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Comments
What type transmission?
What kind of cab?
What kind of drive (4x4 or 4x2)?
What kind of milage are you actually getting?
You should be getting over 20 mpg, with a 2001(not knowing what model you got).
Things will give a better picture of what's going on, but the first thing is to get a K&N air filter, maybe some platinum or split fire plugs, Try not using the air conditioning 100% of the time, as this adds parasitic drag on the motor. If you owned it I'd recommend an aftermarket exhaust, that always frees up some horsepower and lowers operating RPM. Try driving slower. If you got the 4 speed automatic, sorry. A 5speed lets your cruise at a lower RPM. Another idea, no burnouts or racing... Consider a bed cap(ugly in my opinion) or tonneau cover(my choice) to free up a little wind drag. Also don't let the car idle while parked, just in case.
Also, make sure your fuel gauge isn't funky. It's been a common issue on some fords where the fuel guage isn't consistent through all levels of the tank. Some of this could just be fuel sloshing, but even in my '93 4cylinder, I go through the first half tank in under 120 miles, then get the remaining 200-225 miles on that last "half" of the tank gauge. But even I get 21+ mpg in the city with over 135 thousand miles logged(That's really good, especially with only airbox modifications). With a little experience you'll know what a full tank will get you in milage.
Also remember that the closer you get to E, the less weight you are hauling, thus you get a little better fuel economy.
Basic ideas here, but all shots in the dark. Just check what youre getting vs what's on the sticker(or edmunds). It is a pickup truck, so don't expect it to be the most fuel efficient vehicle. Provide more info, and someone here can better help you out. Happy trails...
Also, how do you measure mileage? Not insulting your intelligence at all, but I think many problems with lower than expected fuel mileage stem from the fact that the owner doesn't know how to properly measure fuel consumption. Are you filling the tank to the brim, driving a certain distance, and then dividing the number of gallons it takes to fill the tank again into miles driven?
I have a 91 XLT 2WD with 115K miles. The right front frame where all the coils, springs, shocks attach completely rusted to where it shredded and broke and the car is undriveable. No accidents or potholes or abusive conditions. No rust to speak of on the body or floor boards or underneath the truck.
The shop that we took it to (I thought that the shocks were dead) said that they had never seen something like this.
IS THIS WHY THEY SAY --- F.O.R.D = Found On Road Dead???????
Are you near any bodies of salt water, or have you ever driven it on the beaches or in an area where they salt the roads? Have you ever had any battery problems(like it exploding or otherwise leaking all over the place?), or perhaps a constant radiator/hose leak that drips on the frame rail? All parts are painted or protected in one way or another, there just has to be some way that only this area was located, like oversize tires rubbing during hard turns. This could, over time, expose the bare metal and allowing water to do it's thing. Even puddles could then start up the car cancer.
Sorry to hear about that, hopefully in the 10 years you've owned it, you got some use out of it.
Hope you have a friend with a welder...
The entire frame is unpainted and therefore has a superficial covering of "rust". My recollection of chemistry is that surface treatments, such as paint, are used to prevent the oxidation of iron (i.e. rust). So yes there are other places under the car showing superficial rust, but the frame has been completely eaten through by rust in the area I tried to describe.
I thought of your idea of battery acid or adverse conditions (road treatments, saltwater) but this truck has been used as a commuter vehicle and puttering around suburbia by a soccer dad in Virginia! No 4X4 beach excursions! Our winters are fairly mild, but we get a storm or two and DOT uses "salt", but then why only in this section? Why only this truck? So that's why I was wondering if others with >100K have had a similar experience. My only non-expert opinion would be that the metal in that area was defective, either structurally or in design. It is by design bent there and there are lots of holes drilled for the attachment of shocks and springs and other suspension/body components. Like an infection, stressed/damaged metal will oxidize. So the rusting got started some years back and eventually won the battle.
