Give me your opinions please. 08 ford f150 extended cab 4.6 v8. 214,000 miles. Been good truck - very little repairs. Has a lot of miles towing work trailer. now has low compression in 2 cylinders and stutters and shakes every time you put a load on it - such as a trailer. Been thru the plugs, coils, compression check and about everything else. Mechanic says time to redo the heads or get a new motor. Heads would be $2500 - $3000 with labor. 12 month, 12000 mile warranty. New crate motor from ford would be $5500 with labor. 3 year, unlimited mileage warranty. Leaning toward a new motor or trading it in and getting a truck with less miles. What are your thoughts?

Not knowing Fords that well, I'd research transmission lifespans/issues before I dumped that much money into it.

Since I buy them to keep them, and know what I've got as I rebuild/repair them, I'd put a motor in it and rebuld the tranny while I had it out, IF AND ONLY IF, it suits your needs and will in the future.
Maybe go to a larger motor so it doesn't have to work so hard, and then possibly a tougher tranny can be installed too.
If it is getting small for your needs, then trade it.

How much will it be worth after the REAL cost to make reliable again ?

You got the good out of it , move on

How is the over all condition of the pickup ? Is it rusty, does the transmission shift well still ? I'm a 3/4 ton 4wd for work pickups but then a 1 ton would of been better for me. How big of a trailer are you towing ?
In my defense I'm a older Ford kind of guy for me they were bullet proof for what I needed at the time.

truck in good shape inside and out. interior is good. very little rust. tires are good, fiberglass camper shell is good. ball joints are good. Been very reliable and had very few repairs. Just pull a 12ft box trailer.

I'm of the mindset that it's always cheaper to repair than to replace a vehicle, short of rust issues or major never ending electrical issues, like you'd get from a flooded vehicle. I new truck would be 30k-ish minimum, The new engine is 5k, even if you blew up the tranny a week after putting in the motor and spent another 5k, you'd still be in it for 20k less than a new truck.

Built a truck from the bottom up when I retired from full time. I had 3 trucks and found a solid frame and set the frame in front of the shop and built 1 truck out of the 3 trucks using the best parts. Rebuilt everything motor, trans, clutch, drive train, suspension the works. Put about 5 grand into it and have been driving it for the last 7 years, so figure what the payments and insurance would be on a new truck and I saved a lot of money over the years.

I agree - I buy vehicles to keep for long term [20+ years..] and I would go for a new crate motor BUT on the other hand after re-reading your post, you might want to consider an F-250 or 350 since you are doing so much towing.

Either way, it is going to cost you some - and it's going to be a whole lot more if you are going for another truck.

Is it possible to go with a more powerful motor ??
I had no idea they make V-8s that small for a truck [4.6]

Show me a truck with 214k that's had very few repairs and I'll show you one that will need repairs.

I marry them, when I'm done they are too. The magic tune I like is, paid for = no payment plan.
Dumped 2200 and my blood sweat n tears in mine two winters ago, and it's older than yours.

Friend recently bought a new 1 ton 4wd for hauling cattle. My goodness the price tag.

How about a used engine or a whole rusted or wrecked truck?

Thanks for the opinions. I don't pull near as much as I used too, so really don't need a 3/4 ton. I try to buy them and keep them also. my old 97 f150 4.6 v8 had 290k on it when I sold it. Its still going with about 310k on it now. I like the 4.6 for what is do - pulls what I need it too, gets good gas mileage when not towing.

Not long ago I had a new engine installed in my Ram truck. A few other parts replaced also, as it is an 02, and the distances are long drives over time. It is as a new truck, without the payments.

Low mileage junkyard motor. Used 4.6 is inexpensive you could probably get a great low mileage one that you can hear run for 1000 or less.

Fords have major problems with their cam phasers. Could be yours is starting to go which means it won’t last longer than another day if it is.
Or the catalytic converter is shot or plugged and that’s why it’s not able to run well with a load on it. Cut it off, install a pipe and you’re good to go!

its not the converter - we checked.

Yeah try car-part.com Lot of salvage yards listed, I'll bet close to you.

New motor

Brother put crate motor in toyota then after 50 thousand mile trans went out. Think about that I would say trade it off.

I'm in the process of putting a crate motor in a 94 Chevy Silverado. The motor came from AutoZone with the same or better warranty and cheaper than the factory rebuild. I'm like others now is the time to go to a bigger motor. I would much rather have a new old truck (repaired) than the payments on a new one. Not to mention the new ones except the single cab stripped down ones are priced ridiculously high for my wallet. When I get the Chevy going I'm saving up to do my 87 F-150 4x4. It currently has a 300 inline 6 so I'm upgrading to a 302.

The only factory option for a bigger motor in an 08 F150 would be a 5.4L 3V, which has a ton of it's own issues (spark plugs, phasers/cam timing issues, etc), and the current PCM from the 4.6L won't run the 5.4L, so you'd also have to replace the PCM, and then the other modules may not recognize the new PCM, so there'd be other issues more than likely, and would require a custom tune to make it right. Any other engine would have be a completely custom thing. You're best bet is to stick with what's in it now.