Just curious why there seems to be so many that think the 4.2 ( 2006 to clarify) is not a reliable engine.
I sold my '04 Roush charged Supercrew, and the '06 FX4 and picked up a lowly '06 STX 4.2 regular cab flareside to use when I need a truck as I now have a Jeep TJ as a daily driver. Solid with 70,000 miles on the ticker.After the initial clean up, plugs and fluid changes, I have done a 4-2 drop, installed a decent set of wheels and tires, and installed a canned Superchips tune in it. Results in a decent driver that gets 19+ mpg on the highway. Uses no oil, has no leaks, and serves its purpose. Did I just get lucky?

 

I have always heard that they are very reliable. The only knock I recall is that they are not too good for towing high numbers, which is understandable. That are quite a few members here with them that love them.

 

154k on my 03, it's treated me very well. Other than plenum gaskets and isolator bolts, the engine has never needed any work other than normal maintenance.

 

The only bad thing with the 4.2 is if you were unlucky enough to have a 97 or early 98. They had some gasket issues which would let coolant leak into the motor leading to a hydrolock. Ford has since fixed the issue.

 

Ditto to glc, except mine has over 200k miles.

 

They are actually pretty good little engines...I have my 08 now with just under 62k and ive had a K&N intake and a custom tuned SCT X3 by VMP tuning. I love it. It gets up and goes pretty well for a V6 and can hang with 5.3 chevy's can beat 4.8 chevys, and my girlfriend's 06 4.7L ram pretty easily...yes I cant pull a Whole lot but I dont need a truck for pulling or hauling...I need one because I am 6'5" tall...

I LOVE MINE!!!

 

I've got 250K miles on mine, 170K since we had to get a 0-hour engine from Ford from the hydrolock. Awesome engine. Plugs are running ~100K, I've been lazy to change them and the truck just purrs right along (with a miss or two here and there)

 

^ my 97 ranger was like that at 100k...other than that ive never changed sparkplugs on any ford ive owned...never have vehicles long enough to need to lol. this is the longest ive had a vehicle for....3.5 years...

 

It's a big reliable V6, if built after '99 and, if the truck isn't too heavy, it keeps up with traffic. 200 HP isn't much these days and basic mods aren't going to give more than a 15% gain and that's probably with a cam upgrade.

 

^actually mine is a pretty strong runner...a lot of people say they have no power with theirs but mine has always been a strong runner. only time i notice a change is when it is hot outside...like 80-85+ degrees. Also some days it just seems like it has extra power and most days it drive the same...
My 04 heritage was the same way...except i didnt notice any power loss. it was a reg cab longbed 2wd with a 3.08 rear and a 5 spd. I could beat a 350 chevy but my buddy's 04 4.8L reg cab shortbed silverado 2wd with a 3.42 rear would pull away from me a little. my 08 I could stay right beside him all day long before i got my tuner....I might go back to PA in september and if so, then I will see if i can hang with his 06 5.3L silverado...before my tuner I could stay right beside him until I had to push in the clutch, then he blew my doors in. with the tuner i bet he would probably still pull away but not too quickly. btw its a 06 5.3L reg cab shortbed Z71 with 3.42 rear

 

I'm very happy with my truck so far. I've got 42k on it and last trip posted 20.8 mpg. Quiet drive, smooth on the highway - Love this truck. Get good compliments on the look and sound from the exhaust note. Thanks for reading.

 

Very solid engine. I think many get stuck on its evolution from the 3.8L and its issues and assume the same for the 4.2L, which is understandable from afar.

Quite frankly, I punch it towards 4500 RPMs and it moves. Usually, though, it does all it needs to do around 2000 RPMs.

One tune up since I bought this one, isolator bolts/intake mani gasket and a cam position sensor magnet. That's it. 193k miles (83k of which are mine) of Maytag appliance-like awesomeness.

The 04-08 v6 models were touted the most reliable truck of that time for a reason.

 

Mine has 88K miles on it and no problems.About every other month I have to make a 3 hour drive,one way,to a hospital.The speed limit on the interstate is 75 mph but I travel it at 65 mph,a/c on,and get 21.7 mpg.

 

I'm probably getting better mileage than I think. My tires are one size bigger so my speedo is off a couple MPHs, but I avg 16/19

 

Cheap to buy, easy to maintain, if your not looking for a workhorse, they're a good choice. The only thing I really miss over the V8 is the sound. You're not going to impress a lot of people w/ your V6 truck, but quite frankly I'm past that stage in my life.