I just wanted to vent a little about Fords worst engine ever. I am an ASE certified tech out in Fresno CA and I work in a small independent shop with three employee's including myself. Today I looked around the shop and noticed something. We have five ford vehicles in the shop with either the 4.6L or the 5.4L Romeo motor in them and all are in for major engine repair. Three for head gasket replacement, one for a new engine, and another for #7 spark plug just blew out of the head. What the hell man!!!! In my opinion, Ford needs to stop putting this boat ancor in vehicles and come up with another push rod engine. As a profesional I realize that these engines keep me employed and food on the table but come on. The 1.9L in the escort was a better engine than these piles. Honestly, I NEVER see 5.0L, 5.8L,or7.5L in for anything. In my opinion, those engines are pretty much bullet proof. In no way am I trying to offend the Ford guys but ROMEO MUST DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

A wise man once told me, -"You want a good car? Go to to shops and find something thats NOT in their lot"

Great advice. Knowing what I do and from experiece lately, I'm taking my GMC and trading it in on a Toyota!

I totaled it up tonite after buying the overhaul kit for my tranny, My low milage (81000) 96 van has cost me a little over $3000 in repairs since I bought it, my '00 Blazer (120000 miles) has cost me over $5000. That is repairs!!!

Maybe if the big 3 could make something that could go 100,000 miles without breaking they wouldn't be in so much trouble.

Anyhow, by this time Saturday I.m gonna have a Tundra thats been put together well AND will have a great waranty, and to be honest, I'm not going to feel bad about it.

The only thing you have to worry about with Toyota is whether the body will last as long as your drivetrain...one of my friends relatives has an old toyota pickup that has over 350,000 miles on it...he says when you step in the passenger side you have to straddle the massive hole in the floorboard!  They do know how to make reliable stuff, thats for sure.  

Update= another Ford came in this time a V10 with #5 spark plug blown out of the head. Geeze, what piles of crap these things are. I am a Chevy man at heart but you are right, GM can't seem to get there crap together as well. Out of the big three I see Dodge trucks the least. As a matter of fact, I seldom see Chrysler at all anymore. Go Mopar!!  lol.   

well you might not see mopar in there for engine problems, but what about tranny? I've heard of quite a 5 speeds losing 5th gear.  

Check out the new issue of CarCraft and you'll see how crappy Chrysler trannies are. The one in the truck in the story blew a hole in the floor board and surrounded the driver with flames. Just another reason not to buy that crap they call Dodge.  

You know, to be quite honest with you we dont seem to see those too often. Might just be the demagrafics, mostly Ford and GM around here.  

You probably don't see Ford pushrod v8s in the shop as much lately because they have not been put in new vehicles for many years now.

How does a spark plug blow out of a head?  Maybe some mechanic screwed up when they put those plugs in.  Prior to your post, I had not heard of an engine that blows spark plugs out.

Tom

The sparkplug issue is mainly with the 5.4's. Three threads actualy hold the plug in the head! Many Lightening owners know this already (or found out while in boost!). 

The 4.6 2valve goes in 900,000 F-series every year. Top selling vehical in the country!

The 5.4 in the GT goes 0-60 in 3.3 seconds and has a 205mph top-end.

The 32v 4.6 in my '04 Marauder has given me 38k trouble free miles. 4400lbs (without me in the car), 23mpg, 3:55 gears, and 14.7 quarters to boot. Not too bad for just 281 inches (351 would be better of course).

The title on my Marauder says "Grand Marquis" so insurance is half that of a Mustang. The Marauder runs 50-90mph faster than a Subaru WRX.

Several Marauders are in the 10's. (stock displacement and cams!). More would be if we had the push rod motors. I don't think these engines are junk though. Give us 30 years, and we'll have things sorted out like the "legendary 5.0". It's hardy fair to compare 30+ years of refinement to a fairly new design.

"he 4.6 2valve goes in 900,000 F-series every year. Top selling vehical in the country!:

Just realize that not all of those trucks came with a 4.6, they are talking about all sales of the F-series truck, which includes 1/2 tons, 3/4 tons, 1 tons.

"The 5.4 in the GT goes 0-60 in 3.3 seconds and has a 205mph top-end."

What you been smoking boy, there is no way that the GT Mustang goes 205mph. Or are you talking about the GT40, which is a pile of crap when compared to the Z06 Corvette. In any case the motor is crap, they are notorious for splittig the blocks in half when you start making any type of real HP. Why do you think they went with a iron block in the 03-04 Cobra's.

