2006 POS Ford F150 5.4L Triton Engine

[Rio Wil]

Anybody got one of these pieces of crappo.....can't change the spark plugs without risk of twisting one off or damaging the spark plug threads in the head, then needing a helicoil or pulling the head to get the broken plug out!!!!!!!!! They make a special tool kind of like a easyout to grab the broken section and hopefully pull it out. What dumb ass engineer decided to extend a plug through a hole that is prone to getting carboned up then expect to plug to unscrew with no problems. Their stock deserves to be in the sewer, they admit  no responsibility for their engineering stupidity......aaaarrrrggggg!.

Now thats over with, anyone got one of these things and have you been successful with any process to pull the plugs that worked....I read about using Marvel Mystery oil in the fuel (6 oz per 10 gal.) and that seemed to help clean the carbon build up .....any other ideas? 

[Sodbuster]

Remove the gas cap and replace the truck with a Chevy Silverado ??

The other kicker is they are prone for head gaskets to leak oil .... guess what .... can't remove heads without removeing the engine because the stub bolts are so long .... ain't that sweet !!!!

[3W-lonerider]

i have 1 of those in my 6 ton work van..has 225,000 miles on it..bout a year ago it blew number 1 plug out of the head. replaced it with the repair plug..well that did'nt last but a month..blew that plug out..guess what has to happen when the repair plug gets blown out
 yep..the head has to be replaced..at the tune of 1,200 just for parts. also takes 21 hours labor..thats what the book calls for..we done the job our selves and it still took 2 of us 21 hours. if that motor is in a pick-up be prepared when the day comes..you either have to pull the engine or unbolt the cab mounts and raise the cab to get the head off..was'nt a bad job in the van..with the exception of timing the engine..

[Rio Wil]

Mine has only got 53K miles on it and has developed a severe miss under moderate to heavy acceleration, ie, passing and kicking it down a gear. The dealer says it could be fuel filter or plugs which are user maintenance items (so much for their 100K plugs), so I will do the filter and plugs and when that doesn't fix it I am going to park this thing in the dealer lot and call the radio stations and have some fun.

[Skinhead]

In the old days, we used to get a carboned up engine GOOD AND HOT, and then spray cold water down the carb (remember those?) while it is running to break lose carbon.  Just don't go over board on how much water or you have bigger issues.

Never did this to a vehicle I OWNED.  Do so at your own risk, not responsible for damages, yada yada yada

[Dogg]

Rio, the plugs are recommended to be changed before 60k. I have done hundreds of tune ups on the triton 3valve and yes, I broke some plugs but, if you have the special press/pulled from matco, then it's a breeze. Get 4 cans of the motor craft carb cleaner from ford. Soak the plugs without the coils on them for a day, spray more in there the next day and after an hour, start taking the plugs out. They should come right out unless you man handle them or use air. Just be careful. The motor craft carb cleaner works best for this. Don't buy just any carb cleaner. The puller from matco is about 60$ which isn't bad if you plan on keeping the truck. That motor will run forever if you take care of it. Every 50 to60k, change the plugs.  Any questions, give me a call. I'll send you a pm.

[Valkpilot]

Mine has only got 53K miles on it and has developed a severe miss under moderate to heavy acceleration, ie, passing and kicking it down a gear. The dealer says it could be fuel filter or plugs which are user maintenance items (so much for their 100K plugs), so I will do the filter and plugs and when that doesn't fix it I am going to park this thing in the dealer lot and call the radio stations and have some fun.

Sorry you're having problems.

I'm betting you've got a COP going bad.   Dealer price to replace should be around $350.  You can do it yourself for a lot less, but you may have to depressurize the fuel system and remove the fuel rails to get to all of them.

I've had two vehicles with this engine for a total of over 300,000 miles.  Other than the coil over plug system, they're pretty solid.  The spark plug issue is overblown when you compare the number of problems to the number of engines in use.

Here's a good resource: 2004 - 2008 F150

[Valkahuna]

This is not just with newer F150 trucks. Ever since the new body style in 1997 it's been damn near impossible to see the rear plugs, never mind change them!

Plus, the heads were/are prone to oil leaks on the rear side, under the cowl. And, as was said, trying to change the head, with the engine in the truck makes trying to get the gaskets in the right place a real tricky proposition. Even valve covers are a joy to change.  

