Ford 4.9l reliability and problems

Anyone got real world experience with these engines? Looking at a 88 f150 5speed with efi and wondering if these engines are really reliable and if there are any common problems with them... Last one I had was in an e150 with blown head gasket...

They are as reliable as gravity. We had a company truck that a coworker bought when retired several years ago. The only problems he has had have been fuel pumps or solenoid.

They are generally reliable as gravity so long as they aren't sludged up. They are my favorite gasoline truck engine of all time. Not fast by any means, but diesel-like torque and smooth running. They live a long, long time with just basic maintance. The blown HG that you encountered was probably drive with no coolant for a long time.

If I were shopping for a used pickup, and didn't need diesel or V8 power for towing something big, a 4.9 powered Ford would be high on my list. In fact, I'd take one over most newer V6s, and V8s.

They are as reliable as any engine ever built. They may even be the most reliable ever built.

all those answers are right on.... thats why most don't even change Plugs till after 100,000. thats also why you have to Heli-coil the Holes while doing a plug change (lots of times) they freeze into the head from Dissimilar metal corriosion. ALWAYS tighten the Plug a bump to Mayhaps break it loose before backing it out.

so it finally dawned on me ... y'all are referring to the 300i six .... right ?

My uncle has had his seems like forever. It's in a '77 f250 has tons of miles on it but has never quit. It even towed a small tug boat/barge for a short distance once many years ago.

The last several years it's been mostly a farm truck moving boats and other things around the property.

wbjones wrote: so it finally dawned on me ... y'all are referring to the 300i six .... right ?

Yeah I thought the op was trying to be cryptic for some reason lol.

In reply to HappyAndy:

Thank you Captain Obvious

In reply to spitfirebill:

You're welcome, I guess?

I wasn't even in the Park, I thought it was an Aluminum head v-8.

I miss my 4.9 truck. Never had an engine issue. Rust is a different story. When the exhaust rusted off behind the cat it just sounded like a diesel. In 4x4 it returned 15 mixed, 20 highway with the OD5.

While all of this true, remember that these are 30 years old. Reliability can be pretty hard to guarantee at that age.

spitfirebill wrote: In reply to HappyAndy: Thank you Captain Obvious

What did he say to warrant this?

I'm genuinely curious. I didn't see anything in his reply that would need this response.

The engines themselves are solid but the EFI models all seem to get extremely difficult to trace vacuum leaks. And the air injection fails a lot.

They're real pull motors. They don't make much power and they don't really accelerate, but they do great if you just give 'em a load and let them pull.

3 things in the automotive world refuse to break. the 235" chevy straight 6, ford 300 straight 6, and chrysler's slant six. those should be held as the benchmark to which everything else is measured. unfortunately, almost everything else pales in comparison.

patgizz wrote: 3 things in the automotive world refuse to break. the 235" chevy straight 6, ford 300 straight 6, and chrysler's slant six. those should be held as the benchmark to which everything else is measured. unfortunately, almost everything else pales in comparison.

QFT. I'd add Toyota 2/3TC motor is somewhere in the top three but with those domestics you certainly have my top four of all time for reliability.

Brian wrote: I miss my 4.9 truck. Never had an engine issue. Rust is a different story. When the exhaust rusted off behind the cat it just sounded like a diesel. In 4x4 it returned 15 mixed, 20 highway with the OD5.

I wonder how hard a swap it would be to get it into my '97 F150 that has an anemic 4.6 ... has a hard time getting out of it's own way ....

the 300i6 would do everything I need this truck to do

patgizz wrote: 3 things in the automotive world refuse to break. the 235" chevy straight 6, ford 300 straight 6, and chrysler's slant six. those should be held as the benchmark to which everything else is measured. unfortunately, almost everything else pales in comparison.

And the Toyota 2f/3f (based on the chevy stovebolt 6 of course)

Wow, due to the outpour of praise, it looked good so I bought it, here's the ad lmk what you guys think http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5420685028.html Oops, didn't mean to be cryptic, it slipped my mind that the "5.0" was technically a 4.9l... but yeah I ment the inline 6

I hope I didn't just screw myself... first order of biz though, I'm fairly large, and the steering wheel to seat is fairly narrow... man that wheel cover was not ribbed for my pleasure :(

The only problem I've ever seen with trucks like that, are broken shifters. Ford made them a little too hard and they would snap right at the floorboard. That's a pretty good buy for a good basic truck. Keep in mind the gas mileage won't be the best in the world, but it will damn sure run forever.

Edit: I'm 6'2" and 280. I always had plenty of room in the cab of them.

wbjones wrote:

Brian wrote: I miss my 4.9 truck. Never had an engine issue. Rust is a different story. When the exhaust rusted off behind the cat it just sounded like a diesel. In 4x4 it returned 15 mixed, 20 highway with the OD5.

I wonder how hard a swap it would be to get it into my '97 F150 that has an anemic 4.6 ... has a hard time getting out of it's own way .... the 300i6 would do everything I need this truck to do

It would suck and require moving metal. The engine bay wasn't designed for anything longer than a Mod motor.

One CAN remove an engine from a '97 style F-150 from the top, but it sucks. Mod motors need to come out sideways and you have to pull the damper and water pump off of a 4.2. The core support does not unbolt like in F250s and later F150s. Very very cramped engine bay lengthwise.

WonkoTheSane wrote:

spitfirebill wrote: In reply to HappyAndy: Thank you Captain Obvious

What did he say to warrant this? I'm genuinely curious. I didn't see anything in his reply that would need this response.

"They are generally reliable as gravity so long as they aren't sludged up"

What engine loves sludge?

Knurled wrote:

wbjones wrote:

Brian wrote: I miss my 4.9 truck. Never had an engine issue. Rust is a different story. When the exhaust rusted off behind the cat it just sounded like a diesel. In 4x4 it returned 15 mixed, 20 highway with the OD5.

I wonder how hard a swap it would be to get it into my '97 F150 that has an anemic 4.6 ... has a hard time getting out of it's own way .... the 300i6 would do everything I need this truck to do

It would suck and require moving metal. The engine bay wasn't designed for anything longer than a Mod motor. One CAN remove an engine from a '97 style F-150 from the top, but it sucks. Mod motors need to come out sideways and you have to pull the damper and water pump off of a 4.2. The core support does not unbolt like in F250s and later F150s. Very very cramped engine bay lengthwise.

yeah, had already figured that out ... it was a tongue in cheek post, that I didn't make clear ... my bad

In reply to spitfirebill:

I added that point because when I had to find a replacement 4.9 for my F150, I had to go through every one in every junkyard in South Jersey to find one that wasn't sludged up really badly. It seems that some (or a lot of) people think they are so reliable that they don't even need oil changes.

I had to find a replacement because the teenaged me did something really dumb to my engine. No engine, no mater how tough, takes well to metalic foreign objects going through the intake at highway speeds.