2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty Problems and Solutions

jonjon70363 · December 2002

Every rating I've seen for a domestic 1/2 ton with manual transmission was really low, like 2000lbs. The clutches are supposedly weak. However if you drive it right and get off the clutch quick enough you shouldn't have any problems. Every truck I've owned I've towed way over the rated weight and never had problems.
I've pulled a 3200 lbs trailer and 8400lbs excavator with my 1/2 ton that's rated for 7500lbs, and I've pulled a 15,000 lbs dozer and much heavier trailer with a Dodge 3500 rated for 10,000 lbs.

superduty250 · December 2002

When I go over speed bumps or large dips in the road I hear this horrible squeaking sound. It seems to be worse when it's cold.

I have taken it to the dealer and they wanted to use the "shot in the dark" method of fixing the problem (to me that meant they had no idea of what it was). However, they wanted to replace my ball joints. I asked them not to hold off ... as I wanted to get a second opinion, as it did not sound right to me.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

mullins87 · December 2002

For some reason, when I read your post, a light bulb came on. I've never really thought about it, but just where exactly are the ball joints on your truck? I've always associated ball joints with independent front suspensions where you have an upper and lower control arm. Neither the 4x2 or 4x4 Superduty uses this type of setup. Am I clueless here or just having another brain fart?

henne · December 2002

I dont own a Ford but what your describing has been very common on the IFS 4x4's ball joints. Lube and or replace has been the common fix.

I have also seen it come from a sway bar. If you pull the swaybar and lube the inside of the rubber where the metal rubs with a synth lithium type grease is unsually that fix.

Good Luck,

Robert

lwittorf · December 2002

I had a 96 power stroke and I had the squeeking sound while it was nder warranty I took it back to the dlr and they found the cross members in the frame had loose bolts tightend them up no more squeeks. Good luck

superduty250 · December 2002

Mullins87, Henne, Lwittorf -

Thanks for the advice. The truck is presently at the dealers .... and they are suggesting that we replace the front springs and a few other parts. Not sure if I want them messing with the entire front suspension.

I will have them check some of your suggestions .... also, what is your take on replacing the front springs?

Thanks!

wpalkowski · December 2002

Are they gonna put back in the same springs, or are they gonna upgrade you to the higher capacity X-springs?

superduty250 · December 2002

Hey Wpalkowski,

From what I can gather .... and I will confirm this today, they will be installing the same springs just new ones.

docknow · December 2002

To SUPERDUTY250 I experienced a bad squeak in my 1997 F150 SC 4x4 about a year and a half ago. I greased the ball joints(they do not come from the factory with grease fittings) and that helped for a while. I finally took the vehicle into an alignment shop and they replaced the upper and lower ball joints on both sides. My squeak that ?I heard when I turned the wheels left or right as well as hitting bumps, quit squeaking. Last week I thought I had the same squeak come back, it turned out to be the pitmen arm, which after some grease, shut right up. This vehicle now has 155,000 mile on it and I have 77,000 miles on the second set of tires with 60% of the tread left. I would suggest replacing the ball joints as a starting point, by a qualified garage.

superduty250 · December 2002

Docknow,

Thanks for the info ..... I am taking my truck to another dealer next week to get their opinion and will be sure to run that past them.

Thanks again,
Superduty250

mwauto · December 2002

I have an 2002 F-150 Supercrew and the tranny slips intermittently between first and second. it has been at the dealer six times and I have met with Ford's rep's and problem is still not solved. I have filed for lemon law and have a hearing coming up. I was this wondering if anyone else has has been through the lemon law process and could share any advice.

thanks

cspaulding · December 2002

I was through the lemon law process in Wisconsin with BBB earlier this year with our 2000 Chevy (see posts on Lemon Law in Wisconsin/2000 K2500 Crew Cab posts). Laws do vary state to state, but I will try to be of some help. Are you going through BBB or through Ford's arbitration system?

Chris

visplus · December 2002

I have a problem with my v10 and the dealership doesn't have any clue what it is or how to fix it and I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem or if they can steer me in the right direction?

