Yes they are reliable. But like others said depends on who had it before and such. My 97' 5.4 Lariat 4x4 has 205,000 miles and has been great. Bought it at 103,000. Only replacement is the alternator. Of course regular maintenance like COPS, plugs, oil change have been done. Rear window does leak and a few vibrations but it's paid for.

 

Nice lookin' truck you've got there.

I hope you've replaced your ball joints with that many miles... especially with the torsion bars cranked up. Mine were bad around 110,000.

 

I used to think it was very reliable - up until 65k miles, all I had to replace was a battery, 1 front hub, brakes, tires, and shocks.

That was until last week, when the fuel pump decided to go . Those suckers aren't cheap to replace. But, the truck is paid for and if I don't have anything else major go out, I'm still ahead of the game.

 

I really enjoy my truck. I've only had to replace minor "maintenance" parts. I am in midst of an electrical/alternator issue currently. But hope this is a minor issue also.

I'm amazed at the places that I've been into with this truck and the Toyo's that I run on it while out hunting. I do tow a trailer and sometimes wish that I had the larger 5.4 motor but for everyday driving it seems to fit the bill.

 

Mines been good to me...so far only an alternator, plugs and 1 COP. its got 120K on it now, bout it with around 100K...Like others said though know how it was used before....When I bought mine i highly doubt the thing had ever seen mud or a gravel road so i think i got a pre descent truck

I do have a question though...do any of you have problems down the road after towing?? I bought a car trailer so i could pull my racecar around instead of using a gooseneck all the time but when i hook it up and put the car on the trailer, it REALLY squats the *** end down...I only pulled it around 2 miles before the tires on the trailer blew out but you could definately tell it was pulling hard...is this normal??

I'll pry only pull with it occasionally because when you can use a 3/4 ton diesel i think it's stupid to pull with a half ton

 

These trucks tend to be well built. I have had an issue that cost me $1200. Blown head gasket. I dont drive it hard and I only had 80,000 miles on it; it is a 2000 5.4L. I'm gonna guess it was a lemon set. But, its fixed and is running harder than ever. Looking to get another 85,000 out of it before anything else goes terribly wrong.

 

I just bought a 97 Supercab 4.6L 4X4 with 156,000 miles on it. I am really surprised at how well it is handling, accellerating, and shifting. After losing my job a month ago, I had to sell my Dodge Megacab and get rid of the payment, and picked up this truck. I love it. I noticed the oil filter is mounted behind the driver side front bumper and the oil lines are covered in oil. Its not dripping, but covered. Is this common? What else can I expect to go wrong or how long will she run? The previous owner seems to have taken good care of it as it is in great condition. Anything that typical Fords need at this age or I should have checked?

 

i doubt that it will be covered in oil is normal...mines not anywayz...it is convienent for changing oil, but be careful and don't hit anything with that front end

 

off topic for a second...

how much did it cost for your buckshots?
and how have they held up tread-wear wise?

 

Your truck probably only has three weak factory leaf springs on each side. Add a couple add-a-leafs or overload springs from hellwig and it will stop that rear end sag. I wouldn't tow much weight with my 1998 if I didn't have this mod. Those factory leaf springs are great to haul groceries around but not much more.

Also the rear end gearing can effect the tow cap. a lot. I've got a 3.55LS. I would consider that as the min. to tow or haul heavy loads with 28575R16 MTZ tires.. The higher the gear ratio the better.

If you can, pull your trailer with that 3/4 ton. Much better choice for long hauls.

 

You need a WD hitch, I pull a 7k toybox with no sag.

 

Hey man, speaking of the motor on the passenger side mine has stopped twice..The first time for about a month,,then it started working again, then it did it a second time for about 2 weeks,,then it started again..I dunno but its I call it fixin itself...A good ole truck, knock on wood!!

 

I did just that brother!! I added coil over heavy shocks and the 5000lb overload springs from hellwig, man what a difference, rose the tailend up alittle where I like it and its as stout as a 3/4 ton but I don't treat it like one its mainly used for towing my 30hp kubota... Ford ought to be ashamed of those 3 leaf springs, I thought Chevy's were weak but that's embarrising or atleast mine was...

I have had hardly any trouble besides the alternator. When it went out we were out of town, I found it kinda interesting how it went..The ole girl would shut one thing down at a time, first of all the ac shut off then the radio and so on its like she was trying to get us as close as she could to the house.. Fuel pump went out and most expensive was the a/c but still got a good price about 530.00 for everything compressor,condenser,dryier, and ice,ice cold r134 if you can believe it, it does work good now....

 

More often than not it's the Master switch in the drivers door.
I almost never have a passenger and the switch in the passenger door has probably been used 20 times in 10 years. That switch is a slave, so when the Master switch in the drivers door goes bad, the passenger side switch doesn't work.

Something to check before you maybe tear apart the wrong door.

 

Buying any used vehicle is a crap shoot---but if the truck was maintained before you bought it, and you maintain it well after the purchase, it should run for a very long time. My truck has served me well---not only is it more or less my daily driver, but we also hea our home with a woodburning stove, so I am hauling a trailer filled with wood as well as wood in the bed, as well...throughout the spring and the summer.

Am am very happy with what the truck has done for me; and, with the money that I put into it, the returns have been excellent.

Tim C.