High Mileage 4.2/4.4/5.0

pinkytoe69

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2012
1,689
182
minnesota
I was checking out an LR4 with 150k miles on it and it got me thinking about the "Peace of mind" zone on a potential high mileage purchase.

You see these threads in pretty much every other vehicle enthusiast forum so why not start one here? 😄

What's the highest mileage on one of these engines that you own or have worked on?
 
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Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
I have 163,000+ on my 2008 LR3 with the 4.4. Over the winter I loaded the vehicle with about 1,000 pounds of stuff and drove it 11,500 miles on a 5-month road trip. Handled mountain passes at 6,300 feet no problem. I bought it at 148,000 miles and felt comfortable rolling the dice because it came with extensive service history going back a long ways. Prior owners had cared for it well and spent what it took to maintain properly. The engine is quiet, smooth, and powerful. With consistent maintenance I hope to pass 200,000 miles, maybe more.

I did plenty of research before the purchase. My conclusion was that I'd accept the performance and handling tradeoffs of the LR3 (vs LR4) to gain the reliability of the engine and vehicle in general. So far that decision has paid off, as the truck worked hard on the road trip with zero problems. The LR4 has its advantages, but I wasn't willing to take the tradeoffs that came with it. Everyone has their own priorities, so find what best meets your needs knowing that no choice may be perfect.

Coyote+Canyon.jpg
 
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pinkytoe69

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2012
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minnesota
Everyone has their own priorities, so find what best meets your needs knowing that no choice may be perfect.

Oh for sure (y)

The 5.0 was noticeably peppier than the 4.4. Part of this is wondering how bad (or not so bad) the performance/long-term reliability trade-off actually is.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Oh for sure (y)

The 5.0 was noticeably peppier than the 4.4. Part of this is wondering how bad (or not so bad) the performance/long-term reliability trade-off actually is.

From my research the timing chain guides on the 5.0 can be an issue as are various fragile components in the cooling system (crossover pipes, for example). Then again, some owners have no problems.
 

pinkytoe69

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2012
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182
minnesota
At that mileage the rest of the truck will be falling apart

True, but I imagine that would go for most vehicles hitting that range? I'm more curious about the ability for the drivetrain to regularly hit something over 200k.

I've seen quite a few RRS at around 190k and LR3 in the lower 200k range on craigslist and FB marketplace.

Maybe that's when everything else starts falling apart 😄
 

pinkytoe69

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2012
1,689
182
minnesota
I think I have 160k on my LR3.


How did the V6 version do, in the end, were those reliable too?

I've got 160k on a RRS.

It was definitely getting super rattly, but changing out all the sway bushings and links mostly alleviated that. Just did a wheel bearing too. It had an air shock replaced in the past.

I think the thermostat housing has a small leak now.

That's all just "normal" maintenance stuff and not too difficult to do. If the drivetrain will last, that's not too bad of a trade-off.
 

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
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Briggs's Back Yard
I don’t know. I had an 86 325 that was definitely not falling apart at 282k when it was rear ended while parked and totaled. Also used a Honda Odyssey for a few years that I sold at 252k. It wasn’t falling apart because of zip ties. The Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with 190k definitely was falling apart.
 
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bovw

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Apr 1, 2006
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Orange, VA
I don’t know. I had an 86 325 that was definitely not falling apart at 282k when it was rear ended while parked and totaled. Also used a Honda Odyssey for a few years that I sold at 252k. It wasn’t falling apart because of zip ties. The Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with 190k definitely was falling apart.
Hit a deer about 5 years ago in wife’s 528I 5 speed. Had 386k on it at the time, totaled. Was still a solid car.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
I was checking out an LR4 with 150k miles on it and it got me thinking about the "Peace of mind" zone on a potential high mileage purchase.

You see these threads in pretty much every other vehicle enthusiast forum so why not start one here? 😄

What's the highest mileage on one of these engines that you own or have worked on?
I've seen 5.0s go over 250. You gotta figure since they started running that engine in 2010, to some extent we might need more time to figure that out. But the 4.4 has been on the road since "05 so I've seen those go to over 250 quite often. And generally the problems I see those trucks for are not engine mechanical issues.
 
Aug 20, 2007
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Nashville TN
the LR3 has more transmission problems than engine problems, correct?

biggest downside to the LR4 is replacement motors are still $7K plus for something used and not even rebuilt...
 

Eliot

Well-known member
Feb 4, 2008
736
47
Bozeman, MT
the LR3 has more transmission problems than engine problems, correct?

biggest downside to the LR4 is replacement motors are still $7K plus for something used and not even rebuilt...

I’ve never seen anyone post about a transmission problem with an LR3
 
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Howski

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2009
1,483
209
Alabama
Change the trans fluid, which is not a ‘lifetime’ fluid as LR claimed, at decent intervals and they work well. It’s not cheap service relative to the price of these vehicles now so, like air suspension, people try to cheap fuck their way through it and which causes bigger problems later on