Ford Pickup Owners.....PLEASE READ!

[knabe]

i purchased an extended warranty once, and though usually not worth it, it was for me as they replaced the transaxle and the rear end.

i wish they would offer trucks that had more space between the bumper, especially the rear one and fenders.  the slightest tap on the bumpers, and the fenders need repair as well.

would also like to see a revolution in design that allowed more owner repair and body work.  personally, a truck should have fenders that you can rip off and put back on.  it's not like a work truck needs the fit and finish of a high end car.  granted, the spacing between panels is to keep water out, make it more aerodynamic etc, but it seems there is a lot of room for a more durable vehicle.  it would be nice to have carhart seats that were recoverable by the owner, or washable, something with more utility.

then, with the electronics, i can't believe it's so difficult to diagnose problems nowadays with all the electronics making vehicles almost disposable if something goes wrong.  sad for a $50,000 vehicle.

instead, vehicles keep going the other way.

 

[jlingle]

Knabe, I could rant all day long about electronics in vehicles.  My wife drives an 03 GMC Envoy, with the Inline6 motor in it.  We bought it with 23K miles on it & it's been a nightmare since.  It now has 113K on it, and I'm probably gonna trade it this week.  Starting about 18 months ago, everytime the outside temps dropped below freezing, the car would kick on the "Service Engine Soon" light on her dash panel, and soon after that would go into "Reduced Engine Power" or limp mode.  Wouldn't do anything but idle.  I took it to the dealership, they acted like they were completely baffled.  Hmmmm....  We got to where we just warmed it up for 15 minutes before we drove it, and it ran like a champ after it was warmed up.  This fall when it started cooling off, it would do the same SES and REP mode stuff whenever the outside temps dropped below 50 degrees.  Okay, here it is now December 13th and her car is basically inoperable.  I've had the dealership run diagnostics on the motor and pull codes, and it came up with a throttle body code, a throtle position sensor code, and the ECM (the computer's brain) code showing bad.  I cleaned the throttle body several times and that eliminated the first 2 codes.  I finally ordered a new ECM off ebay and I"m gonna put it on at the dealership tomorrow and let them reprogram it, because it absolutely will not run without the new ecm being reprogrammed.  Believe me, I tried.  I drive an 04 GMC 1500 4WD pickup, and a few days ago the temps dropped to about 12 degrees when the cold front blew through.  I went out to warm up my pickup before going to feed calves & guess what.... my Service engine light flips on and my trucks trips over into Reduced Engine Power.  On the coldest day of the year, no less.  Coincidence?  I called the dealer & I was fuming.  The fella in the service dept told me to unhook my battery for a few minutes and see if hte sensors would reset themselves, and it worked this time.  My wife's car is still inoperable in cold weather though.  I'm done with it.

To make the story much shorter: I'll never own another GM product in my life.  Done with em, forget it.... ain't ever happening again.  I'm trading her car for a Dodge Durango this next week, and when it's time for me to get another pickup I'll be looking for a 3/4 ton 4wd 4 door dodge diesel.  I'd love to have a Ford, since they didn't accept any bailout money, but the ones like I want are $55-60K.  Sorry, but I've got a house and don't 2 payments of that size.  One of these days maybe I'll be able to swing it, but not right now.  My wife will drive something nice, even if I have to drive a beater.  She hauls the precious cargo most of the time, not me. 

 

[showsteerdlux]

The list price on the Fords may be that high but trust me they'll definitely work with you. I had a ton in rebates, and my buddy just got a dodge and mine ended up being a little cheaper.

