CAR WIZARD Tears Apart the Ford 5.4 3 Valve V8 

This video pertains to the 3V only!! Not the 4.6, or the 2V, which are decent engines. ONLY the 3V as stated in the video.

I love how calmly angry the wizard gets

I love that even Wizard's wife calls him Car Wizard...

I’m actually on my 5th 5.4 3V , 3rd Expedition. All have gone over 200,000 miles with no phaser, timing chain, spark plug issues. With over 50 years in the auto repair business, I’m obsessive about maintenance. Probably not the best Ford engine, for sure. My only complaint is low power

Great video. I currently have a 2007 Expedition and have had the unfortunate honor of changing the cam phasers, timing chain tensioners and guides. Once completed she ran and continues to run like a dream. Your video is spot on! Frequent oil changes is a must for this and many engines. I change mine every 3000 to 4000 miles. What also kills these engines are the short trips to the neighborhood "grocery store" and back. It is crucial for the engine parts to reach optimum operating temperature. Short hops doesn't heat up parts and oil or varnish sits on parts which begins the sludge build up process. So, change oil frequently and drive damn it. DRIVE!!!!

"Change Engine" light came on

These engines CAN BE FIXED with a Timing Kit and High Volume Oil Pump, trust me I do a couple hundred a year. My whole channel and business is built on fixing the 5.4L 3v engine. So yes I have first hand experience that my methods work or my customers would be letting me know, only a few actually need a new engine. It is inexperienced techs that don't know this engine and how to fix the core problem that just throw reman engines in and they do it because they know it will be a definite no brainer fix in the end so they can go onto the next job.....

I wouldn't really say it's the engine's fault then, the failure was caused by lack of maintenance. Sludge from no oil changes will kill any engine regardless of how good it is.

I own a 2005 F150 5.4 3V Triton engine. I've always used fully synthetic Royal Purple 5W20, then switched over to 5W30. The only thing that I ever changed on the engine was a starter that went out at 190,000 miles. The only next item I ever changed was the VCT Control Solenoids that are exposed from the top of the valve covers.. That's it. Everythiing else internally in the motor is original. Original timing chain, cam phase sensors, you name it. Muffler, tailpipe, catalytic converter...all original. Change your oil people, and you too will get 348,000 miles like I have so far. I'm heading for 400,000 miles on his worst engine. It runs like a top, has a lot of pep, energy, and speed. It's like most motors with 100,000 miles...that good.

Your spot on about doing ONLY what is agreed to on paper before the job. People are nuts about stuff.

"Do exactly what you are told, nothing more" truer words have never been spoken

The issue is not a badly designed Ford motor it’s as you stated a customer neglecting regular oil Changes. I’ve seen many 5.4 3v go well over 300,000 miles and I speak from experience as I also work in the trade.

My friend is a Ford mechanic. He says you have to be sure and use Motorcraft oil filters on the 5.4, because if you take it to a lube shop, they'll throw one of those tiny off-brand filters on there, and this is where you get the oil pressure problems.

I worked at a Ford dealership when this engine came out. One of the older veteran engine mechanics in the shop predicted the 5.4 Triton 3 valve engine to be an absolute disaster. He was correct.

I'm a Ford guy, and I'm pissed. Pissed at Ford.

I have a 2009 5.4 3v with 305,000 miles. Never been touched except for meticulous maintenance. This is a farm truck that gets daily hard usage. Take care of them and they will last a long time.

one good thing for these motors is manning makes high volume oil pumps for it. Definitely helps with keeping those journals clear. I'm 100% with you on oil changes. I always recommend using synthetic oil and changing it ever 5000 miles for these motors.

Now I know why the 5.4 in my wifes 06 Expedition sounds like a diesel

Nice video Wizard. I've had several of these 5.4's and never had a problem. I always change the oil every 3k miles. I think it pays to baby your car. Oil is cheap compared to repairs. You can't change your oil enough.....clean oil = long life!!

Hey Wiz, great video like always but I do have one point to make, using M1 for over 30 years now, 20K miles between oil changes and 5K miles on a quality Filter (i.e.WIX).. Here's a no BS story for you, had a 22R motor in an '81 Celica that I put 90K miles on, and later gave to my sister in law. Several years later one sunny afternoon she was driving to Atlanta form Birmingham when the motor overheated, steamed up ,etc... Had the car towed to a repair shop where the mechanic discovered a bad thermostat and warpped head. At the time the car had 180K miles and my dear sister in law performed zero maintenance. Funny thing was, when the guy pulled the valve cover, although he expected a ton of gunk, sludge however the rockers, overheard cam were pristine. Post head shave and gasket replaced, he pulled a compression check - the car exceeded MFR specs,. He then asked her who her mechanic was - she said no one but mentioned she got the car from me.

