I am new to the Lightning world and was wondering what the first thing to go is in Lightning motors when they blow up? Do the have forged bottom ends like the new cobra does?

Forgive the newbie like question but I am just trying to learn as much as possible before I dive into modding my new truck

 

The rods are powdered. JUNK!

 

You forgot to mention that this "powder" then gets FORGED:

"Lightning's connecting rods are sinter-forged alloy, featuring the most robust "big ends" found in any Ford modular V-8. Made from powdered metal that is compacted into the rough shape of a connecting rod and then hot-struck in a forge, these connecting rods are remarkably strong, thanks to the millions of bonds created on the molecular level during the forging process.

After forging, the big ends are mechanically fracture-split to separate the bearing caps. Due to the irregular, interlocking surfaces that result along the fracture line, a bearing cap and the rod with which it was forged can be reassembled only one way, ensuring a perfect fit and an especially strong bearing cap assembly."

The stock rods rarely, if ever, fail on a stock engine. Now, take that Eaton and overspin it or mess with the timing -- presto! Detonation. When an engine is detonating, something has to break. In most engines, that is a head gasket. In others, that is a piston. Or a crank. In our engines, the weakest link is the rods.

So, if the 5.4 had another design, there would be some other part that, due to operator error, failed. That part would then be unfairly labeled "junk."

The Lightning engine has been voted one of the ten best engines IN THE WORLD every year since its inception.

Junk indeed.

 

Oh, yeah, the answer to the question is indeed: "the rods."

But if you don't allow the engine to detonate (conservative air-fuel, good gas, conservative timing), they will be fine.

The transmission is really the weak point of the drivetrain, as it is close to its design limits with stock HP levels.

 

JUNK????

Any motor that allows a stock full size truck to go 11's with bolt on mods is by no means JUNK!

Of course people are going to break rods when there make 550 to 600 rear wheel HP, there's not many cars in the world that have motors that can handle that power let alone a $32,000 pickup truck, LOL!

The tranny is the weak point in the truck when modding it out, but when a L is in stock form the drivetrain is pretty reliable with the exception of the 99/00 intercooler leak and the flying spark plug problem.

I've beaten my motor so bad that I've gone threw 5 transmissions in 42,000 miles (two of them faulty parts, so they really don't count) and it still runs great so I would thinking twice before calling the L motor junk, . No flame intended, just giving my .02.

 

5 transmissions!!!!! im still on el numero uno @ 16k miles

 

I'm rough on trannies!


Ask greg, my second stock tranny was one of the worst he's ever seen in his life, LOL! Reverse was in perfect condition though, could still read the letters on the clutch plates.

 

I say the tranny

I blew mine in december!!!