Considering an F150 but concerned
08-12-2013, 01:07 PM
#21
Cycle For Fun and Health
I'm in the market for a truck after finally paying off my Jeep last week. I'm pre approved for $20K from my credit union (what I asked for) and would like to find a 2004 or newer F150 Supercrew 4x4. I'm not much on surprises so I've been reading threads on the forum for a couple of days now and it's got me a little concerned. How prevalent are the dieseling and spark plug isuues? I prefer to do as much work as I can but I'm no mechanic and while I'm pretty sure I could handle removing broken plugs, the dieseling repairs look a bit intimidating.
I'm looking at an 07 with 57K miles on it now. It appears to be in good shape and the price is decent. I'm hoping to go take a look at it tomorrow. Is there any way to predict if it'll have the dieseling issue? I can't take tools with me and pull a plug but if I were to buy it I'd try to change them ASAP to reduce the likelihood of an issue there.
Just not sure what to think at this point. Any advice? Would I be better off trying to buy a 2009 & newer? I was trying to keep my payment the same as what I had on my Jeep, I've got a son going to Purdue so I don't have a lot of extra money at the moment.
I'm looking at an 07 with 57K miles on it now. It appears to be in good shape and the price is decent. I'm hoping to go take a look at it tomorrow. Is there any way to predict if it'll have the dieseling issue? I can't take tools with me and pull a plug but if I were to buy it I'd try to change them ASAP to reduce the likelihood of an issue there.
Just not sure what to think at this point. Any advice? Would I be better off trying to buy a 2009 & newer? I was trying to keep my payment the same as what I had on my Jeep, I've got a son going to Purdue so I don't have a lot of extra money at the moment.
I bought an '04 last year from a private party. It had been very well cared for. All options except nav and leather. Mileage 0nly 57,000. As I live up here in the salty roads, I went to New Mexico to get a truck without any salt damage. Something you need to be aware of in Indiana also. Some of these salt road trucks still look very good up top while the underside is falling apart from rust. So, take a look at the underside before you make a decision.
08-12-2013, 02:18 PM
#22
Im going to share my F150 horror story with you.
First off I am not a certified mechanic or anything but I consider myself a skilled mechanic none the less. I have been a jeep guy for many years and have comepletely built a CJ7 from the ground up and have owned and maintained a Grand Wagoneer for quite some time... Changing spark plugs should be well within my mechanical ability.
Around 90k on my 06 SC I decided to go ahead and do the recommended 100k Ford maintence. Mostly because I was about a month away from moving cross country to PA to take a new job and I figured I might not have the time once I moved. I spent about 2 days trying to get spark plug head from the rear cylinder on the driverside, the rest came out no problemo with the tool but for whatever reason this one would not thread. Finally I gave up the ghost and called my local Ford Dealer and had them tow the truck to their shop and remove that last spark plug head and just do the complet 100k tune up.
When I got the truck back it idled weird and started shutting off at random times. So I took it back and they found that the rear cylinder had no compression. 2500 dollars in labor later they finally concluded that a piece of ceramic had imbedded itself in the piston dish and this was the cause of lack of compression. The cylinder walls were in good condition so it should have been a matter of replacing the one piston... Nope for whatever reason the dealer could not order the piston from Ford and Ford corporate's response was they recommend replacing the whole block... 5500 dollars in labor and parts.
At this point I am fuming, to me this is obviously on them, it was the cylinder they removed the spark plug from and I took the time on the other 7 to hook up a shop vac with some panty hose and very that nothing fell into the cylinder because it is a common problem for that to happen and my assumption would be the dealer would do the same. At this point the dealer told me they could not say who cause there to be debris in the cylinder and that they would not in any way help me at least pay for part of the 5500 but out of there kind generosity they would not charge me for the 2500 they had racked up in diagnosing the orignial problem. Gee thanks
.
