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Ford F-150 Owners

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Comments

  • todd1965todd1965 Member Posts: 16
    I have not noticed any loud sound on the highway while driving at a steady speed, the only time I can tell the difference is when I accelerate.
  • todd1965todd1965 Member Posts: 16
    I just installed a K&N Air Intake system on my 2003 4x4 SC and I think that my gas mileage has gotten worse.
  • rsblaskirsblaski Member Posts: 68
    Can anyone help? My son-in-law just bought a 1999 Ford F-150 Lariat. It has the cd changer (installed in the console between the seats) but it does not have a magazine in it. What brand will be compatible?
    Thanks,
    Rick
  • todd1965todd1965 Member Posts: 16
    Tell your son-in-law to go to Circuit City and they will be able to match his truck to their catolog of CD changers.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    anyone have an opinion on the new engine vs. the older one? I don't need the extra horse power, but would rather have the larger engine if it will payoff during re-sale. Is the extra $900 worth getting the bigger engine?
  • smillersmiller Member Posts: 32
    Hello - I bought a used 1998 4.6L F150 XLT 4X2 super cab - with 47,000 miles, three months ago. There is no rust on the outside
    that I can see. The under side looks OK- normal rust wear.
    But inside the cab on the drivers side where the emergency brake is attached there is surface rust all over the metal plate that the
    E brake pedal is attached. Is this normal?
    The inside is very clean so I do not understand why there is rust inside the cab. Does anyone have any ideas? Thank You.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    probably not a big deal
    if it's isolated to that part and not on the body I wouldn't worry about it. Unpainted cast iron just gets like that - it's usually thick enough to outlast the life of the car before any significant wear takes place.
  • smillersmiller Member Posts: 32
    aspesisteve,
                   Thanks for your input- I will keep an eye on it.
    When I clean the interior I just wipe it down with a WD-40 soaked
    cloth the best I can and that helps.
    BTW- My beautiful truck is showing a 1/4 inch drivers side door crack! (next to window on the right) A LOT of 98/99 f150 owners have this defect - I would not have gone with a Ford had I known before purchase, this is my first Ford.
                 I bought an extended cab truck so my wife and two girls can fit. I had a Toyota pick-up reg. cab 4x4 - but had to sell it because it needed a rear engine seal. It ran great.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    that doesn't sound too good.
    what does Ford have to say about that?
  • smillersmiller Member Posts: 32
    I here Ford has a service bulliten about it-
    I haven't had time yet to explore it further but there is a lot of talk about it. I have looked at all the F150's in my area
    (upstate NY), that I come across, work parking lot, malls,
    from 1997 on up to 99- most have the crack.
    Unbelievable to say the least-
    The truck is 6 years old and out of Ford's warranty.
    A lot of trucks with this crack started in otherwise perfect condition.
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    anyone know why there is a key hole on the bumper of my '04 f150?

    can't find anything on it in the owners manual.
  • cornellpinoycornellpinoy Member Posts: 196
    The key hole is an anti-theft measure for your spare tire. When you unlock the assembly with your key, you have access to lower the spare tire using the tools under your rear seat.

    About 2 months ago, I had a flat with my '04 XLT in the rain. The sidewall was punctured so the air inflator I carry with me was of no use. And of course I was wearing a dress suit. Can't tell you how much fun I had that night.
  • truckchicktruckchick Member Posts: 2
    I am doing a college speech on the ford/chevy debate. I have to conclude which is the better brand by the end. I have a lot of information, but I need some consumer quotes and opinions. What do y'all think of the two and where could I find quick, terrific information? Please e-mail me by this wednesday if you could. My speech is Thursday morning. Thnx!
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    truckchick,

    a good place to start is the 'editor reviews' here in Edmunds on the two vehicles.

    I test drove the Chevy Silverado before buying my new Ford F150. I'm entitled to the GM family discount pricing, so I was obligated to at least check out the Chevy. Even with the "family" pricing, you can do better on your own using all the dealer incentives that are out there.

    I probably would have chosen the ford before it's '04 make over due to a better reputation (IMO), but since Ford has totally re built the F150 for 2004, it was a slam dunk. Quieter cab, more refined, better looking (IMO), awesome cab design, where as the Chevy (GM) makes cheap tacky looking interiors.

