westtnfx4

Dont believe everything you read...5.4 is a tough SOB.

xJimbos

I go with the positive remarks on the 5.4 as well. Sure some of the phasers in the 04-05 and some 06 go bad, but this happens to all engines; some of them will have parts that will go bad for some reason or another. It's not like it is 100% of all 04-05 phasers will get the bad tick, or else Ford would be replacing all of them due to so many law suits. My 5.4 runs great; strong like horse! In my little mind I see it like this: at least the phaser is somewhat easy to get to and you can replace it without having to remove the engine or re-setup the engine timing all over again (unless you mess up!).
The best thing you can do for a 5.4 is feed it the weight oil that Ford says, good old 5w-20. That oil needs to be thin to get around, even in hot climates. Some use thicker oil to stop the tick....bad move. There's a reason why that sound is going away, and it isn't a really good one. The thick stuff may be giving a little more padding to internal components but it is killing oil pressure up in the cam area. I really wish ford had put in REAL oil pressure gauges instead of dummy gauges. Then you could probably see the difference.
Although I would like to hear on the reverse of what I say. + & - for everything in life, right???

Ryan Greer

I have had the pleasure of owning both. The GM 5.3 is quieter, has more horsepower, and is a smoother operating engine. Less moving parts. (pushrod vise OHC)

The Ford 5.4 is noisy, vibrates, and is slower, but makes more torque, and in my personal applications, produced better average fuel economy.

BUT, the build quality in the Ford, (i.e. materials, fit and finish, cabin quietness) is far superior to the GMC Sierra I owned.

So its give and take. It's all what matters to you most as a consumer.

06H0040

I wrench for a living and have seen and owned on both sides of the Chevy and Ford Fence. I just got rid of a 1996 Silverado for my 2004 Screw.The Silverado was a good truck and can't kick it in the butt too bad.I did have to stick some money into but it was a overall good truck.

Fast Forward to now. If you compare aples to apples.2004 GM to 2004 Ford The Chevy 5.3 compared to the Ford 5.4 seems to pull harder.Chevy has their issues with broken exhaust bolts on these motors just like Fords with their rotted out studs.I am a fan of Pushrod motors so I will give the edge to Gm for the LS Engine platform.I am a Ford guy but the LS motors are bad***** And run Hard.Thats where it stops though the rest of the GM Trucks are junk in my opinion.They each have their flaws but GM seems to have more and there fixes are pricey.This is what I have seen commonplace in the shop On GM's
1. Transfercase chains rubbing a hole in the T-case
2.Window regulators
3.Intermediate steeringshaft clunk
4.Transfer case encoder motors (Shift Motor)
5.Wheel bearings to no end
6.poor Rear disc brake design that corodes and wears out brakes quickly
7.Instrument cluster gauges wig out or stop working all together.
8.Front axle seals
The list goes on.It is just choosing between the lesser of 2 evils.I would rather deal with a few broken sparkplugs or cam phaser issues than deal with the stuff listed above.This is just what I have seen and is my opinion on the topic.

Ryan Greer

HA! Ya, I remember having these exact problems. Dealership swapped the instrument pannel under recall for free. And if you didn't want to spring for a Flamming River brand steering shaft, the only fix was applying more grease to the factory intermediate steering shaft. LAME.

BUT, since I have owned my Ford, I have replaced

1. Wiper motor
2. IWE solenoid
3. driver side power window switch (Just did thismorning)
4. Now my A/C is taking a crap.

Seems like my list is longer with the Ford and I have only owned it 1/4 of the time I had my GMC. *scratches head*

rick99601

my '05 has tons of little issues and a couple bigger ones..
just had to deal with the ac leaking into the cabin.
i still wouldnt buy a different truck.

wyattjo

i have to agree with the faults of the gm and we have alot of them for company trucks and the fit and finish of the interior seems cheap compared to my ford... i was also talking to a guy the other day who has a brand new gm sierra and it has 30xxx kms on it and he's already on the 4th oil pump, something doesnt seem right about that to me haha... although i've put a fair bit of money into my ford and it has its little bugs like the dome lights and cargo lights turning themselves on and the only shut off for them is smacking the dash or using the switch to force them off and randomly it wont start but if i wiggle the wiring near the fuel pump reset switch it fires right up again no problem... but i mean mine has 285xxx kms on it so all in all these are little things i'll put up with for the ride, comfort and looks with the ford... besides i'd rather push a ford than drive a chev haha

JJ1983

I prefer the 5.3L (pushrod V8 is best, less moving parts) motor in the Ford truck. I think that the 5.3L is superior overall as far as maintenance costs and ease of repair, but the Ford truck overall is the superior IMHO.

I like Fords suspensions (except the aluminum control arms on the 2004-2008 trucks, WTF), and the transmissions in Fords are tough. I also like the interior of the F150 better than the 2007 Chevy we have here at work. Now for those that say the Chevy is weak, that is patently false. This truck here at work, I purposely got in it and ran the dog mess out of it after reading the bashing comments on this forum, it is defintely a performer, much more so than the comparable Ford in 2007 IMHO. But, the truck as a whole, falls short of the Ford, so they *all* have their shining points and weaknesses.

My question to Ford is :

If Chevy and Dodge can make a pushrod V8 (5.3L chevy, 5.7L dodge) have comparable power to your V8 (5.4L), less moving parts, in a smaller package, with comparable mileage, why do you make the 5.4L reek of "foriegn" like they do with cam phasers, OHC, multiple valves/cyl, hard to change spark plugs, etc? I mean, the 5.4L is harder to work on (tune ups, etc) than the 5.3L or 5.7L, but really doesn't deliver more power or considerable better fuel economy than the others, why make it difficult?

I hate to lump Ford engines in there with Nissan and Toyota foreign mess, but jeez. Dodge and Chevy make it easy to work on your truck if you plan to do so, why not Ford? Still, I like the 5.4L, just wish it was OHV instead of OHC.

kozal01

iTrader: (2)

chevy has there fair share of engine problems too. a chevy guy here at work told me about his truck and the piston slap problems hes having. because of it his truck burns about 2 quarts of oil every couple months and it sounds like a diesel, the truck only has 20,000 miles on it. for those of you that havent heard of it check out this site: http://www.pistonslap.com/ ive driven many chevys and i would agree that they are faster than my ford but when it comes to down low end torque and towing, my 5.4 will out tow any of my buddys 5.3 chevys.

rick99601

whats wrong with the cast aluminum lca's?
they reduce unsprung weight and absorb road noise. aluminum doesn't rust either.