mrslyfox

Poking for some opinions. I am lookin at buying a 2006-2007 F150 that was a truck owned by the state. Not a stripped down DOT work truck but a mid range truck, 4x4 auto with a 5.4 engine. Truck has about 140,000 miles. Appears to have been driven by a supervisor maybe. Doesn't appear to have ever had much of anything in the bed and being a state owned truck I would think at least have had oil changes and regular maintenance. Is there anything I should specifically look for on these years? Any known issues? How reliable and long lasting is the 5.4? Also how durable are the transmissions? I currently own a 1994 that I bought new and have put 260,000 basically trouble free miles with the 302 5-speed. Any known problems I should look for on a 2006 or 2007?

convergent

I would tend to agree that it probably had routine maintenance, but then you also don't know how well taken care of it was. Certainly, the driver didn't baby it like someone that owned it. So its an unknown, just like any other used car.

As for reliability of the 5.4L, the two big problems seem to be the spark plugs and the cam phasers. There are stickies on both I think. The plugs tend to break apart when being removed, leaving stubs in the head, so its quite expensive to have them changed. The cam phasers just appear to be something that wasn't designed for longevity in mind. A lot of reports of the 5.4L motors rattling and ticking and sounding like a diesel. All of that known, I just bought a used F150 with a 5.4L because I need the extra HP for towing. If you are worried about any of this, then get one with the 4.6L.

mrslyfox

The only part of that which concerns me is the spark plugs... I have heard about that and of course all you see hear about are the people who have had problems. Is it really that major of an issue or is it blown a little out of proportion? I also read that if they do break off there is a special tool to get them out? Something I need to check in to, but I dont want to get worked up over something that isnt as major a problem as one may be led to believe. I do almost all maintenance and repairs myself, so not not afraid of doing that... Guess Im not sure how to feel about that.

Masi1926

I usually do all my own work, but with all the stories, I let my friend/mechanic do the plugs. Yup, he broke a couple but was familiar with them, so no big deal. Charged me $300 with plugs included. Yeah you can do them yourself, but even if you don't, I wouldn't let it stop you from buying that truck. I'm sure by now being a state vehicle, (gotta keep that budget for next year) that they've been changed already.
Good luck bro.

mrslyfox

If they have been changed...which I would bet they have also...would the replacement plugs be better than what came in it or is that impossible? How many miles can you expect to get out of a 5.4? Good engines? What about the transmissions? Anything on the front end known for wearing out on these years? Sorry if these questions seem elementary but been with a 1994 302 for 18 years lol.

Masi1926

No, the aftermarket plugs are one piece, so I can only imagine that they would've put them in, so that problem should be solved. As far as tranny's go they seem pretty reliable, not too many complaints on here. Nothing I've heard about the front end is especially prone, maybe the Iwe solenoid here and there.
Aside from the phasers, which some fix, some don't, and the plugs these trucks are very reliable. I'm on 123,000 and I shouldn't say it but, it's been trouble free. I've read on here numerous times about engines well over 200,000mi, and still going strong.

convergent

If they replaced the plugs with Autolite, then they will have the same problem next time around. Some people are reporting much shorter life with Champions... haven't heard much about other brands. Seems that people on here mostly recommend replacing with the same plugs, even though this problem exists when they have to be changed again... although the tech bulletin has a recommendation to put anti-seize on the new ones, so maybe that will help. Bottom line is that it only needs to be done probably once during the time you won the truck, depending on how long you will keep it. I don't think its that big of an issue... its just a very pricey routine maintenance task that is a fairly simple task on most engines. I bought a 5.4L knowing about these two issues, and just figured it was going to add a bit to the maintenance cost.

papa tiger

It's a 5.4 high mileage?