    you can quote me
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    I have the single CD player but would like to add the 6 disc changer. Anyone know if there is wiring inplace for the changer? What brand it requires and where it goes?
  • ricko_49ricko_49 Member Posts: 1
    I recently bought a '04 FX-4, I was looking at the joints and the grease zerks all look different, does anyone know if Ford put a different style in this truck, if so were do we buy the right adapter for them? THanks
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
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  • brandi080786brandi080786 Member Posts: 1
    I have a paper to write in class on my favorite car...that happens to be a Ford Lightning not a car. Can anyone help me out with a few good points this truck has? Like specs or what not...all I know is that its a nice looking truck and I want one.
  • mah628mah628 Member Posts: 1
    My son is looking at a 97 F-150 with 82000 mi . It is priced at $8000. It has a Triton v-8 and a 5 sp trans. It is 4 WD. Does anybody have any info on reliability with this model and year? All seems ok to me . Is there anything specific to look for? Any advice would be appreciated.
  • altidudealtidude Member Posts: 1
    Anybody know what it is? This is on a 2004 XLT supercab. The mirror is not auto-dimming, just the standard rearview. The module is mounted right behind the rearview mirror, has a button on the top and a cable coming out of it. I've looked through the owners manual and can't find anything about this little black box. Something to do with the compass perhaps?
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    I had wondered the same thing after learning the mirror didn't auto dim.

    my guess it's for the compas and exterior temperature -
  • kg11kg11 Member Posts: 530
    I do have the auto-dimming mirror and the cable from it goes to the module. The only other automatic, daylight sensitive system I can think of on the truck is the headlights. Push that button and see if the headlights (and tail lights) don't come on when it gets dark. (not the daytime lights)
  • tim7tim7 Member Posts: 1
    I really like the new style F-150's but they do not offer a manual transmission. Any word if the 2005 model will have that option? I know it is available in the Heritage edition but not the new model. Thanks!
  • katiedidkatiedid Member Posts: 1
    I have a '04 F150 with 10,000 miles. the truck has been having a rear end problems since 5000 miles. Clunking and hard jolts from the rear end when I take off in parking lots, at red lights, etc. I have taken the problem to dealership and they think I am making this problem up. The problem is not a daily issue so they can not find anything wrong. Anyone else experiencing these problems?
  • lazlaz Member Posts: 1
    I am about to inherit a 1997 f-150 4x4 shortbed with a 6 cylinder engine. Not sure which size - I think the basic engine. According to Edmunds, the towing capacity of the vehicle is 7500 lbs, which seems quite high to me. Can anyone give me some info from the real world? I am wondering if it will be possible or advisable to tow a horse trailer with this thing? Trailer wt, 3000, horse wt 1200, gear 200 or so, for a total of less than 5000, which ought to be within the limits, but...does this thing really tow that much, and safely? Thanks for any input. The truck, btw, is in awesome shape, meticulously maintained with less than 10,000 miles.
  • cornellpinoycornellpinoy Member Posts: 196
    How often does it happen? Every single time you accelerate from a stop or just ocassionally? In any of my trucks ('02 Yukon Denali, '04 F-150 XLT, '05 Silverado LS) I'll get a light/moderate clunk if I do anything abrupt with the gas or brake. Its kind of expected considering the length of the driveshaft.
  • zeek1zeek1 Member Posts: 1
    does your truck have a limited slip rearend? if so they call it a rear end chatter! you can go to your local ford dealer and get some friction modifier it is about a 4oz tube and you can dump it in your rearend and it should fix it in a matter of miles!~
  • ccasey2ccasey2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2004 F150 4x4....bought a tow hitch and it wouldn't fit into the receiver. It would go in about 2 inches and then stop. I took the truck back to the dealer...they tried the hitch on other F150's and it did the same thing. But, then they tried it on some Expeditions and it worked fine. Anybody have a similar problems...anybody here about problems with the F150 tow packages generally or perhaps about a bad batch Ford put out.

    Any help would be much appreciated. I need to pick it up at the dealer tomorrow and I'm sort of at a loss about what to do. thanks.
  • rjimsonrjimson Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    I have a 2004 f150 with the same problems at 3000 miles. The dealer greased the spline sp???
    This has seemed to take care of the problem,
    but they only fixed it last week.
    Hope this helps
  • alkanxalkanx Member Posts: 69
    Hi, got a new 4x2 04 Lariat last week, any problems or issues, please let me know.

    Thanks.
    Shawn.
  • johnh1johnh1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 04 F150 that has the same problem when the rear end is cold. The dealership put the friction modifier in 2 days ago, so far so good. I was wondering if anybody is having a problem with a rough idle when in gear with the A/C off.
  • johnh1johnh1 Member Posts: 2
    I bought my 04 F150 in late Feb. You are not alone. The dealership reprogramed the pmc @ days ago and said it was fixed but no luck. I thought I was imagining it but I guess not. Maybe Ford will come up with a fix. I don't think it is a common problem, or more people would be complaining.
  • watts1watts1 Member Posts: 1
    I have been researching a few different trucks for 3 weeks now and think the FordF-150 suits my needs best. I'd like to hear comments on this particular trucks towing capacity. This will be my first truck purchase (purchasing to haul my horse) and Im a bit nervous. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
  • kg11kg11 Member Posts: 530
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    watts1,

    I have the '04 F150 smaller V8, and while it suits my needs (light towing) I would definitely recommend you get the 5.4 litre V8 for towing a horse.

    great truck = love the quiet cab.
  • kg11kg11 Member Posts: 530
    That horse and trailer weigh under 4000 lb.

