Up to this point in my life I have been a Chevy man in 99% of the vehicles I have owned. No matter what I drive I have always looked at the F150's and loved their looks (since the 2004 body change) so I figure it is time to make the jump. I am looking to pay cash for the F150 so I am looking at a 10-12K truck. I am wondering what years I need to avoid and what years did certain changes happen?

What years have the cam phaser issues?
What years have the spark plug issues?
What years have the leaking injector issues?

I want to get into a Ford, but I don't want to get into a year model that is notorious for being a bad truck and then hating Ford...I want the swap to me a pleasing experience if that makes sense.

I am looking to buy either a CC 4wd FX4 or a CC 4wd Lariat. I have found a few good deals on 2005 and 2006's, but don't know if the 2006's had all the issues worked out of not. Thanks guys for any help you can give me.

Also...are there any big differences between the 2004-2008 models? Did any of them come with electric fans or substantial upgrades from the 2004 models?

 

Electric fans weren't till 2010. The 3v 5.4's I think were the ones with the cam phaser and spark plug issues. Not sure what years were worse than others. Unsure of any leaking injector issues either. 4.6L 2v is a solid engine but needs mods to get any performance out of.

 

My reading here tells me that 04-05s with 5.4 3v engines have the majority of those issues, that 06s have fewer injector issues, that late 07s have fewer plug issues, that with the wrong oil or prolonged change intervals all can develope noisy cam phasers. The trucks you mention, the Screw FX4 will have the 5.4 3v., I am pretty sure any Screw 4x4 Lariats will likewise.

The 4.6s don't have the issues crop up with any regularity, they are some down on power if towing .... but they'll get the job done and with minimal fuss. The 4.6s are just "dependable as a rock", they are as near bulletproof as anything you'll find.

That's not to say all .... or even that "most" will 5.4 3v engines develope those issues .... just that those years seem to be when they crop up? Many members have 04s and 05s here who have 200,000 miles and more and counting and are happy with their truck, and I think they probably are meticulous about maintenance.

My '07 .... has just recently turned 40K, I plan on a plug change at 50K even though FoMoCo says 100K. I run only 5W20 Motorcraft oil and filters. There's no way to "guaratee" I'll not have issues, but I think those actions now are the best way to minimize the risk.

 

In relation to the 5.4 3v.

Cam Phaser: Mainly the 04-06 but some people have reported the 07-08 having issues as well but I am not worried with my 08.
Spark Plug: 04-07 with some early 08 having the issue.
Injector: 04-05

People can disagree and thats fine but as I see it, most issues are induced by improper maintanace...period but there are exceptions. Oh, there are plenty of members on these boards that have trouble free miles in the year ranges that have known FORD acknoledged mechanical issues. Just hope that your hand-me-down has been maintained well.

As far as I am aware, no e-fans on the 04-08s stock and the HP/TQ rating stayed flat at 300/365.

 

Thank you so much for the response...for some reason I thought that the phaser cam issues was a 2004-2005 issue only...thank you for the information...so it looks like if i can find a clean well maintained 2004-2005 I am just as safe as buying a 2006...The 2007-2008 are out of my price range so those are a no go

 

2006 is probably your best bet. The spark plug issue is a one-time issue if you follow the TSB. Once the plugs are changed, you won't likely have the issues when using the nickel anti-seize. Cam phasers are hit and miss, and it gets blown out of proportion as the total number of 2004-2008 F-150's built with the cam phasers show up in a relatively low number of trucks in my experience. It's just that the problem is audible and irritating for those it does occur on. I'm not sure that "extended" oil changes have anything to do with it unless the oil itself is low grade or extremely dirty. Find a nice 06 and have at it.

 

Yea I am not too worried about the spark plugs because a buddy of mine is a FORD guy and he has the tools to do them. He has done like 10 sets and said he would do it for parts plus a case of beer...Can't beat that...I really just don't want to deal with the phaser cams...thanks for the info...if you read on this forum it seems like every truck has the phaser issue, but good to see it is much lower than what is represented

 

I put 135000 on my 05 with no cam phaser issue. The injector problem was for 2005 only but of course one can fail at any time for any year.

 

It's just like anything else, DBH.... when people have a problem, they'll talk about it. You rarely have people chime in and note that they're not having problems. Ya know?

Like blue said, the 05's had the injector problem -- I had an 05'... and it had two injectors go bad in the first 24k miles.

 

As I recall, the deal with those injectors was due to a change in vendors that Ford used for a batch (feel free to correct me) .... which was why Ford extended warranty or something on those .... like I said .... "as I recall".

'06 in good shape, taken care of, will make you a fine truck! Many 04s and 05s have done so for their owners.

 

Focus mainly on the 07 and 08's. I think in 07 the redesigned the heads on the 5.4 to use different plugs. The 5.4 is reliable if you take care of it, but cam phaser issues can still happen. The 4.6 is bulletproof but lacks the power everyone wants.

 

The redesign didn't really make it out until the 08's, and even then there are many 08's with the 2007 5.4 engines (like mine). It's not an issue anyway as changing the plugs once solves the issue entirely, no matter what version you have.

 

brian! its bub from gmfullsize. looks like you're not alone as i'm thinking about jumping ship and selling the tahoe for basically what you're looking for. this thread will benefit me as i'm looking at the 04-05's. it's time for a change imo. i've been looking up the mechanical problems and reading about them but now i need to research and find the real differences of all the models (xlt vs lariat vs fx4.) i'm such a ford noob lol.

 

To both of u looking to come to ford congrats I'm new to trucks so I can't help much all I can say is I had an 06 f150 lariat for 1 year and had no problems with it hope u both enjoy ur New Ford's when u get them

 

I know many 04-08 f150s with no cam phaser issues or plug issues. My bosses 05 has cam phaser noise but its the only one. It started around 30k miles and he now has 144k miles just doing oil changes that's it.

As a mechanic in a shop that fixes all makes, you are honestly far less likely to have problems in an f150 vs silverado. Ford doesn't seem to have the leaks, electrical problems, or fuel pump issues from my experiences.