RocketMedic

How strong of a motor is the 4.6L? Mine has 86,000 miles as of today, has been maintained well with synthetic-blend oil changed every 5,000 miles, has no leaks, no codes, etc.

What are some maintenance problems that crop up with these motors? How long can I realistically expect it to last without major repairs? Thanks.

larryc251

The only thing I have done to mine was change the plugs and coils. I have an 04 XLT and my 4.6 now has 150,500 miles

M&D

Pretty good when you consider thier used heavily for police which leave them running all day and taxis which are obviously tons of stop and go and most of the taxis are old cop cars with 200k+ miles.

Especial86

iTrader: (1)

Expect to do a timing chain on it at some point. With most motors, if you treat them well, keep up with maintenance and educate yourself on the strengths and weaknesses, then 300,000 miles is not an unrealistic life expectancy...
Engines can be a lot like pencils. If you sharpen them up, they will work like new. But at some point, you will run out of "useful" lead.. It may still write, but not very well.
If you make it to 300k then expect all the internals tight tolerances to at least be "loose" or "loosening" (piston rings, wrist pins, journals, bearings, seals, valves and cam lobes to name a few). A rebuild at an excessively high milage would be prudent to avoid catastrophic engine failure... At that point, its probably cheaper and of course easier for most to just buy a remanufactured or new motor... Either way, if I hit 300k, I would start to make preparations to rebuild or replace the motor. Buying a donor vehicle can be a great way to have an extra tranny and motor + other parts ready and waiting..
The tranny lasting past 300k would certainly be rare, even with light maintenance.. Expect to need a new one ever 300k or at least a modest rebuild...

Bigbucks243

My dads has 250,000 and mine has 190,000.

gleave676

mine just hit 81000, if i keep it i plan on dropping in an ecoboost at around 150-200. but i dont think i will because im looking at an 08 fx4 single cab short box with the 5.4 so its a toss up.

HarrisRacing17

My old 98 had 450,000km on it my 2000 was at 420 when I traded in and I have a buddy who just rolled 620,000 on his 97 all with 4.6's

bubbafinch07

145k here, no engine issues yet. no major issues until yesterday .

SonOfaBear2015

I have a 2004 4.6 f150, it currently has 370k miles on it with everything still being original. The only issue I've had is the oil filter housing adapter likes to leak and is a bit of a pain to change

marshallr

It was designed for the Crown Vic police cars. It's a little weak in a truck but lasts forever. I know 2 people with that engine in 2004 Ford Explorers with over 300,000 miles on them. We still have a few old Crown Vic patrol cars on the road locally. I have no idea about miles but wouldn't be surprised to see around 500,000.