How good are 09 v6s

[Flashflood]

Okay so yes if wanted I 4th gen I would rather get a 4.6 but how reliable is the later sohc cause I was looking at a 09 sohc 4x2

 

[94Eddie]

With the SOHC V6s I think it comes down to how low the miles are on it. If you get one with low enough miles then you might be able to mitigate their inherent risks by doing frequent oil changes, installing a pre-oiler etc. Also, it isn't just the V6 engines you have to worry about. The transmissions mated to them (the 5R55 series) are not very reliable as the miles rack up. Getting one with low miles can allow 30k-40k pans drops, filter changes and refills to minimize the risk of transmission failure. The odds are greater that you will see a transmission failure before 150k miles than a timing chain/guide failure with the engine before 200k miles. It is this one-two punch that will cost you $5k-$6k in repairs eventually. OTOH, the V8s use the 6R60 or 6R80 transmissions that are very reliable when pan drops, filter changes and refills are done every 30k-40k miles. The V8s are much more reliable with good maintenance to include 5k, or less, synthetic oil changes. I highly recommend taking the time to find a V8 that hasn't lived its life in the rust belt. If you go with a V6 then get one that has well under 100k miles on it and maintain the hell out of it in an effort to keep it reliable.

 

[Flashflood]

With the SOHC V6s I think it comes down to how low the miles are on it. If you get one with low enough miles then you might be able to mitigate their inherent risks by doing frequent oil changes, installing a pre-oiler etc. Also, it isn't just the V6 engines you have to worry about. The transmissions mated to them (the 5R55 series) are not very reliable as the miles rack up. Getting one with low miles can allow 30k-40k pans drops, filter changes and refills to minimize the risk of transmission failure. The odds are greater that you will see a transmission failure before 150k miles than a timing chain/guide failure with the engine before 200k miles. It is this one-two punch that will cost you $5k-$6k in repairs eventually. OTOH, the V8s use the 6R60 or 6R80 transmissions that are very reliable when pan drops, filter changes and refills are done every 30k-40k miles. The V8s are much more reliable with good maintenance to include 5k, or less, synthetic oil changes. I highly recommend taking the time to find a V8 that hasn't lived its life in the rust belt. If you go with a V6 then get one that has well under 100k miles on it and maintain the hell out of it in an effort to keep it reliable.

Amen

 

[CDW6212R]

With the SOHC V6s I think it comes down to how low the miles are on it. If you get one with low enough miles then you might be able to mitigate their inherent risks by doing frequent oil changes, installing a pre-oiler etc. Also, it isn't just the V6 engines you have to worry about. The transmissions mated to them (the 5R55 series) are not very reliable as the miles rack up. Getting one with low miles can allow 30k-40k pans drops, filter changes and refills to minimize the risk of transmission failure. The odds are greater that you will see a transmission failure before 150k miles than a timing chain/guide failure with the engine before 200k miles. It is this one-two punch that will cost you $5k-$6k in repairs eventually. OTOH, the V8s use the 6R60 or 6R80 transmissions that are very reliable when pan drops, filter changes and refills are done every 30k-40k miles. The V8s are much more reliable with good maintenance to include 5k, or less, synthetic oil changes. I highly recommend taking the time to find a V8 that hasn't lived its life in the rust belt. If you go with a V6 then get one that has well under 100k miles on it and maintain the hell out of it in an effort to keep it reliable.

Ditto. The SOHC 4.0 and the 5R trans, are both decent units, but only when in top condition and well kept to stay that way for as long as they get great care and maintenance.

The age of the vehicle should be part of the decision about what to do, upgrade to another vehicle, or upgrade the older one with better parts. I'm old enough now that spending huge labor time on one vehicle, multiple times, is not going to happen. Younger enthusiasts can easily invest lots of time into modifications that take hours days of labor, on one vehicle, and do it several times for different engines or combinations.

I would suggest considering an engine swap, an upgrade to the later engine technology. I don't know what it takes now to integrate the engine control systems from a new level vehicle, to the recent Fords of the 2005+ range. That is a now a major consideration, depending on experience and knowledge with electrical systems etc.

I think the newest Ford GDI engines are the best engines swaps of the near future, preferably the dual injection systems that look like 2018 or newer. I know the V6's will be very tight in a 2nd gen engine bay, but there may be a little more room in the 3rd and 4th gen Explorers. The NA 3.5 and 3.7 V6's make close to 300hp in stock form, that alone would be way better than any older 4.0 V6. Those also use the later 6R80 trans, which is strong enough for any project. I'm aiming to use a couple of those in my 98 Black Coal project, and maybe the 3.7 for my 99 if I get other projects finished.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Yep, look for v8. They have their issues but an average DIY-er can handle that.
4.0 SOHC was never "fixed" by Ford, same goes for 5R. Both are ticking bombs in my opinion - sorry v6 guys.
I have had both, once the v6 started making those rattling noises, I traded it in.

 

[Flashflood]

Yep, look for v8. They have their issues but an average DIY-er can handle that.
4.0 SOHC was never "fixed" by Ford, same goes for 5R. Both are ticking bombs in my opinion - sorry v6 guys.
I have had both, once the v6 started making those rattling noises, I traded it in.

Cheers guys thanks