The hilarious irony: watching this video, 2 Ford ads played

I am impressed that so many people can just drag $6200 bucks out of their pocket to buy a new engine.

3:46 I probably said that phrase dozens of times yesterday as I replaced a 5.4 in a 2005 F-150. Not only is the engine garbage but almost everything is difficult to access as well.

I love you car wizard. I just found your account randomly but you are so professional and knowledgeable. Making all these educational vids for us is awesome

When you touch stuff you arent paid to do it will always go wrong. Listen to that kids. No good deed goes unpunished is very real.

I am a true Ford guy. Thank you for your video on Garbage engineering. Bad engineering is BAD no matter who puts it out to the unsuspecting public.

I had a 2010 Raptor with a 5.4L Triton 3V and I had no problems with it. I got it with about 5K miles but kept up with the oil changes frequently (about 3K miles) until I sold it with 55K miles. Between watching this and "I do cars" it makes me really appreciate the importance of keeping up with the oil changes in all motors. I work at home now so I don't put many miles on my vehicles so I change the oil every 6 months even if I have not put many miles on it since the last oil change. My thinking is that the gasoline starts breaking down the oil especially with all of the cold starts (dumping more fuel on start up) with all of my short trips.

This man is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Heed his words. Thank you Wizard.

*hugs 32-year old Ford 5.0* and iiiiiiiiiii will always love youuuuu

5.4 worst engine. 6.0 liter Ford diesel: hold my beer.

What you're describing has been explained to me by more seasoned techs than myself in my youth as "no good deed goes unpunished" I've found this to be extremely true over the past 15 years in the automotive service industry.

I work for a major Auto Parts chain.( former 26 year mechanic ) I hear constantly about the issues people are having with them 5.4 3v. I recommend using a good engine flush before each oil change and yes i recommend changing oil often.

Guys. Mechanics like this make an honest living. You don't need a degree. You don't need student debt. Just make an honest living not screwing people like a lot of shit mechanics. Be honest, do good work, and live a great life.

"I'm not an engine but I'd be a heck of a lot more reliable than what was in here" *Air Horns*

Thanks for the great video ! My F250HD -'09 - 3 valve was bought on the 'real cheap' for $2800 and because it had just had the oil pump and phaser work done at 138,000. I now have nearly 190,000 on it and use it exclusively for towing a trailer. Out of the fleet of a dozen trucks, this is my only 3 valve and would have never owned except it was rust free, maintained well, and it was cheap. My biggest gripe is the horrible fuel mileage as it gets around 9-10 mpg at 70 mph whereas my V10 F350 duallies and the 6.2 F250/F350s will pull easily and run at up to 80 mph with a 14-16 mpg return on fuel. All are geared the same, but some are manuals and some are automatics. All are standard cab trucks and base units except one which is a 4 door with a topper and high level trim. ALL were bought used but with great maint. history. I will not be 'looking' for another after all the problems others have encountered, but hope mine will make it at least until the body rots off of it. We appreciate your candid observations Mr Car Wizard and love your content !

I see so many 5.4 3 valves running 200000 / 300000 miles on original engines. I just replaced mine with 215,000 because of cam phasers, now if I didn't plan on running the next 3 years towing a 33 ft wildwood RV I'd kept that engine. Don't worry I'll be doing a 3 year RU-vid channel on this starting next spring. 2005 xl f150 the new updated 5.4 motors are getting 300000 miles, thanks to mellings 340/360 oil pump and new oil passage opening.

12:10 as Scotty always says: oil is cheap, engines are not

I found it ironic that a Ford ad played during this video.

Sadly not enough people believe it is a problem or they think it won't happen to them. Everyone ive seen has had to be done over or replaced. Good work good content brother much love keep the video rolling.

Good afternoon family. Thank you very much for the valuable information and for your time. 🙏

Can't be worse than the 4.7 liter in older Tundras and Sequoias, you got to replace those at 1.1 or 1.2 million miles

I believe fords are a result of an engineer catching a mechanic in bed with his wife.

189,000 on my 2010 F-150 just did Phasers, timing chain, timing guides, tensioners, melling high pressure oil pump. All in OEM Parts and labor it was $1187.00. A hair more than a new set of tires. Just had an offer of $14,000 for my rig, might sell it. Don't be afraid of the 5.4, great motor.

