my first f-150
04-13-2010, 06:00 PM
#11
ANY used truck has potential for issues. Im sure if you looked at a toyota, gm, nissan or any other truck forum you will see they all have issues. Plus they dont look nearly as nice as our fords 
Although I do like toyota's I found (at least in my area) that a comprably equiped toyota was considerably more money. Sparkplugs are an issue until changed, there is a chance the head may need to be pulled but that seems pretty rare. The IWE solenoid is also a pain but is a $30 ford part and easy to change. The cam phazers Im not sure about. I know mine are a little noisey but have no idea how involved they would be to change (plus I thought those were only an issue on 04 and 05 ???) I have loved my truck since I've had it. Gas mileage isnt the best but I didnt buy a prius I bought a truck. Truck looks great. If your happy with it then great.
Although I do like toyota's I found (at least in my area) that a comprably equiped toyota was considerably more money. Sparkplugs are an issue until changed, there is a chance the head may need to be pulled but that seems pretty rare. The IWE solenoid is also a pain but is a $30 ford part and easy to change. The cam phazers Im not sure about. I know mine are a little noisey but have no idea how involved they would be to change (plus I thought those were only an issue on 04 and 05 ???) I have loved my truck since I've had it. Gas mileage isnt the best but I didnt buy a prius I bought a truck. Truck looks great. If your happy with it then great.
04-13-2010, 06:09 PM
#12
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I bought a F150 2005 XLT Super Crew in January with 203000 Kms in Edmonton for $10500. There are many issues with these trucks that you should be aware of before you buy.
The 5.4L has cam phasor problems. With the kms on yours I bet it has it as well. Mine has bad cam phasors so it sounds like a diesel engine and runs a little rough at idle. This problem is not apparent until the engine is warm, so if you just drive it around the block you probably wont hear it even if they are bad. I took mine to a dealer here in Edmonton, and they gave me a quote for $4000 to fix the cam phasors. I chose not to have the dealer fix it, and will just live with it for a while, maybe fix it myself or replace the whole engine if we are talking that kind of money.
There are also big problems with the spark plugs. They break in half when you try to remove them and the bottom half gets stuck in the block. There is a special tool that you can use to remove the broken piece. But if it breaks in the wrong place you have to remove the head to get it out. Big $$$. The dealer is aware of this problem, so even if you have them replace the plugs, they charge you for all the extra time and tools they have to use. This will be the most expensive plug change you will ever do. If the seller can prove that he has changed the plugs then you should be alright, otherwise be prepared to spend a lot to change them yourself.
The 5.4L gets horrible gas mileage. Yes I know it is a truck, but the best I can get is about 12 mpg. I have several friends with GM 5.3L, they get 18-20 mpg without even trying. This might be due to the fact that my spark plugs have never been changed.
Try the fuel filter too, I get can get 18-19 with my 5.4 and 3.73s running at 70.
The bearings in the differential tend to wear out quickly, I just had to replace all the bearings in my diff for $997. The guys with limited slip diffs are reporting problems with grinding.
No problems yet with mine and I have not heard very many issues with this before.
The 4X4 IWE solenoid is poorly engineered and suffer from water damage. If you can use a screw driver and a wrench you can replace this yourself for about $40.
The transmissions have a overdrive clip that likes to break, and then proceeds to ruin the tranny. Fortunately I dont have this problem. When you test drive make sure the OD is on, and that it shifts into OD smoothly. I think that happens at about 70km/hr. If the owner has turned off the OD I would be very suspicious.
Problem has been fixed since 06 when they came out with new design for the IWE
Thats is all I can think of now. I like my truck but if I fully understood all of these issues ahead of time I think I would have bought a GM or an older Toyota.
The 5.4L has cam phasor problems. With the kms on yours I bet it has it as well. Mine has bad cam phasors so it sounds like a diesel engine and runs a little rough at idle. This problem is not apparent until the engine is warm, so if you just drive it around the block you probably wont hear it even if they are bad. I took mine to a dealer here in Edmonton, and they gave me a quote for $4000 to fix the cam phasors. I chose not to have the dealer fix it, and will just live with it for a while, maybe fix it myself or replace the whole engine if we are talking that kind of money.
