Hello everyone, new ford truck owner here in southern NJ. Its really nice to have a resource like this available, with everyones input its priceless to have a community like this to call upon. That said, I have an issue I was hoping to get some feedback on. My new truck has the 5.4 liter, please, help me feel better about this. Everything I'm reading seems bad bad bad...

 

I have the 4.6 3V so I cant reassure you but I know I love my motor and truck, it will tow what I need and has enough *** to move quickly!

Keep in mind that on forums 99% of posters will post about the negitives so that is what you see the most and think "oh my god, this had to be the end of the world!" But they are a small minority to the amount of trucks sold. You rarely see people start a thread about something they are content with.

Enjoy you new truck and dont worry, it is a fine motor.

 

Guess you haven't been reading to many threads here. The 5.4L is a better engine for different people. It's all what you want and need.

I went in to the dealer just looking to see what type of deals they had. I test drove a 2011 5.0L 3.55 LS Axle, Loaded XLT, 4X4 Screw with 5.5' bed. I was not impressed with it's lack of torque. It actually felt like it had less torque than the 700 lbs lighter 2008 4.6L 3 Valve, 6 speed automatic, 4X4 Sport Trac I was going to trade in. I had to give the 2011 a lot of pedal and revs to get it to go. Once I did that though, it regained the missing power, bettering my Sport Trac in the upper rpm end. None the less, I've always liked low end torque in my sports cars and trucks. I believe the top end power is made for foreign econobox sport cars, but that's just me.

I tow a midize 22.5' full weight travel trailer from Jayco so I expect torque from a full size truck and that's why I was disappointed in the 5.0L and I let the salesmans know of my disappointment. I don't want a engine that does not offer low end torque which makes pulling a trailer easier. The 2011 would had actually pulled my trailer from a stop WORSE than my Sport Trac because of the 2011 lower torque at low rpms.

I then test drove a 2008 F150 XLT 4X4 5.4L 4 speed automatic, 6.5' bed truck with 27,000 miles to compare. While it's inferior automatic transmission didn't perform as well as the 6 speed trans with better gearing, it did have noticable better lower rpm torque. It just wasn't as responsive because of the transmission. None the less, it had the power output I was expecting from a full size truck motor.

The 5.0L is a fine engine that is the direct replacement for the 4.6L 3 valve. It's torque output seems to be the same at lower rpms but increases in both torque and power dramatically as the rpms increase. Both the 4.6L and 5.0L, need you to give them pedal to start the gradual rise of power where the 5.4L has instant on demand power when needed. The 4.6 and 5.0L share the same tow ratings for the same axle gearing. Neither of these engines are offered with the Max Tow Package.

The 5.4L is my motor of choice for people expecting high, low rpm, torque. The 5.0L seems like a good motor for daily driving where the 5.4L seems like a work motor.

Thet Ecoboost 3.5L is the 5.4L motor replacement and offers the same tow ratings with the same axle ratings. Both of these motors are offered with the Max Tow package as well.

Also consider that the 5.4L is a proven engine. I really didn't want to be the gineau pig for the 5.0L unless I thought it was a more superior engine over the 5.4L, which I didn't find.

So I bought my 2010 XLT and saved over $4000 on a 2011 model, and also have a higher tow rating with a lower axle gear ratio of 3.55 than the 5.0L, to save some gas. I'm getting exactly 16.5 mpg driving back and forth to work which is mixed driving. I got 17 mpg in the 2008 Sport Trac with it's same transmission and 4.6L 3 valve engine. I'm getting about 1mpg less than the Sport Trac in town driving. So I'm pretty happy with those results. A lot more power and nearly the same mileage yet 700 lbs heavier!

 

Welcome to the forum. The new trucks with their new engine line up are very nice. Just remember that prior to the 2011 models, many people on here drove the 5.4L, and many still do. In it's more recent incarnations, it's proven to be a reliable workhorse of an engine. Now post up some pictures of your nice new truck so we can all see it. Remember, on the forums it never happened unless there are pictures.

Go enjoy your truck and quit looking back.

 

I have a '10 5.4 liter and have had no problems. There seems to be a couple recurring bugs that get posted frequently. Many people complain about a hard transmission shift. This can be improved with a reflash, but reading other posts it seems to adversely affect fuel mileage. I am of the opinion the truck was engineered to shift a little harder then what people are used to. Of course if it shifts so hard the engine is redlining during normal driving there is a problem. I guess time will tell if in a couple years you start reading about transmission rebuilds.
The only other frequent problem I read about are water leaks coming from the 3rd brake light or sat radio antenna. I thankfully haven't had this problem but it is only a gasket change if it happens.
Neither of those problems are with the motor, but I can't think of any recurring problems with the newer 5.4's.
It took Ford many years to engineer a truck with this few problems. As a stockholder in Ford I hope the new motor lineup has this few bugs, but as a consumer I am confident I made the right decision buying a '10. It will take many miles driving to justify the mpg increase of the 5.0 when you figure the extra rebates you got for buying a 2010.
Just my .02's

 

No problems with mine. I tow a 19' boat & its like I'm not towing any thing unlike my last truck.