100k on 5.4 V8; maintenance?

[rob_gendreau]

I just turned 100k on my gasser 5.4 2001 Ford, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of any recommended maintenance one might do at this point to extend it's life, above and beyond any usual maintenance.

I do know that I broke a belt (IIRC one ginormous continuous snake), so maybe replace that as a precaution, but what about other stuff? any cluster of failures that pop up at this point?

Seems to be running great. No leaks. Anything I could look for?

[BroncoHauler]

Are you still on the original coil packs? Had a friend with a 5.4 F150, and he regularly changed coil packs.


Herb

[rob_gendreau]

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

Are you still on the original coiil packs? Had a friend with a 5.4 F150, and he regularly changed coiil packs.


Herb

Maybe; certainly haven't had any reason to change them. Thanks.

[arctictraveller]

My GTRV is a 2001 5.4 too. At about 110,000mi I ended up changing all the exhaust manifold studs due to several that were broken off. If you look closely you can see if you have any issues there. If so, eventually an exhaust leak will start and with aluminum heads I don't think anything good can come of it. I also changed the plugs. I had the dealer do it due to the problem of broken plugs getting stuck in the head. I figured they were better equiped to deal with that problem, and they told me if one did break there would be no extra charge to fix it. They said they had done hundreds of plug changes and didn't expect any problems. They asked if I wanted to change the plug boots, but said mine looked fine so I didn't. Prior to my buying the van, three coils had been changed, but none since. I don't plan to change any either, but I'll be buying a couple spares prior to my next big trip, along with a couple ujoints and a few other items. You can look at the belt to see if it needs changing, if it's got a lot of little cracks in the ribs, it's time. Save the old one as an emergency spare. Other than that, I haven't done much, but I'm thinking of looking at the PVC valve just in case. I"m getting ready to do about 7K mi's in the next few weeks.

[86Scotty]

Given the epidemic of bad fuel pumps causing ruined trips this past year I would consider changing that as preventative maintenance. Me and about 3 others seem to have lost them in the middle of a trip. Other than that on the 5.4 I would say you're good. Other variations of the 5.4 seem to eat coil packs but I've never heard of them going bad in the vans.

[boywonder]

I carry an OBDII scanner and a spare coil pack in the van......

If I lose one while traveling I'll replace it and buy another spare to carry.

The fuel pump is a concern....

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

Given the epidemic of bad fuel pumps causing ruined trips this past year I would consider changing that as preventative maintenance. Me and about 3 others seem to have lost them in the middle of a trip. Other than that on the 5.4 I would say you're good. Other variations of the 5.4 seem to eat coil packs but I've never heard of them going bad in the vans.

Oh yea, I forgot that one. The original pump quit slowly (a few nonstarts) so I installed a new one in my drive way. The second one quit after 9 months and just one day prior to heading into Death Valley. I shudder to think what would have happened had it quit there, It would have been a very long walk out. Thanks for the reminder, I think I'll get a spare. If I had to, I could drop the tank just about anywhere, it wouldn't be fun, but it might beat trying to walk out.

[JWA]

Here's a few general thoughts on the venerable Modular Motors, both V8 & V10's.........

-DON'T run the fuel tank lower than 1/4 consistently---this single step should alleviate issues with failed pumps. Because they're in-tank they rely on residual fuel to keep cool(er). I'm running two different E250's, both of which are still on their original fuel pumps. This single step should lengthen a fuel pump's life quite significantly.

Monitoring the fuel pressure at the rails from time-to-time is a good idea---readings below or close to spec should engage a bit of research to see what is causing the decline. Clogged filters or failing Fuel Pressure Regulators could contribute to the fuel pump working harder than expected and an early demise.

-COP's or whatever we're calling them tend to be very long-lived, assuming we're installing good brands when/if replacement is needed. While I'm not against preventative maintenance there's no overwhelming need to replace these on any sort of schedule. Brand wise I buy ONLY Motorcraft or NAPA's better grade. I've been there, done that with cheap COP's and highly recommend against anything but top quality here.