I had a '97 F150 that fortunately had no issues in the 70,000 miles it had. I also had a '99 F150 that I sold rather than to pay the stealer what they wanted for a plug & wire change, plus an oil leak on the right cylinder head. They had quoted me $300+ just for the wire set, and the labor to install the wires and plugs was close to $400. Labor to R &R the right head was $1,500+.   Sad really!

Even though I am a Ford guy, I bought an '04 GMC Sierra. I got over no blue oval.

This makes buying a used high miles F150 a real crap shoot!

[Rio Wil]

I had an old farmer friend back in Oklahoma that developed a water vapor injection system for his tractor and installed on his 60ish  ford sedan.  I have never seen cleaner plugs come out of a engine.  Given enough time I am sure that would work here.....I am just pissed  Ford did something so stupid.  I planned to keep the pu as my final retirement vehicle, so maybe the right thing to do is buy the extractor and be prepared....thanks for the tip about the Ford carb cleaner. I picked up a filter today and will get plugs shortly.  BTW, what plug is recommended to replace the OE 2 piece that breaks.  I have heard the one piece Champion tends to mis-fire , did Motorcraft upgrade to a welded one piece that won't twist off? Oh for the good old days when a engine was uncomplicated and you could even enjoy wrenching on one.

Here is a write up I did on building a little engine for a 77 TR7 to convert it to a TR8 on steroids,,,,,

Buick/Rover/TR8 Aluminum 215-V8 Conversion
By Wil Bridges (USA)
        Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996           Published: 22-may-98     
See also extract from HOTROD magazine (Aug, 1985).

In the summer of 1993 a friend presented me an article published in your 1985 ABC issue of ABC Magazine detailing how to rebuild the humble little Buick aluminum 215 V8 into a potent powerplant for street/race use.
Since I had been driving a 1977 Triumph TR7 for some 8 years and 280,000 miles, I saw a chance to build my own TR8 engine and convert the wimpy little TR7 to a real roadster.

I began the process of collecting three or four 215's. four sets of '64 Buick 300 aluminum heads and three 300 cranks. I could not bear to pass up on of these little engines in the local "Pick Your Part" salvage yards. As luck would have it, another friend told me of two 1980 Rover 3500 SDI sedans for sale as a pair. This engine is the 1961-63 Buick 215 with some minor block, head and rocker arm assembly changes. The nice thing is, it is multiport fuel injected and solved my problem of smogging in California. The friend that gave me the article decided he wanted a Rover to drive so we bought the pair, he got his driver and I got an engine, transmission, smog equipment and a 3:08 ring /pinion and cluster gear set to replace the 3:90 gear set in the stock TR7 rear end. Obviously, I now have a surplus of 215 parts! This began a 14 month saga of my friend rebuilding his Rover and me building the engine of my choice based on your menu of part mix and match.

 I decided on the stock bore, 300 crank and heads, Chevy 283/327 rods, Vega pistons and Nova flywheel (more about this later on). This combination yields 4.3 liter displacement.   
Since there is some machining involved with this project it gave a a wonderful opportunity to justify to the wife the purchase of a used 15 X 40 inch metal lathe from the local Maritime Academy Training School who was updating their machine shop. The selection of engine internals was heavily influenced by the fact that this car would continue to be my daily commute vehicle in San Francisco Bay Area traffic. Of 32 miles one way, about 20 miles was stop-and-go clutch-foot numbing traffic, so, I wanted an engine that would behave decently in that environment but still have impressive go-power when stood on. The choice of fuel system was the stock Rover (Lucas) system and control unit with the modification of machining a new adjustable top for the fuel pressure regulator so the fuel pressure could be increased from 36 psi to about 45psi at zero vacuum. The fuel pump is from a 280Z just because a new one was available at the right price. I also used a stock TR8 inertia switch in-line with fuel pump supply voltage. The Cylinder heads selected were 1964 Buick 300 aluminum heads( slightly larger intake valves than stock Rover heads) milled .060 to produce a cylinder head volume of about 43cc and yield a compression ratio of 9.25:1. The rocker arm assemblies were from the Rover heads as the rockers are significantly beefier. I wanted to use adjustable Volvo rockers (a nice light-weight steel unit) and had machined a set of inserts to match the Rover shaft diameter but closer measurement of the rocker ratio showed t hey were 1.5 and not 1.6. The cam had already been ground based on a 1.6 ratio. The rocker assembly supports were shimmed .045 to give good valve stem end wipe geometry and about .050 preload of the hydraulic lifters. The lifters are aftermarkets that are supposedly good to 6800 RPM. The cam profile selected is identical to stock Rover and Buick 215/300 with the exception that lobe height (intake and exhaust) was increased to yield .440 lift at the valve and take advantage of the slightly larger intake valves and assist in venting exhaust through slightly smaller exhaust valves. To contradict the immediate preceding statement, the flow test of the Buick 300 heads show that between .300 and .440 valve lift that little gain in air flow is realized. The 300 heads have significantly larger diameter intake and exhaust ports than the Rover/TR8 heads-they must really be restricted. Original intake valves were retained and a set of exhaust valves were machined from used junk yard valves( gimme a break-I just bought a new lathe). Additional head work only included light port polishing, slight relieving in the intake port area for injector spray clearance and valve guide reconditioning (note no mention of replacing the valve seats---leaded vs unleaded).