When the engine is warm (Say after driving for 15-20 min.) I get a sputtering noise upon acceleration. Now this only happens when there is a load on the engine (i. e. acceleration) and at 1800-2000 rpms. It sounds almost like an exhaust leak and only lasts as long as the engine is in that rpm range. My truck has been to the dealership twice now with still no resolve and no clue as to the origin of the noise. A service consultant and a service manager have both gone for rides with me on seprate occasions and both have confirmed that the noise exists.

I have a 2001 F-350 Super duty 4X4 with a 4.30 rear end and a 6.8l v10 that makes a strange noise (It has 27,000 miles and the problem has existed since about 10,000 miles.). The other day a friend of mine who has a 2001 Excursion with a v10 described the same problem to me with his vehicle and has gone to two dealerships with no resolve or explanation.

Can anyone help me with some answers? Thanks in advance.

mwauto · December 2002

I' am going through the department of transportation. Ford says that it is a quirk and does not impair the value. over the last few months it has started to make a metal to metal noise on some occasions when the slippage occurs.

wsmith10 · December 2002

I have a '99 F-250SD that drove me mad with its squeaking and groaning over speedbumps and such. I finally tracked it down to...the front and back end of each of the front leaf springs. The leaves were rubbing on the mounting eye. Generous amounts of WD-40 makes it go away for a while. It's a quick and easy fix. Perhaps someof you can use this tip.

I haven't had any problems with my truck at all. It has 55k miles, and I averaged 10.61 for the first 30k miles. The last 20k I've been using synthetic oil and my mpg averages 12.13mpg. I can go from Omaha NE to Kansas City MO on cruise control without downshift on any of the hills. I have a K&N air filter, and that's the only change I've made. I'd probably get better mileage, but I enjoy exercising the gas pedal too much.

In short, I'm tickled to death with my truck, and would recommend a V10 to anyone.

mac24 · December 2002

Yup, that's the most common cause. Ford 'cures' it with spring tip isolators.....plastic covers that go over the ends of the leaves. Problem is that they wear out / fall off quite quickly.

As far as I'm aware (and I would be very happy to be corrected!), this situation hasn't changed since the introduction of the Super Duty. Unfortunately this seems to be indicative of Ford's current attitude to their customers, quality control, even their dealers. I'd love to own one, but I daren't risk it.

akfischer · December 2002

We purchased a used F-450 with the diesel from a ford dealership. The truck had 26,000 miles on it. We immediately noticed that the truck smoked excessively (our entire neighborhood was engulfed in white smoke)when it was started.

We took it in to the dealership (Great Bear Ford in Soldotna, Alaska) and they changed the fuel filter. On their invoice they state, "still smokes but will burn out". We also told them that the truck is difficult to start when it is cold, and that the truck seems to consume large amounts of oil. Their response was "diesels do that". We started to keep track and we were using over a gallon of oil every 1,000 miles.

The truck got to the point where it would not even start if it was 40 degrees or below. We took the truck back to Great Bear Ford four times and they kept charging us the $100 deductible, each time they would give an excuse like it was because of the air filter, or fuel filter. They would never address the actual problem. Finally we refused to pay another $100 deductible. After they repaired it and it was supposedly fixed, we could not even start it to get it of the lot!

They have now decided that they can not figure out what the problem is so they have said that the engine needs to be replaced. They claim however that the problem which they can not even diagnose is the result of abuse! We only had the truck for 3,000 miles before we first took it in. It now has 53,000 miles.

They did say that they would be happy to take it as a trade in, or we could pay $8,500 for the new engine. Does this sound like fraud to anyone other than me. If we trade it in (they will reduce the trade in value because it needs a new engine) I am willing to bet my life that they will have Ford pay for the engine replacement under the warranty and they will resell the truck with a new engine, making a hefty profit.

We have contacted Ford and they state that their mechanics are trained well and they go by their recommendation when considering whether a truck has been abused. I ask, if the mechanic can not even identify the problem, how can he state it was caused by abuse. Ford, you just lost a life long supporter.

langia · December 2002

I just bought an 03 F350 in Oct. Shortly after I brought it home I noticed a "clunking noise" coming from under the cab area. The truck doesn't have to be in gear, it sometimes happens more than once a day and then some days it doesn't happen at all! The dealer disconnected the 4WD, but that wasn't it - every time I take it to the dealer - of course the noise doesn't happen. Does anyone have an idea on what this noise might be?

mac24 · December 2002

A common source for this noise (but not the only one) are the cab to chassis mounts. Correctly torquing them will sometimes provide a permanent fix, temporary fix, or none at all.

