TOPIC: 2003 Ford F-150 4WD 5.4L Triton Re-Grooved TAILPIPE HOT AIR!

OK round 2 for this Ford. Grooved it a couple weeks ago, used a med. bit and shaped the throttle plate. It did OK, but I felt there was more to be had. So the owner agreed to let me re-Groove it.

IT was worth it.

Thanks to both Ron and Serge from Russia- to Ron for creating the Groove and Serge for telling us of the double Groove.

Re-cut Groove w/ large bit very..carefully... as the throttle butterfly had been shaped, so could not use as back-guide. Using one of the Trick bits from the Certified License Program, I cut the second upper Groove. Look close at the pics you can see what an awesome Groove the Certified bit cut! Finished up by sanding the bore around both Grooves smooth.

Outlined the Grooves afterwards w/ a black marker to help visuals.

Also did a complete PCV re-route on this one, see my 2 posts w/ pics in Service bulletins. If you ever want to do this mod, look at those posts, especially for the 5.4 Triton.

Result: significantly more power. Had to keep easing back on throttle to maintain speed limits. The cherry on top: (drum roll please)................Owner and I both sniff-sampled the exhaust, and he said" It's HOT AIR!" Man what a Kick! ha ha! Anyone got the number for Muffler Suckers Anonymous handy?

man I dig Grooving Fords!

Tracy G

Here's an update on this Ford. Sam the owner says that he uses it to tow a trailer w/ motorcycles and gear to races, he says that when towing he has to keep his foot out of it or it will speed up too much...He also said that when towing he gets just as good of MPG as he does without the trailer. Sounds like the 5.4 can handle loads better w/ the double Grooved TB now. He also says he hasn't seen much change in fuel economy since I did the Groove. I advised to replace the upstream O2's then, but he hasn't done it yet...

Tracy G

I'm guessing I'll realize similar results on my little 3.0L Ranger clone...unless I'm already doing better

Oh, I think you will do far better! You're taking a comprehensive approach to it, far more than I was able to do w/ Sam's Ford. I spoke w/ Sam today and he clarified the situation on his F-150, saying it now has 75 K on the odo, and it's a 26-ft toy-hauler trailer, not the small one I envisaged. He says that while the fuel mileage is less while towing it, it's still better than before Grooving it. And he's got more power than pre-Groove.

So I was wrong in my comments above. I encouraged him to do the O2's. He also said he's still on OEM original spark plugs, and is aware of the potential issues w/ plugs in the 3-valve Triton Ford Engines.

I think if Sam was to change plugs and O2's he could well see better results, but he's a busy family guy...

But those of us who are willing to go the extra mile are the ones who reap the rewards!

Tracy G

If I can achieve even 25% better mileage, I'll be a SUPER happy camper...and yeah, since I don't tow, it's probably not too far of a stretch. I'm curious to see if Bruce's Compensator will live up to his 27% mileage increase he mentions as "only" on his website. That and the Groove together for 40+ MPG would be truly stellar. As I've said from the beginning of when I posted on here, I'm not looking to make my truck a sleeper that will smoke tires off the line at a stoplight, I'm looking for energy/cost efficiency and lessening my environmental impact.

Well of course! Ive heard somewhere that experts say that even ten percent increase is difficult. 'Course the first 5-10% is the easiest to get. I'm very curious about the Compensator, what it's secret sauce might be...I have a Condensator, got it 10 yrs ago it's on my slant six Dart. I remember when I first met Ron he had a Condensator (I think) apart in his garage.

Best of luck w/ the balky Ford, I wonder if genuflecting in the direction of Ford corporate headquarters, using a Ford logo floormat as a prayer rug might help? To get it right you need to Google Earth the place then use an accurate compass...

bash on!

Tracy G