F150 with 5.4 engine and auto trans.

I m looking at a 04 PU and thought I d ask for info on towing cap. I d not go over 8000 max trailer and load. Fuel milage and dependablity. Any help will be appreciated.

2-valve 4.6 L, 5.4 L, and 6.8 L engines found in many 1997–2008 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles have an issue with stripped or missing spark plug threads in the cylinder heads. Ford acknowledges this issue in TSB 07-21-2 as well as earlier TSBs. Ford's TSB does not state that this issue is caused by owner neglect. Ford's only authorized repair procedure for out-of-warranty vehicles is to use the LOCK-N-STITCH aluminum insert and tool kit. For vehicles under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, Ford will only cover the replacement of the entire cylinder head; however, the Ford recommended spark plug service interval extends beyond the duration of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.[57]

3-valve 5.4 L and 6.8 L engines built before 10/9/07 and 3-valve 4.6 Ls built before 11/30/07 found in many 2004–2008 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles have an issue with difficult to remove spark plugs which can cause part of the spark plug to become seized in the cylinder head. The source of the problem is a unique plug design that is made with a 2-piece shell, which often separates, leaving the lower portion of the spark plug stuck deep in the engine. Ford acknowledges this issue in TSB 08-7-6 as well as earlier TSBs. Ford's TSB does not state that this issue is caused by owner neglect. The TSB provides a special procedure for spark plug removal on these engines. For situations where the spark plug has broken in the head, Ford distributes multiple special tools for removing the seized portion of the plug. The multiple procedures required for the different cases/situations of plugs seized in these engines are explained in the TSB. This repair is covered for vehicles under warranty; however, the Ford recommended spark plug service interval extends beyond the duration of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.[58]

Federal-Mogul, parent company of Champion Spark Plug, and Brisk Silver Racing have introduced a 1-piece machined shell 3-valve spark plugs that addresses the OEM 2-piece spark plug's separation issues.[59][60]

Good reason to avoid buying 1997 to 2008 Ford products.It seems to take Ford 10 years to fix their screwups.I have a 1996 F150 and hope to keep it for a long time.Road salt is a problem here.

(quoted from post at 13:40:49 07/25/13) I m looking at a 04 PU and thought I d ask for info on towing cap. I d not go over 8000 max trailer and load. Fuel milage and dependablity. Any help will be appreciated.

Click to expand...

Feeling a little crazy this morning so I thought I'd actually try to answer the OP's question...

http://www.ford-trucks.com/specs/2004/2004_f150_7.html

Is this a 3 valve (think 04s were)? The ask if the cam phasers (vct solenoids) have been replaced. These control the variable cam timing. If they have not been replaced you are looking at a $800-900 job. Just had it done on my 06 Expy.

Like others said on the spark plugs, they can be a b****. They are also expensive at like $50 each from the Ford dealer. They are good for 100k.

It all boils down to maintenance. If it has been well maintained with service records, then that is good. If not, just adjust the price accordingly.

As a FYI, 100k service and cam phasers were $1800 on my Expy. That included spark plugs, coolant flush, trans, diffs (front, rear, center) oil change, etc...