New at this
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Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
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From: syncity
New at this
Hi all.
I just bought a 95 F150 4x4 XLT with a 351. I was lead to believe it was medicly and mechanicly sound. Im not completely naieve, i knew it wasnt as good as he was saying, but its a little sicker then i expected. I took it to get inspected and ended up with a half-dozen or so problems to have fixed.
Problems from inspection:
-Left inner tie rod
-Right outer tie rod
-Pitman arm drag link
-Right side Bearing
-Rear drums
-Cracked windshield
-Highmount brake light
-Left side e-brake cable
I looked at having the shop fix them untill they offered to fx my rear tie rods for $800, i laughed at them and walked out. Im not that dumb merely inexperienced in the automotive repair world.
I have since fixed the right side tierod, the rear drums, and the highmount brake light. I have the left side inner tie rod, and am waiting on the pitman arm drag link to be ordered in to them both at the same time.
I do have some other questions about things the inspection didnt tell me or the shop was vauge on...
-What are the torque specs on the tierods and pitman arm drag link? if i tightend down the nut on the outer tierod and then loosend it, would that have pooched the joint?
-How do i check the drum brakes for proper tension? and if they are too tight do i simply spin the star wheel? after installing them i took a little drive and didnt hear grinding or anything but the creep seemed a lttle bit slower... also, even if i put all the pressure i can on the brake pedal my motor still overpowers the brakes.... which is my concern for the proper tension...
-How do i know which Bearing on the right side to order?
-There is a nasty vibration between 105km/h and 120km/h but not below or above... is this an alignment/ balance issue or the bearing?
- there is a delay and then a clunk switching between R and D. is this my U-joints or a tranny issue or simply mounting bolts needing tightened?
- As far as i can research, My dancing speedo sounds like a problem with the VSS. Is this a hard fix?
-my front gas tank is full, the guage shows it full, but when i switch tanks it chokes out. is this the low pressure pump? or clogged lines? how do i check ?
-How do i check which motor i have? i know its a 5.8 351, where do i find out if it is the windsor or clevland or marine?
lastly
- There is a highpitch drone occasionaly while driving coming from the eng. but only during acceleration, as soon as i take the foot off the gas it stops. almost sounds like something that is supposed to be turning is starting to not want to turn... could this mean he lied about the last oil change and i just need to do an oil change? or could it just be that bearing throwing its voice?
Any help anyone can provide would be awesome.
Mechanicly inquisitive
I have spent a few days searching around the site for simmilar problems but nothing that exactly fits the charachteristics of mine so i thought i would post and ask...
I just bought a 95 F150 4x4 XLT with a 351. I was lead to believe it was medicly and mechanicly sound. Im not completely naieve, i knew it wasnt as good as he was saying, but its a little sicker then i expected. I took it to get inspected and ended up with a half-dozen or so problems to have fixed.
Problems from inspection:
-Left inner tie rod
-Right outer tie rod
-Pitman arm drag link
-Right side Bearing
-Rear drums
-Cracked windshield
-Highmount brake light
-Left side e-brake cable
I looked at having the shop fix them untill they offered to fx my rear tie rods for $800, i laughed at them and walked out. Im not that dumb merely inexperienced in the automotive repair world.
I have since fixed the right side tierod, the rear drums, and the highmount brake light. I have the left side inner tie rod, and am waiting on the pitman arm drag link to be ordered in to them both at the same time.
I do have some other questions about things the inspection didnt tell me or the shop was vauge on...
-What are the torque specs on the tierods and pitman arm drag link? if i tightend down the nut on the outer tierod and then loosend it, would that have pooched the joint?
-How do i check the drum brakes for proper tension? and if they are too tight do i simply spin the star wheel? after installing them i took a little drive and didnt hear grinding or anything but the creep seemed a lttle bit slower... also, even if i put all the pressure i can on the brake pedal my motor still overpowers the brakes.... which is my concern for the proper tension...
-How do i know which Bearing on the right side to order?
-There is a nasty vibration between 105km/h and 120km/h but not below or above... is this an alignment/ balance issue or the bearing?
- there is a delay and then a clunk switching between R and D. is this my U-joints or a tranny issue or simply mounting bolts needing tightened?
- As far as i can research, My dancing speedo sounds like a problem with the VSS. Is this a hard fix?
-my front gas tank is full, the guage shows it full, but when i switch tanks it chokes out. is this the low pressure pump? or clogged lines? how do i check ?
-How do i check which motor i have? i know its a 5.8 351, where do i find out if it is the windsor or clevland or marine?
lastly
- There is a highpitch drone occasionaly while driving coming from the eng. but only during acceleration, as soon as i take the foot off the gas it stops. almost sounds like something that is supposed to be turning is starting to not want to turn... could this mean he lied about the last oil change and i just need to do an oil change? or could it just be that bearing throwing its voice?
Any help anyone can provide would be awesome.
Mechanicly inquisitive
I have spent a few days searching around the site for simmilar problems but nothing that exactly fits the charachteristics of mine so i thought i would post and ask...
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,499
Likes: 2
From: Liberty, MO
Welcome to the site! You didn't really get a bad truck - just an old one with a need for some TLC like the rest of us!
The rear drums should self-adjust by going in reverse and applying the brakes a few times. Set them loose, and reverse-stop, reverse-stop a few times.
If the motor is overpowering the brakes, you may have other issues - what rpm does it idle at?
The clunk is probably a u-joint issue - cheap and easy fix. Give the drive shaft a twist and see if it wiggles. If they are really bad, they may lock themselves in place, then clunk hard when shifting direction. If this is the case, they may be stuck good enough that it's hard to get them to twist by hand.
The VSS is on top of the rear diff. $20 sensor, 1 bolt, 5 minute fix.
You probably have a bad fuel pump on the rear tank. There is a pump in each tank. It mounts in the top of the tank, so the tank has to be dropped to change the pump. At least the rear one is the easier one to get out...
The rear drums should self-adjust by going in reverse and applying the brakes a few times. Set them loose, and reverse-stop, reverse-stop a few times.
If the motor is overpowering the brakes, you may have other issues - what rpm does it idle at?
The clunk is probably a u-joint issue - cheap and easy fix. Give the drive shaft a twist and see if it wiggles. If they are really bad, they may lock themselves in place, then clunk hard when shifting direction. If this is the case, they may be stuck good enough that it's hard to get them to twist by hand.
The VSS is on top of the rear diff. $20 sensor, 1 bolt, 5 minute fix.
You probably have a bad fuel pump on the rear tank. There is a pump in each tank. It mounts in the top of the tank, so the tank has to be dropped to change the pump. At least the rear one is the easier one to get out...