I just bought an 2000 Ford Lightning with the 5.4L supercharged motor with 97k on the speedometer, its fast right now, but i would like to increase both horsepower and torque. I already added an mass air flow sensor, air intake, and custom exhaust, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


oskar

thanks.

 

97,000, thats alot of miles

what CAI do you put on?? What MAF, SCT2400, SCT2800, 90mm, Pro-M?

Most people go with the basic 4# lower pulley, S/B Throttle Body, cat back exhaust, tranny valvebody, and tune, that should put it at about 400hp and over 500trq.

Just a note these trucks are trq monsters and don't do well on WOT highway runs, espically in the cold, most blown motors in Lightnings happen on the highway and not the track

Good luck with your L!!!

p.s. I just noticed your from Ft. Worth, check out our local Lightning Board, we have a local tuner that specializes in Lightnings.

www.TALONclub.com

 

With 97,000K miles I would call LEVEL 10 for transmission upgrades they build awesome trannies, I have used their shift kits and line pressure solenoids on many Mustangs. If you are looking for cheap and easy, look up Sonnax for their tricumulator springs (valve body upgrade) and modulator for the Lightning. Both companies have vast experience with the 4R100/E4OD.

sonnax- WWW.SONNAX.COM
level 10- WWW.LEVELTEN.COM - 973.827.1000

Motoblue performance makes a pulley kit and performance belt tensioner kit (I believe) for your truck.

Look for a new heat exchanger, I have seen a few nice ones.

And change your plugs.

Note: I had a 4.6L Mystic Cobra. Modular motors will take abuse for well over 100K I had 110K on my cobra, sprayed it almost every other day for 4 years(175 shot) and it ran perfectly. I have friends with over 200K on 5.4L F150s/250s who tear the hell out of them and they run great. listen to BC Lightning on the Highway thing. It is actually a rapid decel thing, this is true. Try not to just shut the motor down at WOT (let off the throttle quick under full boost), the blown 5.4L doesn't like it.

 

Contrary to popular belief, most blown engines, regardless of make, happen when letting off the throttle fast.

 

So do you agree or disagree?

 

Oh no, I DO agree completely. But it's just not a modular motor thing. Circle track motors blow when backing out of it when going into the corners all the time. Backing out of it and then braking in drag racing can cause all the oil to rush to the front of the pan, starving the pump.

 

Yeah, I was kidding. But seriously now, I have always thought of this as something other than an oiling issue. Kind of like hitting the boost hard and then getting back on to the vacuum side really hard (a fuel air problem with sudden detonation) which causes catastrophic damage to the ring lands. I have seen this in more than a few blower cars and a friend's American Offshore catamaran (boat) with two Hamilton (screw) supercharged 555ci BB Chevys at ~1130hp each. The cars were all roots blowers except one that was a Vortech with the other on nitrous and they all let loose under sudden decel. The boat actually let one engine loose at a photo shoot in Florida the same way. I wonder if this is just coinsidence or not. New thread!

 

plugs are important!!!! NGK TR6

If you do upgrade heat exchangers (which you should espically for Texas Heat and the "Heaton" blower) I would go with a Fluidyne H/E. I know I had the one from LFP and liked it, just switched to a Fluidyne and it seems to run a little cooler. Also I would pull the blower off and see how much oil has gotten into your intercooler. The L's I have noticed do take on quite a bit of oil into the blower and intercooler. You could even port the blower to help cool the blower off. The stock Eaton is real ineffieicnt espically when you start over spinning it with upper/lower pulley swaps causing more heat out of the blower.

I can see where the sudden switch from heavy boost to vac would cause motor problems, but I think on average most blown Lightning mtors are when people turn off overdrive and make highway runs in too cool of weather.

Its funny how around this time of the year people start posting up parts to sell because of blown motors.

 

Hey! I resemble that remark....

 

Why do highway runs in the cold waste the motors? Is there too much boost/torque for too long of a period because of the upper gears? I'm a new Lightning owner (as of Sept. '05), the truck is an '02 w 15k miles and has only a catback, but I've done several WOT runs on the highway already (but short ones, in and out of WOT in a matter of 2-4 sec...and I ease off the pedal).