Buying an F350

165,000 highway miles on a 1 ton truck wouldn't give me much pause. I'm not a Ford guy but I did not know that they put a 5.4 in a one ton.

What year is it?

165,000 miles isn't a lot of miles in this day and age unless it was worked hard the whole time. Even then, price and rust/rot are deciding factors well before the odometer to me. If the vehicle is in good condition I wouldn't hesitate. If anything, how little you plan on driving that truck is more likely to cause you grief than how much it's been driven so far.

Full disclosure,,, I'm a born n bred Ford guy.
165k on that truck wouldn't even phase me as long as it is not too rusty and it appears to have been maintained well. Anything is possible but I wouldn't expect to have any major issues...trans might be the only question. Some autos can go out before 100k, some go on forever. Dad has a '99 F-450 V10 Auto...380K and the engine/trans have never been open! (FYI, the 5.4 and the V10 are basically the same engine, they just add 2 cylinders) The 4.2 V6, the 4.6 and the 5.4 V8 and the V10 are all the same series of modular engines.

I believe that year 5.4 had the head design where the plugs broke when trying to remove. Ask the dealer to replace them if they haven't already been done. Aside from that, and the lack of power that motor has, it should be fine for what you're going to do with it.

claydogg84 said:

I believe that year 5.4 had the head design where the plugs broke when trying to remove. Ask the dealer to replace them if they haven't already been done

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It was all of 'em. Ford advertised 100k spark plugs...but if you leave a steel plug in an aluminum head for 100k, it may become permanent! If the plugs have been replaced already and they used high temp anti-seize on the threads...no more problems.

claydogg84 said:

the lack of power that motor has, it should be fine for what you're going to do with it.

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That motor is a race horse compared to the 5.0 in a truck!
You won't win any drag races against the diesel boys but yeah, it is more than enough for haulin firewood and your average day to day pickup truck uses for sure.

brenndatomu said:

It was all of 'em. Ford advertised 100k spark plugs...but if you leave a steel plug in an aluminum head for 100k, it may become permanent! If the plugs have been replaced already and they used high temp anti-seize on the threads...no more problems

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Yeah that's not even close to true. The plug design leaves the tip in the combustion chamber causing carbon buildup. The issue isn't anti-seize on the threads.

claydogg84 said:

The plug design leaves the tip in the combustion chamber causing carbon buildup.

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That too

Get the plugs changed and take a good look under the truck before undercoating.
A friend of mine just bought a 1984 f350 with the 300-6 and a 12 foot dump bed for $1000. It needs new shackles and some fuel components, but that is small change for a dump truck. It runs like a swiss watch. Fords are tough. I have a 1991 f250 that has been beefed to carry 8,000 lbs. That one has the 300-6 too and doesn't care about a load. If the motor gives you trouble put a cummins in it.

Don't want to change direction/choice on you, but what about repairing the GMC? As others have said, the only concern I would have with it is the spark plug issue-if pulling the trigger on the 350, verify spark plug replacement, do NOT trust they said they changed them. IMO, GM/Ford in this era pretty equal, very rugged, dependable, good drivetrain,long lived, albeit both somewhat weak engines. If test drive went/goes well and the price is right I would do it as long as repairing the GMC is out.

The brakes on my excursion were a royal PITA. We put maybe 5-7000 miles/year on it, and I replaced all four calipers once, three of them twice, and one of the fronts a third time.

I think I had it seven years. The first few years it got used more, and then after we sold our travel trailer, it sat a lot. That's when the major caliper seizures started. And the pulsating pedal from all the rusted high spots on the rotors.

Vehicles that sit a lot can have their own special kinds of problems.

Plugs are about the only problem with those motors. Snap on has a removal/rethread kit for around $120.

Agree with the rusted rotor issues for anything that sits-use once a week or after rain if it sits outside and that usually eliminates it.

I know they can't be as bad as the 6.8, but how bad are the 5.4s for exhaust manifold studs? When I sold my excursion, the exhaust gaskets were both blown out again. The stainless steel bolts that I replaced the studs with were mostly broken.

jeff_t said:

I know they can't be as bad as the 6.8, but how bad are the 5.4s for exhaust manifold studs? When I sold my excursion, the exhaust gaskets were both blown out again. The stainless steel bolts that I replaced the studs with were mostly broken.

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The newer motors, 09+ I believe, seem to be breaking the studs pretty often.

if the price is right, go for it (really comes down to what your paying for it and if its good deal to you)

i thought the latter 5.4's didnt have the plug issues like the earlier 5.4's

tekguy said:

if the price is right, go for it (really comes down to what your paying for it and if its good deal to you)

i thought the latter 5.4's didnt have the plug issues like the earlier 5.4's

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Earlier 5.4 had the blow out issue due to not enough spark plug threads. The later model 5.4 has the poor spark plug design that breaks off when trying to remove. They went from one poor design to another. The broken plug issue is easier to remedy than the blow outs though.

Probably should note the problems with cam phasers on the 5.4, from 04-11(?), with the earlier years being worse.

I know people with 150k+ on the engine with no problems, and others that have been noisy since day one.

If it were diesel I'd say stay away but since it's gas, it won't hurt for it to sit that much without driving it. Sounds like a decent deal.

Cam phaser assemblies on the cars and the f150 5.4 are lighter duty than what is used on the f250/350. I have and 06 250 no problems (129xx miles) as far as manifolds - changing plugs yep 7 of 8 were a pain. That said if they changed at say 80k that seems to eliminate the carbon problem- by 100k those electrodes are really in bad shape. Also have 99f350 v10 and had a 99 150 ( 4.6) Manifold problem on the v10- still running strong haven't lost any bolts since repair, But they properly torqued which is where the issue arises as well as being machind flat before being reinstalled. This truck works hard. 5.4 in a 350 depends on the rear gear ratio. my v10 has a 4.77 it will rip the springs out from under the truck if you mash it the 250 is around 3.7 wish it was 4.xx but that is of course at the expense of mileage. Note F150 tranny -tail shaft bearing is splash lubricated- these particular units generally have problems starting about 80k - depending on use, 100 k is about the avg.life span of that tranny. 250 and 350 use heavier trannies. Misfire problems on any of these is mostly a break down of the dielectric insulation on /in the coils and plug boots. They are COP on 5.4/ v10 best advice replace them as a set all saves headaches chasing random misfires.( not a ford specific problem) Brakes normal maintenance paying attention to sliders for the calipers. A lot of problems that are reported can be traced back to shops cutting corners when doing repairs. My F150 went 130k before the tail shaft bearing went south- at that point the overdrive section was almost total history as well. The guy who bought that unit from me is still using it( tranny was rebuilt) including using it to plow snow. I just needed a heavier truck + the 350 for trailering. I do 90% of my own repairs.

I think undercoating is a waste of your money at that mileage and if you only want 6 more years out of it.

You'd get more life out of the truck putting MORE mileage on it. Sitting is what kills vehicles.

sportbikerider78 said:

I think undercoating is a waste of your money at that mileage and if you only want 6 more years out of it.

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Undercoat is a waste of money anytime IMO, I like oil spray much better

spray the underside and all the crevices with fluid film once a year