5.4 Ford V8 seems to have a lot of issues...

[hattaresguy]

This motor seems to have a few issues, my uncle has one in his 05 and according to the dealer its shot. It has a bad skip on cylinder number 7, had the coil changed, plug, injector still no dice. So they stuck a borescope in their and report that their is bad scuffing on the cylinder wall. So at 80k miles the motor has a dead hole, great.

My dads friend blew his, granted it was at 200k miles but still that's not so much these days. It dropped a valve.

What's up with this motor it seems like a real problem child? I know the spark plugs are another big issue with these.

 

[The motor guy]

Must be that 5w20 oil they call for..... Just kidding.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
This motor seems to have a few issues, my uncle has one in his 05 and according to the dealer its shot. It has a bad skip on cylinder number 7, had the coil changed, plug, injector still no dice. So they stuck a borescope in their and report that their is bad scuffing on the cylinder wall. So at 80k miles the motor has a dead hole, great.

My dads friend blew his, granted it was at 200k miles but still that's not so much these days. It dropped a valve.

What's up with this motor it seems like a real problem child? I know the spark plugs are another big issue with these.


Aside from launching plugs, the old 2V version was pretty much bullet proof. Not sure about the 3V (the one your uncle has).

I assume it ingested something to screw the cylinder, when were the plugs changed? I'm thinking something dropped down into it.

 

[Michael_P]

Always get a long reach blow gun and put compressed air into the spark plug valleys prior to removal even if it is sealed by the boot. I have a 2V 5.4 with 300,000 miles no issues.

 

[229]

2005 had bad fuel injectors and Ford has extended the warranty. Cylinder #7 was experiencing cylinder wall washdown from excess gas of leaking injector. We had one hydrolock on restart and twist a rod.

 

[ls1mike]

I don't know, camping and spending a lot of time on the RV boards your really get to see what a truck engine can do. I can't say I have heard anyone really complain about the 5.4, it's GM counterpart the 6.0 or the Dodge 5.7. The biggest things people complain about are the Spark plugs in the earlier Mod motor piston slap in the earlier 6.0, the auto trans in the earlier Dodge trucks and of course MPGS!! As far as I can tell all pull very well and last a good long time. I think for the most part when you buy a Ford, GM or Dodge truck it comes down to preference and what you are used to.
I happen to be partial to GM as it what I am used to.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: 229
2005 had bad fuel injectors and Ford has extended the warranty. Cylinder #7 was experiencing cylinder wall washdown from excess gas of leaking injector. We had one hydrolock on restart and twist a rod.


That sounds like what happend.

Said motor never had the plugs changed, was never beat on, and never went more than 5k between oil changes.

From the way it ran leading up to this that makes a lot of sense. It was hit and miss at the start like a bad injector.

All I can say is what a POS motor from Ford, very disappointed. The old 351 or 302 wouldn't have done this.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Originally Posted By: 229
2005 had bad fuel injectors and Ford has extended the warranty. Cylinder #7 was experiencing cylinder wall washdown from excess gas of leaking injector. We had one hydrolock on restart and twist a rod.


That sounds like what happend.

Said motor never had the plugs changed, was never beat on, and never went more than 5k between oil changes.

From the way it ran leading up to this that makes a lot of sense. It was hit and miss at the start like a bad injector.

All I can say is what a POS motor from Ford, very disappointed. The old 351 or 302 wouldn't have done this.


It would if it had a bad injector..... It can happen to any engine. Apparently, 2005 had this issue on the 5.4L. That doesn't make it a bad engine. The million mile van had a 5.4L in it.

 

[ls1mike]

As much as Ford is not my favorite. The MOD motor is very good.
Many manufactures have had injectors fail, they are usually out sourced. It is unfortunate that it happend to your uncle, but in reality that could have been any car that has a faulty fuel injector.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ls1mike
As much as Ford is not my favorite. The MOD motor is very good.
Many manufactures have had injectors fail, they are usually out sourced. It is unfortunate that it happend to your uncle, but in reality that could have been any car that has a faulty fuel injector.