Try to analyze what's happening when you hear the noise.....cornering?.....braking?.....passengers?....etc. To give the dealer a fair crack at it you need to be able to replicate the problem.

mullins87 · December 2002

Loose cab mounts are a known problem with the earlier Superduties, don't know about an '03. You might also look to see if the noise is the A/C compressor engaging.

pally · December 2002

My '02 F 250 Powerstroke does that. It's more of a distant thud or thump. It will do it with out even starting it up. Just turning on the ignition for a few seconds will do it. I found that out while loading some cd's before starting.
It only does it once in a while.
My neighbors '01 Powerstroke does it too.
My theory is that it is the fuel pressure from the electric fuel pumps because it comes from under the truck.
Maybe there is a regulator or a bypass that opens when the fuel pressure is at it's max. and the thud is it doing it's job.

mac24 · December 2002

A thud or thump is how the A/C noise that mullins87 mentioned is usually described by the owner. Pretty sure there's a TSB on it.

bmaige · December 2002

I had asked a while back if anyone out there could tell me of the longevity of a PSD and got some good input, but all around the 100,000 mile mark so I thought I would share a couple I heard just recently.

The first was when I passed our church and the man who takes care of it had someone pulling some large bushes up with an F-250 4x4 with the PSD. I stopped to talk to him, as he is a friend, and as I stood there they were hooking the truck up to another bush, the truck was idling steady as a rock, so I asked how many miles he had on it. He had 300,000 and had no problems with it.

The Ford dealer in our small town also has a Dodge dealership in another small town about 15 miles away. I went in to pick up some literature on the F-350 and in talking to the salesman, not always a reliable source of information on their products and definitely suspect on those of the competition, I asked him about the PSD longevity. I relayed to him I had heard of at least one Dodge with Cummins diesel that had gone 231,000 miles, been wrecked, and the farmer was crying over the loss of a good truck. He told me they had access to both brands, and then that he knew a farmer in a nearby town down in Florida that had a PSD that had so many miles on it he decided to see how far it would go before it went out. His was pulling a load of hay with 600,000 miles on it when it crashed.

These two are the best I've heard, although I doubt the way I drive I would ever approach the level of either. Just thought there might be others out there interested.

cspaulding · December 2002

I believe most diesels last well over 100,000 miles, in fact we just saw a 2000 F250 for sale with 110,000, and, as my hubby puts it "it's just broke in" (he wouldn't mind looking at it, but I want one gasser for short winter trips - I only drive 2 miles to work). His boss has a '00 with well over 200,000 with no problems, it's used at road construction sites and run hard.

chrisn8 · January 2003

i once requested suggestions(from this website) on how to improve my gas mileage in my '78 F-150. Someone gave me the advice of getting an overdrive unit, where / who can i get an overdrive unit from? And aproximatly how much do they cost? thanks for any help and any other suggestions

mesazone · January 2003

'01 F250 PSD 13,000 Miles

A couple weeks ago, I was driving down the road and when I did a slight depression on the gas pedal (to keep it going the same speed), I hear a noise coming from what sounds like between the cab and bed under the pickup and the exhaust area that sounds like there is a hole somewhere or loose hose. A couple days later, it acted like it didn't have much power. Then acted fine. I did a visual check under the hood of everything and all looked fine.

The "airy" noise comes back once in a while but I have yet to figure out what causes it. (It doesn't happen all the time.) I'm wondering if it's the turbo. I think this because it's only when I increase the gas causing the turbo blower to increase in speed just slightly, but when I push down farther, it appears to go away. It also slowly increases in noise to a steady sound. If I just let the pickup coast, there is no noise. It doesn't happen all the time so I don't know if taking it in will do any good since they won't fix what they can't reproduce. The dealer is 20 miles away and I can't just "stop in." I have been doing the proper "cool down" on it.