    I always get the biggest engine but my folks tow a 6000 lb travel trailer with a '04 GMC with the smaller engine (4.8). I prefer the most power available but NEED is a pretty strong word.

    kip
  • lenrlenr Member Posts: 13
    Ford publishes towning capacity for every vehicle configuration. Dealers have brochures. Basically, it starts with with the GCWR Gross Combined Weight Rating of the vehicle which is determined by engine, transmission, rear axle ratio, and wheel size. Bigger wheels need higher ratio axles to keep the engine spinning up in the usable torque range (except deisels which have very low RPM torque curves). In the Ford charts you'll notice that higher ratio axles come with higher trailer ratings. Ford also de-rates trucks with manual transmissions, except for the Super Duty series. I am not sure why, but it may be the difficulty of starting up a big load with a clutch. After the GCWR is fiured then, the weight of the vehicle and one person is subtracted to arive at the trailer weight rating. So bigger, heavier trucks have a lower rating than lighter ones with the same engine, trans., rear axle.

    Ao much for theory, now practicle experience. As the owner of a 97 F-150, I find the Ford trailer rating to be about the most the you want to try. My F-150 with a 4.6 and the towing ratio rear end is rated at 6800 lbs. I tow a 4500 lb. gooseneck with two horses with no problem. However, acceleration is not great when towning. Since I tow about 1% of the time this is not a problem. The other 99% of the time I get better gas mileage for having the smaller engine. The biggest problem is braking capacity. If I had the bigger engine I tried towing its larger capacity, I still wouldn't have any more brakes. Ford has steadily improved their breaks, but it is an issue to be concerned about. The Super Duty line has much better brakes. All that said, I just got an 04 Expedition with the 5.4. The extra get up and go is a lot of fun. You should expect about 1 mpg worse gas mileage on the 5.4 so plug that cost into the life of the vehicle.
  • bfassettbfassett Member Posts: 17
    I have a 2002 F-150, long bed with a tow package small V-8.I recently bought a car to help keep gas costs down and the truck sits for extended periods of time- only 200 miles this summer..I am having a great deal of trouble getting into 4 wheel drive.I don't want to force it ,but most of the time it won't go in,Any thoughts.Also the Service Engine Light is staying on and it is running VERY rough.Thanks
  • dwrestledwrestle Member Posts: 72
    I am not really a Ford guy, I prefer Chevy over all others(best overall engine and transmissions IMHO but interior is small for my girth for the years I can afford to buy) however I would drive any American pickup over Japanese trucks.

    I am looking at a really nice 1991 F-150 XLT 4x4(locking hubs) with the 5.0 302 engine and a 4 or 5(not sure the guy at the dealer said 4 speed, but reverse was in the same area as it is in a five speed) speed manual transmission(manual only way to go with Ford IMHO), and I think dual gas tanks, and I think it's got a pretty good size bed maybe not 8ft but the next one down.

    Is there anything I need to know about the reliability of this truck, anything bad about the engine or transmission, any kind of quirks, or weird things that I should know about. Also is the 302 pretty stout or is it gutless, someone said it doesn't have the kind of low end torque a truck should have, but said it's still fast higher up in the RPM range. Any help is much appreciated thanks in advance.

    Oh the price of the truck is $3950 and it's a beatiful dark blue color paint and is almost flawless, with no rust I could see. Has anyone used Gibson Hedders and exhuast? They are the only brand of Hedders in the JCWhitney catalog that give TQ and HP numbers with and without the Hedders at 2500 RPM and 3500 RPM, and it's pretty impressive, and If I get a truck I am not content to stick with a stock truck, and hedders are cheap easy power. Does anyone know of any chip like performance parts that work on a 1991 Ford F-150?

    Oh and does anyone know why the locking Hubs are supposed to make the gas mileage better? To me it takes some of the practicallity of 4x4 away. Does anyone know if there is maybe a kit to make it like power door locks and hit a button from in the cab and it locks the hubs. What kind of gas mileage can I expect from the 302 maybe 16 MPG? I think thats all my questions for now sorry to take up half a page.
  • wpalkowskiwpalkowski Member Posts: 493
    How many miles on the truck?
    Check out the Brake Lines - they start rusting out and can give you a real thrill. Another pain in the butt rust problem is the oil pan on the 302 motor. It gets porous rust spots. Have to jack up the motor in order to change the pan.
       I have a 4x2, and only get 14 mpg at best. Low end depends on the gear ratio in the rear end.
  • dwrestledwrestle Member Posts: 72
    between 130,000 to 140,000 miles on it.
  • mmossmmoss Member Posts: 2
    Hi, we have a 1989 F-150 XLT Lariat, automatic tranny. Purchased used, has about 65,000 miles on it. Few problems, mainly with oil pressure sensor, but finally got that fixed.