At this point I was literally a week or two from having to move and I also got really sick and needed to be hospitalized. So I ended up getting neck deep in this and the engine was already pulled out of the truck (apparently they needed to do this to diagnose the compression issue) I spoke to a lawyer and filed a complaint with Ford corporate. The lawyer said that I had a winable case however he had done this sort of thing before and that I should expect to end up paying more in lawyer costs than I would make in a settlement and Ford Corporate reviewed the dealers report and said sorry cant help ya!
Thats pretty much it. I had been saving money for when I graduated as kinda a nest egg but that pretty much wiped it out. I don't harbor and hatred for Fords now because I am mature enough to know it was the dealer that really did theing on me. Realistically I just extended the life of my truck by atleast 100k if not more since now I have an engine with 0 miles so eventually that 6k will pay out but still. These are really nice trucks and if you found one you like I say go for it. I love my f150 its a good ride and Good lookin inside and out. Just be aware of the potential problems they have and find a mechanic or dealer that you know you can trust to do the work if you are not sure that you mechanical abilities cover.
Thats the end of my rant.... I would hold out for a leather interior if you can, its totally worth it over cloth!
First off I am not a certified mechanic or anything but I consider myself a skilled mechanic none the less. I have been a jeep guy for many years and have comepletely built a CJ7 from the ground up and have owned and maintained a Grand Wagoneer for quite some time... Changing spark plugs should be well within my mechanical ability.
Around 90k on my 06 SC I decided to go ahead and do the recommended 100k Ford maintence. Mostly because I was about a month away from moving cross country to PA to take a new job and I figured I might not have the time once I moved. I spent about 2 days trying to get spark plug head from the rear cylinder on the driverside, the rest came out no problemo with the tool but for whatever reason this one would not thread. Finally I gave up the ghost and called my local Ford Dealer and had them tow the truck to their shop and remove that last spark plug head and just do the complet 100k tune up.
When I got the truck back it idled weird and started shutting off at random times. So I took it back and they found that the rear cylinder had no compression. 2500 dollars in labor later they finally concluded that a piece of ceramic had imbedded itself in the piston dish and this was the cause of lack of compression. The cylinder walls were in good condition so it should have been a matter of replacing the one piston... Nope for whatever reason the dealer could not order the piston from Ford and Ford corporate's response was they recommend replacing the whole block... 5500 dollars in labor and parts.
At this point I am fuming, to me this is obviously on them, it was the cylinder they removed the spark plug from and I took the time on the other 7 to hook up a shop vac with some panty hose and very that nothing fell into the cylinder because it is a common problem for that to happen and my assumption would be the dealer would do the same. At this point the dealer told me they could not say who cause there to be debris in the cylinder and that they would not in any way help me at least pay for part of the 5500 but out of there kind generosity they would not charge me for the 2500 they had racked up in diagnosing the orignial problem. Gee thanks
. At this point I was literally a week or two from having to move and I also got really sick and needed to be hospitalized. So I ended up getting neck deep in this and the engine was already pulled out of the truck (apparently they needed to do this to diagnose the compression issue) I spoke to a lawyer and filed a complaint with Ford corporate. The lawyer said that I had a winable case however he had done this sort of thing before and that I should expect to end up paying more in lawyer costs than I would make in a settlement and Ford Corporate reviewed the dealers report and said sorry cant help ya!
Thats pretty much it. I had been saving money for when I graduated as kinda a nest egg but that pretty much wiped it out. I don't harbor and hatred for Fords now because I am mature enough to know it was the dealer that really did the
ing on me. Realistically I just extended the life of my truck by atleast 100k if not more since now I have an engine with 0 miles so eventually that 6k will pay out but still. These are really nice trucks and if you found one you like I say go for it. I love my f150 its a good ride and Good lookin inside and out. Just be aware of the potential problems they have and find a mechanic or dealer that you know you can trust to do the work if you are not sure that you mechanical abilities cover.Thats the end of my rant.... I would hold out for a leather interior if you can, its totally worth it over cloth!
08-15-2013, 08:01 PM
#23
Senior Member
I can't comment on the manifold (intake or exhaust) but the plugs are simple. Kozal01 and Goldteam have a lot of experience with this, follow the thread and you'll save a s**tload of money.