I don't see how it can be repaired -- the Ford people said that welding changes the "integrity" of the frame and is not recommended. Of course the rust has done more than change the integrity! Plus, where it is located and what is attached there would prevent welding I would think -- at least at an affordable price.
Misery loves company, so I was just curious if others had seen such a problem. The truck is only good for parts or scrap now it appears. I was saving the truck for my soon to be 16 daughter as I've been driving a Toyota for the past 15 months!
Thanks again.
I have a 2001 4.0 super cab 5sp auto 2wd 1750 miles 5 weeks old. Drive in heavy traffic with A/C most of the time I've gone from a low of 17.2 to high 18.7 MPG. The 18.7 included approx 75 miles @ 55-70 MPH. I do expect to get a little better when it gets a few more miles on it. I have had the K&N installed since 400 miles. So far no troubles except the bed is offset to the right about 3/4 inch. I should be able to take care of that by pulling the bedliner & loosening the bed bolts & recenter. I'm hesitant to take it to the dealer for what else they may break. My previous '90 2.3 4cyl 5sp 165,000 miles got consistant 20-21 MPG, but required 89 octane to keep from pinging. The 4.0 runs great on 87 so is actually little (very little) cheaper to operate.
I'm actually under mine at least every oil change, and have been doing that since I owned it. So I've always kept on top of everything that could occur like that. My frame rails are more greasy/oily than anything, so I think that, and the texas heat kept them in dry, good shape. It's a 93 at 135k, and still going strong, only repair over 200 bucks was a transmission.
I still think you could weld it with the proper equipement, but this would require complete dismantling of the front clip, and lots of time and money/effort. Not recommended unless the phrase "project car" appeals to you. I've welded in a complete floor pan, roll cage and front frame rails onto a 67 mustang coupe (unibody) so I know it "CAN" be done. Just took me two years worth of afternoons and weekends.
Maybe you can find a mazda or ford truck of similair year with a blown engine or trans, then you could easily swap it at a shop, and wouldn't be out of as much cash as a new vehicle.
The theory goes something like if you naturally make a lot of right turns through the course of your day, you incur higher wear on the passenger side suspension and frame while driving through the drifts of salt and snow that are plowed to the side of the street.
As an FYI to others, I've heard it said that you should rinse the underside of your car/truck once a week or more if you live where you get ocean flooding is common (happens during winter rains in Orange and LA counties in CA) or where salt is used to remove the snow drifts.
John
axles are designed to keep the wheels straight and bear a load in the downward direction.
Slapping a wheel into a solid concrete curb doesn't seem to me to fall into the design specs for an axle. Breaking under these conditions sounds perfectly normal to me.
Go down to the local junkyard and look at wrecks. Look at what is broken. When a car stops moving on its wheels in a straight line a lot of thing will bend and break.
Broken axle at or around 35 mph...there is quite a bit of force in a hit like that. If only one tire took the brunt of the hit, the axle may have been subject to a force equal to many times the vehicle's weight in a split second. A blow that axles are not designed for.
frey -
Aftervibration? I think your dealer is smoking something that he should have shared with you. You may want to try an independent mechanic or another dealer if you have that option. Also you try http://www.nhtsa.com.
Under the "Car Safety" section you can do a search for TSB's for your truck to see maybe if there are any for your truck related to your problem.
Off the top of my head my 4X4 doesn't have a vibration engaged or disengaged. I would check the tire pressures and wheel balances in that order and start with the small stuff.
John
Thanks,
Otherwise, as long as it doesn't affect visibility, why worry about it?
it's not moisture. seal is good, it appears the reflective material on the plastic housing is getting discolored. it definitely reduces the light output. when i pull up close to the garage door you can see it for sure. I'm fairly certain Ford will replace under warranty. It's all plastic. I've only had it 7 weeks.
