460 good expo motor?

ExpoMike

Well-known member
Generally they are solid engines but are gas hogs. That's really the biggest issue since it limits range unless you have a really big or multiple tanks.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
My old '92 F350 had the 460 in it. I loved it. Zero issues with it for the couple of years I had it including a 6 month long trip all over the southwest and Mexico. I changed the alternator in Nayarit because it was acting a bit odd, but never an issue. The only thing, as mentioned above, it burned more money in fuel in that 6 months than I paid for the truck. When I bought my current Powerstroke, I was looking for a 460 5 speed. The powerstroke was only an hour away, one owner, all highway miles and the same price as 460 rigs. I couldn't pass it up.
 

Rot Box

Explorer
I agree its a good, reliable, thirsty engine :coffeedrink: Like most engines out there I recommend leaving them as close to stock as possible unless there is a proven upgrade that increases reliability. Also use only the best parts available (even if that means paying dealer prices) for maintenance and repairs. Keep a detailed list of repairs and services performed along with keeping on top of preventative maintenance. As cheesy as it sounds an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure in the back country ;)
 

Fordmedic

New member
I've heard nothing but food things about the motor with the only downside being fuel consumption. The motor in my rig is a new jasper 460 so hopefully it keeps rockin. Sounds like I should have gone diesel though.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
Don't even consider one with a carb. I had one on my '86 F-250. I also had to replace the intake manifold which warped. The web of vacuum hoses on mine disappeared with EFI and a good jump in performance too in 1988.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Don't even consider one with a carb. I had one on my '86 F-250. I also had to replace the intake manifold which warped. The web of vacuum hoses on mine disappeared with EFI and a good jump in performance too in 1988.

As luck would have it, the 460 in question is a '90:)
 

1 Bored Clerk

Explorer
My dad bought an 87 F350 with the 460 (carb'd) brand new and kept it until 1999. It was always a slow pig and never got over 10-11 mpg when new. Toward the end it was getting a nice 7 mpg. I just remember it being wicked underpowered but it never failed to start. The only continual issue with that truck was rear u-joints. Never got more than about 18,000 miles out of them for some reason. Truck was completely stock. My dad was tired of the whole deal and decided to trade it in on a 2000 Toyota Tacoma and the ol F350 wouldn't have any of it and caught on fire at the intersection in front of the Toyota dealership. :) I have fonder memories of that truck, mostly because I didn't have to pay for it or wrench it. Haha. So, to wrap this up and echo the the sentiment above, get the EFI! The vacuum hose situation (emissions stuff) under the hood of a carb'd 460 is something to behold. BTW, I'm not bashing. I've had two Rangers and I'm looking at stepping up to a new F350.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Excellent engine. Don't fear the gear. Cams and intake help a ton. Spare distributor and ignition module are handy items to have. Pretty sure that the web of vacuum lines, emisions BS, and lame carb only take a weekend to fit into a garbage can.

Gas hog. At $4.00 a gallon I thought all these engines were scrap metal by now? 2005+ Ford 5.4 makes more power.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Spare distributor and ignition module are handy items to have.

Mine actually had the entire stock ignition, as well as a complete Mallory ignition. It was nice to have the redundancy. All I had to do was swap one pigtail, and the coil wire on distributor to switch them. The p.o. set it up that way, and I left it alone. It made for an easy ignition trouble shoot on the side of the road. Mine also had aftermarket intake and flow master exhaust. 8-10mpg at best. I also had an F250 with 33s and a ZF5. It actually got decent mileage if I drove it easy.
 

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