I have a 2001 GMC Savana with a 5.7 the last of the 350 engine and I cannot imagine a vehicle being more unreliable. From what I've read on this board no 5.4-3v isnt a very good motor. Cant imagine it being worse then a GM engine though.

 

thank you for your valuable and very informative post to help aid others on this site!

 

Of course they're UNreliable. They let the monkeys build 'em out of reject parts and then the monkeys let their reject monkeys design and build the electrical. That's NOT a recipe for reliability! Used to work in GM dealerships and drive GM cars. Woke up one morning (after owning one too many of GM's finest "fix-it projects") and asked myself "you've got all the experience fixing cars that you need, why are you still buying these things"? Even the new ones were breaking almost from day one. Dicided to get the divorce, and never looked back. Best decision I ever made.

 

Great engine, but is the rest of the truck still all there? And if so, how??? As far as the part that Dodge builds, they built a "make believe" truck, and hoped people wouldn't notice. That is until the parts started falling off.

 

One of my new favorite post right here. The Cummings will run forever. But that trucks a pos. Anyone remember the Iszuzu Pup (to lazy to spell check). Had a little diesel in it that would outlast three of the trucks.

To the op quit your whining. Do your maintenance and a little research before you buy something. Everyone knows to steer clear of the 04, 05, & early 06. This is a great motor that will take one hell of a beating.

 

Well twinskrewd, In '05 when I purchased the new truck there were no such issues. Maintenance is done on a regular basis. A cursory view of the V8 thread and threads on similar forums would support the fact that they all are not great motors. Do some research yourself.

 

The 5.4 3 valve was not one of Ford's best efforts. There's the spark plug removal issue prior to the mid-08 head redesign, there's the sticking injectors on the 05's, and the top end (VCT, cams, lifters) is very sensitive to proper oil maintenance (sludge).

 

Oddly enough, the 4.6L 3V ( '05+) made Ward's 10 Best list ... and it's basically the same architecture minus some displacement ...

MGD

 

I'm currently hedging my bets on clog VCT screens and cam sensors.. and maybe a clogged Cat... But I've done regular oil changes every 6 to 8000 since I've owned it.

Checked the Fuel Pump Driver Module this morning, the zinc (?) backing was corroded white with powder. Limped to FORD and got the last one in stock. Pulled the old, the backing is almost through. Installed the new, no difference, but it had to be done anyway.

 

Exactly my thoughts...

So is it safe to say the 4.6 2v or 3v is the more reliable engine from 05-08???

Could the injector issue be fixed by aftermarket injectors? And the top end issue be fixed by running a full synthetic?

 

Miles or KMs? Synthetic or dino? Judging from your location I would assume Miles. Either way that's a little high IMO. I heard 5000 is the sweet spot. That's not to say you can't go over once in a while- I went to 8000KMs once due to a family emergency and 10,000 Kms 5 oil changes ago. But I try for every 5000Kms or 3-4 mnths to get a lube, oil and filter. And some have told me that's very frequent but hey- with over 370,000 kms on my truck I don't mind- its cheap and well my mechanic has it in the air I have the time to inspect everything else.

Knowing now that those engines have sludge issues I would practice a shorter interval service schedule...

Just my $0.02 that probably doesn't matter to most.

 

6 to 8k may be too long for a 3V, especially if there's city driving involved. It's also weight-sensitive, the best oil for them is the Motorcraft 5W20 syn blend. I'd also use MC filters.

 

Yeah, it's miles, & from now on it's motorcraft synth blend and filters. I have been using Mobil1 and Mobil filter.

 

How long where you using Mobil 1 and filter? Where you running the 10K / 15K miles as Mobil1 with filter states it is good too? I am trying Mobil1 w/ filter to see if I see any mileage / preformance (both motor and oil life) increase. I am looking at either 7500 or 10k mile changeout plan. My daily commute is city/town roads 10 miles round trip, and I tend to average every 2 to 3 weeks getting on the highway (or county roads at 55/60mph) for 130 - 150 mile round trip. I know that with regular oil I get a moisture build-up in my Ranger do to not enough run time with the engine fully warmed. I am try to see if Synthetic will stop or greatly reduce the moisture collecting.

 

Synthetic will not stop or reduce moisture - only a driving habit change will do that. Not even the EP formulation will help.

Long intervals in yer case is not a good idea - go back to MC semi-synth + a MC filter and reduce the interval.


No perf gains whatsoever.

M1 is nothing special - it's not even a true synthetic any more..