DannyB1954
Well-known member
I have been helping a mechanic buddy of mine work on a few cars so that he could get his eye surgery done. I have become aware of a series of Ford engines that may have a defect.
In 2005 Ford changed the 5.4 engine. It seems after a number of miles some serious problems can develop. In the case of our project vehicle #7 cylinder threw a rod through the block. There was no dirt or sludge in the engine, (good maintenance), It looks like the rod first bent, then when it went back down the rod length was too short so the crankshaft counter weight gave the piston a good hit and shattered the rod.
We looked for a used engine to put in. There are plenty of 2004 engines available for $600. The 2005 - 2008 used engines are selling for $2800.00. It seems the demand for them outweighs the supply. The cheapest engine we found had over 100,000 miles on it and they wanted $1,800.00 for it. We are talking wrecking yard engines here, not rebuilt.
If you Google my thread title, ( Ford 2005-2008 5.4 problems), you will see there are now lawsuits about this series. One article I read says that Ford acknowledged problems in 2008 in a service bulletin.
Anyway this is just a heads up. If you are in the market to buy a vehicle with a 5.4, I would avoid those years. If you have one check on repairs that may be available under warranty even though the original warranty expired, (one article I read says because of a design flaw Ford may pay for repairs).
In 2005 Ford changed the 5.4 engine. It seems after a number of miles some serious problems can develop. In the case of our project vehicle #7 cylinder threw a rod through the block. There was no dirt or sludge in the engine, (good maintenance), It looks like the rod first bent, then when it went back down the rod length was too short so the crankshaft counter weight gave the piston a good hit and shattered the rod.
We looked for a used engine to put in. There are plenty of 2004 engines available for $600. The 2005 - 2008 used engines are selling for $2800.00. It seems the demand for them outweighs the supply. The cheapest engine we found had over 100,000 miles on it and they wanted $1,800.00 for it. We are talking wrecking yard engines here, not rebuilt.
If you Google my thread title, ( Ford 2005-2008 5.4 problems), you will see there are now lawsuits about this series. One article I read says that Ford acknowledged problems in 2008 in a service bulletin.
Anyway this is just a heads up. If you are in the market to buy a vehicle with a 5.4, I would avoid those years. If you have one check on repairs that may be available under warranty even though the original warranty expired, (one article I read says because of a design flaw Ford may pay for repairs).