I have read about the hoods on the F150's have a shake on the interstate, but only those with bugshields. Well, I do not have a bugshield and the hood literally looks like it is going to fly off, especially when passing a semi. The turbulence causes this, but I was hoping that someone has found a way to adjust it or just decided to live with it. I have adjusted the rubber stoppers with no avail. BTW, what was Ford thinking when trying to save weight on these trucks? First, the cheap plastic fuel door and the tin can hood....what's next? Everything else seems to be solid, but I always liked a heavy hood "SLAM" shut. Kinda like a heavy door instead of a hollow import's. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

This is the first post ive read regarding hood shake, ive got a bug guard installed, and no hood shake here.

 

Plastic gas cap is safety related, not to save wieght. That whopping 3oz savings wouldn't help much in the 6,000lbs scheme of things!

Like anaheim stated, this is the fist I've ever heard of this. Sound like you need a trip to the dealer 'cuz something is loose/not right.

 

The truck being a ford I figured if my hood starts to shake I will run a bead of weld around all edges of the hood, sand & paint - bye bye hood shake. LOL

 

The hood 'lift' issue was been brought up before. It's been a while, but lots of people talked about it (not as many as the rear end vibe, etc., but a lot just the same).

This is the first one I remember with the lift and no bugshield though.

Just so you know you're not alone:

It's mentioned here
A thread started by your truly!

It's been a while since it's been discussed, but now since this thread and this one are near the top, we may see some more discussion.

 

The door that you open to get to the gas cap is plastic (it's fragile--not to be opened too far) The lower profile bug shield is supposed to be best for hood shake, but when there is no shield...it's (the hood) just possibly loose somewhere for some reason. Also, remember, the hood is lightweight, flakey,shakey aluminum. And in addition to this, don't get too upset about this because the big trucks on the interstate do create a terrific vortex and vacuum under certain conditions when passing at speed. I have had this happen to me with older vehicles and thought it was going to rip the hood open at times--this is an extreme condition that can cause similiar effects on other vehicles as well, so don't panic.

 

I own a 04 Lariat SuperCrew and I have a low profile bug shield and had the hood shake also and it was really bad around 70 or so but fixed it. The rubber weather stripping under the hood near the windshield does not produce a strong enough seal up against the hood. The 1/2 inch or so bubble in the seal needed reinforcement. I saw a technical write up about it somewhere (can't remember where) and remembered what they did. I pulled a 1/2 rope (write up says to use the right size rubber hose that will snuggly fit into the bubble of the OEM) through the OEM seal's bubble to make it tight up against the hood when closed. I took it out on the highway and obseved all the way up to about 80mph and no shake at all. I guess they were right. If you need pics or more description, email or reply back.

 

04whitelariatsc,

I'd like to see some pics of what you did to fix yours. Mine also shakes a bit at highway speeds and I have also tried the rubber stops with no effect. I read about the rubber tubing, too, but would like to see some pics to see exactly what you did to get it to stop.

Thanks!

 

Wow, now people are having "hood-shake" complaints?? Sounds to me like somebody needs to realize they are driving a TRUCK...not a Lexus..... oh well, i was entertained.....

 

TSB 04-18-8

FORD: 2004 F-150


ISSUE:
Some 2004 F-150 vehicles may exhibit hood movement at the back of the hood due to high air turbulence, while driving at highway speeds. This condition may be amplified by the installation of an accessory bug shield and may be more pronounced when passing an on-coming vehicle on a two lane road.

ACTION:
Refer to the following Service Procedure.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Confirm that the hood is flush with the front fenders at each front corner. If the hood is under-flush, adjust the hood stops to raise the hood flush with the tops of the front fenders.
Check the amount of drag at the rear hood to cowl seal with a piece of paper. Place a piece of paper between the seal and hood, close the hood and then slowly pull the paper out.
If there is sufficient drag, indicating good seal to hood contact, return the vehicle to the customer.
If there is little to no drag, obtain locally a piece of fuel hose 147 cm long & 11 mm diameter (58" long & 3/16" diameter). Lube the hose with a soap-based solution and install the hose inside the hood seal bulb.

WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage

Mine flutters around at 80+ mph, but since I don't drive that fast very often, I haven't gotten around to tending to mine yet.

 

shaker hood