    Today, however, I was sitting in line waiting for a DEQ vehicle inspection. Engine was on, gear set in Park, foot off the gas. I leaned over to the right to move something on the seat and WHAMMO--the gear shifter jumped into Reverse and sent me smashing into the car behind me. Not much damage, but a terrifying incident and very maddening. The techs at DEQ said that's a common problem with Fords--anybody else have this happen to them??
  • nutin2itnutin2it Member Posts: 6
    Yeah, I own the same type of truck and the Lariat's Captain chairs are crap. They're also too wide in order to accomodate the lousy location for the seat belt tensioner. Just cheap, like some other things I've noticed.
  • jrc346jrc346 Member Posts: 337
    One of the best motors ever built. I've got one in my 1979 F-150 with 130,000 on it. Runs like new, and still gets between 14-16 MPG.

    However, any truck with that amount of age and miles, can't be expected to be perfect. It really adds up to how well it was maintained.
  • norwoodnorwood Member Posts: 3
    Hi tbunder, or anyone:)
    wanted to find out what happened to your sister's
    5.4. I've got a 1998 f-150 that has blown 2 sparks plugs..one they were able to screw back in, some threads left.(that was a couple years ago) The latest one blew out like a shotgun blast and took the threads with it. The Easy Care extended warranty I bough from the Ford dealer at 35,000 miles didn't want to pay to replace the head until I fought it. (inspector determined that the spark plugs were over torqued at the factory) Now we discover one cylinder is very low on compression and upon taking the engine out we find that the piston skirts are warn from slapping the cylinder walls and they are now scored. the tech says we should put in a rebuilt long block from Ford but Easy Care is denying the claim saying it was due to poor maintenance. The crank bearings are also worn. The threads in the cylinder could have caused some wear and may have worked their way down into the bottom of the engine but it sure is disappointing since the truck is in nice shape and has only 70,000 miles. Any ideas? On how to battle Easy Care, just found out today!
  • brandoniousbrandonious Member Posts: 1
    I have a 01 supercrew. Pretty nice truck but there have been some strange problems with it since I bought it 6 months ago. Already I've had to have the exhaust manifold gaskets replaced due to leaks, the stabilizer bar on the front suspension, and the rotors were gone after 60k and needed replacing as well. Now I'm told that the ball joints are shot and need to be replaced and it will cost about 1200. I have to say this has been the most trouble prone vehicle I've owned...and am scrambling to get out of it and into something better. I have always been a ford guy...I have an 89 mustang with 220k on it and it's still going strong...but these late model trucks seem to be very poorly built. At least that's the trend I'm seeing by browsing all the boards I can find. Any thoughts on a better replacement vehicle?
  • jasford92jasford92 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    I have a 92' F-150xl custom with a 4.9L six and 5 speed manual transmission. The problem I am experiencing is subtle but is getting worse. It takes place when I am in third or fourth gear going between 25-45 mph. If the rpms are low the truck periodically jerks. I used to be able to leave it in a higher gear and slow down and pick up would be fine. This problem does not show itself until after the engine has reached almost normal operating temperature. Taking off when it is still cold there is no problem. Cap, rotor, plugs and wires all replaced. I am just looking for advise to where I should start first. Fuel, electrical etc.....
  • dwrestledwrestle Member Posts: 72
    is a 351cu motor, The one I'm looking at has 172,000 miles in a Bronco 1994. It seems stouter than the 350 Chevy's I've driven, which surprised me, but I bet it don't get 16 miles a gallon.
  • thomasc2thomasc2 Member Posts: 1
    Just got a letter from Ford saying they have an "updated inspection procedure" for 97-02 plus four other truck and SUV models. They say inspections are my responsibility and that worn rod ends may "adversely affect steering control." Sounds like they are having problems. I had them checked and, sure enough, badly worn ends ... another $750 bill. Have others had this problem and should this have been a recall item?
  • gfarlgfarl Member Posts: 2
    I have '01 supercrew lariat that after a bit of suspision blew its TRANNY OUT. I have 38k miles on it and of course i'm just over by 2 thousand on my warranty. I've been battling to see if Ford will stand by its 'built ford tough'motto but they are telling me its gonna be about $3,000 plus and no questions asked. I'm pissed especially because i've had 3 fords and really didnt like any of them and just got a good deal on this pile. Anyone else with tranny probs? I'll never but a ford again personally and hope anyone thinking about it changes their mind.
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