shawnbama1

Am looking to upgrade in size from my current 4 cyl. Ranger. Noticed a lot of base model-looking 05-08 F 150's for sale out there with the 4.2 liter. Am just looking for something basic with more room to carry the dog and that we could actually take on trips sometimes. Would be a daily driver back and forth to work. Not planning much hauling with it outside of the occasional trip to home depot for a few pieces of lumber and it would haul a small ATV ( about 450 lbs.). HOWEVER- once or twice a year I would use the truck to haul hay. I believe with trailer and load of hay the weight would be something along the lines of 3500 lbs...20 miles or so on back roads back home. (I've currently done this before with the Ranger and it has done all right with a lighter trailer and 25% fewer bales at a time.) I'd like to hear from anyone who has a similarly optioned f 150 (especially with the 5 speed stick)- how you like it, done any towing with it etc. (I know the stick is rated to tow a lot less- on Ranger forums the advice seems to be that Ford underrated the sticks shift models on purpose to keep from having to deal withburned out clutches.) Any input appreciated-thanks.

kmac1036

I did some research & talk to some people around '05 for a friend, he wondered the same thing - which motor to get.

you are seeing them for sale as people are probably dumping them for a V8. the 6 cyl had less power & got the same if not less mpg than the 4.6L, esp. when hauling / towing. I don't normally hear of mechanical issues with the 4.2, but maybe search the forums here to see what the common issues are.

take some out for a test spin, try & find a 4.6 to compare to. if you get a killer deal on one then I guess it's up to you. good luck!

05FX4-

I recommend going for the big boy Triton (5.4L). The 4.2 and even the 4.6 in my opinion are garbage. They feel so underpowered. If you want to haul and tow atleast go with the 4.6 you will appreciate it when you need it. I personally will never buy anything below a 5.4 either way your gettin a Ford truck so your buying right. Good Luck and Happy Fordin!!

Fast_V8

Even the 5.4 is under powered. I can't even tell a difference between my 4.6 and my 4.2 except insurence rates.

kmac1036

well, considering the 5.4's track record - knocking, ticking due to cam phasers, plug blow outs - I don't consider the 4.6 "garbage."

I would show up with yr trailer & test drive the truck with it on! that should end the debate Good luck!

Mod (Ret.)

I own a 2005 STX with the 4.2. It has 83K on it, I've done the 4 to 5K oil changes, spark plug change, radiator flush, transmission fluid flush, and rear end fluid change, and it runs just fine. I've driven it back and forth from Dallas Texas to Orlando Florida, and a couple of times I've hauled my Harley on a trailer with a loaded tool box, and stuff in the bed. Ran just fine, and got 20 mpg on that trip. With nothing being hauled, I get 21 to 23 mpg, depending on city or highway driving.

The only other thing I did was to add a transmission oil cooler for "insurance" for the automatic transmission.

There are plenty of the 4.2's out there, and their price is great. If you don't need the torque of the 5.4, don't be afraid of the 4.2. It's a great engine, with non of the issues of the early 5.4's.

I'd buy another 4.2 and not think twice about it. It's no longer available, as Ford has tweaked the 4.6 to get the same mileage as the 4.2 did in 2009.

nagata

I've got an 08 XL 4.2L 5-speed, regular cab & 6.5' bed. I love the truck. It's no race car, but I didn't buy it to be one. I've had it for over a year and a half, and have just about put 21k miles on it. It's been a fantastic truck so far. I've used it as a secondary vehicle and as a DD at times. It's gone from Dayton, OH to Robbinsville, NC once, all over Ohio, and has taken 4 or 5 800 mile round trips from Ohio to Virginia, once pulling a U-Haul, and has performed without issue *knock on wood*.

I've done a good amount of towing with it, though probably never more than 3500 lbs. The heaviest was pulling a 6x12 enclosed, single axle trailer fully loaded with household items while moving, probably 20 miles, and it did that twice without hesitation. Did it take a while to accelerate? Yes. Did it have a problem? Not at all. I pulled that trailer, empty, at least 200 miles on the freeway and it did great for such an "underpowered" truck. I pulled an open 5x10 (~1100 lbs) 200 miles, then made the return trip with a 500 lb. motorcycle on the trailer. On 2 occasions, it pulled an enclosed 5x10 single axle, full of household items, over 70 miles. Each time, the return leg was the same distance, just unloaded. On many of these trips, the bed was also loaded, and there were always at least 2 people in the cab. I've left out several other instances of pulling smaller trailers around town; I use this truck as a truck pretty frequently. If I'm pulling less than 1500 lbs, I don't even notice there's a trailer from an acceleration or braking standpoint, under normal circumstances. I've had the bed loaded with over 1000 lbs of gravel, nothing. It's got 500 lbs. in the back all winter, gas mileage doesn't even go down.

Bottom line: It isn't luxurious (though I've added amenities), it wasn't the best looking F-150 on the lot (I've improved that), and it doesn't have the most power (only 202 HP at the crank, but 260 ft/lbs of torque is a decent amount of pulling power), but it's a damn solid truck. It's not gonna pull 11,000 lbs or outrun anything, but as long as you're realistic in what you ask it to do, it will get the job done reliably.

2wd ridin high

dude the 4.6 has plenty of power to pull 3,500 lbs. i have the 4.6 and i like it, but i havent had a problem with the motor. knock on wood. but the 5.4 has more possible upgrades and has more power than the 4.6 but i would not get the 4.2L. either one of the V-8's should be fine

shawnbama1

Thanks for the replies. I was originally looking at mid size extended cab trucks as a replacement. I sort of stumbled across the regular cab f 150's when I realized "hey there's actually a little room behind the seats for stuff." Then when I started looking at them I kept finding 4.2 trucks w/ low mileage for not much green. I actually love the idea of the base model ones- rubber on the floor, vinyl seats, roll up windows...a real old school kinda truck. My dog could put her muddy paws all over it- you can practically take a garden hose to it. I was mainly worried about how well the 4.2 does lugging around 4600 lbs of truck ( why did full size trucks have to get so darn big?). To be honest though- the power to weight ratio has gotta be better than my '00 Ranger 4 cylinder.

Justinn

Speak for yourself.

I can tell you from everyday experience that the 4.6L is not even remotley close to being "garbage". And if I had to put money on it I'd be willing to say 99.9% of the 4.6L owners on here would agree with me.