Joel1975

This is my second F150 and 4th Ford truck. I had a 1975 F100 460 when I was 20 or so and gas was $.79 a gallon at Sunoco. Then there was the Ranger in the late 90's.

I'm so glad to be back in a Ford truck! This 302 has 129K miles on it, is an XLT extended cab auto. The rear end is 3.08 which is kind of nice in a way because I have to drive 50 miles one way 2 -3 times a week. I'd like a lower gear, but I appreciate the fuel economy. I pull a 14ft Alumacraft fishing boat (built up with a deck and all like a bass boat) around central Ohio from early spring to late fall.

The truck runs good except it shifts hard from 1st to 2nd - when I say hard, I mean it slams a little but doesn't miss a beat - it has a lot of pick-up when it hits second. Sometimes it shudders a little like if its a little sluggish but it bounces right back real quick if I gas it a little. The tach stays right under 2K when I'm running 65-70. The cruise doesn't work - I plan on taking a look at the assembly to see if the gears are locked up and if a little lube will repair. The drivers side radiator support is rusted out completely but the passenger side is solid as a rock. Overall this truck rides incredible and runs good for the $2500 I paid for it.

Also, the alternator is incredibly loud. It charges good and the battery is old but starts the truck right up. No issues with the accessories.

I'm going to do a tune up and I wanted to make sure I was doing all of the right things and using the best parts, so here goes. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and for just reading.

Motorcraft Original Equipment Copper Core Spark Plugs
Motorcraft Original Equipment Oil Filter
ToughOne Alternator - New - 95 Amps
Drive-Rite V-Ribbed Belt
Needa Parts Tailgate Cable - 21-1/8 Inch
Motorcraft Distributor Cap/Cap Kits
Purolator PCV Valve
Purolator Classic Panel Type Air Filter
Mobil Super 10W-30 Conventional Motor Oil (5 Plus Quarts Jug)

I'm debating on getting the Motorcraft Original Equipment Ignition Wire Set or the ACCEL 8.8mm Spiral Wire Set (from Summit). All of the above parts are coming from Advance Auto and the price if I get the OEM wires will be $386 before tax. The Accel wires are about $7 more than the OEM Motorcraft. I was also thinking of a can of Seafoam . . .

As far as the tranny goes, I'm not sure. The oil in there is the right color and does not stink like it's burned up. I've put about 300 miles on the truck and one trip alone was a straight hour and 45 minute drive at mostly speeds between 45-75 and the truck was nice and smooth. Maybe I'll drain the fluid (even though it looks good) and changed the filter/fluid with some stuff that I know is good quality.

Any suggestions on the tranny fluid/filter approach? I'll check to make sure everything is hooked up right and there's no sloppiness anywhere - but where do I start?

Like I said before, I'm so glad to be back in a Ford.

This is my daily driver and I will be towing my jon boat on Saturdays.

Joel

BROWNINGFX4

Nice truck man!

sdmartin65

Nice looking truck. I've got same year with 302 auto. Your list was good, couple things I'd change. The MC single platinum is oem and what I run, good for more miles than copper. Use the MC wires as they have ends designed for the 302, angled, straight and so on. Also come assembled. Use a MC pcv or don't replace it, the difference can cause problems.

The trans, when you can drop the pan and drain the torque convertor. Only use a quality Mercon V fluid. Draining those might use 10 qts to refill. It might just have a regular Mercon fluid in it and that can cause the hard shifts and it not to operate as smooth.

Can't remember if I saw fuel filter on the list, if not add that.

sdmartin65

Forgot the alternator, jump up to a 130, never know when you'll need it and it's a direct bolt in no mods needed. I did this and the ac with lights on won't drop charge level at all.

Joel1975

Thanks, fellas! I will add fuel filter to the list. Thanks for the heads up about the PCV valve. I'm good with MC wires as well. I'm not looking to try to get the truck to do something it wasn't designed to do, so I'm good with MC stuff. I will be getting headers for it though because I think that will improve the gas mileage and if nothing else just let it breathe easier.


I was driving it home and thinking that I only paid $2,500 for it and I was wondering if I got a good deal and how long it would last (you know the second guessing stuff) and then I saw a guy test driving a used F150 that still had the big numbers on the windshield with the sticker price and it was $27,500! I said thank you Lord for giving me simple tastes and no car payment! I love the look/style and I'm really happy with it. Plus, I can afford to put gas in it because there's no car note and the insurance is only an extra $45 a month!

Joel1975

Advance only had 95 amps for the year/model. I'll look around. It's a hard decision to buy new instead of rebuilt and I opted to get the more expensive new one. They have a cheap one for under $100 but I really don't want to go that route. I'll at least try to get the middle quality and the best if I can afford it. Maybe it's all marketing, but I'm of the opinion that if I can't afford to do it right then I need to wait a little longer until I can. If a 130 amp is a lot more then that may not be an option.


I don't think a 130 amp will put any more load on the motor, so it's not a bad idea at all.


I need a drivers side rear tail light - it has a crack in it. I need to look at the classifieds to see what I find.


Thanks!
Joel

sdmartin65

If you look up a 97 F150 with the 6cyl it has a few options. Starting with a 90,then a 110, then a 130 all a direct fit. Nice to have little more juice for lights or something in the future. Lots of other Ford vehicles use this same style alternator. Ours won't list it as the max was the 90 during production. Nice upgrade if it's in the budget right now, completely understand that.

Forge-World-FORD

http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55169

In case you need to reference other vehicles for the proper 130 3g alternator that will fit your truck.

Chris93XLT

Fresh set of taillights

flareside crazy

I got a 1994 f250 130 amp alt and it was a direct bolt on and was only 10 or 15 bucks more than the stock one for my truck