Around Easter I bought a 97 f150 with 225k miles. The guy insisted I was getting a great deal from him. He said the only issues it had are body rust, minor surface rust and a exhaust leak which made it smell and be loud. He seemed like an honest trustworthy person, I even bout it at his apartment so I felt like they were not hiding anything from me.
Yesterday I took it to fleet farm to get a spare tire. At the shop they said they think it has a gas leak! They also said there was so much underbody rust they could not install a spare tire!
Can a muffler leak smell like a gas leak?
Would mi or surface rust prevent the install of a spare tire?
Did I get scammed and lie to to my face?
Or does the shop just want to charge me money to inspect for a gas leak and buy a new spare time carrier from them?
Please help! I bought this truck so I can move in and was planning o leaving this weekend. But now without knowing it's safe for my kids to ride in or not I feel like I cannot pack up and leave.

 

I need to know if I just got scammed on a truck.
They guy I bought it from said it needs a new muffler and had surface and body rust, but the frame was still good.
The shop I went to yesterday said it may have a gas leak as they smelt gas. They said the underbody was rusted.

Can a muffler leak be mistaken for a gas leak?
Does underbody rusted just mean surface rust?

I need to drives kids around to move soon and I can't keep driving if the truck is dangerous and the guy I bought it from knew this!
I thought I asked all the right questions.
Does it have any leaks? His answer was only the exhaust.
Is there any major frame rust? No just lots of body rust and some surface rust but the frame is solid.

 

When you buy a used vehicle, you should be having your mechanic do a full inspection of the vehicle BEFORE you buy it.

Having the seller insist you are getting a great deal was your first red flag.

We can't inspect your vehicle over the internet, it's impossible for anyone to give you valid answers as to the condition of your truck.

However, muffler leaks (exhaust) don't smell like gas. Having a shop think they smell gas isn't the same as having a gas leak, but we have no idea of the shop's motives.

The spare tire hoists up against the body. On a 1997, it would not be a surprise that the hoist is rusted solid, and you might need a new hoist.

I'd recommend you take your truck to a trusted mechanic and pay for a full inspection to ensure that you have a safe vehicle to drive.

 

Thank you. When businesses open up today I will try to find a shop to take it to for a safety inspection. I can not believe I could be so naive and trusting. I'm almost forty and it's the first vehicle I've bought on my own without my exhusband inspecting it for me.
I'm glad to at least hear a rusted hoist would be a normal thing for an older truck. I'm in Wisconsin so most things have some degree of rust. Thanks again

 

Okay, Clifford has a check up in forty five minutes. Please pray for us. I invested so much in ts truck, including no longer having my safe but small car. If there is anything dangerous about the truck we will have to give away most of our belongings and move on Amtrak as I can not afford another vehicle after this one.

 

So it's not as bad as I thought! The inspection came up with no fuel leak, but they smelt fuel vapors and I need to get the muffler and catalytic converter replaced. They said there is rust on the gas tank but no leak! The bad news is the mechanic added on yet and thinks in a few months the rust could pop through and start leaking. But on the rusty bright side there is no frame damage!
So in a few months from now what are my options for replacing a fuel tank? It's not a death sentence like a cracked frame would have been but it's defiantly beyond my severe lack of mechanical knowledge.

 

https://www.1aauto.com/1997-98-ford-...FYmJfgodgF0JZg

that is only for rough ideal. need more specs to confirm fit. make sure it is low on gas before taking it to have the new fuel tank installed. a good mechanic could do the swap in under an hr. maybe 2 hrs at the most.

 

Hey, thanks for the sharing of information!
I don't think this is something I can do on my own.
Oil change or tire change yeah. Spark plugs and tuning maybe.
Major mechanical issues I'd rather not mess it up.
I did call the soon to be local once I move mechanics and ask for a quote and if I could set up a payment plan so I can start paying when I get there but before I need the repair. He said it should take two hours but with my description of the rust maybe three.