5.4L opinions and lifespan

[carringb]

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

This little tidbit got me thinking. I can't recall EVER hearing the fan kick in on my van. On the flip side, I've never seen the coolant temp gauge get high enough to cause even a little concern. I guess 8 gallons of coolant helps smooth out any temperature fluctuations, but I would like to know that the fan clutch is at least functional. I'm assuming my '98 5.4L uses a fluid type clutch? Any idea what temp it should kick in at?

edit to add some value: I have a 2wd E350 with a 5.4L, 4R100 trans, 4.56 gears, and 34" tall tires. As others here have already said, I find the power "adequate", but never "exciting." I regularly tow ~3,000lbs, occassionally ~8,000lbs, and very rarely 10-11,000lbs.

Yes, you have a fluid type fan-clutch. The temp gauge is buffered, so as long as your coolant temp is anywhere from 170F-230F it'll read exactly the same. The OEMs started doing this in the 90s to reduce the number of unnecessary service department visits from people who don't understand normal engine operations (and more recently, many don't even have a temp gauge anymore). You'd need a scan gauge or similar to find out your actual coolant temps.

But considering your rig, I would expect you would have heard it by now if it were working.

[JWA]

Re: Cooling system components

Just last weekend I replaced my thermostat, coolant reservoir bottle, radiator cap and fan clutch due what I thought was an overheating problem. My symptoms were coolant being expelled from what I thought was the radiator cap after a drive with A/C on during a "hot" day. As it turns out the cap wasn't holding proper pressure but more importantly the reservoir bottle had a small leak shown here:



Smart shopping found a Motorcraft YB3016 new fan clutch assembly ($85) and radiator cap ($11), reservoir bottle cheapest through dealership ($82) andNAPA t'stat ($8). FWIW NAPA had a sale on their pre-mixed green coolant for $7 a gallon--at such a good price I bought 12 for general purposes.

Changing the fan clutch was super simple but I did buy a Gear Wrench pulley holding tool---not sure this would have been so relatively easy without that tool. I did use a properly adjusted pipe wrench removing the fan clutch nut but if interested in using the correct wrench it measures nominal 36mm.

The radiator cap tested to open at about 13 lbs which seemed to warrant replacement---for $11 new OEM that's a no-brainer.

I did "test" the radiator for potential partial clogs by running a garden hose into the top opening, lower hose removed. Flow was equal going in and coming out---no apparent backing up of water in the radiator. Also no migration of coolant, ATF or engine oil which was a concern when this imagine over heating situation was first noticed.

Not sure how often the coolant bottles develop leaks but this is my first on an E-Series.

Monitoring my coolant temps via a scanner I see anywhere from 200*F to 230*F depending if A/C is running and at an idle. At freeway speeds with A/C on a hot day (90*F + and very high humidity) I hold just about 207-210*F.

The new fan clutch absolutely roars, at least 2-3x louder than the OEM part removed---this from a dead stop accelerating up through 35 MPH or so. Once speed is reached the noise subsides---oddly enough its comforting knowing the fan is moving that much air.

So just a few tidbits about these particular components---if any questions please feel free to ask!

[Bbasso]

Originally Posted by winmag4582001

There’s just no physical way to add power to a na motor.

That is wrong.
There are many ways to add/ extract more power from a naturally aspirated motor.

[Cruzliife]

A lot of really good info here about the cooling system. Thank you guys so much.
1. I only have seen my van over heat once. Circumstance was 110 degrees and idoling w the AC on.
2. I’ve never heard the fan clutch kick on.
3. Thermostat always read in the middle which I know now is just a pre set unless it totally over heats.

What to do?
1. Bring her in for a new motor craft fan clutch?
2. How can I get an accurate thermostat?

[winmag4582001]

Originally Posted by Bbasso

That is wrong.
There are many ways to add/ extract more power from a naturally aspirated motor.

Sorry, I should clarify.

Taking a bone stock motor and putting a "tune" on it will gain you no power. I firmly stand behind that comment! Bring me a dyno sheet if you think I'm wrong. (Forced induction cars and diesels are totally different story.)

What a tune really does is change the shift points and pressure in the transmission to better utilize HP and torque. It also reduces the FBW time of the throttle response. Both things make it feel more powerful, but in reality you are programming the transmission from economy/comfort to performance.

