Hello all, I am in the market for either a 98 or 97 f150. I was woundering which engine is the best one offered for those years. Any information would help.

 

I would say the 5.4, that is what I have and I'm very happy with it. A few of the 4.6s had problems with pinging caused by carbon buildup, no huge deal you can usually get it out with some seafoam.

 

Hello djhspawn,

I have had both engines, a 97 with a 4.6 and a 2000 with a 5.4. If good gas milage is your main concern get the 4.6. If power and longevity is your main concern get the 5.4. You may have a hard time finding a 97 with a 5.4 it did not come out until November/December that year. If it were me, I would get the 5.4.

 

For roughly $800 as an option, plus the extra low end torque and power, and the better resale, go for the 5.4. Better to pay for it up front then need it later. Besides, I think MPG is pretty close.

 

The price difference for a 99 or 00 will not be much more. If you are leaning toward a 5.4 you will want to get the 99 and newer. The HP difference is well worth the difference.

I have a 97 XL 4.6, 98 XLT 5.4 and a 99 Lariat 5.4. The 97 & 98 are farm work trucks. They all have K&N air filters (w/ silencer removed), 3.50 rear diff, synthetic oil, and are serviced routinely. The 97 and 99 both have a superchip. The 97 is a reg cab LWB and the 98 is a SC LWB. The 87 & 98 get the similar gas mileage (13/14 unloaded - 11/12 loaded). They are also almost identical in power. There is a significant power difference in the 99 SC SWB Lariat (it also has e-fans) and it gets 15 city/19 hi-way. The 97 & 98 both have over 100K and have had no significant problems – they are good work trucks. There are differences in the HP to weight ratio’s on all three trucks; but the 99, when it was stock, performed much better than the 98.

I plan to trade the 97 for an 05 or 06 for my daily driver and pass the 99 on to the farm. If I stay with a F150 I will get the 5.4 – If I go with a F250 it will be diesel.

 

thanks everyone for the info so far. Even more would be apreciated.

 

I'd have to say the 4.6L is trusted more. At least, more of them are out there (police cars,crown vics.,mustangs,and the list goes on....). No flame on the wonderful 5.4L.