Give Your Ford Truck More Life with Used Engines

In the last ten years, Ford trucks have used three major 8 cylinder engines: The 4.6L Romeo and 4.6L Windsor engines, the 5.4L Triton engine, and the 6.8L Triton engine. All of these have been strong engines for trucks that are truly “Built Ford Tough.” Even the tough guys fall though, and Ford Truck engines cannot avoid the wear of time and high miles. When your Ford engine fails, and you find yourself needing an engine, you have three options. We’ll discuss those in this article and give you the information you need to make an intelligent choice in selecting a Ford Truck replacement engine.

You have three basic options when trying to locate a replacement engine: used engines, rebuilt engines, and remanufactured (new) engines. This article is written with the bias that used engines are a great way to save money and get a good product, so I will essentially be comparing rebuilt and remanufactured engines to <a onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href=http://www.lowmileageengines.com>used engines</a>. Used engines won’t always comprise your best solution, but nine times out of ten, you will find a better option used.

The first option we are going to compare to used engines is a rebuilt engine. There is a wide variance of opinion as to what a rebuilt engine actually is. The accepted industry definition has evolved over the years, but I consider it to mean an engine in which the part causing it to fail has been replaced. In other words, rebuilding is typically not very thorough. Also, since new parts can at times stress old parts, rebuilt engines can prematurely fail. This leaves you holding the bill for replacing your motor again, damaging your wallet in many ways. Rebuilts are a very short-sighted solution, since they realistically will not last long.

Remanufactured engines are normally the second best option to used engines. If no suitable used engine can be found then this option should be considered. However, if a low mileage engine is available, this is your best bet! A true remanufactured engine is an engine that has been stripped to the bare block and cylinder head. After this is done, it is cleaned, and the camshaft and crank shaft are remachined. They’re tested, and it they pass, used. If not, they are replaced. All other internal parts are new, and good remanufacturers use higher quality parts than OEM parts. The only weakness in these engines is if they remanufacturing process requires shaving of the heads, which limits any future rebuilding or remanufacturing of the engine. A true remanufactured motor is a great option that is severely limited in practicality by cost. They are expensive; some remans can run close to $20,000, depending on their application. A good reman for a 5.4L motor will set you back $4,500.

4.6L Romeo and Windsor engines are expensive when they are remanufactured. They are also somewhat expensive used. Romeo engines are more reasonable in pricing because they can be removed from Crown Victorias, Mercury Marquis and Lincoln Town Cars. However, they must be stripped to a long block to work in these applications.

5.4L Triton engines are getting rare in their pre-2004 versions. 2004 was a split production year with some F-150’s getting the older style engines, and some F-150’s getting the new “3 valve” 5.4L engines. Since so many companies use these in fleet vans and fleet trucks as well as for private hauling, there is strong demand for these engines remanufactured and new. Some mechanics have reported that the 3 valve engines have been problematic to work on due to spark plug and pre-detonation issues, but when you compare the number of problems with these engines to the number of engines on the road, it becomes clear that these are minor problems only. When replacing your 2005 and above 5.4L engine, a used engine is definitely your best option, since there are many low mileage used engines available for this application. For the older style 5.4L engines, remanufactured engines might make more sense than used engines, simply because of availability issues.

No matter what type of engine you purchase, it is imperative that you have a competent mechanic install it. Notice that I did not say “certified,” but competent. You will find an occasional certified mechanic who is not competent, and there are many competent mechanics that are not certified. You want a mechanic with a clean shop area, adequate experience, and a fair rate. The lowest rate is not always the “cheapest” rate, since mechanics with a very low rate cannot always afford to fix things they do wrong.

If you can find a mechanic who works at a dealership during the week to install your engine in a few evenings or over a weekend, you can save significantly. In this instance, you would be getting a technician who regularly handled your brand and engine type and was familiar with the ins and outs. Additionally, they would have access to the manufacturers repair manuals and parts schematics.

It is my hope that this article is helpful in determining what the best option for replacing your Ford engine is – a good, used engine.