Took my 2004 ,,5.4 engine, f150 in for it's final check on the mfg warranty. Had the oil changed and said i noticed a small shake in the engine while at stop lights. They did a pcm reflash and said they did not like the way the motor mounts looked and ordered me new mounts. Also said there was a tsb on engine shaking and motor mounts. Mounts came in and took truck in today. Got call from service rep and said they ran into problems... the bad mounts had cracked the metal mounting node for a engine support bracket on the cylinder head. I went in and sure enough the thick node on the cylinder head where the rod connects was cracked. Ford was contacted and ok'd a new head to be put on. The node and head are one part,,I almost didn't recognize my truck as the whole front end,, grill/bumper and top of engine was all torn off for the repair. They also have to
disconnect the whole cab and lift it up to put on the new head. All i tow is a medium size boat. Anyone else have this problem and did they ever get your truck put back together right ?? They gave me a loaner for the next week but what a can of worms. John

 

You shouldn't be upset, that fact that they made you aware and are fixing this at the end of your warranty period is a good display of honesty. No offense, I'm sure you are grateful and just disappointed it happened to your truck. But appreciate the likelihood of that happening at most dealerships.

 

Wow that stinks and kind of has me worried too. So the entire body of the truck shook at a stop? How noticeable was the shake? I have a very slight tremor that goes through the body of the truck at idle and stand still with the AC off. I sure hope I don't have the same motor mount issue (I'm an 05).

Duke

 

What exactly did this "small shake" feel like? I've got a small shake at idle, but I have always attributed it to a low idle RPM (hopefully to be alleviated by my soon-to-be-ordered XCal2). Thanks!

 

it was just a small vibration i felt in the steering wheel sometimes at a stop light,, i had tried injector cleaners and better gas and was still there. I was just going to attibute it to normal engine shake but decided to mention it to the Service Rep while there. Guess good thing i did as he said the problem would of only got worse over time. They had seen this in other 2004, 5.4 engines. Just a shame to see your truck all torn apart with parts laying all over the floor,, especially after the way i took care of it,, wife says i was a fananic about the truck ,, waxing/cleaning/maint.. ect.. Just hope they can put Humpty Dumpty back together again,, John

 

I've never seen bad mounts, but I've done a couple sets of upgraded engine mounts for a vibration at idle on some 2004s, including my own truck.

 

Hey Q,

Do all the 05s have these new engine mounts? Is it normal to have slight vibrations running through the body of the truck at idle with the AC off?

Duke

 

Late '04 and newer trucks and all 4x4s have the latest level mounts. A little vibration at idle is normal, IMO, the mod motors were never really smooth idling engines relatively speaking.

 

Q,, what entails taking the cab off the truck ? Do you think i should have the rustproofing redone in that area ? Had it done by the dealer when new and usually keep my trucks for a long time,, thanks ,, John

 

Mine is an 05 but has a bad engine shake at idle, I can look over at the passenger seat and see the entire seat shaking. Its like a harmonic vibration I can feel up my spine. With only 20k miles, it vibrates entirely too much for a new vehicle. Put it this way, my cammed 5.0 has less harmonic vibration than my new 05 F150, something sounds wrong with that? I took it to the dealer several times for this issue and the service manager said he felt a vibration but said it was a truck and it was normal. I said my 93 F150 with 120k miles was smoother than this, he didtn really give an answer. I think he was trying to avoid replacing the mounts. They did install an exhaust dampner, but that didnt do anything.

Its good to know the motor mounts are a nightmare to change...

 

So even early model 04 4x4s have the newer mounts?

 

Hey Q,

Cool, thanks for the info! I had a feeling it was just the fact that our trucks had a normally rough idle.

Duke

 

Disconnecting the electrical and fluid connections as needed, unbolting the body from the frame and raising the body up with a twin post lift. It's really not all that difficult, but it scares the hell out of people who've never seen it before.

 

I replaced mine. Mine went off without a hitch either, but I fought and cussed it every step of the way. These are definitely not a job for someone in the driveway with jackstands and a floor jack. I've got a lift and air tools, and I got the beating of my life replacing mine.

 

4x4 trucks were never really covered by the TSB that involved engine mounts on some 2004 4x2 Supercrews and Supercabs with the 5.4 3V.