fenza89

Anybody here with the 5.4 3v triton ever wish they had the 4.6 triton? I have a 2006 f150 fx4 with the 5.4 3v. I wish sometimes they would have offered the 4.6 in the Fx series trucks. the 4.6 just seems like a better engine from what i hear on this forum. I have not had any problems yet with my 5.4, and i hope i dont.

LUVmyDUX

I miss the torque and power of the 5.4 3v but I don't miss the headaches it gave me when mileage got up there. Have the 4.6 now, 98k miles and its smooth at idle with no noise, I can't complain, but just wish I had a little more power.

zmadams

Well I've never taken a look at my truck and thought "I really wish I had considerably less horsepower and torque"
But I see where you're coming from, the 4.6 does seem like a more reliable motor.

bubbafinch07

Well personally I love my 4.6 2 valve. No major issues from the truck. 146k miles and going strong. As far as comparing it to the 5.4; I lined my 04 against my ex girlfriends 04. She has crewcab, 5.5 ft bed, I have supercab 6.5 ft bed. We raced through the 1/4 mile and she had a whole fender on me.
Anyways, driving her truck it definitely has a little more low end torque. But the reliability comparing the two engines is no contest. She has had the rattling issues in the timing chain, and 3 spark plugs broke off in the change. I'm happy with my decision to have a 4.6.

VTX1800N1

# of valves being equal, the 5.4 and 4.6 are basically the same engine. The 5.4 just has a taller deck height for its longer stroke. There are some issues, most of which are common to both engines and once fixed properly won't be a problem again. The longer stroke of the 5.4 gives it much more torque than the 4.6- so be thankful for that in a truck.

VTX1800N1

The crew cab adds enough weight that Ford recommends against using a snow plow to keep from overloading the front suspension. That'll make a difference in a drag race.

The stuck/broken spark plug was unique to the early 5.4 3V, I believe. Blown out plugs happened on very early 5.4 and 4.6 engines. Timing and phaser issues are common on the 3V version of both engines and can be fixed with updated parts.

bubbafinch07

Her truck and mine are within 100 pounds of each other. The new body style 2004 F150s didn't have the blown out spark plug issue. It was the 1997-2003 2 valve engines, but mainly the 5.4; not saying the newer body style didn't have any issues but not nearly as much as the older engines. By the time the 4.6 3 valve came around, they didn't have near as many issues as the 5.4 had. They were already installing upgraded parts.
Anyways, cheers.

Blown Ford

You call this a comparison?? This is hog wash. For one you are trying to claim that a motor with 231hp/293tq ran with a motor producing 300hp/365tq. For starters both trucks would have to have identical traction and you and your girlfriend would have to have identical reaction times. 1 tenth of a sec difference equals 14 feet at the end of the quarter. Not to mention every 100lbs is good for a tenth. But I won't even get in to weight and how much fuel one had vs the other, what you weigh vs her, what your trucks weigh vs each other. It doesn't even matter as your test is completly bogus as long as you base it on this fender length.

The only thing that you can use here is your time slip. That would provide the breakdown and show the performance of each truck. Otherwise your arguement has no validity whatsoever.

bubbafinch07

I'm not going to argue with you, and I don't have a time slip to prove it. Considering we weren't on the track. Her's was bone stock, mine had a chip. The only difference. Anyways, take it for what it is. It's not like either she or I plan on racing. It was just a last minute thing on a back road. I agree that it doesn't serve much validity, however; for me I'm not too impressed with the 3 valve 5.4. I'd take my little ole 4.6 any day. It's been a awesome part of my truck.
I wasn't basing my dislike for the 5.4 on this drag race, if it can even be called that. However, between changing broken plug, and seeing her bill for changing the timing chains, and VCT solenoids, I'd take my 4.6 over the problematic 5.4.
As far as the weight goes I was simply saying that curb weight for the trucks, isn't that different.

Blown Ford

The 5.4 is a great motor. Go on any forum and read and you would never buy a car or truck again. The 04-07 5.4 does have an issue with the spark plugs getting stuck due to the head design. This can be easily avoided by changing the plugs every 50-60k miles or by following the simple procedures which can be found on this site. Also some early models have experinced issues with the cam phasers.

Your 06 5.4 3V should offer you many years and thousands of miles of trouble free operation. Keep it serviced as the manual instructs. Don't over fill it with oil or use heavier weights than those specified. I love this motor and have enjoyed the trouble free operation it has given me despite the brutal power I have forced it to make with it's stock internals. There aren't many motors that can handle producing well over double the power they made from the factory and countinue to offer trouble free operation.