"The title on my Marauder says "Grand Marquis" so insurance is half that of a Mustang. The Marauder runs 50-90mph faster than a Subaru WRX."

Don't tell me you saying that that sled of a family car will do 200mph, cause then I know you flat out smoking Crack.

"Several Marauders are in the 10's. (stock displacement and cams!)."

The BS meter just broke, where do these people come up with this crap, and who do you think your talking to, maybe some of the other guys on this board believe this crap, but I sir am not so easily BS'd.

Do some homework and realize how stupid you sound.

Well my friend, you have just been lucky with your mercury to have gone that far with no trouble. I see hundreds of the 4.6L and 5.4L each year with the same old crap. Most head gaskets blow at 50-75K miles so your car is on its way. Take it from a professional and get rid of it before it becomes a burden on your pocket book. And as a final note regarding your "facts" about the performance of the vehicles you described, I think you are full of ####. If you shw me proof that I can read or see with my own two eyes than I will apologise. Until that time, you are just full of ####!!!!!!!!!

Of course I'm talking about the GT (GT40)!!!! It's called the GT today, because some fool owns the name "GT40" and won't sell it to Ford.

For "proof" about the GT's performance, read the raffle info in the new issue of Car Craft. Ronald McDonald house charitys is raffling off a new Ford GT. It says; "0-60 in 3.3, 0-100 in 7.7  and a 205 top speed".

Not bad for 330 cubes...AND NO PUSH RODS!

If you thought I claimed my 2 ton+ Marauder runs a 3.3 second 0-60 then maybe you need to put down the crack pipe and RE-READ my post.

Check out mercurymarauder.net and see a VIDEO of a Marauder running 10.62. I've been a member of Mercurymarauder.net for two years and haven't yet heard of a head gasket failure.

Ok, so not all of the 900,000 F-series gets the 4.6 or 5.4 romeo. Let's just pretend that a few get the I-6 , maybe 200,000. That still leaves 700,000 mod-motors out there, EVERY YEAR, so if they were as bad as you seem to think, people wouldn't be buying them. (usually repeat buyers too). It makes perfect sense that you'd be seeing a lot of these motors. LOL!

460's don't break? At $3/gallon they don't get driven every day either! I'll bet you don't see too many '85 Maserati Bi-turbo's. That must be the STONGEST motor EVER! Lol!!!! Work on any Turbo Trans Ams lately? That must be another bullit proof motor.....

I await your appology.....

I like how careful you were in comparing your car to the Subaru...yes you are faster in that range...but you're getting your *&^ kicked in the quarter by oh about a second and a half...

still i knew you were talking about the Ford GT...and not a mustang gt...and your performance figures are about right.  I don't know about the production numbers for the Fseries...and I really don't care (the Ford guys can carry that argument out).  I never did see that you said your marauder would go 200...only that insurance cost less than a mustang gt...which makes sense...

So I really don't know where the huge argument came from

Huh?  a 4 poppin' wrx beating a supercharged marauder by 1-1.5 seconds????

Where is everyone buying this crack?  must be some good rocks.

The Marauder is N.A. All of them were. The WRX is argueably the hottest Japanesse car out there. It's turbo-charged, 4 wheel drive, and slower 50-90 than my "big old sled"!

No arguement here folks! I just don't like hearing the Romeo series of engines being unfairly maligned.

50-90mph isn't exactly the greatest automotive statistic (quarter times are), but beating a Subaru WRX in the REAL WORLD "passing speed" of 50-90mph is nice stat for us Marauder owners. (you should see the look on the faces of WRX owners when they get dusted by an "old mans car" on the interstate!!!).  

I never claimed it was faster in the quarter.

"TC" accused me of saying the Marauder goes 200mph. "TC" then called the GT(40) a peice of junk compared to the Vette. Then he called me a "crack head"!!!!! LOL

Anyone want to see a 10 second Marauder Video should head over to Mercurymarauder.net. and see what a stock block, heads, and cams, Romeo engine can do.

You can call the Romeo series difficult to swap cams in, or spendy to hot-rod, (I won't disagree!), just don't complain about their durability. I haven't seen it in any that I've owned, nor heard any complaints from the people that actually do own one.

I get called a "crack head" for even defending the engine.....so be it. This so-called "crack head" eats a lot of rice out on the streets!

Romeo engines for ever!!!!!!!!! LOL

PS. You folks may want to read a Motor Trend once in a while just so you know whats being built today, and how quick it is.