Block preparation included usual cleaning at ABC Machine Shop in Dublin, Ca. and the machining of an adapter( oh darn) for the rear main oil seal. The Rover crank is larger in diameter than the Buick 300 crank at the oil seal area so the adapter/spacer is needed to house the Chevy big block rear main seal. The top of the adapter is screwed to the block and the bottom is secured to the rear main cap as in your article. I elected not to bore the block oversize this go round so the cylinders were only honed to assist ring seating. Using the Buick 300 crank required reducing main journals a total of .200 and was the single most expensive expenditure in the project ($200 at ABC Crank regrinding in San Leandro, Ca). The block was very slightly relieved in one spot to allow crank counterweight clearance. Not sure if this is necessary with the Buick/Olds block. All freeze plugs were replaced- since I could not readily obtain the rear cam plug I had to machine one (oh darn). Other block components were stock Vega pistons and rings, late model 283/early 327 rods milled a total of .100 for journal fit on the big end. The bore for the Vega engine is listed at 3.501 inches-between this and not too much cylinder wear in the Rover engine, piston clearance ended up at .0025-.003 inch. Main bearings are stock mail order Rover/TR8, rod bearings are stock 283/327 bearings machined (oh darn) to make a wide as possible bearing surface and chamfered for crank filet clearance. The stock Rover timing chain/oil pump/distributor housing was discarded in favor of an early model Buick V6 housing. This allowed using a high capacity '64 Buick 300 oil pump and direct replacement of the Rover (Lucas) distributor with a stock post '74 Buick
 HEI distributor. The stock Rover oil pump is about 25% greater capacity than the stock 215 but about 15% smaller than the high capacity Buick 300 pump. Pump by-pass pressure is set at about 50 psi hot at 2000 rpm. Oil delivery channels in the Rover block and pump housing were left stock dimensions. The rope oil seal in the Buick front cover was replaced with a press-in neoprene seal. The Rover pan did include a windage tray that was retained as was the stock oil pickup. Using the 300 crank required modifying the flywheel as follows to accommodate using the stock Rover/TR8 5 speed gearbox and bellhousing. The Rover flywheel ring gear was retained and installed on a remachined surface on a Chevy Nova flywheel. This flywheel has an offset toward the block that made it easy to reposition the starter ring back into its original relationship with the starter. No starter mods were needed. The machined surface on the flywheel was left about .030 larger than i.d. of the Rover ring gear. The ring gear was heated in an oven at 450 degrees for an hour then shrink cooled onto the flywheel with no other means of retaining. The clutch disk side of the flywheel has a stepdown where the clutch disk mates. The step was machined off and the remaining groove in the flywheel surface was left. The stock Rover/TR8 clutch disk diameter ends at the groove and does not affect clutch performance. One of the flywheel-to-crank mounting holes was relocated (enlarged) about 1/8 inch to mate with the corresponding thread in the crank. The stock Rover clutch cover mates perfectly with the Nova mounting holes. The three clutch cover locating pins must be redrilled. The 300 crank/Nova flywheel combo results in the flywheel clutch surface extending into the Rover/TR8 bellhousing an additional .200 in. from stock. There is adequate clearance inside the bellhousing to accommodate the flywheel/clutch cover combo with no interference and the hydraulic clutch actuation mechanism (slave cylinder, pivot pin, throwout arm, throwout bearing, etc) needs no modification.


