Hi all,

I just transitionned from an old Subaru to a 2003 F150 4.6L (150k miles) in really good shape. I live in interior Alaska, pretty rough winters but not much rust, mainly big temperature difference bad for any rubber and gasket. The truck is fully winterized.
I want to take care of this great truck and have it last a long time. It's my first ever, I can do basic maintenance (suspensions, break pads, radiator replacement, break fluid replacement) but I am clueless concerning long run maintenance.

I'm looking for recommendations on what to do, good habits to get so I can bring this truck past 200k miles !
For example: fuel additive: yay or nay ?
How often should I flush the coolant ? And the transmission fluid ?

I know I can find most of these answers online, but I really wanted to have some insight from users like you on this forum.
In my experience, the manufacturer's recommendations can change, especially for a 20 year old truck.

It has a good record of care from the previous owners:
- Oil change every 3000 miles
- Spark plugs changed 10k miles ago
- No leak whatsoever
- Water pump replaced 10k miles ago

Thank you !

 

find fordtechmakeuloco on YouTube. He has lots of maint videos. Find the one where he goes over suggested maint intervals for all the fluids (and their importance).

fuel additives shouldn’t be necessary if you use good fuel.

Sounds like you are on top of things, but I’d start by looking at all fluids for level and condition and then prioritize from there.

4.6 are great engines. I have a 08 4.6 with 260k and imo it runs like new.

 

put this in YouTube search:


fordtechmakeuloco fluid intervals maint