Another issue is the steering column squeaks. Turning both ways. It's more of an annoying issue. Not sure just what to do there.

The "thump" mentioned earlier is the A/C. I get it too. Sometimes it's loud. Sometimes quiet. It sounds like I just ran over something. It freaked me out once. I don't notice it if the vent of choice is *not* defrost or A/C before turning off the vehicle. Then the next time you turn it on, the noise doesn't happen.

Later.
Paul

jdtopper · January 2003

You can always talk to Alaska's version of the Bureau of Automotive Repair, but that diesel should be under warranty at 53000 miles, from the top of the turbo charger all the way down to the oil pan. I think Ford will have to eat the cost of the replacement.

Sounds to me like you are having serious problems that ANY competent diesel mechanic would be able to diagnose. Which brings me to another point: Why don't you try taking it to an independent diesel maintenance shop for their analysis? It shouldn't cost you too much to find out what the problem really is, and you can use the info to back your claim with Ford.

benr0 · January 2003

You have what has been called "flutter" or some have described it as a rattle. maybe 2 different things
There are 3 maybe fixes for the noise and 1 definite that I am aware of.

1. The metal shield in front of the bell housing- bend it out a little or add some silicon between them, leave weep hole.
2. Exhaust heat shields - re-weld or add muffler clamp over.
3. Some have had the CAT replaced.

Only true fix I know of is BANKS headers and new Y pipe., the Y pipe being the key.

fordtuf · January 2003

Sorry I haven't been on in a while but I think I have two answers for you guys.

V10 engine noise at 1800-2200.
Heat shield welds on th y-pipe. I had to find the problem myself after the dealer couldn't after 3 tries. Makes you mad.

VIBRATOR
My old 99 did the same thing. I fought the dealer for 8-10 months. They finally said they would not drive it that fast because it was too dangerous. This is after they had drove it 4 other times. Really pissed me off! I wrote a 4 page letter to Ford, I described in detail every instance of the ordeal and included a copy of every service report. After about 4 or 5 weeks I got a call from Ford and they said call the dealership manager or the owner and set up a meeting. They told me to give them one last chance to fix it.

I called the owner, amazing, my call went right through to him. He said YES SIR I know about your problem how can I help. He told me that Ford knows about this issue and he could help me get a new truck easier than he could fix the old one. That means they can't fix it and would rather take it back and sell it to someone that doesn't know any better. Ford gave me $5000 toward a new truck, plus I got the $1000 rebate. The dealer gave me above trade in for the old one, closer to what I could have sold it myself. I ORDERED the new truck, and it was in my driveway in less than 5 weeks.

Please, if you can, look for my posts about 6 months ago. If you need more information (ammunition) to move forward email me at
"snuggs8@juno.com" . I think I can scan and email my letter that I sent to Ford.

joed17 · January 2003

My 1998 Ford Had A Minor Electrical fire,When I got It back from the dealer I had Anti-freeze in the cab they said the H-core melted.It was replaced.A week later I had Anti freeze Steaming tru the vents,Dealer said the core was Defective,and they replaced it,He also told me when I picked up the truck I had a leak in the radiator.Well I saw the leak but there was no leak there before I brought it in? I imediately put BARRS radiator stop leak in and the leak stopped.A couple weeks later same problem anti -freeze coming tru vents.Brought it back to dealer and he said core is shot,Cause I used radiator stop and there was not enough pressure and the core blew.They would not fix it.COULD THIS BE??

tkoenigt · January 2003

Does anyone know of any engine, drive train problems in newer F-150 and 250 trucks?

wpalkowski · January 2003

By newer do you mean the current body styles of 150, and Superduty's, or just '01s. and '02s. The later models have basically had all the major kinks worked out. Early years exhibited problems below:

Early ('98, '99, (early '00?) on the 5.4L gasser, (and I think also on some of the 6.8L V10s) there was phenomina called "Piston Slap" - upon cold start the engine sounded like a diesel. There was some engine tolerance problem, the specifics of which I have forgotten. Ford voluntarily replaced those engines that had it real bad. May still be alot on the road though. Also heard of initial problems with porous engine block castings - leaked oil from odd places think they were all obvious and replaced quickly under warranty. Also reports of folks losing freeze plugs. Aside from early piston slap problems 5.4 is very good engine - future upgrades should make it even better.

