Is 5.4L Enough for a 4x4 Conversion? - Page 2

Ford_6L_E350 · 08-28-2014, 04:03 PM

The supercharger probably doesn't have a CARB exemption. CARB rules mean you have to meet the smog requirements of the newest parts used. Replacement parts are exempt, but not upgrades. New (2014) supercharger may require you to meet 2014 pollution limits.

Chances are the vehicle would fail to pass CA smog testing and you would wind up with a smog referee. What would happen then is anyone's guess.

Mike

86Scotty · 08-28-2014, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carringb

Well if you ever decide the 5.4l isn't powerful enough, there's many more forced induction options including the factory Ford supercharger.

A good friend of mine drive's a Lightning (pickup) with a supercharged 5.4l. It's not slow, in fact it's dizzyingly fast. He has tuned it a bit though.

lndshark · 08-28-2014, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

The supercharger probably doesn't have a CARB exemption. CARB rules mean you have to meet the smog requirements of the newest parts used. Replacement parts are exempt, but not upgrades. New (2014) supercharger may require you to meet 2014 pollution limits.

Chances are the vehicle would fail to pass CA smog testing and you would wind up with a smog referee. What would happen then is anyone's guess.

Mike

The Edelbrock offering has a CARB and EPA E.O. exemption. But, I don't think it will fit a van due to plumbing.

UJOINT · 08-29-2014, 05:30 AM

The 5.4 is great but I wouldn't want one in a fully loaded camper. It will get you down the road but forget about towing and you'll be in the throttle a lot. My DD is a 5.4 on 35's with 4.88's and I like it for that purpose. Quiet, easy & cheap to maintain.

SierraHawk · 08-29-2014, 08:21 AM

I have a 2003 E350 fully loaded RB50 (9000#) with a 5.4. In the past 7 years we have traveled over 80,000 miles towing a 29 foot travel trailer (8000#). There are a few major grades that have slowed us down to about 40 when we are towing but for the most part we keep up with the rest of the traffic. The additional HP from the V10 would be nice but other SMB owners who have a V10 have said that they expected more from it.

If you are considering towing with a SMB 4X4 I would recommend that you upgrade the differentials to the equivalent of Dana 70s. We spend summers driving into remote areas in the western US that require an aggressive 4X4 platform (not towing the travel trailer). In the past 6 years we have spent close to $10,000 on differential repairs. The Dynatrac outer bearing sets have had to be replaced 4 times (outer race on the outer bearings have shattered twice) and I have had to replace both spindles. The rear differential has had to be rebuilt twice and one of the axles had to be replaced (outer bearing seat had started to degrade). The tongue weight of the trailer is 750#.

The Dynatrac was serviced and aligned in January and I am now seeing abnormal wear patterns on a new set of tires. It looks like I may also have to rebuild the rear differential again. If so I will replace it with a Dana 70 full floater.

rob_gendreau · 09-14-2014, 03:07 PM

5.4, 8700# van, only minimal towing of stuff like trailered motorcycles or a car. Extended E250 with Salem Kroger 4x4.

No problemo. Very reliable engine in my experience. SMB used to build bazillions of these.

I guess it all depends on what you mean by "enough."

Chance · 09-14-2014, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob_gendreau

.....cut.......

I guess it all depends on what you mean by "enough."

Exactly, couldn't agree with you more. Based on displacement, torque, and power, a 5.4L V8 can do anything performance wise that a 6.8L V10 can do at "approximately" 80 percent the speed. So if a V10 can pull a trailer up a steep grade at 50 MPH, a 5.4L will do it at 40 MPH -- provided adequate gearing. Wear rate is a different issue.

Whether 80 percent is enough is completely subjective, so it means something different to different drivers. Also depends on how much of a V10's power one uses. I rarely use more than half the power of my V10 (although not a 4X4) so a 5.4L in its place would not be much of a hardship. I'd even take a 4.6L given the choice.

I've driven a lot of 4X4 work pickups with a lot less power than a 5.4L and it was always enough. If for no other reason than we didn't have a choice for more power. So by default it was enough.

lndshark · 09-15-2014, 06:19 AM

I'm still tempted to find a 2WD SMB with a 5.4 and convert it. I had posted a while back about my experience with a 5.4 box truck. When I moved from SoCal to MI, we rented an E-350 box truck from Penske. Fully loaded with our possessions and my BMW motorcycle in the box and our car in tow (on a trailer, not a dolly), I was really surprised with the power, even when crossing the Rockies. In fact, I thought it had a V-10 until I popped the hood during a gas stop.

We don't plan to tow with our van (except maybe a utility trailer for around the house chores) so I can't see that a 5.4 would be all that bad in an RB.

maw1000 · 09-16-2014, 09:54 PM

I have a 2010 Ford E250 with a 5.4 and a 4R75W Transmission. I am wanting to do a 4x4 conversion. I was told that this transmission would not hold up. I was wondering if anyone else is using this transmission? I would mostly use it on the beach and in the snow. I am not a big 4x4 er. Also can you replace it with the 5 speed transmission, and is this any better?

Thanks

Mark

carringb · 09-17-2014, 02:44 PM

The 5.4L should be fine for anybody not towing heavy, assuming it is properly defeated for oversized tires. Likewise, the 4R75 should hold up fine within its limits. The only are I could see it struggling is with temps at low speeds. Upgrading to a larger cooler will fix that. I suspect swapping in a 5R110 would work since it's an option in the cutaways, but it probably required a different PCM and wire harness modifications.