Thoughts on weaknesses of AFM, MDS, and how Ford Expedition stacks up

[stillwaters]

We have always purchase large GM vehicles with the most recent being a 15 passenger Chevy Express van. Kids are growing up and heading out of the house so we are looking at down sizing and are looking at purchasing a larger SUV in from the 2009-2017 time period. Originally we were checking out the Suburban variants, the Durango, and the Expedition/Navigator. I have always researched the strengths and weaknesses before buying a vehicle and have found that Chevy's AFM and Dodge's MDS can cause the engine to self destruct. This made the maladies of the 5.4 triton not seem as bad to me. It would seem that there are warning noises to look for that would indicate attention needed whether it be in the valve train or timing system, whereas the other manufacturer's issues could hit without any warning.

If there any repairs, I am looking at tackling it myself and the makuloco videos give me a sense of confidence that I could replace timing components myself.

Is my thinking close on this as I try and narrow my options?

 

[Jamo]

I'm a Ford guy, and you're asking this question on a forum full of Ford guys (mostly), so I think you'll get lots of positive response. I just plain like my 2014 Expedition EL LTD with the V8. I have friends with Suburbans and Tahoes, I had a Tahoe before my current Expedition. I've never cared for the look of the Durangos, the newer ones are better, but the older ones seem to rust really bad up here. I'm very happy with my decision to stay with the 5.4.

 

[stillwaters]

Thanks for your response. There is a lot of negative press on the 5.4 but not sure the issues are worse then the GM 5.3/6.2 or the 5.7 Hemi issues.

 

[Logan97]

My sister in law had a 15 dodge durango with only 110,00 miles on it, engine gave out 3 months after owning it. She had the vehicle inspection done after purchasing and they said the car was good. Now she drives a 2010 expedition and loves it. I myself have had 2 expeditions and they both have been very reliable.

 

[twodollars]

If your shopping pre 2021 gm tahoe or suburban, the rear solid axle would be appealing to me. The afm issues are real, but can be deleted. I prefer cam in block motors, and think gm had a better powertrain in their full size half tons than ford. With that said, I did pick our 2013 expedition 7 years ago and have been pretty happy with it, other than the rear end being difficult to modify to support trailer weight, and the lack of towing power. The other 90 percent of the time it's good. But I chose it over gm because it was about 10k less in cost at that time.

 

[JasonH]

Third row is much more useable on the Expedition due to the IRS. Some people like the solid axle, but I'm definitely not one of them. I did put a Hellwig on the rear recently and it was a nice upgrade, even for daily driving. The Ecoboost is also a much stronger engine than the GM offerings, especially if you're driving at higher altitude. I don't have any experience with the 5.4 triton, but those that have upgraded said the Ecoboost is much stronger.

 

[max78]

Every Brand has its issues. Dodge has valvetrain and valve seat issues, chevy has AFM issues, Ford has timing component issues. They can all be permanently fixed before issues arise allowing it to go many hundreds of thousands of miles. I'm sitting at 227k and its been running great.

I prefer the Ford interior over the others and because it was the only one that came with a bulletproof 6 speed transmission.

 

[Ford Frank]

The expedition third row is built for adults. The suburbans third row is more of a throw the kids back there type of deal. Suburbans are more commonly seen for sale then expy XL/max. But standard expy is more common than the suburban. Suburbans hold there value better, making expeditions cheaper to buy used. I’ve been happy with both of my expeditions, but have no experience with large GMs, other than they were priced out of my budget. A comparable expedition is much cheaper.

 

[stillwaters]

Thank you! Looks like a stout transmission. Maybe the only issue to look out for is the timing, valvetrain, and upgrading the pump. I have done some work on the 2v, but how long would it take to go through the timing components on the 3v? Also, how does one know if it's too late and the engine is too far gone?

 

[stillwaters]

I guess the bigger question for the 5.4 3v for me is when do you know if it is too far gone? It seems that there are quite a few that are still receiving complete timing jobs even with metal shavings, high mileage, toasted tensioners, broken guides, and other mayhem abound.