Version 3 of the tune I was sent by 5Star was awesome out on the interstate when driving above 70mph and pulling hills at speed. It honestly made my van feel really strong.
Unfortunately, if I was going 60mph or slower, it felt no different than stock and what was even worse was how the tranny would shudder during normal shifts between 50-60mph. Full throttle shifts were never a problem. Another thing I didn't like was how the van would shift from 1st to 2nd very quickly in town, and it would do it hard. Again, if I would come off the line at full throttle, this wasnt a an issue, but I dont really want to run my van to the floor 100% of the time.

[Cruzliife]

Wingmag,
What do suggest for my SMB w custom build. I do not ever tow anything but she does feel a bit sluggish. I figured bec its so big and the build and PH prob don’t help any with the weight. Is the 5 star Version 3 something.i should consider? What will it do to my fuel economy?

[winmag4582001]

Originally Posted by Cruzliife

Wingmag,
What do suggest for my SMB w custom build. I do not ever tow anything but she does feel a bit sluggish. I figured bec its so big and the build and PH prob don’t help any with the weight. Is the 5 star Version 3 something.i should consider? What will it do to my fuel economy?

Many of the people on here have had awesome luck with 5Star, it just didn't work well for me. I'm considering a custom tune from SSI. I e-mailed them Thursday of what I wanted. Hopefully it works to my liking. If it doesn't, then I'll just have to live with the soft feel and constant shifting of the stock settings.

My reference to Version 3 is not a product they sell, it was just their third attempt at trying to get a program that didn't make all the light on my dash flash like a Christmas tree and cause my van to idle at 44 degrees advanced.

Fuel economy was actually good with the tune. It averaged better with the tune on the interstate than without. Also, the tranny temp on the interstate was actually lower with the tune.

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by Cruzliife

Wingmag,
What do suggest for my SMB w custom build. I do not ever tow anything but she does feel a bit sluggish. I figured bec its so big and the build and PH prob don’t help any with the weight. Is the 5 star Version 3 something.i should consider? What will it do to my fuel economy?

I've bought about 4 5-star tuners for various vans, one was a 5.4l. It did a LOT for it. I never dyno'd it but from all the tunes I've had I firmly believe some HP is found simply by getting rid of a lot of the emissions limitations. As for the shift points it helped on every truck I've put one on.

I would start there.

[JWA]

Originally Posted by Cruzliife

A lot of really good info here about the cooling system. Thank you guys so much.
1. I only have seen my van over heat once. Circumstance was 110 degrees and idoling w the AC on.
2. I’ve never heard the fan clutch kick on.
3. Thermostat always read in the middle which I know now is just a pre set unless it totally over heats.

What to do?
1. Bring her in for a new motor craft fan clutch?
2. How can I get an accurate thermostat?

One good way measure actual coolant temp during operation is using a scanner----I use a "older" Actron CP9580. It allows me to create a custom list of parameters I want to monitor in real time and displays their values. I can set that scanner to read very PID available through the DLC or as few as a single PID, coolant temp only for example. (Temps read through the DLC are what the PCM sees which in turn controls or affects many engine functions. In every stock E-Series I've owned with gasoline engines the PCM does NOT control the fan clutch--that's handled by the clutch fan assembly itself.)

From those readings you can determine if anything is needed. Keep in mind I changed my fan clutch because I thought it prudent however in reality I might have lessened my concerns by replacing just the coolant reservoir bottle and radiator cap. Because reliability is a huge concern I'll change some parts due their age---at the time of my repair I had just at 264K miles on a 2003 E250.

Good quality thermostats like Motorcraft, Stant, NAPA et al ad infinitum are accurate enough for our needs. Just stay away from the cheap brands--if you can't track or verify the actual manufacturer avoid it.

FWIW I'm considering adding a interior mounted coolant temp gauge separate from the instrument cluster indicator---I have yet to decide where I'll place that gauge's sending unit.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

For sure a tune alone can/will add power!

To 86scotty's comment -- YES -- once the emission restrictions are effectively "ignored" by a new/aftermarket-programmed air/fuel and ignition timing PCM schedule, a lot can be done/horsepower and torque increased. (You won't pass smog wth it any more, of course...)

The tune-improved throttle response and shift point schedules only serve to enhance those power improvements.

What those changes do to the longevity of an engine is debatable though....by leaning out the air/fuel mixture you get more power, but at the expense of higher temperatures.