Last May I bought a 2001 XLT Supercrew 4x4 w/ the 5.4, captain's chairs and sunroof. At the time it had 185k on the odometer, paid $5k for it. Has about 195k on it now. In the past 10K miles I've done or had done, the following:

Tires - stock size Geolander ATs.
Brakes - new pads all around, new calipers up front (melted seals, my fault).
Shocks - Monroe Light Truck
All belts, hoses, fluids and filters to include diffs, transmission, etc.
Rebuilt front end - Control arms/ball joints, lower ball joints, idler arm, swaybar end links and bushings, all parts greasable Moog and Energy Suspension.
Seafoamed intake and crankcase (prior to switching to synthetic).
Re-soldered odometer and overhead console circuit boards.
Replaced headlight housings.

Needs:
Exhaust manifold (no ticking or anything, mechanic found crack when doing state inspection)
Plugs/boots (not sure that it "needs" these, but it's coming up on the service interval)
Driver's seat cushion (having a difficult time tracking down a part #)

Will also swap out the generic DO catback that it came with for a Y-pipe, 3" intermediate, 24" oval SI/SO and 3" tailpipe exiting 45 behind the rear wheel, probably won't do a tip, just clean up the pipe end. If there is a generic muffler with the same specs as Magnaflow but in aluminized steel, I'd appreciate the information. Will probably also do the Gotts intake modification and Mk III electric fan that Fairlaner detailed.


Knock on wood, I have no engine/transmission or electrical issues. Sunroof works and doesn't leak. Hoping to keep it running for another 50k at least. I did notice I burned about half a quart of oil in the past 4000 miles, didn't burn any with conventional oil or the first 5000 after switching to synthetic.


She's my DD when I'm home and also the farm truck. Tows a small bumper pull stock trailer, hauls wood, feed, etc. Only thing the 4x4 gets used for is the snow and the once a month I lock it up to keep the t-case lubed.

 

Sounds like you're taking good care of it! It should definitely last you another 50K with that kind of attention.

Make sure that when you do plugs and COPs, use ONLY Motorcraft Plugs, and torque them up to 28 ft-lbs. There are issues with the 5.4's spitting out plugs, and these modular engines don't like anything other than Motorcrafts plugs. I recommend the double platinum ones.

Also, you can get all 8 COPs on ebay for just over a hundred bucks, and they work great. I speak from experience! Make sure you use dielectric grease on them, and your ignition system will last you longer than the truck will.

Good luck

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I have a full set of Motorcraft plugs and boots sitting in the top of the closet just haven't taken the time to change them out, I've read through all the "how to's" and it seem pretty straight forward. I haven't had an issue with the CoPs yet, so I'll just re-use the originals and keep an extra one in the tool box in case I lose one. I am a little wary about the $100 ones on Ebay compared to OEM.

We'll see how long it lasts, my daughter (just turned 10) has laid claim to it as her first vehicle. Apparently she has zero interest in her Mom's 2006 TDI Jetta which we had planned on keeping for her.

I've read reports and posts of guys getting over 300k miles out of these 2v engines. I'm sure the transmission will need to be replaced sometime over the next few years, but it has not given me any trouble yet.

Thanks for the reply

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I wouldn't hesitate on the Ebay 100 dollar COPs. I have had mine in for 4 years and it hasn't missed a spark. It ran noticeably smoother and stronger once I swapped out my old ones.

If/when you swap out, keep your old set just IN CASE one goes bad, then you're not stuck!

 

We are currently recommending the $180 Visteon cops, some members have recently been having issues with the cheap ones. Looks like the cheapies aren't what they used to be.

 

Appreciate the info on the Visteon CoPs. Out of curiosity, who is "we"?

 

I think he means "we" as the members on this site, forming a general consensus. But even 180 for all of them is much better than the 80 per COP from the dealer!

 

im still fighting what i believe is a bad coil from Global, thats only a couple months old

 

Just looked them up on Ebay, $190 shipped for a set of eight, pn#60-1000. The ad states that Visteon is the EU manufacturer of Ford parts. If they are OEM spec'd that is a good deal. I had originally put off buying new ones, even at almost 200k miles because at almost $500/set, it didn't seem worth while. Especially since I'm not having issues with the originals. At $190, that changes things, especially if I can expect some improvement.

 

Seafoam is snake oil dont do that to yer motor. The best thing to do is physically remove the throttle body and scrub it real good. Use throttle body cleaner and brass pipe cleaners. Your engine will run better when your done doing it.

 

Do you need any special tools to pull the throttle body off or put it back together I thought I read I needed a special tool somewhere.

 

No special tools are required for throttle body cleaning. Easy..

 

Thanks I read you needed one to put it back together once its off