V10's 99 through '01 had problem called "Exhaust Flutter." Manifold output went into a "Y" pipe that was necked down to fit into rest of exhaust system. At around 2200-2600 rpm exhaust pressures in system would cause this pulsating, raspy, diesely sort of noise. Evidently not harmful, but maddening to listen to in a $35K truck. New Y-pipe is on later models. Many people replaced Y-pipe with aftermarket headers and solve their problem. Small amount of posts on I think #10 spark plug blowing out of block - don't know much about it. Maybe owners did torque them down to proper spec, they're a pain to get out. I have '01 F350 w/ V10 it's gas hungry 10 city, 12-13 highway, but a blast to drive.

7.8L Power Stroke Diesel - by and large great engine. Biggest complaint "the Cackle". Ford evidently had Navistar redesign injection system for them. On 1 truck in 10 (don't know that for sure), truck starts making funny cackle noise - symptoms are low mileage and reduced power. Ford doesn't really admit to problem and doesn't have a fix for it. Diehard diesel fans have replaced injection system to solve it, but I don't know particulars.

Drive Train: Don't remember too many common problems. Only one coming to mind is 4x4 ESOF - electronic shift on fly. Front hubs would develop vaccuum leak, and they wouldn't engage in 4x4 mode. LOTSA complaints about squeaky front springs in Superduties, along with steering wander problems. Folks who modified their diesels to get 450 hp/600 ft-lbs of torque tended to complain alot about their automatic transmissions grenading but that's their own fault.
This is all I can remember in my insomniac state.

mullins87 · January 2003

Walt pretty much covered it all.

visplus · January 2003

Thanks to wpalkowski and fordtuf for the info. I'll check out the y-pipe heat shields and go from there. Thanks again.

akjbmw · January 2003

>>#281 of 290 overdrive unit? by chrisn8 Jan 05, 2003 (1:56 pm)

I went to www.dogpile.com and typed in "overdrive underdrive". From the results, I found that the two primary sources for trucks seem to be the links below. I was looking to see if there were other options than these that I know about. The mpg difference would likely take long time to break even on the expense. I'm thinking that the major advantage would be the drivability improvements over different terrain. I currently have a 4x4 automatic, making this not a viable option right now. Later with a 2WD, it will be considered.
http://www.gearvendors.com
http://www.usgear.com

whiskey1 · February 2003

I have a 2000 extended cab 4x4 Lariat. At about 32,000 miles, my truck would make a loud, single popping sound in the rear end when I turned the wheel to the left and the momentum shifted to the right at speeds under 25 mph. Ford had the dealer replace the dope in the chunk. The problem was back in a week. I have 42,000 miles now. The dealer can't duplicate the problem and finds nothing wrong. The truck drives fine, but this loud pop concerns me. The sound seems to come from about where the spare tire is located.

Anyone else experienced this problem??

mac24 · February 2003

Do you have an LSD in the rear axle?.......and what exactly was it that Ford had the dealer replace?????????????

wpalkowski · February 2003

"Ford had the dealer replace the dope in the chunk." Are you saying that dealer replaced fluid in the rear end? Mac24 may be on track - if you have limited slip, sounds like one of the clutch packs is starting to complain and get balky as torque application shifts from one side to another during a turn.
Have you ever changed oil in your differential before the dealer did it? Believe you must use a synthetic oil as opposed to a dino oil due to heat generation in rear end. Ford puts a synthetic in at factory, don't have manual in front of me, but remember reading that if you used non-synthetic dino oil, it must be changed every 3000 miles or so, whereas synthetic should last at 30K. . If you have a limited slip rear end it requires different viscosity grade of oil with more friction modifiers than an open rear end.
Other thoughts - is truck lifted? Driveline, and suspension components get added stress, may need to retorque bolts, etc. Could it be rear springs? My front springs make clunks. You could spray some WD-40, or silicone in between tips of spring leaves - might alleviate noise (until next rain storm anyway).

whiskey1 · February 2003

I do have a limited slip differential, and the dealer did replace the fluid in the rear end at 35,000 miles. The receipt from the dealer for the repair says "DIFF CLUTCHES TEST DROVE FOR NVH AND THEN PULLED REAR DIFF COVER FOR INSPECTION. ALL CHECKED GOOD. PUT NEW OIL IN AND ADDED TWO BOTTLES OF ADDITIVE APPROVED BY FORD. CHECKS GOOD." I've never changed the oil in the differential myself, and I've not had the truck lifted.

