My intro thread
https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=245863

Most of the trucks I'm looking at are 70-95k.... what should I look for? Common issues?

Will I be fine w/ a full fluid enema and some fresh plugs?

I will be keeping it bone stock.

Title should read 5.4

 

Anyone?

 

That's a great start. At least the fluids. Plugs...maybe. Ford recommends 100K replacement for the factory plugs. That's a bit long IMHO...but do them correctly or you may be suseptible to...

Plug blow-out is an issue with some trucks (search for it on this site...some experieince it, some don't. I never have...)

Front suspension/ball joints should have been replaced at that mileage.

Mechanically these trucks are tanks. If it's bone-stock it should last a very long time.

I've got 130K miles, very little trouble and never anything major, and I've got a blower.

Nice car in your sig, BTW.
Coming over from the dark side, I see

 

^^agreed. I have a 99 150 w/ 5.4 L and I have had the blown pug problem. I beleive that if the plugs are continously checked and properly torqued then you should be fine. I changed my plugs and never rechecked them, although I did torque them properly when i changed them, i still blew my #2 plug about 20k miles later.
As for other common problems, look for the doors to have small cracks in them. Do a search for door cracks and it will uncover many threads on the issue. this is a very common occurance.
If you do any offroading/mudding or wash frequently under the hood expect to have coils go bad due to moisture getting to them. Also look at the heater core lines on the passenger side, often times the leak causing the #4 coil to go bad.
As for the good stuff, the trito is very well capable of handling a load and turning continous rpms for extended time. I trailer a lot, my truck/trailer/cargo/etc fully loaded weighs in at 11,200 lbs, 500 lbs less than the GCVW, and it does fine. I have been all over the midwest and up and down the eastern coast from maine to florida 100 degree heat to below zero temperatures with my trailer. blaized thru snow, sat in traffic on the hottest days, no complaints. My only problem so far has been the blown plug. I am at 150K miles and still going very strong.
others will chime in on other common problems and things to look for, these are just a few that I am aware of, and my personal experience.

 

Thanks.... what's up with the "blwon plug" issue... never heard of anything like it. Is it spart blowout like on a turbo car seing high boost? Is it fouling of the plugs? What needs to be done to prevent it? Is there a specific brand that does better than another?

 

Oh... and are the door cracks on the actual door skin (the outer panel), the shell (bulk of the door), or the interior trim panel?

 

no matter what you get put a cold air intake and a chip in it, stock is way over rated=)

 

The plug blow-out issue...is just what it sounds to be....I just had it happen last week at 50k, but I was unaware of the issue and the warning signs.

Its a bad design by FoMoCo in the aluminum heads and that there is only about 4 threads holding the spark plug in. The plug may end up working itself loose and over time, from the vibration and such wears out the aluminum threads, causing the spark plug to "blow out".

Listen to the motor, if you hear a ticking sound which sounds like a lifter, or a small exhaust leak, then the plug is loose and its getting blow by. My truck had this when i bought it 7 mo's ago but a ford tech told me that it wasn't nothing to worry about.....well if i would have checked the plugs right away I probably could have saved it by tightening it down. Thats the only real problem I've had with my 02 5.4.

 

My brothers 97 4.6 with 90k has the broken exhaust stud deal and whiney rear axle. Sounds like both are not that uncommon on these trucks.

 

Insist on making the test drive longer than 5 min, and at least until it is fully warmed up. Better yet bring a cheap OBD II code scanner and test it out. If a truck is throwing any CEL codes a cheap seller could temporarily clear them by unplugging the battery for a few minutes. Depending on the code it may not come back for hours or days (after the $$ and title have already changed hands). Some things (like a tensioner going out) cannot be detected visually but may show up on a scanner. Good luck in your search!

 

the cracks are on the actual metal part of the door just beside the window, check this out!

https://www.f150online.com/articles/cracks.html

 

^ Geeze

 

Nice to konw. I will look every time I drive.

Thanks

 

mine is for sale ha but i live in northern mn

 

My old truck had it 6 years and put 96k on it and never had the famous door crack issue some have had with theirs.