The engine components were fully balanced by ABC Machine Shop using the stock Buick 300 harmonic damper and appropriate drillings in the flywheel for external balance. I was lucky enough to find a TR8 in one of the Bay Area self service junk yards--needless to say I stripped it from bumper to bumper. This find shortened the install process immensely by using stock components vs fabricating many brackets, motor mounts, and other fasteners. I did not change to power steering as the increased front end weight is minimal and steering is not really much affected. The Lucas alternator was discarded in favor of a GM 78 amp unit. Since just the radiator fans draw some 32 amps when running at high speed (80 amps on startup) a 100 amp unit probably would not be over-kill for an A/C equipped car in hot climates. For a couple of months I had both fans running at high speed any time they came on and they slowly cooked a 68 amp alt. The distributor has 12 volts supplied through a relay that is energized from the ignition switch lead for the old distributor. This is probably overkill since I later measured only 2-3 amps consumption by the distributor. There is some interference between the dist housing and block at the front intake manifold hold down bolt. The bolt can be replaced with a oval head or hex head and/or the dist housing can be relieved slightly. There is just enough clearance for the sparkplug wires to clear the hood (touch lightly).

You can also use a Buick water pump and I even mounted a flex fan on the water pump to assist air flow in the engine compartment when radiator fans are not running. The radiator was custom built from a Saab (as I remember-checked out a lot of rad's). It has a high fin density and is a 3 core unit. It was already the right height and only had to cut about 3 inched off the length on the radial arm saw (50 tooth carbide blade) and resolder the end plate. Slightly reshaped the end tanks from a bad TR8 radiator and soldered them on. Used the stock TR8 mounting position for the radiator and stock electric fans wired in a low speed(series)/high speed(parallel) configuration based on radiator temp (180) and high speed if block temp exceeds 190.

I have been driving the engine for some 18 months and 37K miles with the following problems showing up.
At about 8K miles the #3 exhaust valve spring broke( yes they were the original '64 Buick springs) so I replaced them with aftermarket springs that at installed/compressed height have spring pressures of 95/200 lb.

At 18 K one of the bolts holding the even bank rocker arm assembly stripped out (increased spring pressure?) allowing some flexing and eventual breakage of the rocker arm shaft before I could get it home in commute traffic. I re-tapped the hole to the next larger metric size and reused one of the Rover shafts. I was very disappointed with this shaft breaking because I was lucky enough to find two NOS 300 Buick shafts to put the beefier Rover/TR8 rockers on and now have to go back to a used shaft. That's life!

The last 21K miles have been problem free as far as the engine rebuild/conversion goes--had to recondition a throttle position potentiometer that had worn through the resist compound and was causing a slight flat spot when running at steady throttle pressure. Also replaced the ignition module in the GM distributor (yeah it was used too), it would tend to quit entirely for about a half second on really hot days.
Of course, considerable time has been spent tweaking engine timing (currently 10 deg BTDC) and choice of sparkplugs. I would like to experiment with advancing cam timing some 2 to 4 degrees but it is such a pain to do. I don't have verified specs but, 0-60 mph seems in the 5.5-6 sec range. The engine winds 6000 easily and still has significant "set you back in the seat power" when accelerating from 100 mph. I estimate top speed to be 150-160 mph.
One thing is for sure--it is a kick to drive and it gets 20 mpg in commute traffic. I can't wait for the next rebuild, maybe bore and re-sleeve it to 5.0 liter!

                                                                                                                                                         

[f6john]

  Heard all I needed to know when you said Ford!

[Valkpilot]

I had an old farmer friend back in Oklahoma that developed a water vapor injection system for his tractor and installed on his 60ish  ford sedan. 
                                             

I had a water vapor system on a 1974 Datsun pickup.  Worked off the vacuum advance of the distributor.  After I installed it, my future FIL told me he used to have a tractor that had a water tank and a drip system to feed water into the carb.

Unfortunately, this is all useless info in this age of fuel-injected, ECM controlled engines.

[da prez]

 Hey Rio, I used to maintaina fleet and had my share of problems and as far as a plug removal tool, Mac tools double swivel is the answer. It was made for the transverse mount G M V-6. I have made a set of tools for rethreading without pulling the heads , and had it down to under an hour to do the job.  If you need more info , contact me by E-mail and I will set up a phone call.
                                                  da prez

[Varmintmist]

I did the ones on my 98 because it had developed a miss. Not all that fun, but not anywhere as bad as replacing the starter on a Triumph Spitfire or chasing GM electrical problems. Routing wires was as bad as the plugs but taking my time and going SLOW so as not to musclefook anything I had a solid afternoon in the job.