Thanks
I have seen a few posts about the 'dumb dome', well now my alarm is going off randomly. Over the weekend I quickly looked for the conventional door plunger type and didn't see it. Where is the dome light switch anyway. I'm guessing the fix from the past threads that I have seen is to shoot it with WD-40?
Oh yeah, I've had my fair share of issues with it. At 12k miles, the fog light bracket rusted off...completely detached from the mount. Same thing at 22k miles. Foglight lens came off at 38k mile...now its my problem.
At 38k miles, my mileage strangely went from 16 mpg to 19mpg in the city.
At 36k (but 37 months old) the AC went out. Dealer charged me a $50 deductable and fixed the O-ring. At 40k miles the recovery dryer tank (evaporater) rusted through...you know that foam wrap that keeps the moisture nice and tight to the poorly coated steel can. Fortunately, being in the Detroit area and being an automotive supplier on a Ford truck account, Henry Ford 'donated' one to me. They were $240 at the dealer.
Having my father work his whole life and retire from Ford, it somewhat pains me to look elsewhwere for vehicles. But I recently bought a 2001 Isuzu Rodeo and love it. I just wonder what the next vwhicle will be.
Oh yeah, where was that dome light switch?
Have any of you ever heard of this?
Madman
Cheap, 12 bucks and would answer all your questions.
More than likely the relay is in the engine compartment with the fuses or on the left side of dash, you have to open the door and remove a panel. Do not know which one it is.
"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he has food for life"
Thanks again.
madman
The check engine light will come on for a number of reasons. Personally I think car manufactures were brilliant. They created a computer in the vehicle that has awesome diagnostic information to tell the Tech what is wrong with your truck will little or no diagnosis on their part.
All you see is a "Check Engine" light. Absolutely brilliant. Did you know a loose gas cap will set the light off due to an imbalance in the gas tank back-pressure. Funny thing is is that the computer has an error code it spits out for that. And again, all you see is a Check Engine light.
Now that I'm off my soap box, I think I would definately be in the Dealer's face a little bit more. These parts should be covered under the smog components warranty (and/or aspiration system warranty) which is generally longer than the bumper to bumper 3yrs/36,000 mile warranty.
Read the manual carefully and it will probably lead you to glory (getting the dealer to worry about fixing your truck rather than your friend).
Good Luck,
John
Still think its a grounding issue. Saw this on past cars - ground issues are sneaky gremlins that a computer won't catch. A ground can look secure and electrically "pure", but sometimes enough of a dialelectric residual exists from paint slop-over to wreak havoc with some of the more sensitive circuitry in today's vehicles. Remedies usually involve going to all ground points using either a deburring tool, emery cloth, or both and wearing down the metal to alleviate any residual films, seen or unseen. Vehicles aren't just "machines" anymore, they're sophisticated devices. Diagnostic computers will do the trick in 99% of the instances, but the 1% are still the mystery that need Tech guys to solve the problem.
I had the vehicle towed to the dealership to get this looked at, and sure enough the Wheel Speed Sensors on both front tires, that essentially feed info to the ABS system on how to properly function, had completely failed. Additionally, in my rear brakes, the "counter gear"(?) that has a similar function for the rear ABS was missing a tooth. I have to assume that they all failed at the same time.
To make a long story short, I'm lucky that I kept a calm head and didn't wreck the truck as I was driving in heavy traffic, and had an extraordinarily crazy failure. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before????? I've talked with two different service managers at dealerships, and neither had ever heard of anything even similar before in the 9 years that Rangers have had ABS systems.
Really confused, can anyone shed some light on why this may have happened?
Step 1, tape down the wire bundle so it is as far away from any other wires, firewall, etc.
Step 2, Try and get some insulating tape or other EMF insulating material and wrap it around the radio wires. If it only happens during radio play (no CD or Tape) then it could be happening to the antenna wire. If it happens anytime the radio is on, even CD or Tape, then definately check the outgoing wires.
