my 2005 5.4 liter has 170 k on it. With the price of new trucks I have been considering keeping this old truck but I am wondering what are some of the common issues that start cropping up with high mileage so I can prepare in advance

so far my truck has needed very little except routine maintenance, but I am wondering if the handwriting is on the wall and if I'm about to start shelling out serious money if I keep it.

I am a high mileage driver and cannot afford to have a vehicle down for too long if something bad does happen like a serious engine problem.

the new trucks are wonderful and very appealing but with a 30 k entry price I can do a whole lot of maintenance to my current rig which I also still like very much

 

Better sell it.

 

A lot of trucks around here have gone 200k+. Mine needed shocks, brakes, spark plugs, fuel filter. I'm going to replace belt, do coolant flush, and maybe even repalce hoses. As you say, a lot of repairs can be done and you're still better off than making a truck payment. Even if you get a "big repair" and it costs you $500, that's less than on MONTH truck payment !!

 

His truck is an 05 and I suspect with the original injectors.

 

Spark plugs, injectors, can phasers, etc.

 

Good points.....what if you were to set aside a new car payment would run you each month into a separate account and just keep doing it until one of two things happen.

1) After each major repair use the money in this separate account to cover the cost until the account becomes dry, then sell.

2) If no major repairs occur then when the account gets up to 10k or so use it for a down on a new one to keep your future payments lower.

If it has been fairly trouble free I would still be inclined to hold onto it a bit longer.

 

I bought my '04 new in Oct '03. It was an early one. Now it has 155k miles on it. I have done the dreaded plug change and it also has the clattering cam phaser issue. Other than that the only other components that I have changed is the alternator, battery, fuel filter, oil, ect, ect, ect.
Nothing major.
I've read on here over the years of people having many common problems with their trucks. As of yet I haven't experienced most of these problems.

Amazingly, mine has been an extremely reliable truck (KNOCK ON WOOD) and I'll drive it anywhere. At this point I can't complain and I'll keep driving this thing until something major happens.

Then I'll fix it and keep going.

Still cheaper than spending another 35k like I did on this one.

 

Yep , original injectors

I did the plug change at 100k, but i still consider that routine maintenance, although it was an expensive job --- hopefully a liberal application of anti seize will help it the next time

I feel a bit like i am on borrowed time with things like the alternator and fuel pump, as these items both let go long before 170k on my previous gen F150

I am not that familiar with the Cam Phaser issue --- i will use the search function --
but in a nutshell, is that the sound that sounds a bit like lifter clatter when its idling? If so, i have that issue too

 

Yep the cam phaser clatter is at idle mainly after it has warmed up. Mine sounds like a diesel its soo noisy. LOL
Been doing it for years. It doesn't bother me anymore.

The alternator is roughly a $200 part and 30 minutes to change with simple tools. "Very easy" Had to change mine this past summer in front of an Autoparts store while on a road trip. LOL

When you get alot of miles on a truck such as ours, it pays to keep some tools in the back.

I haven't had to deal with the fuel pump yet.

Good Luck

 

I recently sold my 2005 with 135,000 on it. Wish I still had it, I loved that truck. If you have done regular maintenance of fluids, filters, brakes, etc, and it's running well, then it can be a crap shoot on things like wheel bearings, altenator, fuel pump and air conditioner. As far as the injectors are concerned, I asked my dealer service guy if I should change mine out since I was out of the extended warranty for the 2005s and he stated that if one had not failed at 100,000 miles, then it was no more likely to fail than a new replacement. If you have not done the steering/suspension components, you might should be thinking of replacing those(Moog).

I wanted to go to 200,000 miles and then maybe to 250,000 but my wife had been nagging me for a year to get a new truck. We put about 30,000 a year on one and a lot of that is at night, so she was concerned about breaking down on the highway. So, I now have a 2011. Love the 5.0 and the mpg, but the new trucks are just ugly to me. I had the 2005 modded just the way I wanted but have no desire to mod the new one.

 

sounds like one hell of a problem you have there

 

Yep, but she has a problem now. I let her know every so often how much I miss my 2005 and how ugly the 2011 is.

 

I like the new one's, but they need to tone down on the chrome. The first thing
you notice about a new Ford,when their coming towards you, on the interstate
is the chrome front end. It's all you see. I like some chrome but not that much.

 

Dislikes:
Tuxedo Black paint
Too much chrome
Too tinny, not very tough feeling
Horrible tail lights
Don't have a truck feel when driving, more like a car
Expensive to Mod
Stupid Chrome clad wheels

Likes:
Great engine and fuel economy. Smoother, quieter engine
Extra space in Screw
More comfortable seat and better upholstery
Sync

 

Ain't that the truth -- God knows what the Ford designers were smoking when they come up with those monstrosities! They look like cheap "boy racer" aftermarket jobs that a 16-year-old buys out of J.C. Whitney and slaps on his old man's pick-up.....