USRanger379

Hey all, i'm new to the forum, though I've used it about a million times to help diagnose the truck for repairs, and come up with new mods I want to do. This thread will basically just be a page for those of you that want to stay updated on the truck, and a reference to share photos, or repairs to help anyone out who may need the knowledge. So on to the truck

The truck is a True Blue FX4 with a pretty basic array of factory options (leather seats, premium stereo, power drivers seat) the rest of its equipment being standard for the FX4 I believe. The truck was bought in early 2015 with around 174000 miles on it. My dad wanted to surprise me with it, but on the way home with it, he ran into the typical cam phaser issue for the 5.4. Having purchased no warranty with the truck, the dealership told us to stick it, and we were left with a massively expensive repair needed. I at the time was majorly out of it with Chemo Brain, and not really being able to think, but we decided to keep it, and put a new engine in it, especially given the lowly $8000 he gave for it (blue book value was $12000 at the time) After waiting for my treatment, and recovery to end, and finding the money, the remanufactured engine (we chose Powersource) was installed in March this year. With the engine, new tires, and brake calipers, pads, and rotors all four corners, the total repair was $7400 give or take. Turns out, this truck was abused completely. Since then I've done the following repairs:

- replaced two batteries (found the voltage leak, and put a nice Motorcraft battery rather than another parts store battery
- upper control arms
- brake rotors and pads x2 (it keeps warping rotors like crazy)
- new front brake calipers
- removed an exhaust resonator looking for a rattle (more on this later)
- front left 4x4 hub actuator
- ditched the K&N "cold air intake" for an OEM unit
- new PCV valve, and lines
- new exhaust manifold
- new belt tensioner and serpentine belt
- new fuel and air filters
- throttle position sensor
- cleaned throttle body and MAF sensor

The Modifications that i've done to it (I'll do full write ups on these later)

- Raptor take off exhaust
- Intake from 2010 5.4
- 2" level spacer
- 3" rear blocks
- leather wrap on steering wheel
- custom accent paint
- SCT tuner used for diagnostics, and tuning

Known issues that need addressed:

- engine hot idle a bit low (has done this since day one with the old engine)
- cracked windshield
- needs new shocks on all 4 corners
- exhaust rattle
- rhythmic metal on metal sound (suspected warped rear rotors)

- At the time of this post the mileage is 192xxx

All together i'm pretty satisfied with the truck, though being massively upside down in it bothers me, making payments on the engine repair loan will be good for building my credit as I'm only 19, so I guess its not all bad. I have no idea what kind of power the truck is making, but it's making more than a stock truck, and the 2010 intake helped tremendously with low down torque for daily driving.

Heres a few photos to get a general sense of how it looks today

USRanger379

The Raptor exhaust was a good modification in that, it had a Magnaflow true duel setup on it, but as anyone who knows the 5.4 knows, these motors don't tolerate a lot of variation between the banks, whether its fuel mixture, timing, spark, oil pressure, or back pressure. Going to the raptor setup, I was a little nervous I wouldn't like how quiet it was, but not having to deal with huge amounts of drone on the highway was a welcome addition, and its starting to get broken in and sound really nice without being too obnoxious. For those of you interested in this modification heres what you need to know:

- the raptor exhaust is 3" single in 2.5" duel out of the muffler.
- 2011 and later raptor exhaust has a resonator about the size of a coffee can before the muffler that can be used to tame aftermarket mufflers in place of the stock raptor one
- 2010 raptor exhausts dont have the resonator so be sure to pay attention to this if you're wanting to have one.
- try to match your wheelbase to the wheelbase of the truck you're getting the exhaust off of to make install easier, though this isn't necessary.
- pay attention to the condition the tips are in, a lot of these take offs are coming off of truck being used, getting rusty, and pitted, if this bothers you, look for another set of tips, or another take off.

The tips on the set I bought were pretty rusty, so I got some brake clean, and a wire wheel set for my hand drill, and after around and hour or so I got them nice and shined up. After a few weeks of driving the uneven look with smooth out and they look like new.

The sound is a cool mixture of OEM relaxed while cruising, and nice performance sound when really getting on it. However don't expect it to be as loud as an aftermarket cat-back. This exhaust is definitely for someone who doesn't want any drone, but wants to hear the truck when the windows are down and you're having a bit of fun with it. Personally I think it sounds great, but it may not be everyones cup of tea. I'll post pictures of the welds, fabricated hanger, and an audio clip tonight.