Are the Ford 3v 5.4L that bad? Car wizard says so, but I don’t see a lot of talk of them on here. I do see a lot of other interesting internet talk of the problems to be over exaggerated and basic preventative maintenance fixed the problems.
I’m pretty sure preventative maintenance would help fix any problem on any car or truck even if it’s known to have a problem.
why take the risk on an inferior engine when there are other options?
Are the Ford 3v 5.4L that bad? Car wizard says so, but I don’t see a lot of talk of them on here.
There are definitely more superior engines than the 5.4L Triton. My father-in-law has that engine in his 2000 E-350 van, it's fine, but I'll leave it to professional mechanics when it comes time to change spark plugs. I won't risk breaking one off. To me, if I can't even pull spark plugs without risking head damage, that's significant problem for someone who works on cars on my own as much as possible. F-150s of that era were sold with 4.6L V8s or 5.4L Tritons. Both engines were produced until 2010, and the 4.6L V8 didn't have the potential for spark plugs to break.
Ford started producing 3.7L V6 engines for use in F-150s in 2011. I have a 2014 F-150 with a 3.7L V6. It has more horsepower and torque than the 5.4L Triton. Being a naturally aspirated V6, it's also much more fuel-efficient for the same power rating. The 3.7L V6 produces 300 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque and it pulls my 2017 Mustang from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds in its stock configuration. It's no slouch. In my F-150, the 3.7L still pulls the truck from 0-60 in 7.7 seconds, and it weighs 5400 pounds.
