Hey all. Not new to trucks but I have never owned a Ford truck. I am looking at a 2008 F-150 Crew with a 5.4 Flex fuel with 96k miles. Looks to be well taken care of. I am concerned with reliability as this will be used for driving between home and our farm that’s about 5hrs away. What would fail on this truck that would leave me stranded? Is reliability and this age of truck a issue?

 

controversial topic. Timing components/issues are the biggest potential issues. Engine is especially INtolerant of poor oil service. Those that have had oil changed religiously seem to have good service/longevity….. those that haven’t/don’t.

Read as much as you can here. And find fordtechmakeuloco on YouTube and watch all his 5.4 3v vids. You can learn a lot from both.

 

If you can find one, go with the 4.6 over the 5.4 if you’re sticking with the 04-08 generation. It’s the smaller less powerful V8, but it has next to no issues and will go for a long time. 09-10 while a newer body style, also offered the 2v 4.6.

The 5.4 on the other hand can have a decent list of costly issues. Most notoriously the dreaded cam Phasers.

 

Huge fan of the 4.6 and agree with above. If you aren’t planning to do tractor pulls or drag racing, find it more than capable. The 07/08 4.6 had a power bump over prior years and my only experience is with the 08.