turbojaeger

Hi!
As i stated in my introduction thread, i recently bought my first Ford F150 (2012 Lariat 4x4 5.0) a week ago.
I'm pretty happy with it, besides the oddly high position of the indicator/wiper switch arm
Anyways, since the truck already has 167k miles on it, i decided to do some tune ups and maintenance. I want to share my experiences about what i encounter during this (i assume most of your trucks have less miles on 'em) and also invite everyone else to share their experiences as well. This will be an ongoing process as i just started working on it...

So here we go:
Yesterday i replaced the spark plugs and put on a K&N drop in filter. The spark plugs had significant wear, gap measured between .075 and .082 instead of the .050 ball park, never saw anything like that before! I assume those might be the ones from the factory! They had CYFS12Y on 'em instead of the aftermarket number SP519 and were tight enough to bring out the breaker bar..
I went with the Bosch Iridium (#9616) because i liked the piece (iridium too??) that they put in the ground section where the spark is received as re-enforcement. Put everything back together and guess what... Engine started ticking what i didn't notice before, runs a bit unstable in idle and after revving it stalls!! Holy cow!! It gets faster with revs, not noticeable during driving and comes definitely from the engine itself..
Next step was (after some research here) to disconnect the battery to reset the ECU. An hour later still the same behavior, and yes, i had the light switch on during the reset. Reinstalled OEM air filter, tested again - same results. Disconnected the battery again and called it a night since it was already 1am.
Next morning, next try (OEM filter) - same results again. The ticking still came up after 1/2 minute of idling. No codes on the reader, after driving a little i got P0420 & P0430 (Cat.conv.) as pending faults, were able to reset, did not come back.
After some more reading i stubbled upon statements that Ford engines do not like Bosch plugs. So i'll get a set of Motorcraft SP519 on tuesday (not in stock in this small town..) and see what happens...

I also encountered problems getting the connectors off the ignition coils. The truck has been in the dusty NM & AZ area all its life and there was some dirt in the locking mechanism. You might want to clean or at least check them to avoid hurting your thumbs and scratching the ignition coil shafts as i did.

Then a small victory - replacing the little air filter (Motorcraft FS 104, $22 on Amazon) under the seat massively improved the cooling effect of the seat! Unlike the Bosch plugs, this was money well spent.

Other things on my list to do next:
Coolant flush
Transmission oil & filter change (i'm really curious if the yellow plug is still in the pan - i wouldn't be surprised after i saw the spark plugs)
Transfer case oil change
Differentials oil change
Engine oil change (oil still looks pretty good and display states 74% left, but what the heck)
Replace accessory belts (def. not done at 150k)
Brake fluid looks surprisingly good, but pads & rotors need a place on the calendar
Checking / greasing suspension linkage


Does anyone have recommendations what else to do or what fluids to use?
Similar experiences with the Bosch Iridium plugs?

Cubz83

A 2012 with 167k? Someone drove the **** out of that thing.

hypnotoad

I got my 2010 STX a few weeks ago, and it's got 182k right now. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person, but I do plan to take it to my local shop and have it looked over. I can see on the carfax all the work that was done at the local ford dealer by the former owner, so I can see that the serpentine belt was replaced, front & rear diff, trans and coolant were all flushed, it had a new windshield, water pump, battery and tires, so I felt fairly comfortable buying it. It definitely is not like driving a new truck, it's got some nuances, but it starts instantly, stops on a dime and seems to be very reliable. But I still just want a mechanic to give it a good once over, I have a feeling it might need plugs.

WTF150

No kidding! Averaging 167k over 3 years is 1000 miles a week. Was your truck a rental?

Anyways, it looks like you've got all bases covered on your list of preventive maintenance. As far as greasing the suspension, there are no zirc fittings on our truck, so nothing to grease.

turbojaeger

Thanks for the info, i haven't looked yet
It wasn't a rental but belonged to a sales rep who made weekly trips to CA and east TX...

WTF150

As far as fluids go, honestly I would just go to Walmart and pick out any one of the brands that meets the ANSI requirements you need. Mobil1, Penzoil, Castrol, Motorcraft etc. No need to waste money on Royal Purple or other gimmicky names...

Aggie-150

use motorcraft plugs and you should be fine. everything else on your to-do list sounds on par. I would go as far as to send an oil sample to Blackstone just to see what they say.

I got my '10 with 74k on the clock and it's purred like a kitten so far (110k now). I flushed all fluids, gave it a motorcraft serp belt, new motorcraft plugs, and a k&n air filter. I think you'll be very happy with it! Plus, those highway miles are way less wear and tear then stop and go. I was more comfortable with a newer, higher mileage truck than one that was several years older with average/below average mileage.

zx12-iowa

Wow that's high miles for a '12. Assume you paid in the teens for a truck that used?

nlogan

I bought a 2010 xlt with the 5.4 runs like a champ, ran e3 spark plugs and valvoline syn power oil and haven't hand any issues, ceramic brake pads and new rotors and she runs and stops like new best 16000 I have spent in my life

turbojaeger

indeed i did, under 13k to be exact.. And for several grand below trade-in value i can accept to get greasy fingers a few times lol

Thank you guys for some comforting word

Today i had a word with the guys at the parts store when i bought all their Mercon LV (Valvoline) they had in stock, rear gear oil (sadly the only synthetic they had was royal purple for $20 a quart) and some other stuff. they will take back these pesky Bosch plugs when the Motorcraft plugs they ordered come in on tuesday.

Now i have to find some synthetic 80w-90 for the front, they just carried conventional..

I will keep you guys updated if anything noteworthy happens during this process!