Inside your 2021 5.0 at 3500 miles...

[JExpedition07]

It’s quite addicting isn’t it, that sound when it passes 5,500 rpm up through 6,700 rpm is pretty wild. It is definitely a unique V8 in a class of its own, you can’t get this engine type anywhere else except a Mustang or BMW/Mercedes.

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[UNIKRN150]

I see a lot of people “slamming” these RCSB 5.0s for racing and I TOTALLY “get it”.

But you don’t know what you’re missing with your RCSB 4x4 5.0 until you’ve conquered a mountain trail that you’d be reluctant to try on a dirt bike.

Yes, the F150 5.0 is a monster on the track but that’s over so fast and the view looking down the track doesn't compare to the view looking down from the top of a mountain and thinking “damn… now I have to go back DOWN that thing!”

ENTER: “Hill Decent Technology”

I’ve been road racing and off roading for years and the GEN14 F150 4x4 5.0 is almost science fiction in it’s ability to do BOTH.

THAT’S why I went with “the poor man’s F150” (RCSB) but with all the tech that is sadly no longer available from Ford.

360 degree cameras with Hill Decent deep in an off-road forest full of boulders, deep ruts and thick brush makes off roading a whole new experience.

 

[JExpedition07]

What I love is what they did with this 4th gen, peak torque is 410 lb ft at a relatively low 4,250 rpm yet she can rev to 6,700 rpm. They really took a great pony car engine design and made it perfect for a truck lol

 

[UNIKRN150]

What I love is what they did with this 4th gen, peak torque is 410 lb ft at a relatively low 4,250 rpm yet she can rev to 6,700 rpm. They really took a great pony car engine design and made it perfect for a truck lol

All the predictions of the demise of the ICE engine may have a tinge of accuracy and I'm sure an EV could produce impressive torque in climbing up the side of a mountain but...

I'd hate to get to the top and see my "Battery Life at 20%!

-vs-

Plus... have you seen the "ground clearance" of a F150 Lightning?
?

 

[astrand1]

Turns out it was a shattered valve. "UNIKRNF150" has taken on a whole NEW meaning!
It damaged the rollers & the cam shaft but not the head or below.

Thank God I don't have a business relying on having this truck on the road!

We're waiting to hear if Ford wants it repaired or will be sending a new head. I really don't care either way. I have the Premium Care ESP so it's THEIR problem until 2028!

After eight months of waiting for them to build this truck.. I made "other arrangements" long ago so other than the payments I'm making on a truck I haven't been able to drive in 2022... I'm just finding this all very fascinating to watch.

Of course all my buddies telling me with GREAT JOY... "I told you to get a Toyota"! lol

I'd rather have a broken down 2021 F150 than a Toyota ANY DAY!

I've driven the new Toyotas and they don't hold a candle to the 2021 5.0 F150.

If you have not already open a case with ford corp. they will sometimes waive or credit a payment or 2 something along those lines. Can’t hurt to ask. And what does UNIKRNF150 mean?

 

[UNIKRN150]

If you have not already open a case with ford corp. they will sometimes waive or credit a payment or 2 something along those lines. Can’t hurt to ask. And what does UNIKRNF150 mean?

You might be right about that but it's likely a little late for that now and I really have no complaints about how they dealt with and resolved the issue. It was clearly a "fluke" and my local Dealership really stepped up and rolled out the red carpet for me.

A fully loaded Regular Cab Short Bed 4x4 5.0 is the "Unicorn" of F150s. The RCSB is the "poor man's F150" and they're usually only purchased because the buyer couldn't afford (or didn't need) a 4-door and thus; rarely load them down with all the available options. I bought mine for the wheelbase. Off-roading in the dense forests of the Pacific North West requires tight turns that are almost impossible in a "Land-Yacht".

I've never seen one for sale on the internet with the options mine has and only know of a few like it. (I'm sure there are others)
And since the chip shortage caused Ford to stop offering some of the options I have shortly after they built mine, I doubt that there are many out there.

 

[UNIKRN150]

I have yet to see ANYONE else have this problem. I guess I'm just "lucky" that way.

And 25,000 miles later I haven't had ANY problems with it.
Actually, I take that back... I HAVE had a few weird "computer glitches", none of which made the truck undrivable and ALL fixed themselves within 24-hours.

 

[tony72cutlass's']

You might be right about that but it's likely a little late for that now and I really have no complaints about how they dealt with and resolved the issue. It was clearly a "fluke" and my local Dealership really stepped up and rolled out the red carpet for me.

A fully loaded Regular Cab Short Bed 4x4 5.0 is the "Unicorn" of F150s. The RCSB is the "poor man's F150" and they're usually only purchased because the buyer couldn't afford (or didn't need) a 4-door and thus; rarely load them down with all the available options. I bought mine for the wheelbase. Off-roading in the dense forests of the Pacific North West requires tight turns that are almost impossible in a "Land-Yacht".

I've never seen one for sale on the internet with the options mine has and only know of a few like it. (I'm sure there are others)
And since the chip shortage caused Ford to stop offering some of the options I have shortly after they built mine, I doubt that there are many out there.

