I need your guy's opinion.

I drive a 1998 5.4 4x4 XLT Ford and the exhaust manifolds are leaking and my Ford dealership said it would cost $1500 to repair.

My dad and I can do it with buying the parts online for about $300 after it is all said and done.

My last option is to buy a 5.4 L engine that is out of a 1998. The engin has 70,000 miles on it compared to my truck and engin that is close to 160,000 miles. They guy selling the engin is trying to get $350 but I think i can talk him down to $275.

So...

I need you guys to help me decide on what to do. If you can give me a reason why you picked that option I would appreciate it a lot.

Thanks

 

Im in the same boat as you. except my leak is just the tube going to the egr. But its a ticking time bomb regardless. Honestly, i would do the 5.4 swap. Or do the fix on your own, and hold onto the 5.4 until the 4.6 goes.

 

If it were me, I would fix the exhaust leak since that is not a major problem and there is no need to replace the motor if it is still running fine. But, that 5.4 for $350 is a great deal, especially for only 70k miles, so I would get that so that when your motor does go, you will have a replacement ready to go.

 

He already has a 5.4 according to his post. I'd just get a set of shorty's... you'll get a bit of sound gain.

 

read right over that lol. assumed he had a 4.6 since he talked swapping a 5.4 in. :o

 

Yeah I have a 5.4 right now. The only problem about doing it myself is getting the bolts off and just getting under the truck plus the time.

But, what would a set of shorties do for me? Performance or just sound? Because right now I just have a pair of straight pipes.

 

$350 for an engine with 70k sounds awful cheap... beware. You know the saying... you get what you pay for! I would get the engine and give it a thorough go-over and save it till you need it. If you have a garage to fix the exhaust, do that first. A pain, I know... but cheaper in the long run

 

If getting under the truck and time are a problem for fixing the exhaust leak ... I cant see where an engine swap is even an option. You'll have to get the bolts off regardless, and swapping an engine out will take a whole lot longer.

 

Take off your oil cap and shine a flashlight in the valve cover of your engine. If the internals look clean without sludge deposits then you can bet the previous owner took care of the engine and not to fear about the 160,000 miles. If you can get your hands on a compression tester, you could check each cylinder and quantify a decision there. These are the things mechanics do to evaluate a vehicle before someone buys it. The exhaust studs inevitably require pulling the head off unless you can get in there with a right-angle drill designed for tight spots so keep that in mind. I would suggest finding a mechanic with the know-how and tools for drilling without removing the heads, with a guarantee, and likely for a price about half of what the dealer quoted.

 

This sounds like the route I will go. Thank you for the feed back and I will give you guys an update.

Thanks