toysarentjustforboys

I am new to owning a Ford truck, also new to preventative maintenance and service visits.
I have an 05 F150 Supercrew Fx4 V8 with a little under 160k, and I've had it since around 152k, so I need some service!
I do not know anyone who could help me with the little easy things but I am friends with one of the dealership techs, so I don't think I'm going to get completely bent over on my service.

The service manager recommends:
Oil Change
Air Filter
Fuel Filter
Service Trans
Differentials
Transfer Case
Belts
Coolant Flush
Pwr Steering/Brake
Clean intake/throttle body

The guy told me worst case I'm looking at around 1700$ for the entire visit.

In a perfect world I'd be able to afford that, but I just cant! I've already done 500$ for brakes and an oil change when I first got it, and then new tires (which it needed badly) last week to the tune of 895$.

Is this something I can do incrementally over the next few months? I just got the truck last august, so I am not sure what has been done most recently, but I talked to the previous owner and he says it is most likely time to take care of the differentials and transfer case.

What is absolutely most important on that list that I should tend to first?

I dropped the truck off this AM to have an oil change and inspection, to find out what really needs to be done. And asked them to take a look at it because it is having an intermittent starting problem. Periodically, but not every time, or even every day it hesitates to start. It turns over, but sometimes it doesn't start and the dash reads "Check Gauges", it starts right away on my 2nd attempt (every time after an isolated fail). Once or twice it has sounded like it just wasn't going to start then kind of sluggishly turns over and kicks in. I want to know what this is before it just completely stops starting!

Any and all input/advice is greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance for your responses!

depp14

Air/ fuel filter is very inexpensive do those, coolant not majorly important, I flush mine at 200.000km. Trans flush would be good idea, diffs and tcase is also good idea. Also looking into spark plugs. Make sure you get those done. They will be expensive though. The plug will most likely break off. Especially original plugs.

zman7097

Kinda sounds like plugs haven't been done or check into the coils and wires as well

toysarentjustforboys

Hey awesome thank you guys for the replies!

I did go ahead and get the air/fuel filters done, and a few other small things, and ended up needing a new battery. The battery in it was like 4 years old and not a very good one apparently.
They recommended plugs, boots, and coils? Looking at about a grand for that trip. The plugs in it are not the original plugs they were changed around 100k with a full tune up. Is there just as great of a risk with all the plugs for this truck or is it only the original ones?
I know for a fact this truck has been maintained very VERY well, I just dont know what has been done and when it was done!
I got the full list of things that are recommended and quotes for all of the services, so I am going to start working on taking it in once a month or so and knocking things off the list one by one. I'm thinking tax time (soon) would be a good time to go ahead and knock out the plugs and all of that!

Based on the list I was given does this sound like a good order to progess in:
(1)Plugs/coils/boots and induction
(2)Tranny service
(3)Diffs/Tcase
(4)Coolant/Pwr steering/brake

Does this sound logical? Or are there things that could be done together more easily? Thanks again!

willywonka

I personally recommend the timing chains as well. That should only be a couple hundred parts in...like 50 bucks a side if your arms are fine (another 60 or so for the arms), plus a couple hours labor. I've heard for too many people losing one before 200k

yokev

If you don't know if or when maintenance was performed, how do you know it's been maintained 'veryVERY' well?
Finding out this information could save you a LOT of money.
If it WAS in fact maintained 'well', it should be up to date on its required maintenance, thus you shouldn't need to change the trans and diff fluids, MIGHT not need to change the plugs(although you wrote that the dealer advises replacing the plugs AND coils, which would mean there's a problem with at least the coils), and shouldn't need to do the brakes.

toysarentjustforboys

For the simple reason that I do not know WHAT is due WHEN. I am pretty sure I painted a clear picture of my lack of maintenance knowledge. It has been well maintained. Would you like to come over and take a look at it? You're more than welcome to.
It was kept up to date on maintenance with the exception of the 150k visit as I got it just after 150k. So the trans and diff service is due at 150k, no ? It should be done. And hey guess what, I talked to the previous owner, they should be done. And even if they had been done, say I didnt know that they had been done? Do you think that service visit or replacing one or the other would be cheaper? In the instance of just not knowing... Exactly.

The plugs were replaced around 100k as I stated before, but yes I do need coils. I don't know what coils/boots? are, but I need 3 and 5 or 5 and 3, I cant remember right now, and I don't have my service paper handy. (Its in my truck)

And I'm sorry, how do you know if I should or shouldn't need to do the brakes? Are brakes something that only need to be replaced every X years or miles or whatever? Or are they maybe something that wear out in their own amount of time due to braking habits? I was advised that they were needed by the previous owner upon receipt of the vehicle. So I had them done ASAP.


Your post sounds condescending, if it was not intended to make you sound so "superior" and "all knowing" please accept my apologies for the rude undertones in my post. I'm just here looking for advice and a little bit of info, not to be questioned. Thanks.

Summary:
150K check up is needed
Some things taken care of by myself (not previous owner)
Other maintenance performed
Current question: order in which to perform remaining maintenance.
Hoping for suggestions as to which services to group together to be most cost effective, and efficient.
Like if you need brakes and rotors you should do them together, rather than one this month and one the next.

jholland

I work at a ford dealership and in all honestly if you're some what mechanically inclined id do a few things myself. As far as the coolant and brake fluid exchanges you can put those off especially living in georgia where your not worried about losing freeze protection. I would take care of your coils and boots and transmission flush at your local dealer. The p/s fluid exchange is also important to prevent future pump failure, however you could do this yourself by disconnecting your return line and running power steering fluid through it until your getting the clean fluid out of the return line. As far as the diffs you can take your covers off the drain the old fluid and simply remove the 3/8 ratchet plug and fill till it starts coming out of the hole. Those two alone should save you a few hundred dollars. Hope I was able to provide some insight.

toysarentjustforboys

I definitely like to take things apart and fiddle with them, especially when they are broken- because hey you cant make something broken any worse, its already broken! (But in that sense I mean small electronics and such) For a female I am quite inclined, I however am a little nervous about fiddling with my truck. I never thought twice in years past to go outside and start yanking crap apart on some of my old vehicles, but they were complete junk. I had a Neon, a real bucket of an infiniti, and then ended up with a Taurus wagon. With a little help I learned how to change my brakes, replace an alternator, a starter, and even to replace brake lines!

But this truck is a little different. Its not some piece of junk I got for a few thousand or less. I asked if it had any quirks, you know most vehicles have some little something? The only thing the original owner had to say was, sometimes the CD player spits the disc back out, but just to shove it back in and it'll take it. So far so good, it likes my discs.

My old Taurus had an issue with the heating/ac. For a while it would only work if I managed to hit a pot hole good and HARD going like 50. Like a real good jar would get it to kick on. Then I had it "fixed" by a friend, and it would work, but the blower only worked on high. And when trying to engage cruise control? If you pressed the ON and then the SET buttons, the horn would honk. Yeah. True story. I don't miss that car one bit.

I talked to my friend that works at the dealership and he is going to do some of the easier stuff for me outside of the dealership, and he recommended I bring it in for the plugs, because they need to do the induction service at the same time and he explained that requires some machine that is only available to him at work. So I'm going to have to cough up that grand, and soon because I don't like driving it around knowing it NEEDS repair.

Thank you very much for your input/opinion!