Preventive maintenance for F150

[Mr. Goodbar]

I’ve been happy with my 06 Ford about 125k on it. Was running like a champ until a woman got ahold of it, now I have a few minor things to fix. But it has given me zero problems besides what I’ve caused. Use Mobil 1 high mileage and wix oil filter every 5-7k, but having a company vehicle and bike, I don’t drive it much.

 

[roundhouse]

The spark plugs either spit out and rip the threads in the engine with them
Or they break off and leave half in the engine

And if it ticks when you do a cold start in the morning , the cam phasers are on their way out and they usually take the rest of the engine with them somehow

Oh and the coil packs fail constantly
They last forever on Chevys and Toyotas but fail frequently on fords


Those years f-150 and expys had problems with the fuel pump relays (ford soldered them to the computer circuit board in the fusebox so you have to buy a new $350 fusebox instead of being able to buy a $8 relay and plug it in )
And problems with the fuel pump speed controller bolted to the frame above the spare tire
Ford thought bolting aluminum directly to steel would be fine when any high school student could explain how dissimilar metals react when booted together for a few years


No idea about the timing belts

The 5.4 has a timing belt ?

Anyhoo, my 2004 has 220k on it now
Had 120 on it when I bought it

When in changed the plugs I had to use a three foot Cheater pipe on my ratchet to get em out but amazingly they didn't break or strip the threads

I've replaced the coil packs twice, 16 of em at $75 per

The 5.4 has very low power for the gas it uses , the 5.3 Chevy motor makes a lot more power uses less gas and is far more reliable

 

[Libertyswife]

My brother in-law (a Certified Ford Tech) seems to believe a transmission replacement is normal preventative mantinace on Ford trucks with less then 100,000 miles..... buy a Chevy!

 

[Horsehat]

I have had Ford trucks for 40 years with no major problems, my current one is a 2000 F350 diesel. My last f150 was a 99 model and a put close to 300k miles on it with no issues. That being said, if I were to buy a newer truck today it would likely be a Toyota. Ford is the best of the American manufacturers in my opinion but none of them have kept up with the quality standards Toyota has. I am no mechanic so this is the opinion of a driver.