Dear Car Wizard and Family, it doesn’t matter if you are an engineer or not , you are the man who repairs day in and day out the cars which are produced, so normally engineers should flock to you for advice on how to build better cars. But as it seems the car industry is not at all interested in this or in its customers who keep the car corporations alive. Reminds me of the song of ABBA : „Money, Money, Money always funny in the Rich Man‘s World. God bless you All car Wizard for your excellent and heartfelt job.

LS-Swap it and watch all the Ford people lose their minds.

I worked for Ford as a quality engineer. I stuck it for three years, then I left due to lack of quality :)))

Thank you Sir! Extremely informative! Take Care

193,000 miles on '07 F150. Change oil every 3,000, changed spark plugs at 100,000 myself, nothing broke. I did by the Lisle tool just in case. The camshaft phasors have been ticking lightly since 85,000. Love the truck, when the engine goes I'll replace it with a Jasper and motor on.

Hahaha "I'm not an engine but I'm a hell of a lot more reliable..." love it. Great videos 😎😎

Owner of the mark LT has Porsche’s and bmws and Bentley’s...but also puts autozone 4x4 badges on his Lincoln truck...yikes

Thank you for a answering a question I was going to ask on another video (seemed like a stupid question) I was always taught to change the oil every 3k miles. THANK YOU for reaffirming that! I bought an 18 Grand Cherokee with the V6 Pentastar. I will follow your advice and change the oil every 3k. Thank you again!

Love the video! Not as a Toyota owner, but as a one-time automotive machinist who appreciates honesty. Keep going Mr. Wizard!

I worked at a Ford dealership and the mechanic would say that engine is a piece of crap.

I liked the Wizard's attitude about cleaning a customer's car. I took my car to a body shop after a front-end collision. When I went to pick it up, he said he needed to show me something. All the paint was peeled off of the rear bumper. I was like WTF the front end was damaged in an accident, not the rear! The ass had pressure-washed the whole car which peeled the paint off the rear bumper, and then he refused to do anything to fix the damage he had done. Needless to say I will never go back to that shop and I bad-mouthed him all over town.

My dad definitely had the spark plug problem and sold it before it started the clackety clack but he still had to put a transmission in it. He was really good about maintenance but sometimes junk is junk

Hello. Honest questions. Could a 4.6, 302 or 351 be installed instead of the 5.4? Or is it just asking for headaches?

If you think these are bad, you're going to LOVE when you start seeing Ecoboost engines on a regular basis.

Ugh, those 2-piece spark plugs were a nightmare when I was a service writer. Nothing like telling people right off the bat that their tune up was gonna run $1000.

What are the symptoms? I'm looking at one that runs rough after sitting for 2 years. Could that be a bad engine or should I gamble and hope it's something else

I'd like to know how that Powertrain engine is holding up. My brother got one for his 07 and had to replace the phasers after a week because they didn't use the Motorcraft parts which is a necessity on these motors. My 05 has 271k miles and I've changed the timing components plus a Melling oil pump and still going strong. The spark plugs have been redesigned years ago to a 1 piece so breakage is very slim now.

Weeeezard you're such a good teacher its incredibly calming to listen to you and easy to understand. awesome. gonna watch many more vids now hehe

Thank you Sir Wizard for doing what you do. Truly, you provide a service, and for the normal people who can’t afford the high end vehicles, and buy used, this is invaluable.

I got to say the 5.4 3v is the best engine i have ever had. Granted its all on the owner. I knew the issues before i bought it at 140k miles. But after 160k miles now i am at 300k with oil changes ever 3k miles as well as regular transmission and differential fluid changes. The only major repair i have had is the AC. I have no cam issues timing chain issues. Runs just as well if not better the day i bought it. Can only blame the owners and being lazy. Agree ford could of designed it better for the lazyer of owners. But taking care of properly or earlier this engine can last damn near 400k+ miles.

watching these videos has helped me give my customers the best advice and recommendations for services. I may just work at a parts store but the wealth of knowledge ive gained from your videos has actually saved several of my customers thousands of dollars in damages to their vehicles by providing them the correct maintenance and service to their vehicles. specifically this engine which is all over my hometown. Thanks wizard!

Seeing such a nice, soft spoken man such as the Wizard all riled up over the 5.4 has finally convinced me that the 5.4 isn't worth considering anymore in a used truck. I've been shopping used trucks and the 5.4 f150 is permanently off my list. Thanks bud! Keep on Wizarding on!

