So after my first F-150 died, I bought this 98 with the 5.4. After months of failures, break downs, and thousands put into maintaince and repair it would not hold a spark plug for anything. Even after several steel inserts, they would still blow out! Finally my engine exploded the other day and burned down! I watched in relief knowing that I will never have to deal with the triton series motor again, nor any ford. I just wanted to say that I have never felt better and never imagine getting pleasure from watching my own truck burn. However I am going to replace the engine, but with something proven and reliable. Havn't picked one out yet. Also just going to rip out all the front IFS and throw a solid axle on it, so it will be just an old beater truck for when I need it.

The funniest part was when the fire department showed up in their big truck (the neighbor hood called..i didn't care) and all their gear. They came running out with a generic brand of water in a little bottle and said that the city had cut their budget, cuz they used to get the Dasani bottles...I laughed my *** off and they left.

 

pictures or you lie

 

I'll get one in a few days..it burned down on the way to my ex's house and it's still there awaiting a tow. All the plastic components and top half of motor is all burned up, and the boom came from below where the radiator blew up (durring the burn) and fluid was spewed. Also the flames where stronger underneath the motor, than they were on top, and I havn't looked underneath yet, so I don't know the damage under it. But it was a big boom, and a lot of smoke!!
I am glad the tank didn't catch, cuz it was half full of fuel...that could have been bad! Fun to watch, but not so fun to clean up.

 

Older Fords usually are garbage. Only recently have they gotten their acts together.

 

where did the fire come from? was it from the cc switch?

 

It started from the number four cylinder..that one has been the biggest bitch so far. Has blown four plugs! This time it blew out the top of the head, and it sounded like it blew out the bottom of the block too...from there the spraying fuel and oil just added to the fire.

I think because that cylinder is so far back and hard to get to, that the steel inserts never really were installed as well as the others. That's just my guess, but even why it kept blowing them, and running rough, no one could tell.

 

sniff, sniff........im allergic to bull chit

 

Now them's fightin woids!
I've got a '48 F-6 and a '76 F150 that'll beg to differ with ya. Only have 42k on the F-6...but that's bouncing around in fields for 60 years. The '76 has 280k on the clock...180k of them very hard miles on and off road on a pretty much stock 390. I'll wager that any of these recent Fords aren't gonna be around nearly as long as either of these two.

If I could afford to keep gas in the thing I'd still be driving the '76 every day. I'll take a real transmission with a gear-drive transfer case and pushrods over my 97's C4-in-disguise (4R70W) and 1.25" chain transfer case and overhead cam half-iron/quarter-aluminum/quarter-plastic mod motor any day for real work.

My folks have had a long string of Fords and Mercs....from 1960 on up to 2005. Several of them with right at or over 200k on the odometer before they passed on down the line. Still have their '78 F150 2wd 460/C6 with 170k and it's in use daily around the farm...no rust, just a few dents. Can't say that about many GM or Dodge trucks from that era.

 

As a guy who appreciates old Fords I can say the 2 newer trucks I own with 5.4 engines have been great. The old engines were good to I've had several trucks with 302's and 351's and yes they do last. The 5.4's are better though. its a luck of the draw deal I guess but I have 1 truck that has 205000 miles on it and other then basic maintenance it has been problem free.I still use it every day and cannot believe how good it runs. I would never even consider pulling out a 5.4 and replacing it with a 351w. the 5.4 is a clear improvement. What ever floats your boat I guess.

 

Around GA, I've never seen a Ford truck that was built in the 80's. All I see around here is old Silverados, Scotsdales, and K10's. All with 350's.

 

My best friend has a '98 f-150 with the 4.6. His truck has 289,000 miles on it. He got the truck from his dad, and we just changed the spark plugs for THE FIRST TIME ever at 288,000 miles.

The truck runs perfect and has never broken down once.

Tell me fords aren't any good and i'll call you a liar.

 

you can't call me a liar. i'll back up ford all day long. i can go through a list of reasons why not to buy a chevy nissan or toyota. dodge would be the problem being that i dont know much about the newer ones, but then again theres a reason why their going out of business.

 

Well, it was an older truck as known. Not like it had a whole lot of technology in it that actually would withstand the age part of it.

 

Sounds to me like your Fords in a better place. It would rather Flame Up, than be owned by you

You obviously don't what your doing or what the hell your talking about.

Although some of your posts may have some truth to it, you've added to it and tried to feed it to us.

BIG MISTAKE.

 

if that were to happen to me- I'd go buy a cummins.