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Ford F-Series: Problems & Solutions - READ ONLY

2180 messages,  Last post on Nov 26, 2006 at 10:18 PM

You are in the Ford F-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford F-150, Ford F-250, Ford F-350, Ford F-100, Truck

Messages Page 57 of 219

#559 of 2180 todd1965, vibes by danf150

Jan 03, 2004 (3:24 pm)

It is very important to document problems now. I bought brand spanking new 2003 F150 in September, vibration was immediately apparent so I documented my mileage at "zero" with dealer.
 
6 new tires, 2 new wheels, and a dozen visits later and the Ford still shakes. Ford field reps made attempt at saying it was normal truck ride, but dealer stepped up to the plate; I bought 30,000 dollar Lariat to be my highway vehicle, not a rattler. It seemed like a balance/wheel problem, but I swear it is motor or tranny.
 
When Ford's vehicle buy back folks made my deal, it was at zero miles. I am still not thrilled, because I am the oddball buyer that likes 2003 looks better, and Heritage doesn't come in Lariat interior, but if new 2004 Lariat is half the truck they claim it is, I guess I should be happy. They initially wanted me to pay for difference in MSRP, but again dealer negotiated a better deal.
 
danF150

#560 of 2180 Vibes by todd1965

Jan 03, 2004 (8:30 pm)

I am in the military and my dealership where I brought my truck is 325 miles away from my resident. I don't think any dealership in Hampton Va. will take care of this situation for me, maybe I will e-mail the place where I purchase it from. Thank for your insightful advice.

#561 of 2180 Left Turn Signal out when Tilt used by waterman

Jan 11, 2004 (10:33 pm)

I have a '01 SuperCrew, Automatic.
Whenever I lower the steering wheel tilt a few notches below the highest setting, my left turn signal blinks and clicks rapidly on the dash, but is does not work at all outside!
 
Has anyone had this problem; what did you do?
thx

#562 of 2180 F150 2wd with snow tires by thel

Jan 12, 2004 (8:00 pm)

Since I never go off-road, would a 2wd supercab be albe to get me around all right without any problems if equipped with snow tires? We don't get a lot of snow here in mid-Missouri, but I like to be ready for it if it comes.

#563 of 2180 F150 2wd with snow tires by wpalkowski

Jan 13, 2004 (4:22 am)

2 wd pickups are reasonable in the snow. A real snow tire - not just an All Terrain (AT) tire makes a big difference in handling. It's obviously not going to be as good as a 4x4, but I drove the same truck for many winters and never really got stuck too bad. The only real problem I ever had was trying to back up my snowy driveway. If I knew snow was forecast, I'd turn the truck around to be able to go out forward and as long as the plow hadn't dumped 3 ft. of snow at the end of the driveway I'd get out.
 There's one big trick to help keep moving - you need extra weight in the bed to allow the rear wheels to dig into the snow and get grip. I usually buy six or eight bags of "tube sand" from Home Depot, or Lowes . They are 3 foot long tube-shaped bags about 8" in diameter; they weigh about 60 lbs each, and fit nicely in the unused spaces around the wheel wells (if it's a fleetside \pickup). I built a frame outta 2x6 lumber that helps to hold the bags against the bed rails, otherwise they tend to slide around in back. You can use other stuff to add weight, but I prefer sand as you've always got a ready supply of traction material in the event you do get stuck.
   Just remember that the truck's much heavier than any cars you've driven - you've got to allow yourself longer stopping distances (even with ABS) and don't try to take turns too quickly because even with weight in the back, the rear end can still break loose relatively easily if you push it too hard. All this becomes second nature once you driven around for a while in winter.
   One other note - if you get an ice storm... stay home! Pickups really suck on glare ice. I rode my F350 Crew Cab 4x4 sideways down a hill last week for a few hundred yards. I was stopped at the crest and truck just started sliding all by itself before I even took my foot off the brake. Had no steering whatsoever, and the rear end decided to try to pass the front. Luckily I didn't hit anything, but had to change my shorts when I finally got home.

#564 of 2180 sheeesh that's scary!!! by thel

Jan 13, 2004 (6:35 am)

I had a 98 F150 XLT 4wd supercab that I should've kept that never failed me (and never passed a gas sation either LOL).....but hindsight is always 20-20 I suppose. Thanks for your input Walter!

#565 of 2180 Walt's right..... by mullins87

Jan 13, 2004 (6:56 pm)

as usual! With the exception of one 4x4 K1500 and a Wrangler I bought just three months ago, I've always driven 2wd trucks. My current truck is an F-350 dually. 500lbs of those sand bags really do make a difference. And, as Walt noted, they provide great traction material when needed. And as another bonus, you can use them to fill the kids sandbox in the spring.

#566 of 2180 cold weather starting 7.3 turbo diesel by alltork

Jan 14, 2004 (7:07 pm)

Ive got an 1994 f 250 4x4 with the turbo diesel(not the power stroke)Ive changed all the fluids to synthetic along with all the filters. My question is whats the proper way to start in cold weather without the block heater. The owners manual says to depress the gas while cranking when below freezing,but I'm not sure that this helps Any ideas or suggestions would be great Thanks

#567 of 2180 cold weather starting by wpalkowski

Jan 15, 2004 (10:50 am)

How cold are we talking? I thought that Fords could start at least down to -20 without the block heater, that is if all of the other components are good Is your battery in tip-top shape? Make sure your glow plugs are working properly. The Glow Plug Relay can be a weak link - contacts get tired and won't carry optimal current to the glow plugs and they won't heat things up well.
    When you go to start, the GP light goes out after about 15-20 sec but the GPR is on for nearly two minutes. Wait another 45 sec after the light goes out before turning her over. Cycle the glow plugs again before cranking if it is really cold.
   The synthetic lubricants are great, they give you a much lower flow/pour temperature and much less resistance to cranking the engine. Depending on where you live and whether they have winter blend diesel, you might want to add an anti-gel formula to your fuel. There are several on the market, some of the names are PowerService (available at most Truck Stops) and Stanadyne.

#568 of 2180 cold weather starting by alltork

Jan 15, 2004 (5:16 pm)

Thanks for the info. The temps are around 0 to 20 above right know,does it help to give it any pedal before or while cranking?Ill have to get the gpr checked I did notice that after it starts the volt meter jumps back and forth is this related to the gpr it only does this for about 1 minute Thanks again

Messages Page 57 of 219

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