Exactly. Bosch and Lucas are two brands of injectors that immediately come to mind. I know for the longest time, Ford used Bosch. My 302's all had them.

 

[MetalSlug]

I forgot wat the name of the old man, he the one design ford racing engine, the guy ask him a question " what is your most favore engine " he say the 5.4l.

 

[ls1mike]

Are you talking about Jack Roush?

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Are you talking about Jack Roush?


nope, did some search it was Carroll Shelby, I think streetfire.net interview him few year ago.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: MetalSlug
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Are you talking about Jack Roush?


nope, did some search it was Carroll Shelby, I think streetfire.net interview him few year ago.


Carol Shelby didn't design a Ford Racing engine. He did however shoe-horn a big Ford engine into a tiny car. And a legend was born.

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: MetalSlug
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Are you talking about Jack Roush?


nope, did some search it was Carroll Shelby, I think streetfire.net interview him few year ago.


Carol Shelby didn't design a Ford Racing engine. He did however shoe-horn a big Ford engine into a tiny car. And a legend was born.


not a ford fan, and never will lol. but my dad meet him at a car show, alway talk about his legend, then one day I check streetfire.net and saw his interview video and the interview ask him " what is your favore engine " he say " the 5.4L......" and that how it caught my attention, dint know much about him at all.

my dad a ford fan, and im a chevy fan, try to convert him to dark side few time. but cant never change his mind -_-

 

[hattaresguy]

To me its a POS, my friends 6L Chevy and my 4.3 are of the same vintage and mileage and run just fine.

Ford screwed up, there is no reason that a truck motor shouldn't last for at least 200k miles. If this was the old Ford I6 it would have been hardly broken in at 80k miles.

As a big Ford fan I am disappointed, so much so that I might just stick with Chevy when I buy my next truck.

I don't really care about sophistication and fuel mileage in a truck. I want something simple I can beat on and it won't break. As of right now GM provides that, Ford doesn't seem to.

I understand flukes happen, but I know of two 5.4's that failed when they shouldn't have, and a 3rd one that blew plugs out. Of all the truck's that my subs own no one has had to put a motor in a GM.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
To me its a POS, my friends 6L Chevy and my 4.3 are of the same vintage and mileage and run just fine.

Ford screwed up, there is no reason that a truck motor shouldn't last for at least 200k miles. If this was the old Ford I6 it would have been hardly broken in at 80k miles.

As a big Ford fan I am disappointed, so much so that I might just stick with Chevy when I buy my next truck.

I don't really care about sophistication and fuel mileage in a truck. I want something simple I can beat on and it won't break. As of right now GM provides that, Ford doesn't seem to.

I understand flukes happen, but I know of two 5.4's that failed when they shouldn't have, and a 3rd one that blew plugs out. Of all the truck's that my subs own no one has had to put a motor in a GM.


We've owned three of 'em (two have 140,000 miles on them now) and they have been excellent. Don't know what to tell you. I drive mine pretty hard, have towed with it a fair bit.

My parents have towed tandem U-hauls cross-country with theirs probably seven times this year alone. And it, unlike mine, has never popped a plug.

They've been good engines for us.

However, that engine isn't an option for you in a new Ford when you go shopping anyway. The 5.0L is though.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Purely a case of 'internet amplification.

There are gazillions of great engines out there running every day that you NEVER hear about.

This forum and others simply tend to amplify the issues.

I'm no Ford fan but their engine is just fine, the overwhelming majority of them perform perfectly for their owners.

 

[IndyIan]

Yeah, my parents tow a 28' rv trailer with an 03 F150 5.4L and it just runs and runs. Uses a large amount of gas doing it, but the only isssue they've had is a couple coils on plugs.
I like the big lunge of torque off idle and it rarely needs to rev over 3000 rpm.

 

[dparm]

This is an absurd argument. One person has a blown motor and suddenly every 5.4 Ford ever made is a POS.

Every engine family, and I repeat EVERY, has had blown motors. Benign Civic B16s all the way up to ultra high-output BMW V10s have blown. With something that complex, they simply cannot make 100% of them work perfectly.