-Spark plugs should be changed every 50K or so, boots inspected and/or replaced if they're suspect. While many will and do claim these motors can/do go 100K miles between plug changes that's asking for trouble. If you're DIY this is a $50-60 job, a few hours out of your day for peace of mind over that mileage. Along with plug gap becoming larger than optimal potential issues with plug removal after 100K miles are eliminated. I use Motorcraft OR Autolite plugs, nothing else, nickel-based anti-seize on the plug threads and torque them to 21-23 ft/lbs. (We can discuss this more if needed but it works for E-Series motors--trust me?!?! )

-Serpentine belts should be checked semi-frequently, perhaps most anytime you're under the hood or under the front of the van. Its easy to do and might save one failing while on the road. Carry an extra along with a suitable 1/2" drive ratchet or dedicated tool for replacement should that ever be needed. I've never let one go past the 100K mark without changing. IF the removed one looks even halfway usable carry it instead of a brand new one---it'll get you 100 miles or so in an emergency. These could be stowed under the hood somewhere, perhaps wire tied under the coolant reservoir?

-Oil should be changed every 3K-5K miles using nothing but top quality stuff. Under daily driving conditions its okay to go 5K, if your van sits more often than its driven and depending on the climate the frequency of changing becomes more time related than mileage. Motor oil can/does absorb moisture, if not frequently warmed to engine operating temperature that can cause an acid to form and lower viscosity.

-Transmission maintenance should be a high priority----full flushing or fluid exchange at intervals not exceeding 100K is highly recommended. The myths claiming this only creates early failures of "older" transmissions is one million percent wrong---I've done it on two 4R70W's both will well over 200K on them, nary a single issue at all. This procedure is easy even for one person, detailed on FTE by Mr Mark Kovolsky and myself, my contribution being only relative to E-Series with gasser motors.

So that's all I know--------------based upon real-life experiences mind you.

[Viva]

Hi JWA,

This really piqued my interest, because I had read the advice about not going below 1/4 tank to keep the fuel pump cool, and since I like to be able to do that, I wanted to see if it was true or not. Reason is (presuming that I know there are plenty of fuel stations ahead) that if I have to fill up at 1/3 tank (to avoid going below 1/4), that's like 30% more times I have to stop, 30% more opportunities for my card to be skimmed, someone to accidentally back into me, less of a chance to optimize fuel prices due to state lines, etc. etc. I just prefer to stop fewer times and have the range I "should" have according to the tank size.

(Of course it's not like I would cross the desert on 1/8 tank or something like that, and I'm not running down to 1/10 of a tank every time. But currently I don't worry about going below 1/4 tank as long as there is a ready fuel supply. But maybe I should be changing my practice?)

If I knew for sure that I should be fueling above 1/4 tank, then I would, just because replacing the pump is expensive and a pain and why strain stuff. OTOH, I hate doing things that make extra inconvenience for me for a non-reason (and I don't have a huge range anyway at 11 mpg and 37 gallons of fuel). So anyway, I'm not saying you are not right - and in fact I truly respect your broad knowledge base. I don't want to make it sound like I'm challenging you. I don't know AT ALL myself as I have never even seen the pump or the inside of the fuel tank. All I have done is search and read about it. But I wonder if you think this person's post (below) has any merit? If not, I'll start fueling before 1/4 tank.

Prior to today, I was going on this "nugget" of info. I don't know the person who posted it:

Info: The 1/4 tank to cool your fuel pump myth
Contrary to what some believe, it's not necessary to keep your tank at
any given level to prevent your fuel pump from "burning out".

Inspection of any pump/sender assy will bear this out. If such were the
case, the pump would be shaped like a large flat can and be right at the
bottom of the tank.

In fact, you are FAR more likely to burn your pump out prematurely if you
have a clogged fuel filter.

It's gas flowing THROUGH the pump that provides the cooling... and on EFI
systems that use fuel rail regulators and return lines, the flow can
diminish enough to allow the pump to overheat while there is still enough
flow to run the engine.


This was from here:

http://www.fordforums.com/f653/info-1-4 ... th-123512/

[Karsten]

The 1/4 tank rule does not only apply to Fords, it applies to nearly all in-tank pump designs. I had a few Bosch pumps failing on my BMWs by running the tank nearly empty most of the time. It's also very common on Dodge RAMs and especially a problem here in Europe where 85-90% of the V8 trucks and vans run on LPG and gas is only used to start and 2 minutes until the coolant heats up to 40°C. From then on gas runs in circles. This leads to people often run their gas tanks on very low levels most of the times and pump failures are common here. I always try to keep at least half a tank of gas, even if that means I have to fill up gas twice a year instead of once