The hard part is to get the radio out to do so. You need special ford tools to remove the head unit. They look like 2 separate wire U's that insert into the holes on either side. You can try making them out of a hanger, but it's best to goto the dealer or stereo shop and borrow them.
interior noise by 2k1edge4x4--->Sounds like a strange harmonics issue. If the dealer can't help, you can probably fix it yourself with either a small wedge of paper or maybe some clay to stop the vibration from occuring.
John
Hope the Dealer was able to patch you up. Just to totally screw with the sales folks I always ask them if they mind if I test the brakes.
When they say, "Sure, go ahead," and they always do, I slam them hard to kick on the ABS. I mean, how else do you know how the vehicle will respond in an emergency?
You should have seen the Toyota guy's face though.
Heh heh,
John
But seriously, sounds like good advice to me.
I had a friend who recently test drove a new corvette with 6 speed manual. Well, he wasn't really a serious buyer, but he liked corvettes and was curious. So he took it onto the highway and was really using the 6th gear, doing well over 100 mph. (Not recommended, but it must of been fun!)
Luckily the salesperson was cool, but the point was test drive your car or truck and make sure it's a good vehicle in ALL aspects before purchasing.
I would hate to think what would happen though if I had any kinda load in the back or were towing if ever I had the reason to engage the ABS system (assuming an emergency situation).
Honestly, for those folks who are reading this, I think the ABS system is just like any other system on your car. You should try them out in a remote area at least once to see how your car reacts to an emergency. It will give you an eye opening perspective.
John
It seems I have had the driveshaft problem since about 30k miles (111k now)! Truck has been great other that the driveshaft clunk. Until now, started it up on friday, and it ran like it was on 3 cylinders... reving it up to 3k or so smooths it out, and after awhile stays that way. however it comes and goes... including dieing completely on the highway or at lights. Since it has the distributorless ignition, I think it has to be the comnputer or the coil unit. Has anyone else seen this. Also I noticed someone else mentioned using K&N filters... my tank of gas went 40 miles further with a change to a new K&N filter.
The clicking is the AC relay, if you have the selector in the first detent to the right, it runs AC off and on with the blower. Read the manual to find the selections without AC.
The curchunk or thump noise, well, my 99 has done that since new and now have 45K.
No problems with it, just something it does.
In the 1961 Disney classic "The Absent-Minded Professor," actor Fred MacMurray played a professor who developed a black gooey substance dubbed Flubber, enabling his Ford Model T to challenge the laws of gravity and fly. Ford Motor Company scientists now are experimenting with a different black gooey substance that also seems to transcend the normal laws of physics. This new material has the unique ability to change viscosity on command. While Ford's gooey substance or magnetorhelogical material (MR material), the official lab name, won't enable cars to fly, it can behave as a free-flowing liquid, a paste-like solid, or anything in between, switching properties in the blink on an eye when a magnetic field is applied. Ford is experimenting with the use of MR material in air-conditioning compressors as a way to subdue the audible clicking that occurs when the clutch engages and disengages. The MR material allows the clutch to gradually engage, providing a smoother, less noisy contact or "soft start." When the clutch disengages, the material reverts from the solid "locked-up" state to a fluid to let the clutch slip out of contact. This soft engaging and disengaging of the clutch also makes power surges from the engine less noticeable, a condition typically felt in vehicles equipped with small displacement engines.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=7941
So like Mr Brown says above, it's probably a normal sound of the clutch engaging or disengaging.
Does it come from both sides or just one? If its from both then you should suspect that the problem is bigger than you and have the dealer check it out.
If it's just from one side (i.e., driver front tire), don't begrudge the simple stuff. Start by checking your tires for nails. The heads will make a thumping noise as they go round. Is the wheel in balance? After those things, I would default to the brakes but more specifically the rotors. If you've racked up a lot of miles already, have the brakes checked (changed if needed) and if the brakes need new pads or shoes, have them turn the respective rotor or drum.
Good Luck,
John