So i just bought a 97 ford f150 5.4 off road from a family for a crazy price of $4000. It is in very good condition w/102,000 miles on it. I dont know much about trucks maintanence so i thought i would ask you guys on here what i should do to the truck to make sure it lasts another 100,000 miles. The previous one owner had no problems w/ it and printed out a carfax showing it has never been to the shop for anything but oil changes. The only thing that i know i have to get after is at the seam under each door there is a little rust starting but im gonna wire wheel the rust and apply some POR 15 to stop the rust from spreading. If you know of any other way to deal with it let me know, it seems its fairly common problem. Anyways what do i want to do trans flush, diff grease, etc. ???? Let me know, thanks guys.

 

You probably need to check your front end. The ball joints, tie rod ends and idler arm are all high wear items on our trucks. As you mentioned, changing all the fluids is always a good idea.

 

100K is when you need to do a lot of things.

Spark plugs (OEM Motorcrafts only, please)
Transmission fluid (a 97 has a torque converter drain plug which makes this easy)
Transfer case fluid
Both differentials
Coolant flush
Fuel filter
Air filter

Get a complete inspection - front end parts, brakes, etc.

 

Check for recalls too. They had several including the cruise control switch, the tie rod end, etc. You should get plenty of good miles out of it though!

 

What about pics? We like to see new trucks