 

[Show Heifer]

Sly, I kid you not, my GAS Ford Heavy 3/4 2000 truck had 377,000 and here is the work I did on it: Brakes (3 times), A/C compressor, Tires (duh), put freon for the A/C, Antifreeze. I do travel on paved roads, but it spent is share of time in corn fields pulling wagons, in the pasture hualing buckets of corn, and hualing wood in from the timber.  I loved that truck and can only hope my new one runs as well for as long!
I did have to chuckle, when I bought my new truck, all my friends gave me a hard time for not buying a diseal. "A gas truck is a weanie truck...."  etc, etc.
About week after I bought it, guess who called and needed a truck to take a cow to the vet?? Yep, took my "weanie gas truck" and not only pulled the trailer out (Ton dually GMC/Chevy, Diseal) but sent them on to the vets with MY NEW TRUCK WITH 300 MILES ON IT!!!! (Their truck had gelled in the negative degree weather!) 
So, thank you, I will stick with my gas Ford!!!!

 

[thebulllady]

I have to agree with most of the others.. the newer trucks just aren't like the older ones are.  We usually trade every two years, but I'm not happy with my '08 Dodge, after having three previous ones.  My husband still drives an 04 dually, with about 150K miles, and the only time it's seen the Dodge dealership is for U joints, which were redesigned that model year, and wore out at about 10K.  I can't convince him to get a new one, and he hates my '08.  I'm not proud of it either.. it's been to the shop more times than the last three put together.  They had to put a complete front end under it at 23K.. which is really sorry!  I traded my '03 Ford for a Toyota Tundra, which I really liked, but couldn't use it to pull the trailer.  The 03' Ford was okay, but it was the first automatic diesel we'd owned, and I didnt like the tranny at all.

I looked at new Ford's a few weeks ago, and the King Ranch 250's are over 60K... that's just mind boggling!  The sales man has been trying to get me to come in and talk, but I can't see paying that for a truck!  That will pay for 1/2 the house I want to build next year!

 

[GONEWEST]

I would love to have a new truck, but....................I have a 94 F-350 turbo diesel that runs and rives and rides as well as the day I bought it. It gets 13 or 14 mpg pulling a trailer and 15 out and about. It has an Allison automatic transmission and it will pull from a dead stop as well as any gas burner I've ever been around. Just about to have a few bumps and bruises fixed and a coat of paint and as badly as I would like to have a new King Ranch, I just can't justify on paper buying a new one. It's been great.

 

[Bone2011]

We have a 07 lariet dually with 40,000 miles. Havnt had many problems, but I was headed to a jackpot the other day and barley got there. Luckliy one of our neighbors was there with a pickup and pulled the trailer back. We took ours to the shop the next monday and we found out we did not have one injector out but four!

 

[knabe]

We have a 07 lariet dually with 40,000 miles. Havnt had many problems, but I was headed to a jackpot the other day and barley got there. Luckliy one of our neighbors was there with a pickup and pulled the trailer back. We took ours to the shop the next monday and we found out we did not have one injector out but four!

seems like they would make a customer aware monitoring system for that since all trucks/vehicles seem to have the same problem and you could either get a recommendation to use fuel cleaner or take it in for service before you got stuck and if the solution would either be user serviceable or semi out patient and make the injectors cheaper, or just like one jet in the old carb days, but then efficiency would go down.

 

[steel]

I had a 99 ford 7.3 that had a life from hell.  Best truck i have ever had.  At 438,000 it burnt a piston should have keep the truck and put a 12v cummins in it, but didn't.  The motor was a horse and a half but had 7 transmissions,  5 flywheels, 2 sets of injectors, and 3 turbos on it in about 8 years.  I sold it broke for a good chunk even broke.  I drive a dodge now and to be honest good truck.  That motor and a manual transmission is just to had to bet.  I would buy another ford and even looked into buying another this summer but couldn't find a manual and the guys at ford said that wouldn't be an option in 2011.  So i guess I'm staying with a dodge.  I guess i don't worry that much about mileage as much as others i care more about torque and stopping power. 