There are also big problems with the spark plugs. They break in half when you try to remove them and the bottom half gets stuck in the block. There is a special tool that you can use to remove the broken piece. But if it breaks in the wrong place you have to remove the head to get it out. Big $$$. The dealer is aware of this problem, so even if you have them replace the plugs, they charge you for all the extra time and tools they have to use. This will be the most expensive plug change you will ever do. If the seller can prove that he has changed the plugs then you should be alright, otherwise be prepared to spend a lot to change them yourself.
The 5.4L gets horrible gas mileage. Yes I know it is a truck, but the best I can get is about 12 mpg. I have several friends with GM 5.3L, they get 18-20 mpg without even trying. This might be due to the fact that my spark plugs have never been changed.
Try the fuel filter too, I get can get 18-19 with my 5.4 and 3.73s running at 70.
The bearings in the differential tend to wear out quickly, I just had to replace all the bearings in my diff for $997. The guys with limited slip diffs are reporting problems with grinding.
No problems yet with mine and I have not heard very many issues with this before.
The 4X4 IWE solenoid is poorly engineered and suffer from water damage. If you can use a screw driver and a wrench you can replace this yourself for about $40.
The transmissions have a overdrive clip that likes to break, and then proceeds to ruin the tranny. Fortunately I dont have this problem. When you test drive make sure the OD is on, and that it shifts into OD smoothly. I think that happens at about 70km/hr. If the owner has turned off the OD I would be very suspicious.
Problem has been fixed since 06 when they came out with new design for the IWE
Thats is all I can think of now. I like my truck but if I fully understood all of these issues ahead of time I think I would have bought a GM or an older Toyota.
In bold
04-13-2010, 06:19 PM
#13
06 F150 supercrew
My bro in law works at a GM shop, and tells me all the problems GM trucks have. They all have their issues, and if you say they don't then your lying or obviously never owned a vechile. They all have their share of problems.
04-13-2010, 08:02 PM
#14
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i picked my 04 supercab up at an auction here in calgary for 6100 plus tax and auction fee she came to 6700... it had 262xxx kms when i got it and it was a good deal compared to everything else going through the auction that day... i know all trucks have they're issues but so far i'm happy with mine and ford definitely has the best looking trucks on the market now
04-14-2010, 03:50 PM
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In no way was I making the claim that Toyota or GM trucks are trouble free. I have owned many vehicles from many different manufacturers. Most of them have been used and higher mileage. I know that all used cars will require maintenance especially high mileage vehicles. The original poster wanted to know what to look out for in a used F150, and these are the most common/expensive problems.
However, comparing this truck to any other that I have owned, it wins the prize for maximum number of common serious design issues. The spark plug problem is not acceptable, no one should to pay huge sums of money simply because they wanted to change their spark plugs. There is no getting around the fact that the cam phasors are poorly designed. This problem should have been caught during reliability testing.
I was very interested in Fords new ecoboost engines, but after my experiences and learning that the ecoboosts make use of turbos and cam phasors I would only purchase one under a lease that ended before the warranty did. If your going to make an engine that relies on complex accessories for efficient operation, you better ensure its reliability.
I changed the fuel filter and cleaned K&N filter, that got me from 10mpg to 12mpg
I agree %100, I love Fords styling
Only because their resale value is higher (at least around here), and I would have to get an model year older than 2005 to get into my price range.
You just divide by 1.61, for example my truck has 204000 kms
204000/1.61 = 127000 miles
However, comparing this truck to any other that I have owned, it wins the prize for maximum number of common serious design issues. The spark plug problem is not acceptable, no one should to pay huge sums of money simply because they wanted to change their spark plugs. There is no getting around the fact that the cam phasors are poorly designed. This problem should have been caught during reliability testing.
I was very interested in Fords new ecoboost engines, but after my experiences and learning that the ecoboosts make use of turbos and cam phasors I would only purchase one under a lease that ended before the warranty did. If your going to make an engine that relies on complex accessories for efficient operation, you better ensure its reliability.
Try the fuel filter too, I get can get 18-19 with my 5.4 and 3.73s running at 70.
Plus they dont look nearly as nice as our fords
why do you say "older toyota"
can someone please help me convert Km--->miles?
204000/1.61 = 127000 miles