Changing the fluid in the rear end did not cure the problem. Does this mean the problem is not in the rear end? Do you think I should simply live with the pop, or do I need to have the dealer look at it again?

The dealer tells me Ford will take the position that even if the dealer can find the problem and fix it this time, the repair will be on my nickel since the warranty has now expired, even though the dealer's prior attempt to repair the defect during the warranty period was unsuccessful. I'll take that issue up with Ford if I have to.

spcedmunds2 · February 2003

I just wanted to let the world know my 98 f-150 hit 100k miles today. I have not have one repair on the truck, though I have spent (invested) some money on maintenance. Thank you to the good people at the Missouri assemply plant, you did a good job.

dcaps · February 2003

After searching forever, I finally purchased a 2003 F250 SD 4x4 SB CC with a 5.4, 4 speed auto, and the 3.73 rear end. I have a Carryboy Canopy on the truck that matches the truck nicely and covers the bulky, but light equipment that I need to carry for work. I've got about 3500 miles on it and I'm noticing a very sharp decline in my mileage. I started out getting around 15 MPG, but I've been getting around 10-11 MPG on the highway for the last 1000 miles or so. I don't drive it hard and most of our local speed limits are still 55 or 65 (much to everyone's displeasure) so I'm not racing around anywhere. I've noticed a bit of a constant squeak when I have the manual hubs locked that is not affected by the brakes, but it does get louder as I go faster. Seems like most other posts are getting 15-16 MPG which would be great considering gas prices went up $.35/gal in the two weeks after I bought my truck.

Anybody have any ideas on why my mileage would go down after breaking in this truck?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

wpalkowski · February 2003

  I've got an F350, CC,4x4, LB, w/ a V10 and 3.73 - after ~5K miles, my mileage got better (10-20%). I'm getting slightly better mileage than you with a bigger truck, two more cylinders, without a cap, 800 lbs of sand in bed, and a 39 gallon gas tank. Something's not right with your truck.
  You're driving around with your hubs locked and then shifting into 4wd when you need it? Have you been doing this since you got the truck, or only since winter driving season started. If you keep hubs locked, part of 4wd system is spinning and putting some drag on drivetrain even though transfer case isn't engaged, though it would probably only account for a 10% mpg drop not a ~50% mileage decrease. Although, the squeaky noises lead me to believe possibly something's binding in the drivetrain (my 4x4 only makes a sorta squeak/clunk as hubs engage, then it's quiet) - stick your head under front end of truck - any drivetrain components gettin' warm?
   Winter blend gas has more alchohol content, and provides less energy per volume of gas than a summer blend. I see ~10% decrease in winter mileage. So we account for a 20% mileage drop, what's causing the rest?
  Your truck with 4x4, and Crew Cab with 3.73 auto is a big load for 5.4L to move around. It's not exactly gonna be a speedster, but have you noticed any decrease in power? Could there be some engine temperature sensor that's gone bad so engine's running too rich attempting to warm things up. Is the truck shifting into overdrive or is tranny slipping a bit? Something's amiss with that big a mileage drop - sounds like a trip to the dealer may be in your future.

bess · February 2003

I'd think you should be averaging in the 12 or 13 range.. I average between 15 and 16, but I have 4x2, SC, 5.4L 5sp, 4.10 rear end. (the 5sp, lighter truck, 4x2 all are more efficient than the combination you have). The winter months tend to cause the MPGs to drop a bit, (at least for me).

Also, my truck didn't really seem to 'break in' till I had around 7k miles on it.

