Just bought a 2008 Ford F150 Lariat with 130k miles. Would like some suggestions on things to keep an eye out for.

Question

Hi Scotty,

Love the channel. Thanks for all the helpful and honest info.

Just bought a 2008 Ford F150 Lariat crew cab as a knock around work truck for my construction business. It's in overall very decent shape. It has the 5.4 Triton engine, which runs great, truck shifts smooth, with just some rust around the rockers as most older Fords seem to have.

I'd like your opinion on what kinds of things I should check on the truck right now, and what kinds of things I should keep an eye on in the next probably 2-3 years that I have the truck for. I'm not expecting a ton out of it. Only paid $6500 for it in Michigan.

I have a Blue Driver, but haven't run the codes yet. I will later on this weekend.

Thanks for your insights.

Dave C.

yaser · Answer

Bow many miles on the truck and what engine does it have?

Th3kr1s · Answer

Coming from a Ford owner with an 05 expedition 5.4L 3V at 90k my timing chain tensioner started leaking and causing a rattle on start up from a loose chain. Very common problem on these. Also the cam phaser go bad, and the needle bearing on the roller rockers also go bad. I ended up doing a complete timing job, with new chains, guides, tensioners, phasers, solenoids, roller rockers and lifters. While I always in there I also upgraded my oil pump to a melling high volume oil pump which runs a lot better and provides a much better lubrication and operation of the cam phasers. Check to see if the plugs have been changed if they haven’t Olán to spend some money on that because they tend to break and you need a special extractor tool to remove them. These are the major issues with the 5.4 3V. If you’re already hearing a rattle at start up after an overnight sit or cold start. Do the complete timing job asap (use All Ford OEM parts) or it can potentially be catastrophic engine damage if a guide breaks or jumps timing.