I went for the supercab 301A on my 21 just to have a bit of extra space for my crap. Could not justify the cost or the crew cab.

I’m slowly adding some nice features via forscan, heated steering wheel being the one I’m working on right now. I have the 8” centre screen so I’m working on figuring out getting the soft button working so I don’t have to upgrade to the 12” screen

more importantly, this truck is really light, 1998 lb. Payload and 5.0 w3.73 gears, she rips like a bat out of hell, I have more fun driving this truck around then I did with my ‘14 mustang

 

[UNIKRN150]

I went for the supercab 301A on my 21 just to have a bit of extra space for my crap. Could not justify the cost or the crew cab.

I’m slowly adding some nice features via forscan, heated steering wheel being the one I’m working on right now. I have the 8” centre screen so I’m working on figuring out getting the soft button working so I don’t have to upgrade to the 12” screen

more importantly, this truck is really light, 1998 lb. Payload and 5.0 w3.73 gears, she rips like a bat out of hell, I have more fun driving this truck around then I did with my ‘14 mustang

Congratulations!

I DO MISS having that extra storage in the back. Not to mention all the many, MANY options that just weren't available on a RCSB.

And the 12" screen was one of them. But I've read so many issues with the 12" that I'm now glad I didn't get it.

I've had a 1967, 1986 and two 2000 Mustangs over the years, ALL with V8s and I know exactly what you mean. My RCSB is 400lbs heavier than a Mustang and it's amazing that I haven't been pulled over yet.

I'm waiting for my Factory Warranty to expire before I start messing with forscan. When my valve snapped the 1st thing they did was start digging around for excuses to void my Warranty!

 

[fordtruckman2003]

Looks like shop took care of you. My 2011 had 9 years on a new head after camshaft broke and many more years ahead when I traded it. You'll be fine.

 

[UNIKRN150]

Looks like shop took care of you. My 2011 had 9 years on a new head after camshaft broke and many more years ahead when I traded it. You'll be fine.

I obviously wasn’t too happy about any of it. But I’m no “snowflake” and I know shit happens.

If I had been able to find a bunch of people who had the same problem, I would have been more aggressive about holding Ford’s feet to the fire. But this was clearly just a fluke.

From everything I’ve read and from my own personal experience in testing the repairs to the extreme, the GEN14 5.0 is a solid power plant.

All the paranoia about “Cylinder Deactivation” and A.S.S. are proving to have been just that… “paranoia”.

I’m used to paying the extra cash for a quality product and pushing it to its limit and my repaired 2021 F150 5.0 has come through with “Flying Carpets” (as Ricky would say)

Ford’s ICE Engineers might have designed their “swan song” and as far as I’m concerned, they can retire knowing that they have left a proud mark on the Internal Combustion Engine F150 legacy.

 

[tony72cutlass's']

“Flying Carpets” (as Ricky would say)

They recorded that episode literally 15 mins up the road from my house

 

[UNIKRN150]

They recorded that episode literally 15 mins up the road from my house

That's crazy.

I accidentally discovered them years ago while surfing obscure DirecTV channels out of sheer boredom. I turned my son onto their show when he was home from Collage on spring break.

Next thing I know, all the Collage kids are watching them and they get a Netflix contract!

Ha, ha...

I was happy for them because they weren't getting paid crap from CBC and they finally got to monetize their talent.

 

[troy12n]

Protect yourself. Get an ESP.

So... I know this post is over a year old, and I have not finished reading it yet, but you really sound like someone trying to sell the ESP plan, not a truck owner.

I've had now, 5 F150's, starting with my 1987, '97, 2005, '15 and 2023.

I had ExtraCare Plans on my '97, '05 and '15 trucks. The ESP "ExtraCare" plan or equivalent (think the one for the '97 was called something else).

On my '97, it paid for itself I had chronic A/C issues and an engine that decided it wanted to spit spark plus because of a poorly designed head.

On my '05, it paid for itself, I had a couple A/C issues and driveshaft and rear end needed to be rebuilt twice and had two alternators fail.

On my 2015, it paid for itself, barely, but there were also some things that I felt SHOULD have been covered and weren't. Just like the 2005, I had the rear end rebuilt once and had the entire front steering rack replaced because the steering was "sticking" while making hard left full turns.

One of the things i've seen you post is how you had a rental car for months...

I can assure you that ESP is not paying for that. You are on your original warranty, and that's what is paying for it. If you had an ESP plan, you would have either 10 or 15 days of rental car, per claim. That's it... so if your truck is in the shop for months, you are NOT going to get a rental for that whole time... I ran into this exact thing when my 2015 had to have the steering rack replaced. The part was on national backorder and down for 6 weeks. I got 10 days of rental car. That's it.

Just trying to correct some misinformation.

Also, the ExtraCare ESP plans have skyrocketed in cost from about $1200 for my '97, $1400 for my '05 and almost $4000 for my 2015.

I had my dealer quote me almost 10 grand for one for my 2023 when I bought it... no thanks.

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