However, there is no need for you to live with squeaks with a truck that is still under warranty. Have that looked at.

cwernke · February 2003

Just purchased my first Ford product,2002 F250 Lariat. I have had the truck for 3 weeks( 800miles) and it has stranded me once on the highway and has been at the local dealership three timesfor coolant leaks. The first breakdown occured due to the lower radiator hose clamp breaking and loosing all the coolant. The next three times at the dealership they have put on a new clamp, then a different hose clamp and on the last visit the replaced the entire lower hose and clamp. After driving the truck another 60 miles the fluid level has gone from the max line to the min line. Before they replaced the hose and clamp I had a continuos puddle of coolant under the truck. Now it is dry but the level continues to drop. I love the truck but it is getting very old returning to the dealership with no resolution. Any ideas on next steps to take? What else could be going on? Any help would be deeply appreciated.

windfalls99 · February 2003

I have owned my 2002 F150 for several months now and have always been frustrated that the CD changer will not play burned CD's. However, I have recently had success with the Memorex Black CD-R disc. All my burned discs using this brand have worked perfectly in the changer. It may have something to do with the thickness of the disc.

dcaps · February 2003

Thanks for the info. In response to your question Wpalkowski, I only engage the hubs when I know that I am going to be driving into snowy/icy weather where there aren't good places to stop to lock the hubs. Here in Central Oregon the roads will be dry at the house when there's 10 feet of snow 30 minutes away in mountains. We also get a lot of spotty black ice in the shadows so sometimes you need to drive with the hubs locked. I only do it every once in a great while. I'm a bit worried that I should have gotten the V10 after all as I've given up a lot of towing capacity and resale value only to get worse mileage...

Do you think I should change out the rear end for a 4.10 to give the engine a bit more mechanical advantage?

I have noticed that the truck seems a lot more sluggish than the other 5.4s that I've driven. I've noticed that it won't roll forward when shifted into "Drive", even on a slight downhill slope. I'm taking the truck into the shop this week. The rear door driver side has popped open a couple of times for no apparent reason while driving so they need to address that as well. Thanks for the info and good luck digging out of the snow!!

wpalkowski · February 2003

Good luck trying to sort out your truck. No personal experience on changing rear ends, but have heard it's not cheap (>> $1K). Crew cab 4x4 is a very heavy beast. I came close to getting a 5.4L w/ 4.10 rear, but someone on Edmunds convinced me to go with V10, never regretted it. Still your drivetrain squeaking and mileage dropoff makes me think something's amiss.
Snow was a lot of fun - 21". Doing construction on my home and lost a bay of my gargage to materials, so truck was out along side of house. Wind blew snow off of roof and dumped it between right side of truck and house - filled space up 7 feet high and then drifted over left side too. Cleaned away front and got to driver's door with snowblower, and with a little jockeying, and pre-engaged hubs pulled it out. Just didn't have energy to shovel out bed - it's 4 feet deep with snow - snow tapers from top of roof to top of gate. I wonder if I get it up to around 85 on highway would I be able to just have the wind blow it all out.

mullins87 · February 2003

You mentioned your truck won't roll forward when put in drive, even on a slight downhill grade. If that is the case, you've got something dragging. It could be a caliper, or something more serious in the drivetrain. I don't know your physical size or strength, but can you push your truck on level pavement? I'm a fairly small framed guy, only 5'10" and 155 lbs, but I can push my F-350 DRW around with no problems.

midnight_stang · February 2003

Sounds like a caliper is sticking. Have the pistons repressed or replaced, or at least looked at.

dcaps · February 2003

If things don't change pretty soon I think I may have made a mistake. Based on the research that I did, and lots of unsolicited questions to people in parking lots that had the same vehicle, I was confident that I was making the right choice. I drove several used 4x4 CC long beds with the 5.4 that felt a lot more peppy than mine new one does. Maybe it needs to break in more. I hope so. I got a great deal on it ($2500 below invoice with lifetime oil changes), but it will be hard for me to not stare at the trip meter every tank full...especially now that gas is $.40/gal more expensive than when I bought the truck! We'll see what they find on Friday at the dealer.
I miss having snow storms like that! I've lived out west for about 20 years and we haven't had a big winter here in town for at least 10 years. It's convenient as there's lots of snow in the hills and you only have to deal with it when you want, but I definitely miss having it at the house. Probably only take a day of two of it before I was ready for it to be gone again.

2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty Problems and Solutions

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