Just bought a new 2002 F150 SuperCab, 4.2L 6 cyl, 5 spd.
Bought it from a dealership out of state. Got it home, checked with my local dealer's service mgr. Asked him if there was anything inherent to the vehicle's engine I needed to be aware. He said most of the F150's are very reliable but he
shys away from the 4.2L because of Crankshaft problems which render the engine useless. He says he's seen (7) F150's in the last year with this problem - the lowest mileage one being 40K and the highest mileage one being 80K. At this point in our conversation, he opened the hood to see which engine I had. You guessed it, the 4.2L !! Anyone know of this problem? I'll see about providing addtl details if this is not already a well known issue. Thanks.

 

I've never heard of crankshaft problems unless they were related to a timing cover gasket or head gasket problem(water in the oil). The crank in the 4.2 seems to be quite a peice, I've spun mine up quite a few times to some high revs and with 90,000 plus on the odo, I've had zero noises, no oil consumption, and of course, no problems at all.

 

as stated, maybe the 97 timing chain cover leaking that lead to bent rods, spun bearings... etc,

there has been no crankshaft problems with the 4.2, they are strong and stout and can handle double the rated horsepower. only problems i've heard of was the coolant loss leaking into the cylinder walls.

Your 2002 is a stout motor, You should'nt have any problems...

 

I'm no Ford Service Manager but I'd say there is something amiss in this story. The mileage for the failures you mentioned is right in the range for the timing cover gasket failure. But this was limited to the 97 and 98 year engines.

I have gotten pretty familiar with these engines from learning since first doing mine and this is the first I have ever heard of a crankshaft problem. I have gone into a few of them now.

In fact to agree with Talley here, these engines are pretty stout and the lower ends are quite capable of more power than the engine currently makes.

I'd say either your dealer is trying to get some service work or maybe you mis-understood something in the story he gave you.

But by all means enlighten us with something factual and verifiable and I'll be the first to say I'll learn something new.

 

I have to wonder about that Service Manager's statement also, and why did he have to pop the hood to see what engine you have? Just glance at the fender, right under the F150 emblem. He may have made a different statement if he had thought the truck had been bought from his dealership. I have never seen a post complaining about crank problems on this site with the 4.2.

 

The Ford Service Manager says he has seen several 4.2L engines where the thrust bearing prematurely wears through the crank causing the crank to go loose. As a result, the rods and timing chain are eventually runied. Ring a bell with anyone?

 

98 4.2 here w/ 107k miles and NO problems ever. I have replaced the O2 sensor and that is it.

 

you sure you weren't at a chevy dealer?

 

My brother-in-law just had his 4.2 replaced by Ford after he had a power loss. The dealership decided to investigate because he was very close to the end of extended warranty (60k) and they thought he might have done something. They told him the engine had the wrong camshaft.

 

Thats a good one XLT Sport. If you check out this link you will see you hit the nail on the head about Chevys. Click on the 'list of known defects' tab. www.agmlemon.freeservers.com

 

I was checking out the bowtie lemon site last week. my wife's 02 tahoe has 4k miles and has the clicking in the front end.

 

I read somewhere on this board that the Romeo and Windsor engines were different. Is it true? What are the differences, if so?

 

Never Mind. I found out that the 4.2L is made at the Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, Ontario. --- My bad!

"Ford Essex Engine Plant (EEP), Windsor, Ont., Canada, manufactures three different configuration V6-style engines on a single assembly line with a 'batch of one' capability--which significantly reduces line side inventory. EEP makes 3.8L & 4.2L rear-wheel drive V6s and a 3.8L front-wheel drive V6, in addition to V8 cylinder blocks and V10 crankshafts for the Windsor Engine Plant. EEP achieved 100 percent on-time delivery and improved first time through quality by 32 percent from 1996 through 2000. "

 

JoelBouchard...
It's ringing a bell with me...this is the second time I've had my 97 truck in for exactly what you are talking about...the crank shaft being loose. They say it can be caused by the transmission but my tranny is smooth and there is nothing wrong with it. Has the service manager told you what they do to remedy this problem?