 

[simtal]

I would love to have a new truck, but....................I have a 94 F-350 turbo diesel that runs and rives and rides as well as the day I bought it. It gets 13 or 14 mpg pulling a trailer and 15 out and about. It has an Allison automatic transmission and it will pull from a dead stop as well as any gas burner I've ever been around. Just about to have a few bumps and bruises fixed and a coat of paint and as badly as I would like to have a new King Ranch, I just can't justify on paper buying a new one. It's been great.

powerstroke + allison = unstoppable

 

[furinsilex]

I got rid of my '95 f250 w/7.3 , 3 years ago . It had 285k miles . It was a supercab & I wanted a crewcab. I found a '99 f350 cc dually w7.3 & 67k miles. I had heard enough horror stories on fords' other motors I was bound & determned to stick with old tried & true.
As far as Fords' new motor next spring, I hope it's a good one but I won't buy one the 1st year out of the gate. I bought my 1st ever brand new truck in '87 which was  a '88 Chevy 3/4 ton when they changed the body style & some other things. It stayed at the dealer more than in my drive & swore then I wouldn't buy one again the 1st year that a dealer made a major change.I ended up going to arbitration with them & they put a/c on the truck (I was younger & dumber then & didn't think I had to have it in a truck) , but they never could fix the problems.
I'm like show heifer , I told my wife that the next vehicles we buy will be Fords. She drives a Chrysler Town & Country , & I drive a Chrysler Pacifica & we have no complaints it's just I think I should try to help support someone that stood on their own two feet.JMO.

I couldnt agree more i love the new duramax but for that reason it will be a ford again

 

[Mark H]

When I buy a vehicle any more I purchase scan tool that can read the fault codes from all the controllers (engine, transmission, instrument cluster, brakes (abs), etc)on that model.  When the scan tool is coupled with a factory authorized repair manual on a CD you not only know what is wrong but know what has to be done to fix it.  This puts you in the drivers seat when you go to the dealer on a warranty claim or are dealing with a problem that is going on multiple visits.  Just being able to reset the check engine light usually lets the scan tool pay for itself in short order.
The 6.0 L Navistar (AKA POWER JOKE)  engine was a craptastic design with all major subsystems having many problems with multiple attempts to repair and most fixes never worked.  Ford and Navistar are involved in multiple lawsuits as a result...
The second point is that the Dealer (AKA THE STEALER) likely does not have the best mechanics in town particularly on diesels.  An experienced and well trained mechanic that has a reputation for fixing tough problems can earn much more on his own or in an independent shop.  This means that the dealers have inexperienced and under trained people working for them-not a great thing for troubleshooting tough problems.
The thing Knabe was talking about is "the right to repair" and this requires the entire technical data package for the vehicle be publicly available for diagnostic tools and repair part development.  Third party vendors love this car companies hate this for obvious reasons.  car companies see right to repair as a social welfare program for independent auto mechanics and parts suppliers.  The car companies feel that it is their right as developer of this information to use it as they see fit for maximizing profit not participate in socialized car repair schemes.

 

[knabe]

i think there is a release time frame where the dealers have to reveal info.  for instance, i don't think they have to reveal the entire set of fault codes for 3 years, just some of them.

to me, since car companies write the law increasing the complexity hand in hand with the government guaranteeing high cost repairs, i don't see it as welfare.  i see it as guaranteed profit.  there is no risk, so little incentive to improve or simplify.

for me, i want a utilitarian truck with as little electronics as possible.  to me, the pollution control devices have gotten a little out of hand.

it would be interesting to see if one could have one of those flywheels, not sure the correct terminology like on the volvo big trucks to store energy and use on acceleration where pollution is at it's greatest so you would have to compromise less on camshaft grinds.  maybe the variable grind shafts have overcome this, but they too are expensive.  roller rockers seem to have become standard as friction is now seen as an enemy.

i would buy a truck that i could repair, but will do my best to not buy one as 40k or more is just a little ridiculous.  i almost think they make them tough to work on on purpose.