I shot PB Blaster on them for 2 days and then blew the holes out with compressed air to get the excess junk out.

Bring (in 3/8ths) 2 swivels, 2  3in extensions, 2 6In extensions and your torque wrench.

[Dodis]

Mine has only got 53K miles on it and has developed a severe miss under moderate to heavy acceleration, ie, passing and kicking it down a gear. The dealer says it could be fuel filter or plugs which are user maintenance items (so much for their 100K plugs), so I will do the filter and plugs and when that doesn't fix it I am going to park this thing in the dealer lot and call the radio stations and have some fun.

On my 2004, when I started having a bad miss, I finally traced it down to the number 4 COP. The wires to it were rubbing on the A/C hose, and had worn trough the wires. Fixed the wires and all was good. (after already replacing the plug and COP  )

Other possibility, on my '97 4.6L, when it started running rough, turned out that the PCV ports were fouled badly, one was completely closed. Cleaned them out and the check engine light went out. (also after 3 tuneups totaling about $700 didn't fix it  ).

Checkout http://www.fordf150.net/ this is where I found all of my fixes (including a Ranger transmission issue).

Mike "Dodis"

[highcountry]

Holy crap Batman!  I have never heard of blowing a plug out of the head.  Good luck with those engines.

[ArmyValker]

Anybody got one of these pieces of crappo.....can't change the spark plugs without risk of twisting one off or damaging the spark plug threads in the head, then needing a helicoil or pulling the head to get the broken plug out!!!!!!!!! They make a special tool kind of like a easyout to grab the broken section and hopefully pull it out. What dumb ass engineer decided to extend a plug through a hole that is prone to getting carboned up then expect to plug to unscrew with no problems. Their stock deserves to be in the sewer, they admit  no responsibility for their engineering stupidity......aaaarrrrggggg!.

Now thats over with, anyone got one of these things and have you been successful with any process to pull the plugs that worked....I read about using Marvel Mystery oil in the fuel (6 oz per 10 gal.) and that seemed to help clean the carbon build up .....any other ideas? 

Hey RioWill, I'm late to this but I've got some personal experience on this motor you might be interested in. First off, I have an 04-F150 with that engine. I replaced the spark plugs at 85XXX miles without too much difficulty. I went in and cracked each plug about 1/4 turn and filled the spark plug wells up with aero-kroil everynight for about a week (i'd tighten em down and drive to work in the morning), the next weekend, I went ahead and turned them out, and was able to get them all out without any breakage. Key is to go slow, and make sure you can get your hands on the tool if you have problems. Ford is pretty experienced at getting the porcelain out and the tool works well from what I can tell.

The trick to removing the passenger rear plug is to loosen the computer bracket and push it out of the way, and use a swivel to get back in there. It's a pain in the ass, but so is just about everything else on this engine. You should try replacing the air compressor or power steering pump.....

Now, @ 95K miles that motor threw a rod and I ended up R&R'in the whole engine in my driveway in 2010. I threw a motor from a 2009 F-150 in it (against Ford's advice) and they've changed head design  back to using regular spark plugs. I've put 35K miles on the new motor and it's been a lot better.

[fredog]

I got 7 out with no problems using a swivel and a 1/2" drive air gun,  the last one in back on the drivers side though rounded off the hex part and is still nice and tight in there, cant figure out what to do now. lightning socket won fit in the hole and there is no way I'm taking taking head off , any ideas besides trading it off?

[alph]

last fall I replaced my plugs with Autolite plugs, the guy at the auto store told me autolites are made in the same factory as the Moto craft plugs and they're "just like the ones from ford!!".  what a mistake that was!!  didn't have a single issue with my truck until I went with autolite.  now, I'm going to replace the whole kit-n-cabottle, plugs, spark coil, and fuel injectors.  

bought some NGK Iridium plugs, Accel high energy coils, and 8 Bosch fuel injectors.  hopefully that's going to take care of my problems......

as DOG said earlier, soak your plugs with some type of "liquid wrench" for a day before you try to wrench them off.  also don't forget to apply some ANTI SEIZE on the treads when you reinstall the new plugs!!  torque them correctly, not too tight, and not so loose they vibrate out after a few thousand miles!!

by the way, I've got a 2001 F-150 5.4l V8, and it doesn't have the three valve set up so changing my plugs haven't been an issue.  

this site might be a little "encouraging" for you....

