Hello all. This is my first question here and I'm sure it's been asked/debated more than once. If there's another thread I should look up, please let me know.

I'm finally in the market for a new used truck. It will be an F-150 ext. cab 4X4 with the offroad package. I'm looking at a '97, maybe a '98, because I'd like the new body style and can't afford anything newer.

Here it is: What engine should I get? I'm concerned most about reliability and cost of ownership. I tow during the summer quite a bit, but never over 2000# and not every day. I like the idea of the 5.4 because I hate being bogged down with my boat in tow, but I'm concerned about fuel economy (of course) and about this piston slapping problem that I've read about here on the message boards. I can't afford a major problem and would like to drive this truck 'till she dies. Has the 4.6 been a good engine? Which do you think would be a better overall fit for me? Keep in mind that I'm probably looking at buying something that will have 60K-90K on the odometer.

Let's hear it, guys. Based on the conversations I've read here in other posts, I'm sure there will be lots to say. THANKS!

John

 

Hi, welcome to the forum.

I have a 98', offroad package, 3.55 LS, 4.6L auto, s/cab. I'm very happy with it. No engine troubles except for the misfire thing - new plug and new wire.

My boat is around 2500# and I have no problems towing it. These motors are rev happy (at least mine is), if you hit a grade let it shift down and rev a bit. Doesn't hurt it and the fuel economy is better than pushrod v-8s.

Unless you're towing up 45 degree mountain roads I don't think you'll have any problems.

If I were in your shoes I would go for the 98' instead of the 97' simply because 97' was the first year of production for the new design and (not speaking from experience) the first production year of most manufacturers has a few bugs & rattles (not always - usually - no offense intended for 97' owners!).

I get about 18mpg (Imperial gallon) and I have a very heavy foot, which is about 15mpg for a US gallon.

Watch for the door crack problem. Follow the rubber along the bottom of the door window, where the rubber starts to curve up and go vertical pull back the rubber and look at the door sheet metal about 1-2 inches from the corner on the vertical part. Mine had it too and the dealer fixed it while in the bodyshop for damage done by an idiot driver.

Hope you enjoy your new aquisition!

 

My 02 Supercab 4x4, XLT gets me 10-12 miles per US gallon. and I have just under 3,000 miles on the odometer and drive it ieasy.
However, I expected crappy mileage before I made my purchase.

If better mileage is more important than better towing power, I'd go with the 4.6

Regards
Habibi

 

I would say You dont have it broke in yet and should get better mileage after 10,000. And BTW you got a hell of a deal on that delivery time, man that was fast. I get right around 14mpg with my 5.4 no matter if I am driving on the highway or have a ton of salt in the back. It is pretty constant.

The 5.4 has awsome power and I havent been pleased with some 4.6 ext. cabs I have driven. I have a 97 reg. cab 5.4 4x4 3.55 with '01 17" wheels, so mine is lighter than the supers but the 5.4 sure has a lot more power either way. The 4.6 is really a completely different engine it has plug wires as one big difference while the 5.4 has the coil on plug coil packs, its kinda odd to open up the engine comp. and not see any plug wires or distributor. I do have a small crack on each door that I hit with touch up paint. Back to the power, when i have a ton in the back or am pulling a 2 horse trailer you dont even know I am hauling or pulling anything power wise it still goes like hell. There is 1 very good thing about the 4.6, the mustang has it so it has a lot more aftermarket stuff a lot cheaper-(in some cases). Watch for the rust at the bottom of the doors and in the tailgate seem, the bed ends and there is a bad seal where the bottom of the bed is at the back. I do have some piston slap when it is cold (anywhere from 20 deg.F to -35 deg F.) But it has not effected my engine at all no metal shavings in the oil or anything like that. The multifunction switch will go bad and the door ajar switch will go bad all the time. All in All I love my truck and wouldnt have changed anything I did. If I remember right you can get a stick with a 4.6 as the 5.4 only has an auto in the early models--(trannies couldnt handle them)

 

If I drive my 4.6 "easy" I can get prob 18mpg (us gallon) on the hwy. The worst I've seen was with the 2500# boat loaded with 30gallons of gas & accessories, 6 people in the truck & gear and my REALLY heavy foot and it went down to about 10mpg.

Not knocking the 5.4 but how many times do you really tow heavy stuff? If it's not every day for work and only taking your boat to the lake on weekends the fuel savings in one year with the 4.6 will be a good chunk of cash.

