My brother's looking at purchasing a 94 2wd, reg. cab, with a 4.9L straight six, that has 210,000km(131,000miles) on it. The guys asking $6g's($4g'sUS). What kind of value are these trucks, and how long do these 4.9L I-6's last for? I haven't heard much on these 4.9's. Any info would be great. Thanks

 

The 4.9 I6 was originally an International tractor motor designed and manufactured in the 1950's. Ford has been producing the engine in trucks since the 1960's. It is a very strong engine in terms of torque and durability. Even in commercial use applications, most of the truck engine go for 130,000-150,000 miles prior to overhaul. The remainder of the drivetrain was set up for engines displacing up to 460 cid, so it is more than adequate to handle whatever load is placed upon it. Although $4K seems a little high (unless the truck is remarkably nice), I would say the value is closer to $3k with that mileage.

 

I had never seriously given any thought to the 4.9 until I bought my '95. My truck weighs over 6000lbs, and I drive it pretty hard. I haven't had any problems, and am really surprised at just how strong an engine it is. Since I bought it, I have had several fleet accounts in which I do repair and maintanence work on trucks and vans with the 4.9, and they average over 300k miles before any major work is required, and even then it's usually just a new set of timing gears. These fleets often have a mix of 4.9's, 5.0's, 5.8's, and 7.5's, and the 4.9's are the least effort and the longest lasting.

That being said, however, I wouldn't buy ANY used vehicle without a thorough check of the engine, including a compression and leak down test.

Take care
~Chris

 

Agreed!

 

A friend of mine mention that one thing that should be looked at is the axles bearings and seals. He says once the bearing goes, the axles have to be replaced because their the tapered roller bearing type, not the encased type. So assuming the motor doesn't need a complete overhaul, and the rest of the truck is in ok shape, $3000(us) is a respectable price? Which is about $1000 less then what he's asking.

 

For that mileage i would pay between $3,000 and $4,000 US depending on body condition. That I6 will run forever. At 115,000 of hard driving mine doesn't use a drop of oil.

-Jon