I love your videos. I am a a firm believer of preventative maintenance. I have a 2005 Ford F150 with the 5.4 3V engine with now has 62,000 miles on it. I purchased the truck when it had 22,000 miles on it. I immediately changed the spark plugs and took pretty much two days to do it. I sprayed each cylinder one at a time with DEEP CREEP and let it set for a least two hours before trying to remove the plugs. I used an air impact wrench but just tickled the trigger back and forth to break it loose. Luckily I didn't break a one and got them all out. Ford told me not to worry about it the truck only has 22,000 miles you can wait til 100,000 miles before replacing them. After replacing them later on I found out Ford came out with a second revision plug so I replaced the plugs again at 60,000 miles and just learned that Ford came out with a third revision of the plug. So I will replace them again this spring, if not before. All of the fuel injectors were cleaned with a new starter has also been done too. The transmission fluid and the power steering fluids were also changed with the differential all at 60,000. The fuel filter was also changed. I always change my oil and filter every 3,000 miles so I will not have that slug in the engine that you had there. I just recently changed the VCT solenoids even though I did not have any code issues, I just thought it was time to do it. I will also replace the belt tentioner, belt and camshaft solenoids, even though I don't have any code issues there either. Again I am a firm believer of preventative maintenance. Next up I will replace all of the followers, lash adjusters, timing chain, tentioners, rails, camshaft pharsers with a Melling M360HV extra heavy duty oil pump. After all of that done the engine should be bullet proof. I am not waiting till the vehicle has 100,000 miles or more on it before these things are taken care, even though Ford says you don't have to do all of that now. IMHO the truck is now 15 years old, you can't go by mileage. Just though you should know there are a few of us that really take care of the vehicles we have. Your videos are outstanding I really enjoy them.

QUESTION. I'm waiting on parts. Going to be atlest 2 week. So a total of 3 week not running. What is the best way to clean my engine while I have the valve covers and pan off?

Hello Wizard...if you have a chance, can you please tell me where you can get westherseals for the injector connection to the harness. I had a bad experience with my wife's 5.4 Ford Triton, 2001 Ford Expedition. I lost a couple of the seals and can't seem to find oem replacements. Thank you.

I dont think he is being rude hes just trying to educate and be honest.

I have an 06 expedition with this engine in it. It's been a good running truck. I did have to do the tune up where 3 of the plugs broke on me but the remover kit is worth it's wait in gold. I also do my engine oil changes every 3000. After watching your video on best trucks I do feel my next truck will be a Toyota though.

Very informative vid, thanks for that! Can you make a vid about the most reliable V8s of each manufacturer? Would love to get all international manufacturers battle it out in a comparison of the most reliable engines ever. Lexus V8s, Mercs M113s, Ford 4.6 V8, etc etc

Have a 2005 fx4 5.4 with 233k. Oil changes every 4500 miles and use the heavier motorcraft oil. It's a 20 mpg highway truck and runs great with bolt ons. I did have a roller follower.fail at 195k miles but fixed it immediately. People need to pay attention to issues and not just run until detonation.

Thank you Mr. Wizard, a true journeyman and gentleman.this man has knowledge and integrity at level that sadly is rare in today's society. Thank you!

I had a guy with the same sludge problem come to me and when I recommended a new engine, he said regardless of price he wanted HIS engine rebuilt. I went though the costs involved, including sending the heads and intake to the machine shop. I $#it you not, this guy said that he wanted his engine rebuilt because he wanted to keep it "numbers matching." He was worried about his rusty old work truck being numbers matching. At the end of the day I graciously helped the cash part from his wallet, with a down payment of course lol. What's the old proverb say? A fool and his money are soon parted

What has your experience been with the Ford 3.0 Vulcan? I dodged a bullet not getting a 5.4 Triton when looking at F-150's (ended up buying a newer one with a coyote) but I had a mechanic tell me to "just save up for a new truck" when my Ranger's 3.0 was having constant misfire codes and rough idling

My Mother has a 2011 Expedition 5.4 VIN: 5-Flex, are those any better than the 2005 version? would doing any machine work to the heads to open up the oil passages be possible?

I know people who had these kind of problems with 5.4 3v. Also with 5.4 and 4.6 2v blowing spark plug out the hole, also 6.0 and 6.4 blowing head gasket and also 4.2 v6 bending valve cause the engine had try to compress coolant because of a bad intake gasket design. They were all mad and disappointed at Ford and guess what, they almost all rebuy a Ford product later in their lives. The F150 is still and always the best seller pick up truck. I guess that good advertising campaign is more important than quality after all ......