If you want to tow a bobcat then get an F350 7.3L powerstroke.

Can't really say I've wished for more power unless I'm racing someone and that's not very often... might as well just add nitrous for that.

If you change gears I wouldn't go more than 3.73 otherwise your unloaded hwy mileage will drop too much.

Then again, I don't know why I make mpg seem important, the business pays for my gas.

 

Gotta vote for a 97 5.4 myself, but I'm kinda partial to 'em. All I got is the door cracks. No big deal. Sure, wish it didn't, but it's the only "glitch". One nice thing about the used rig is that if anything that you mentioned is wrong with it, you'll know about it on the test drive.

There is only a mile or two difference in gas mileage on average. Not like it's gonna save you a ton of money either way. Still gonna cost you $30 to fill the tank no matter what size engine you get. I put on over 200 miles a week and only fill up 4 or 5 times a month.

 

whatever it is i would make sure it has at least the 3.55 gears.

 

How can I tell (at a dealership) what gears the truck has? Seems like that's something that gets mentioned in this forum quite often. Thanks for all the advice so far!

John

 

I know everybody has a different opinion on these matters. If I were you I would just make sure I buy a truck with the right gear ratio and a towing package. I have a 97 4x4 with a 4.6 (281 cid)and love it with the exception of a problem with a misfire (new plugs and FACTORY wires). I have a small aluminum boat I pull. I pulled a 18' fiberglass boat last summer and didn't even know it was back there. I was quite impressed and I've had the truck since '99.

The off road package for '97 & '98 was just skid plates and larger tires/rims.

To keep it simple. A 5.4 is nice, but a 4.6 will usually do the job just fine. Regardless of the motor size, if oyu are going to do alot of pulling...don't neglect the transmission.

 

Hi fellas,

I must have made a mistake with my posting regarding my gas mileage. I reported getting 10-12 Mpg, but after carefully doing the conversions again, it seems i've made a mistake.

It seems that my current MPG info after putting 1,511 miles on my vehicle, I have a combines average (city & highway) of 14.36 MPG

This is with Diablo chip installed, K & N airfilter, and using Sunoco 94 octane gas.

 

John23...welcome aboard!!

I have a 98 XLT 4X4ORP w/4.6L and so far not a single complaint. I drive in the mountains alot and what p_ferlow said is right on the money..the 4.6's are rev happy but it doesn't seem to hurt the engine at all. The pinging issue is a little bit of a pain but you either get used to it or pay for the good gas. I don't tow alot so I'm not even going to give an opinon about the towing abilities of the 4.6.

BTW - if you look real hard I'm sure you could find a '98 with less than 50k miles on it. I bought mine last September with 45k miles for $18K

Good Luck making a decision, and post some pics when you get it!

 

on the drivers side inside the door there is a sticker. it has a spot where is says axle code.

27=3.31 no l.s.
I9= 3.55 no l.s.
H9=3.55 with l.s.

somebody jump right in here and correct me if i am wrong. i would try to get the 3.55's personally.

 

I say go with the 4.6 as i have one it has been a very good engine but if you can find a great deal on one with a 5.4 go with the 5.4 as that extra power would come in handy on a extened cab 4x4.

 

I also would recommend 3.55 or 3.73 and you'll never have regrets when it comes time to tow, climb a long grade, or put oversize tires on it.

Oh, and get the 5.4L for the same reasons. BTW the late build date 5.4L (July 1999 on Expys not sure of date on F150s) gives you an extra 25 HP and 20 Lb-Ft of torque. Numbers that many guys with the earlier 230 HP 5.4L spend $750-$1500 to get. You can get it just by looking to a later model year for about the same upfront purchase cost and then always upgrade later and have even more

Good luck in your hunt, Ford built hundreds of thousands of these things, make sure the one you get is a well maintained example and you'll be happy for years.

Petrol

 

I had a 2000 4.6 reg. cab short bed, auto with the non ls 3.55 pulled a 5600# car, trailer combo, and had no complaints. Granted with that kind of weight you knew when you where on a up grade but once the trans shifted out of OD i would move along pretty well, i wasnt setting speed records but i was more then impressed. BTW on a good flat highway going from dallas down to houston with the car in tow ran between 75-80 the whole way getting roughly 10mpg would slow back to about 65 up medium grades with crusie set at 78 <---- stay under the 10mph over price hike in speeding ticket(lol) Racecar has been down since i got my 2002 150 5.4 so cant tell you if there is a huge diffrence in tow.