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1146243-5-4v8-dreadful-spark-plug-issue-solved.html

[Momz]

I've had six F series pick-ups and my last one (96) was the worst truck ever made. I won't go into the gory details, but I had to donate it to VOA because there were far to many things that went kaput all at once.

Replaced it with an 04 Chevy 1500 Silverado that went 140K miles before excessive oil consumption and a broken frame forced me into buying a new truck.

Wanted a 2014 Ram Express with a Hemi. But after being told by three different dealers that they would only lease the Express, however they could sell Tradesmen, Laramies or Big Horns. I called Chrysler HQ and was told that dealers are independent retailers and could sell or lease whatever they chose.

OK, "see ya Chrysler and hello GMC". I now have a 2014 Sierra with the new 5.3 Gen5 V8. Rated at 355 hp on regular and 380 hp on E85, fast as hell and frugal. Haven't towed yet, but it has a 9K+ towing capacity. 

[Hoser]

1994 ford XLT ext cab with the old 302, 197000 miles since new, changed the plugs a couple months ago for the first time.  Still runs great. I know, that's the old 302 that's been around forever, but they should still use them.  You have to lock out overdrive to pull a decent size trailer up hill, but it will do it all day without a whimper.  I have never had a problem with it.  Hoser  

[Patrick]

This has been a HUGE problem and the fellas have covered it well. The problems I've heard and encountered have been on 04-08 3 valve engines which use that wonderful 2 piece sparkler.
Until the engine is completely warm they will throw a sparkler when worked hard, not one of Fords better ideas. And, a real PITA to fix depending on which hole it breaks.
If these sparklers are not removed and replaced with one piece never-siezed sparklers sometime soon in their life, a broken plug while removing is kinda to be expected. Breaking them loose and letting them soak is the best thing to do but still no guarantee. I'm not a big Champion sparkler fan, but, its the only one piece on the market. The replacement Motorcraft and Autolite claim to be one piece but really aren't.
Whenever I would suggest to anyone having bought one of those engines, pulling and replacing the sparklers I would get the 'deer in the headlights' look.  Plus, you need a bank loan for those replacements.

[cookiedough]

Should've bought a 2007 on up toyota tundra 5.7L with 4.30 rear axle ratio.  \

Don't care what anybody says,  the engine and tranny are far superior to the Big 3 despite the trucks minor downfalls.  Research better brakes, better transfer case, better receiver hitch, among other items and you will find the toyota tundra overall (not saying it is perfect still has some minor issues I'd like see resolved like a simple missing trailer brake inside cab not available from factory) is overbuilt in many ways for a 1/2 ton truck.

I have had Chevy silverado's since 1990 and the tundra since 2007 and newer is by far superior in nearly every aspect of reliability and much greater resale value as well.

Anyways of my rant, if you think the spark plug dilema is over with Ford, try researching the 3.5L twin turbo V6 ecoboost engine with all their spark plugs failing prematurely well before 60K miles.  What is it with Ford and spark plugs???

[cookiedough]

OK, "see ya Chrysler and hello GMC". I now have a 2014 Sierra with the new 5.3 Gen5 V8. Rated at 355 hp on regular and 380 hp on E85, fast as hell and frugal. Haven't towed yet, but it has a 9K+ towing capacity. 

I really like my 2012 toyota tundra, but have also been considering the new 2014 chevy silverado crewcab with 6 1/2' bed but the msrp is like 43K - OUCH! with small rebates right now since brand new re-design.  I like the idea of supposedly 22 hwy mpg in the new chevy vs. my tundra getting 17 but please let me know how it does for mileage and reliability in 'real' world driving.  I can probably live with the wimpy 3.42 rear axle ratio and so-so power of the chevy having 355 hp vs. 381 with my tundra and 401 lbs. of torque with an awesome stump pulling 4.30 rear axle ratio, but still not sold on the 4 cylinder deactivation chevy has on their new 5.3L engine guessing shutting off 4 cylinders several dozens of times per day cannot be reliable in the long run either. 

I know 2 ford 3.5L twin turbo V6 owners in their F150's supposedly suppose to get as well around 22 hwy mpg and both are at 19 right now no where near as advertised.  Yes, it is still better than 17 with my tundra, which it is advertised at, but would much rather prefer a mfg. to advertise 'real' world driving vs. in a test lab on level ground under ideal conditions and falsely advertise hwy mpg. 