My dad had an F-150 with this motor. I was sad when he sold it because I really liked the truck and got to drive it often. Now I can see he dodged a bullet because he was not good about getting his oil changed!

I've done a few things to these motors and my best permanent fix has been to get the better oil higher pressure at idle pump, the factory doesn't pump enough oil at idle once it's warmed up so a better oil pump that has a higher pressure at idle fixes it. I've done it on three different f150s ranging in years from 2005 to 2012 and no issues even after 10 years. So, it's just solving the problem. Now the rocker rollers will go out eventually and those are a simple swap, but the upgraded oil pump seems to help the wear. Just for reference the three f150's had 18 psi of oil pressure at idle and the new pump higher flowing pump does 30psi at idle. I'm not a ford guy, olny one I've ever own is an f150, prefer nissan or toyota but their trucks are expensive, but the truck hasn't let me down so can't justify selling it. This a $100 dollar part that can save you thousands if your doing a timing job then all the better cause its there and dont need to drop the pan if you do a little youtube search to see how to do it.

I've never had an issue with the 5.4 3V. Use 5w30 and change the oil and filter every 3000-3500 miles religiously. I'm on an Expedition FB page and many have over 300k miles and some over 400k miles.

I'm a Ford guy through and through.......the 3v 5.4 is trash

Nice informative video. You explain things very articulately and easy to understand.

How about the 5.4 2 valves engine? Are they good or junk too? Would you recommend the 3.5 ecoboost engine Expedition?

Hey Wizard, since you are "The Wizard", I have a small issue. I was wondering if you knew of struts for the front hood of a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country to hold the hood up? I can't find a solution anywhere! This is a big issue for me. Can you help me? Is there a make and model or part number that would work? Also, I use synthetic oil on my van and sometimes I go up to 15,000km. I guess that would be about 9,500 miles between oil changes...Any help? Thanks!

I freaking love this guy! I could just listen to him talk about cars all day.

Few understand the real pressures that are applied to engineers. They are simply the handmaidens of market analysts and bean counters anymore. For example, they were probably instructed by management to standardize on that plug because they could be purchased for 0.2 cents cheaper than a better one. 0.2 cents times 8 is 1.6 cents per engine, a significant additional cost over a 2 million model run. In my view, engineers usually have none of the authority, and all of the responsibility for what happens. Just ask the engineers at Boeing (Mar. 2019).

I bought a 2010 F 150 with a blown engine. I got a new one from Frasier as they had the ISO 9000 and 14000 certifications. I paid the extra bucks to get the high volume oil pump and higher HP. I have been more than pleased with the performance. I am really glad I watched this video as my daughter is shopping for a new truck and I can steer her away from this engine. I will also change my oil more frequently.

Mr. Wizard, what about the 2 valve 5 4 to they have small oil passages too?. I put running components in it and the chain guide on the passenger inside it was ate up. I did it again and it ate up again. But it has a chain rattling noise. It doesn't have cam phasers. But when I drive it at 35 it got quiet now it's loud again . Please tell me what is going on with these engine.

You can see the pure hatred on the Wizard's eyes when he talks about that engine

those spark plugs are an absolute engineering joke!

Were the oil passages in the heads redesigned in 08/09 when they made changes for the spark plugs or did they remain the same size throughout the whole run of the 5.4?

Good advice for some that are not technically inclined. For us hobbyist with garages and tools these are a good find. Picked up a leather fully loaded super-crew fx4 for 1k. 160k, needed a transmission rebuilt all spark plugs removed, cam sensor, maf sensor (cleaned), wheel bearings and rack and pinion.

Have timeserted so many of these... the drive home after a spark plug blows out is always interesting 😂

*In loving memory of the neglected engines that are replaced*

The wizard is a truly honest top notch mechanic.. we need more like him. Sure wish u had a shop here in central Florida wizard.

Does the 4.6 have this problem too? How about the older 5.4 2 valve? I have a 99 expedition 5.4 and my dad has a 05 f150 4.6 so i was just curious. Mine is doing really well at 204k miles original almost everything but my dads is only 130k and we already had to put in a rebuilt transmission

6k and you've done it how many times?'🤔 You mean the best engine ever 💰💰

Over got over 225000 miles on my 06 ford f150 and still running strong when I bought it it had 125000 miles

Thanks for sharing this video with us. I can't wait to tell my father in-law about his pos truck. I have a 07 Toyota tundra with 283 thousand miles and have done very little to it across the board. No more clowning me about my purchase.

Hates the engine but it damn sure puts food on the table! Love the no BS channel!