6 speed (depending on the year) is an awesome manual.

The truck in my sig gets about 13 cith and 17-20 highway. It really doesn't matter about load in the bed or other cargo. Hooking up the 12x5 trailer drops me to about 10-11 city and 15 highway.

Mike

 

what about manual 4x4. have you guys ever had trouble with the electronicshift-on-the-fly 4x4? im realy hesitant to buy one because of the trouble i've had with my bronco's push-button system, but the in all honesty, its 13 years old, and i drive the PI$$ out of it!

 

I have heard good and bad about the esof i always hear to use it occasionally i will tell you know the old push button systems are not the greatest the manual hubs and manual shift in the older trucks are more reliable but the esof is decent

 

if the sotf does go bad, how hard would it be to put in a manual t-case in?

 

I was considering adapting a dash wiring harness that had ESOF to my Mechanical shift on fly 4x4 (recently added power windows and locks etc.) I bagged the idea for other reasons but I KNOW there are at least a couple circuits you'd have to rewire. In my case I had all the wire diagrams and it wouldn't have been too hard to modify my "new" ESOF dash wire harness to work with my MSOF truck but it would still have taken time, and I had the dash out with the connectors pulled apart to do it the right way. I didn't have to worry about where those wires went once they hooked up to the mechanical stuff - and all the hardware was there. I do know that in the cab there is a relay under the dash that syncronizes the two axles for both models but gets its current source through different paths, the MSOF wires that circuit through the bulkhead firewall connector while the ESOF runs that circuit through a plug in the drivers side kick panel (not sure where it goes out). The MSOF has a switch on the transfer case to light up the instrument cluster to show "4WD Low range" where the ESOF uses a different method to tell if its in low range. There are also different GEM computers for MSOF and ESOF so you'd have to remove your fuse box and change out the GEM (generic electronic module - which controls inst. cluster lighting, wiper delay, courtesy lights, and a whole host of other electronic functions) Basically I think it would be more trouble than its worth to do that complete conversion and you may need a different transfer case altogether along with the shift lever, cutting the hole in your floorboard, and transfer case wire harness etc. lots of work for little loss or gain from a complete conversion. Like others have said - engage it occasionally and you should be fine.

-montanafordman