I am a first time F150 owner, 2009 lariat 4x4. Very satisfied to date. I am going to change the oil for the first time soon. Could someone tell me how many grease fittings are there on the front end?

 

None but if you know what your doing you could add the but it would void the warrenty

 

Most modern vehicles utilize permanently sealed fittings which require no ongoing maintenance. Time will tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing -- I don't think the practice has been around long enough to determine if the permanently sealed units actually work as well as the manufacturers believe they will.

 

Just to add a bit here, even when vehicles had grease fitttings, the vast majority of owners didn't grease them - leading to the premature demise of many parts. So, non-greasable parts - which are actually designed to run without even needing additional grease added - will probably last longer than greasable parts - that were never greased.

 

As was already said, no grease fittings. I like it, less time spent on maintenence and more time driving.

Is this the first ever oil change? If so, you'll want to hit the gym and bulk up for a month or two first. You'll need the arm and hand strength to get the factory filter off.

 

Or just let the dealer do that first oil change. It can be a very frustrating experience where you will surely DESTROY that factory filter. It could take you over an hour or possibly more to get that fool thing off.

ddellwo, the practice of using sealed ball joints and such has been around for a good number of years. I believe data will show that warranty issues with ball joints or tie rods has been dramatically reduced with these vs the old style greaseable units. That's all the manufacturer's have likely focused on. Longer service life is just an added bonus.