2010 4.6 - Considered Triton Motors?

[Phil Lorenz]

Have a 2010 with V8. I’ve got ~100k on the odometer & to be honest it’s been one of my favorite cars to own. It has issues (low gas mileage, needs tires & front wheel bearings every 30 to 50k).

Question: Is the Explorer 4.6 in the same family as problematic Triton motor?

Just thinking long term & whether it’s likely I’ll just need phasers to quiet down the top end or is it oil starvation... & will need a new motor at some point (not sure I’m up for that).

TIA, Phil

 

[Explorer_PL]

The 4.6 belongs to Triton family. I am hearing lots of complaints about them, but with millions of them on the road, there will be issues, same as with 5.3 from GM or the 5.7 Hemi. I have heard horror stories from all big 3.
You have the last year of 4.6 v8 I believe, and that's the best year.
I had my truck misdiagnosed at about 200k and was told I need a new engine. I found a low mileage 55k engine for $1600 and dropped it in just to have the same noise and problem as before. It turned out it was a bad toque converter. But up to that point the old 4.6 was pulling like a locomotive, strong, and never let me down. I still have it in my garage as a spare. I opened the front cover and the timing was still intact, the tensioners were weak, but all guides were just fine, and the phasers were clean since I opened them too. I change oil every 3-4 k using conventional oil.
The "new" motor has about 130k and was pulled from an 07 Mountie. Still pulls strong 4 years later after replacement.
So if you ask me, they are very good motors.

 

[Bill MacLeod]

If I recall correctly from my construction project days, all of the modular motors were part of the Triton family. (V6, V8 & V10)

I've had my 06 for 10 years now and still enjoy every moment behind the wheel. Love the power, size and comfort. Think I may have done almost every repair mentioned on this site, but if you have the time and resources, its usually doable. And I do not recall many on here having issues with the phasers. It seems that problem is mostly 5.4's in the F150 and may be maintenance related.

 

[Larryjb]

I had one of the first 4.6's in my 92 Grand Marquis. Other than having to do exhaust stem seals, that has been the best and most reliable engine and car I've ever owned. I still have it, but I'm trying to sell it now because I have too many toys in my driveway.

My Explorer is the 3 valve version and seems really nice so far. The biggest issues I have had with it are related to the cooling system leaks. All previous work done on it has been pretty normal such as plugs, coils, another radiator. Hubs seem to be an issue, but that's not related to the motor.

 

[GodStang]

As said above Triton was just the name of the (2V,3V) Modular engines when installed in trucks/suvs. Now if I remember correctly if the truck was fender badged as Triton it had the 5.4L in it. We had a 5.4L 3V in a 07 F150 and it was a decent engine. It had the cam phaser issue so it was nosiey. The 5.4L will have more Torque than the engine we have but it is a bit heavier motor. If my motor ever goes I will be looking to do a Truck Coyote motor swap as you can pick them up very cheap and it is an outstanding motor.

 

[MNgopher]

Yup - Any 4.6, 5.4, or 6.8 in a truck/SUV is a Triton/Modular motor.

The bad ones were truly the earlier 5.4 3V engines (2004 and 5). I had an '04 and it made it to 180,000 miles before the timing chains, tensioners, and phasers needed attention. I chose to dump the truck as it was a large investment in labor and parts, and the in the end I'd still have a 12+ year old F150 whose body was starting to rust badly...

Otherwise, these are considered to be pretty good engines. Some other issues like spark plugs (blowing or getting stuck depending on the generation), exhaust manifolds, etc... but they tended to last a long time.

I had two different 4.6 2V engines in my F150's, and while not winning any races, they were quick enough and always got the job done. Bar none - both of those were the most reliable engines I have ever owned in any vehicle. I sold both of them with over 180,000 miles on them and never touched the engines other than oil changes and plugs. Fleet usage was similar.

 

[mickeyaaaa]

I did a deep dive online before purchasing my 4.6L exploder. seems mechanics agree the 4.6 3v does not suffer several of the same issues the bigger brother does - its considered generally pretty reliable. my 2009 is going on 230,000 kms and never had any engine work done on it. Exhaust manifold leaks as so many do but it seals up mostly once the engine is warm so im not fixing it.

 

[94Eddie]

The 4.6L 3V engines are quite reliable if they are maintained well. The same can be said for the 6R60/80 transmissions they are paired with. IMO, this combination is arguably the best engine/transmission pair put into an Explorer or Mountaineer.

 

[94Eddie]

I had one of the first 4.6's in my 92 Grand Marquis. Other than having to do exhaust stem seals, that has been the best and most reliable engine and car I've ever owned. I still have it, but I'm trying to sell it now because I have too many toys in my driveway.

My Explorer is the 3 valve version and seems really nice so far. The biggest issues I have had with it are related to the cooling system leaks. All previous work done on it has been pretty normal such as plugs, coils, another radiator. Hubs seem to be an issue, but that's not related to the motor.

Just a side note. If you haven't already, replace the 20 psi radiator cap with a 16 psi cap. Many, I included, think the cooling system issues in the 4th gens are due to the excessive cooling system pressure. Everyone here that has used the 16 psi cap has seen no issues from running a lower pressure. I have not seen my temp needle move at all in the two years since I changed the cap to include driving in steep terrain in 100 degree weather with the AC on max. I use the Motorcraft RS76 radiator cap.

 

[ThunderbirdSport]

I'm still having cooling system issues, temp gauge sometimes pegs max, fan roars, AC cuts out, but it will do it sporadically, and sometimes in cooler ambient temps, like 70 degress, and only ever at highway speeds...65, 70. Slow down to 45, 50, 55, and it will not do it at all.

Everything in the system is new, even have the 16psi Rd. cap.

That said, the 4.63v is reliable. Pretty strong too for it's cubic inches...

And I thought the 5.0 was about as good as gets...(Windsor 5.0, from 98, 99 Explorers...)

I'd absolutely love to have a new truck 5.0 in my '06 EB Exploder

 

[94Eddie]

It sounds to me like you have a coolant flow issue. What exactly have you replaced?

The 4.6L 3V is a very reliable engine with good maintenance. I can get up to 21 mpg on the highway with my Mountaineer which I could never see with any other Explorer or Mountaineer I have owned before. This is even with it making 50 hp more than the 4.6L 2V I had in my 3rd gen Explorer and Mountaineer where I was lucky to see 17 mpg on the highway. Although, a lot of credit for the mpg gains goes to the 6R80/60 six speed transmissions used in the V8 4th gens.