[art]

I have a 93 f 150 5 speed stick ,love it had a chevy mid 70 pu another great truck. I also have an 01 Kia  sportage biggest POS I ever bought. Blew a spark plug out of the head and busted up the coil and cost $800 to fix and parts the oil pump went out, POS!  Now it sits in the garage waiting for me to fix. I have repaired all my cars since I was 16 yrs old 60 years ago. Never worked on such a POS as the Kia.  I'll fix it and dump it fast. I even rebuilt a 63 Jeg XKE engine and trans and it wasn't as bad as the Kia.

[Patrick]

I've had six F series pick-ups and my last one (96) was the worst truck ever made. I won't go into the gory details, but I had to donate it to VOA because there were far to many things that went kaput all at once.

Replaced it with an 04 Chevy 1500 Silverado that went 140K miles before excessive oil consumption and a broken frame forced me into buying a new truck.

Wanted a 2014 Ram Express with a Hemi. But after being told by three different dealers that they would only lease the Express, however they could sell Tradesmen, Laramies or Big Horns. I called Chrysler HQ and was told that dealers are independent retailers and could sell or lease whatever they chose.

OK, "see ya Chrysler and hello GMC". I now have a 2014 Sierra with the new 5.3 Gen5 V8. Rated at 355 hp on regular and 380 hp on E85, fast as hell and frugal. Haven't towed yet, but it has a 9K+ towing capacity. 

I remember when you first mentioned this and have wondered if you compared prices between the Sierra and a Big Horn.  I won't buy a GM because of their politics,but, I drove and priced them anyway. As usual the Dodge was cheaper, err, less expensive. I don't worry about what the price on the window is, just how willing the dealer is to deal and what I have to write the check for.

[flcjr]

Nice thing about a ford they circle the problem right on the front 

[Skinhead]

I'm not pushing any one to buy anything, but I do get discounts on GM products, that we can extend to family and sometimes friends.  Since I consider you all friends. if GM is offering discounts to friends, I will be glad to get you one.  As far as Ford and chrysler goes, Chryslers are lower priced and cheap, you know why if you buy one.  Ford's I have driven are nice trucks, but Ford does some really ????? stuff, the spark plug thing is one of them.

In my opinion they are all junk and over priced, some are just bigger pieces of junk that others.

I will say this about the Cylinder Deactivation, I have put many miles on many truck with it, and never had a problem.  Regular scheduled oil changes will only help (change it when the change oil soon message shows up).  Nothing lasts forever, or is perfect, but we push our trucks pretty hard when we calibrate them, and we run them at GVW in extreme conditions. They perform well.

[cookiedough]

Skinhead,  good to know about the GM cylinder deactivation shutting down 4 cylinders supposedly to save gas and has been reliable as well over the years.  Am still concerned about that concept though.

Not trying to sway others as well I think each mfg. of trucks has their pros and cons and there is always a lemon in EVERY bunch.   I just choose to buy what fits my needs and think is the most reliable overall mainly engine and tranny wise.

I too get the GM family employee purchase price but after 2007 realized and finally woke up there are other mfgs. to consider in vehicle lineups.  Prior to 2007,  I was strictly GM but am open now to mfgs. such as Hyundai/Kia and Toyota and even maybe Mazda.   Currently drive a toyota tundra Double Cab and a very reliable (knock on wood) 2011 Hyundai Santa FE SUV Sport 3.5L V6 FWD both good buys and so far reliable.

I never knew the GM employee purchase price can be extended to friends I always thought it was strictly for family members ONLY? 

If GM offers 3-4K rebates eventually on their newly redesigned 2014 chevy crewcab 6 1/2' bed that have an inflated msrp, I may consider that as well if they will get over 20 hwy mpg as advertised.

[sandy]

1994 ford XLT ext cab with the old 302, 197000 miles since new, changed the plugs a couple months ago for the first time.  Still runs great. I know, that's the old 302 that's been around forever, but they should still use them.  You have to lock out overdrive to pull a decent size trailer up hill, but it will do it all day without a whimper.  I have never had a problem with it.  Hoser  

I've got the same truck with the 351 Windsor. 102K on the clock as the Valk is my daily driver. Love it.

