Starting to take an interest in the truck im driving. My dad passed away and this is my first truck. Don't get me wrong ive been driving it a while but im not much of a mechanic. I usually pay to get stuff done. I don't know much about it so i looked it up on autozone vin search and got the following information: 5.4L MFI FFV SOHC 330 CID.... Not sure what SOHC 330 CID means... The rest i was able to google search and figure out. Also it says 2wd... Im fairly certain that means 2 wheel rear drive but not 100%.. I have some time off so looking to get the truck in better shape doing my own maintenance cause i heard someone else start it up and its sounding a bit rough.

 

SOHC = single overhead cam, one camshaft on top of each head. 330 CID = 330 cubic inches (5.4 liters). 2 wheel rear drive. If it sounds rough you may be in for about $2000 worth of engine repairs. It has a variable cam timing system which has been troublesome with high miles and/or not frequent enough oil changes. Spark plugs break when you try to change them.

 

thanks man... got my mobile mechanic to change out the spark plugs not long ago, was waiting for one to break but he never had trouble with them... got lucky i guess or he knew what he was doing.. right now at about 93k mi. and i change the oil myself every 6 months or so, synthetic, depending on how much im driving.

 

Have your mobile mechanic check for codes or take it to any of the auto parts chain stores and have the codes read. This will give you a starting place to figure out why it's running rough.

 

is it running rough or just sounds rough? i just had my new to me 08 super crew inspected to get my Maryland tags. there is a slight ticking noise when i start it cold. the inspector saw that there is a broken manifold bolt. once it warms up, there is no noise. he said, "i wouldn't worry about it yet". so it can wait until some other repairs might be needed in that area. lol.

 

Sounding rough on start up. I do get some vibration, accelerating from idle on turns. example : i live in a neighborhood with speed bumps, after a bump on a turn ill accelerate and get vibration. Had a mechanic check the cv joint, he said it was fine but that there was rust there. He said it was something to look at later on but not something to worry about now. Found a website with recommended maintenance, some things im going to do research on as i know nothing about.... engine air filter, serpentine belt, fuel filter, pcv valve, coolant flush, automatic transmission fluid and filter change, possibly rear differential fluid but it says at 150k. and transfer case fluid.

another thing, i recently checked my mpg and im getting 11.64 mpg, is this normal

 

There is no PCV valve on your engine, it has a fixed orifice in the valve cover. If it's vibrating accelerating in a turn and you have a limited slip differential, it's clutch chatter. Look at the door jamb sticker for the AXLE code, it's 2 digits. If the first digit is a letter it's limited slip. Example, mine is limites slip and it's H9. 19 would be non-limited slip. Change the lube with 75W140 full synthetic, and add a bottle of Motorcraft XL-3 friction modifier from the Ford dealer. You don't have a transfer case if it's 2 wheel drive. Transmission fluid is Mercon V, have that done at a shop with an exchange machine, no need to drop the pan and change the filter. Do NOT use a Fram oil filter, Motorcraft preferred. That gas mileage sounds a bit low.

 

thanks for the help, my axle code is the same as yours h9. ill look into limited slip differential for the vibration issue.

 

how do i know what size differential i have? not sure how many quarts and what size gasket i would need?

 

There should be a tag on the diff cover bolt that tells you what size the ring gear is. But, the 5.4s came with a 9.75" diameter ring gear. The factory used rtv instead of a gasket but I highly recommend you use a gasket if you don't want it to leak. It takes over 2 quarts, so buy 3. A piece of tygon tube slipped over the end of the bottle makes refilling easier.

 

The 8.8 diff cover is symmetric, a rectangle with rounded corners. The 9.75 is not symmetric, it's taller on one side. Either one takes 5.5 pints of 75W140 full synthetic. You also need one of these, whether the fluid you buy already has friction modifier in it or not:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c...oster/mot0/xl3

Also available from a Ford dealer.

 

Alright so I've got my amazon cart full of stuff I need to get done. some I will do myself and others I will get my mechanic to do. Is it nessesary to get motorcraft 75w140 or can I get valvoline since its half the price?

 

I used Valvoline in mine.

 

You can use ANY brand 75W140 as long as it's full synthetic. You can also find XL-3 on Amazon but check the price. I paid 7 bucks at the Ford dealer last time I bought it.

 

can i use any kind of 100% silicone to seal the gasket?