V6 vs. V8 ?

[Rick Nawotka]

Thanks for the great info blksn8k. But as far as the V8, does everyone go to the Ford dealer to get the tranny reprogrammed ? What shifting issues need correcting ? And my Gen 1 radiator has over 242,000 miles on it. What are the problems with the Gen 2 rads ?

 

[blksn8k]

I suppose it is possible to have someone other than a Ford dealer do the reprogramming of the transmission but I would guess that the program itself is proprietary which means that Ford owns it. It is also a very involved process and I would be suspect of anyone else doing it correctly.

Anyway, the issue that most have had, including myself, has been that the transmission would shift into first gear very abruptly at low speeds, either when coming to a stop or just as you were accelerating away from a stop. Felt almost like being rammed from behind by a bull moose.

While I have not had any radiator problems on my truck (knock on wood) a lot of other owners have had leaks between the aluminum core and the plastic end tanks.

As a testament to the versatility of the Gen 2 Sport Trac, if Ford still made them I would buy another in a heartbeat. I really enjoy the power of the 4.6L 3V V8. Just imagine what this truck would be like with either an EcoBoost V6 or the Coyote 5.0L V8.

 

[Rick Nawotka]

How much did it cost at the dealer ? And if this reprogramming was never done, these shifting issues could pop up anytime ? Seems like it'd be tough to find out if it was done unless a private owner told you.

 

[blksn8k]

I had it done when it was still under warranty. Might show up on a carfax report.

 

[Austin Sewell]

Rick, I just purchased a Gen2 v8 4x4 and I love it. I went all the way to Illinois (being from GA, that was a hell of a drive) to get her, red Limited with 100k miles, owned by an employee's wife at the dealer I bought it at. Here's my first impressions - the trans was obviously not reprogrammed; I have the issue where it doesn't shift out of 1st smoothly and it also slips getting up to speed on the highway, so I have issues with 1st and 6th that I am going to have a dealer look at soon. Everything else (besides a squishy brake pedal) is awesome. I get 19.9 MPG as reported by the computer and it runs great. No leaks, 4x4 works well, and it's very smooth and comfortable. I'll keep my 5.0 Gen1 but I love this as my new daily driver.