5.4 E350 performance and reliability?

Fish mojo wrote:
Looking at Minnie Winnie 22R next week. Specifications show this has 5.4 Ford Triton powertrain. I’m concerned about power on hills. Is this a dog? I also plan to tow a 3500 pound boat. What kind of reliability and fuel mileage does this produce?

Under some towing conditions the V10 (6.8L) might be better on fuel than the 5.4 since it doesn't have to work as hard. I'd expect about 7 to 10 mpg depending mostly on you and how you drive. On hills, I'd be more concerned about the transmission/brakes. At max GVWR, IMO, all gas motorhomes are dogs, but, that is the nature of the beast. IMO, nothing beats cubic inches for long term reliability. Generally, brake size/capacity ALWAYS goes up with larger engine capacity.

IMO, the E350 is pushing the limits of the chassis but it will work.

Chum lee

If you go this route and plan to tow 3500 I would want to keep an eye on the tranny temp. Knowing what other owners have said about this engine , it will be working, getting the job done but working.
I'm not sure what transmission is paired to this engine. I would install a tranny temp gauge if it doesn't have one. I'm not sure if it has an internal or external tranny cooler or not but time will tell monitoring those temps if you find that necessary or not.

^What gasser or any vehcile gets good mileage whenyou hook an anchor to it and mat the skinny pedal.
Fuel mileage while towing conversations are pointless

What kind of reliability and fuel mileage does this produce?

reliability...great.
fuel mileage...not known for good mileage. Same as V-10 IMO.

Ours leaves driveway at 12,000 pounds. We use ours all over Pac NW, which has a lot of mountain grades. But for sure not a ball of fire but has never failed us. Depending on the year model (same as any motor) has its problems, but once understood no problems. Oil of 5w20 surprised me at first, thought the 5w20 was a typo at first. The oil change place I use... used a no name brand oil filter. I now bring my own filter. I use motorcraft. Make sure you use an oil filter with "silicone valve" built in. Prevents oil from leaking down. Which means when starting engine you are not doing a "cold start up" when you start it.

Lots of info on the Triton motor available, good dependable motors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Modular_engine

About 110,000 miles now. Fouled injector at 85,000 miles, not sure if bad gas or what? I now carry spare fuel filter and the little disconnect tool set ($15.00) to get filter off and takes about 5 min to change and a spare injector ($70.00) about 30 min to swop out. Also carry spare cop (coil over plug) but never needed one yet. Ford says some fluids are good till 100,000 miles, but I would do fluids sooner. Of course at 12,000 pounds keep up on brake pads. Front brakes real easy, once you do them once. Rear brakes, a pain being there are duels. I have the older 4r100 trans, newer ones better IMO

Sure, you’ll slow down on some hills but so what?

Venerable engine. You don’t say what year or engine model. Could be 235hp or up to 300hp iirc.
You’ll find out how much jam it has when you take it for a test drive.
It’ll tug you anywhere with relative reliability. They do have a few potential issues, none catastrophic or prohibitive imo. Worst being potential to spit a spark plug.

Well you’ll know when you take a test drive. Isn’t a powerhouse by today’s standards but it’s a venerable engine.
Also depends on the year, hp and gearing in the Winnie.
It’ll tug a little moho and little boat anywhere.
They have a few inherent issues depending on the model but none prohibitive or catastrophic imo. Worst being spitting a spark plug potentially.

You’ll see what it’s like when you taker for a test drive.
Depends on the year, power level and how the Minnie is geared.
It isn’t a powerhouse by today’s standards but it’ll tug you and the boat anywhere you want to go. Triton engines have a few known issues but none that are catastrophic or prohibitive. Worst is it could spit a spark plug out.
The old question “How fast you want to go is dependent on how much you want to spend.”

It's very reliable. Obviously not as powerful as a v10 but still a better power-to-weight ratio than a longer coach with the v10.