 

[Mark H]

The automotive companies merely have to obey the laws that dictate the fault codes given as part of OBD II.  Any cheap generic OBD II code reader can give you those codes and clear them.  The car companies are under no obligation to give you interface/ fault code information beyond that-period no three year release exists-yet (that's right of repair).  It is the proprietary codes and data collection capabilities that that are most valuable and the car companies do not want to give this up since they paid to develop it view the parts and service they sell because of it as a birth right.
Incidentally diesels are soon going to get more complicated .  Urea injection and regenerative catalysts are coming soon to control NOx and make the systems on the current pickups look simple.  The cleanest cheap and uncomplicated solution is CNG conversion since the fuel burns clean and is cheap.
The idea of using flywheel energy storage has been around for some time but finding a flywheel with enough energy storage density that is safe is tough. Rapidly spinning flywheels tend to fail catastrophically taking out everything around them with the flying parts.  The closest thing to flywheel storage is the hybrid and that is more complicated yet.
The best advice I can give is if the dealer can not fix a truck under warranty use the Lemon Law and return it.  Why should you put up with a truck that is costing you money and can't drive?  Get legal advice to see if you qualify for the lemon law in your state.

 

[AAOK]

I am going to sell my 2002 Ford F250.  I am the 2nd owner, bought it at 14K miles, now 106k.  The truck is a Charcoal Grey, Crew Cab, 4X4, 7.3L Diesel, Manual 6 spd. with Chrome Brush guard.  It has the 6' bed w/rubber liner &  a fold-down hitch and trailer brakes.  The interior is grey cloth, PS, PB, PW, AC, Tilt, Cruise, AM/FM Stereo, CD.  Everthing is in excellent working condition.  16 - 18mpg.  One rim has a small dent on the lip from a blowout.  2 tires need to be replaced.

I wll be posting an Ad in the classified section as soon as I get some pictures.  Since the car washes are going to be out of commission for at least a week, I may post pictures of a dirty truck.
$17,000 Firm

Dan Asklund
Ada, OK
580-310-4081 

 

[jbw]

I have a buddy that has a 6.0 L.  He claims that there is no plug that comes on those.I hate to see him stranded at home all winter and can't get out in case of an emergency.

I was told that they all have 'em. Maybe up under the bumper tucked away. 

I know any information would be very helpful to him, as he is mechanically challenged!

 

[jason]

I have a buddy that has a 6.0 L.  He claims that there is no plug that comes on those.I hate to see him stranded at home all winter and can't get out in case of an emergency.

I was told that they all have 'em. Maybe up under the bumper tucked away. 

I know any information would be very helpful to him, as he is mechanically challenged!

If it is an 2005 or after, the heater is installed, but the cord might not be.

If you look through the passenger front wheel well, you should see a cord running along the frame. It will have push pin clips holding it to the frame. If you don't see the cord on the frame, you will have to buy one and connect it to the heater.
http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/articles/article-05-20.php

 

[showsteerdlux]

Well I took my 2010 F250 on its 1st big road trip and I must say I am very satisfied with the performance, quietness, and very smooth riding. On the fuel milage I couldn't believe how well it did. I got 16.1 MPG averaging about 73 mph tried keeping it on cruise. 300 mile trip. The 6.4 is a good motor from what I have seen so far. My only complaint on the truck is the tires from the factory, if they last 10,000 miles I'll be surprised, I hate them, but everything else I love.

 

[xxcc]

all i've heard about the new trucks is that you have to be religous about changing the oil.  if you normally change it every 5000 miles (and most of your driving is long trips) i'd change your oil atleast 3 times before your tires wear out...make that about every 3-3500 miles.  once broke in, change it every 5000 or less, or whatever the manufacturer recommendation is.  but i sure wouldn't run it many more miles than that if you didn't have too.

about the only kind of oil i'd use would be Rotella 15W-40 or Cenex brand 15W-40, what is it, TMS?