No, I don't have it, but I'm searching! What would help out in a 2003 5.4 SuperCrew?

I know that this engine has the "positive cooling" system, and when running hot, it will not fire on some cylinders to allow the engine to cool down. My question is: Can the computer be modified to not inject fuel or create a spark on HALF of the cylinders (alternating each cycle) to help conserve fuel. It would be great if there was a switch. One setting for "economy mode", and the other for "burn rubber!".

On another note: What happened to the 4.5L Diesel that was to be introduced in the F150 series? Anyone aware of other trucks this size to be introduced with a diesel?

Thanks,

 

to my limmited knowledge(chatting with ford sales / mechnical reps) on this subject that cooling feature also cuts your power in half. it's a limp on and not to be stranded feature, and they suggest you drop any unnecesary loads.

new 6.0L deisel is capable of being shoehorned into the F-150 and Expidition with a few chasis mods. i was told that they were it's original target vehicles till it out performed the 7.3L. i would not be suprised to see it as an option once the new improved bigger diesel's hit the street. lets face it sales would plummit if a 04 F-150 blew by a 04 F-250 on a hill, pulling a bigger load. so just be patient. it's comming. 2006 is still rummored as a FORD year.

 

as for your question about milage, i doubt it would help you. In fact my suspicion would be your milage would drop dramatically firiing on 4 or 6 cylinders. I asked the same thing, but if you look at it. Seems like 4.2 L and 4.6L get just about the same milage, as do the 5.4 and the 4.6. Mostly it depends on driving habits. However there are some things you can do. A good one is e-fans, pulleys are supposed to help as well. However, please do note something.

The reason you want to increase milage probably isn't because you don't like gas companies, its probably just to save money. That's all good an well, but think about it like this.

I for example get about 13mpg, and i would expect about a 1 mpg increase from e fans. And lets say gas is 1.75/gallon like it is right now. And e-fans run a bit over 300. So with those numbers at 13 mpg you pay about 134.62 and at 14 mpg you pay 125 for every thousand miles, saving you $9.26 for every thousand miles. You would have to drive 32,400 miles just to pay 300 bucks (its more than that i think) and ever after that your only saying 10 bucks every 1000 miles, now thats nice but were not talking about a ton of money here.

Don't get me wrong, e-fans is a great mod, frees you up from having to turn that heavy fan all the time which makes your truck quicker, just remember what you are doing it for. If its simply to save money, there are probably better ways.

 

Putting an aftermarket FIPK (like AirForceOne or K&N) system can get you a few MPG (in alot of cases from what I have seen anyway).

Also for your idea about some cylinders not firing when crusing, I've seen that idea tossed around a few times in articles and stuff, but I havent seen many makers introduce it into their cars.

 

Pardon my ignorance here but didnt you know that a 5000lb truck equipped with a 5.4 (or any other engine for that matter) wouldnt get good gas mileage? I'm not saying that I am particularly excited about my fuel economy, but it didnt surprise me at all. Its about what I expected.

 

I didnt read anything here posted by anyone about being surprised about the gas milage.

 

YOUR RIGHT, I'm sorry about that my mistake.

(I retract my last post)

 

All good points! I have been through the calculations (ie. cost of upgrades vs. benefit).

Here is my thought process: I had a 2001 SuperCrew that I loved, but was "crashed into" by a lady on medication (looooooooonnnnnnngggg story!). Anyways, it took almost 4 months for repairs to be completed. After it was repaired, it made funny noises from the rear end, drove strange, and rattled all over. To make a long story short, I traded it for a 2003 SuperCrew.

As was stated by someone in a previous post, I didn't buy the truck without knowing the fuel economy. However, I am constantly disgusted with the fact that a 6.0L F250 Crew Cab gets SIGNIFICANTLY better economy than my lighter, less capable F150.

My point is: I don't NEED a F250. I don't WANT a F250. But I have discovered that I could have paid slightly more for a F250 and my monthly expenses would have been the same AND I would have had a MUCH more capable truck!. (I would be purchasing the F250 on the Ford "A" plan).

SO, what I can't figure out is how a F250 with all it's weight, etc. can get better mileage than my F150..... I have been VERY tempted to sell my F150 to purchase the F250. But the ONLY reason would be fuel economy. I hate the interrior of the F250. Therefore, I am stuck with the dillema of improving my mileage or ditching the truck for a F250.

I simply REFUSE to beleive that the F150 can not be produced in a way that will get better fuel economy.

BTW, all the 4.5L Diesel engines that were rumored to go into the 2006 F150 are going to end up in the U.S. military's new Humvee!
If it's good enough for a Humvee, it's good enough for my F150!!
(see this article for details: http://www.internationaldelivers.com...ail.asp?id=508 )


Whew!

 

brinet:

The main reason a diesel gets better mileage is because it is simply a more efficient engine design, although more expensive (obviously).

Check out http://www.howstuffworks.com if you really want to see more info about it.

Whats wrong with the F250 interior?

Also, you have to consider, the F250 IS a bigger truck, so parking in parking lot spaces is a bit more trouble, but once you get used to driving a large truck its not a big deal.

 

GM did this years ago in those funny looking bustleback Cadillacs.
It was a POS though and didn't work very well. Good idea though.

 

The main reason you still don't see a diesel in The F150's is emissions laws. The F250 falls into another "bin" or category, so it doesn't have to meet as stringent of emissions laws as the F150.

Wait a few years when Ultra-Low Sulphur diesel is on the market - expect to see some activity on the small diesel side when that occurs and makes it more feasible to put one in an F150.

To all those who thought the 4.5l was dead, the link above is some nice evidence it isn't dead - just looking for a good platform at the moment.

 

Yeah. I think I saw on some carshow that a carmaker is going to try to reintroduce something like it, but I cant remember which, or when.

 

Daimler/Chrysler on the hemi. Called MDS.

 

Arent they suppose to be releasing an explorer with a diesel? Thats what the sales rep told me on sunday when we went looking at the new f150s. The expeditions have them. Some Cars (not ford) have them. What are the emmisions laws stopping the f150 from having them. Last I heard, deisels didn't have to pass emmisions test anyways. At least not here in Alaska. Rangers used to have deisels too i believe. I think it has more to do with undercutting sales of the f250's than anything else.

 

Starting in 2005-2006, full sized trucks and SUV's with V8's will have the "Super Cruise" fuel economy option. When you get up to highway speeds, the engine will automatically switch to 4 cylinder mode.

I recently drove a prototype Suburban with this option and the only indication the engine went to 4 cylinder mode was a little light on the dash came on. The transition was smooth as silk. When we came to a hill at 75 mph, the engine went back to all 8 cylinders without a hitch. It's suppose to save at least 4 mpg on the highway. If you feel the need to, it can be turned off.