K guys first time ive really reached out here here Anyway I have a 2004 5.4 F150. I was going to buy a new truck about a month ago and opted to keep this one and do it up procomp lift cold air exhaust everything.... to the point i've got atleast 10 000 into it in the last month with repairs and so on. Sooo yesterday I was on the highway and suddenly lost all my oil literally Pouring out had it towed stright to the dealer here. My Timing chain came off the guide and tore a hole through the top of my timing cover, I have been talking to the head tech at ford and they are saying they have never seen it before at least 1500 for all the parts of the timing chain assembly plus 10-12 hours labout they are quoating me at 2500-3500$ now. My only concern is I have 211 000 on the motor and they have never seen this before and said there is a chance parts could have sheared off and dropped to the bottom. So my question to you guys is What do I do.

1) go with a brand new motor for 6-7 thousand (also do I have to stick to a 5.4 and what years can I go with? recomendations thoughts!
2) Do I buy a motor out of the junkyard there are a couple 5.4's with under 100k but the guys at ford are telling me its pretty much a 50/50 shot with junkyard motors.
3)do I spend 3000$ replacing the timing chain assembly and just take the risk on my motor which has 211 000 on it.


Guys any opinions would help I have to make a decision here asap every day without my truck I'm losing income!!


by the way in the past 3 months i have replaced cam sensors, lower and upper control arms, main computer, maxx air flow sensor, all on my 4wd assembly accuators hubs everything, ball joints all around and right mainifold!

Please guys help me out no idea what to do!

 

i say you get a new truck

 

I've got way too much into it like the lift rims tires stereo paint alone was 11 000

 

Get a new 5.4 motor and it'll take you another 300k mi. Check on a new trans or rebuilding the trans. Then you can start fresh.

I don't ever plan on selling my truck so this is the route I plan to go should something ever catastrophically fail.

 

ohh nvm yea, i misunderstood your post. I thought you were going to add that to your truck.

 

Check out these guys, if your in the market for a motor. I wouldn't be surprised if the quote for a new 5.4 isn't about these same as some of these.

Doesn't hurt to have options!

http://high-performance-engines.com/...gory_Code=Ford

Just looked at the 351W Stage 1 a little closer and if you get all the accessories like Carb, Intake Man, etc. It's just $5025!
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me for 385HP/377TQ!

 

if I go with a new motor what can I put in my truck and would you guys recommend having it put it at the dealership?

 

You can put in any motor you want, but obviously deviating from an 04-08 and possibly 09-10 5.4 will cost you a little extra to modify motor mounts and things like that. But I bet the OEM replacement engine will be expensive as S*** and that it might actually not be that big of a price difference to go with a different motor.

As for who installs it? Depends, look around and get quotes to see who will do it the cheapest.

 

go for low mileage or new replacement. I put a low mile onne in my 97 and no problems in over 2 months.

 

If you've already put $11k into the truck then you should already have a good relationship with at least one shop. If you've done all the work on an out-of-warranty vehicle at the dealership, well.....um.....

Inspect the tranny before proceeding with the engine work.

13 hrs of labor seems way too high, get a second opinion.

Do not go with a shop just because they are cheap. Ask around, get word of mouth references. If all else fails, go with an independent shop that has reasonable rates and a ford master mechanic on staff. You should only be using the dealership for warranty work.

Personally, I never would have put that much cash into such a high mileage vehicle.

edit: Just for reference, Kelly Blue Book for an '04 FX4 Screw with 210000 miles, and every option, in excellent condition is $11,600. So in reality your truck, running is worth less than $10k tops.

Good luck.