[fredog]

I got 7 out with no problems using a swivel and a 1/2" drive air gun,  the last one in back on the drivers side though rounded off the hex part and is still nice and tight in there, cant figure out what to do now. lightning socket won fit in the hole and there is no way I'm taking taking head off , any ideas besides trading it off?

I solved the problem today traded it on a new Dodge 

[cookiedough]

I got 7 out with no problems using a swivel and a 1/2" drive air gun,  the last one in back on the drivers side though rounded off the hex part and is still nice and tight in there, cant figure out what to do now. lightning socket won fit in the hole and there is no way I'm taking taking head off , any ideas besides trading it off?

I solved the problem today traded it on a new Dodge 

Dodge's look nice and ride nice but gotta wonder about long term reliability? 

[HayHauler]

124k on my '06 Megacab 4x4.  Still going strong.  In this pic it is covered in ice!


Hay
Jimmyt

[Skinhead]

Skinhead,  good to know about the GM cylinder deactivation shutting down 4 cylinders supposedly to save gas and has been reliable as well over the years.  Am still concerned about that concept though.

Not trying to sway others as well I think each mfg. of trucks has their pros and cons and there is always a lemon in EVERY bunch.   I just choose to buy what fits my needs and think is the most reliable overall mainly engine and tranny wise.

I too get the GM family employee purchase price but after 2007 realized and finally woke up there are other mfgs. to consider in vehicle lineups.  Prior to 2007,  I was strictly GM but am open now to mfgs. such as Hyundai/Kia and Toyota and even maybe Mazda.   Currently drive a toyota tundra Double Cab and a very reliable (knock on wood) 2011 Hyundai Santa FE SUV Sport 3.5L V6 FWD both good buys and so far reliable.

I never knew the GM employee purchase price can be extended to friends I always thought it was strictly for family members ONLY? 

If GM offers 3-4K rebates eventually on their newly redesigned 2014 chevy crewcab 6 1/2' bed that have an inflated msrp, I may consider that as well if they will get over 20 hwy mpg as advertised.

The last discount I got was for my BIL on a 2013 PU.  GM changes it's policy all the time, and the discount can vary based on the model and how they are selling.  I don't really keep up on the current policy, or who is eligible, but if any one is interested in buying, let me know and I will see what I can do for you.

They recently found employees that were violating the policy, I heard one guy is on the hook for $26,000 in discounts he got for people that were not eligible for them.  I won't go there.

[HayHauler]

It only takes one idiot to ruin a good thing for many. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[Skinhead]

It only takes one idiot to ruin a good thing for many. 

Hay
Jimmyt

I agree, but at least instead of ending the discounts, they are making the employees repay the corporation.  That's new for them.

[Challenger]

Mother-in-laws Ram pick-up had 312,000 trouble free miles on it when it developed a clunk when she put it in gear, I told her it was probably just a drive shaft u-joint going south. She said she wasn't going to put any money in a truck with that many miles on it.  "WTH"    

[Patrick]

I got 7 out with no problems using a swivel and a 1/2" drive air gun,  the last one in back on the drivers side though rounded off the hex part and is still nice and tight in there, cant figure out what to do now. lightning socket won fit in the hole and there is no way I'm taking taking head off , any ideas besides trading it off?

I solved the problem today traded it on a new Dodge 

Dodge's look nice and ride nice but gotta wonder about long term reliability? 

As far as I see its just as good if not better than any. I'm on my second Ram and have had no issues. Sure can't say that about my last Ford or Toyota or from what I see in the shop.
A friend who has been a die-hard GM man is now looking to trade off his 2013 Silverado which has had its share of troubles for a Ram.

[HayHauler]

There are lemons in all brands and models.  If you get a string if good ones, you tend to continue buying that one.  Makes sense to me. 
Joe, glad they did the right thing and made the bad guys pay up. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[fredog]

I got 7 out with no problems using a swivel and a 1/2" drive air gun,  the last one in back on the drivers side though rounded off the hex part and is still nice and tight in there, cant figure out what to do now. lightning socket won fit in the hole and there is no way I'm taking taking head off , any ideas besides trading it off?

I solved the problem today traded it on a new Dodge 

Dodge's look nice and ride nice but gotta wonder about long term reliability? 

3 year bumper to bumper and 10 year power train warranty

[Big Mike]

Spark plugs?  Who needs any stinkin spark plugs? DIESEL POWER RULES!!!