I have owned several Fords from the 70's on. I purchased my first new Ford truck since '94. It is a 2002 F150 XL WT 4.6L 5spd. Just got back from a 600 mile trip towing a 2000lb boat thru the mountains. My impressions are very favorable, rides better than any truck I've riden in and accelerates as smooth as silk.

I came to this board to look for ideas to lower it and improve handle. Anyway, I am shocked to see all these horror stories: oil leaks, tranny problems, piston slap, head gaskets, idle. Is it really as bad as it sounds, is my engine going to blow in the next 10K miles. I put 200K miles on a gran marquis (4.6L V8) without taking off the valve covers, so I was confident when I ordered this 4.6L. But now I'm scratching my head? Does this board attract the unlucky few or is Ford hiding serious problems?

 

well, you hardly ever hear the good stories, just the bad.

 

With the 4.6, you shouldn't have any problem with piston slap.

 

kysard,

Welcome to the board. I wondered the same thing when I first started frequenting this site. One senior member put it to me this way, only those that have problems usually end up here becuase they are out looking for solutions. Despite this sites huge popularity, thanks to a lot of great people, only a small number of owners are actually represented here. Think about how many trucks Ford sells in a year, or even a month. You hear about a lot of extreme cases b/c they're here looking for answers to their problems. Most, if not all, of us have had a problem or two with our trucks but if asked I bet you'd find that most of the members here are also very happy with them. I know I am, that's why I just bought my third!

 

Kysard-

I got my '99 (in January '00), and have had good luck with it. My 1999 does not have piston slap, does not have door cracks, and does not have a leaky rear window.

Aside from the body shop, the truck has been in the shop twice. Once for a squealing belt (replaced under warranty) and once for a occasional rattle from the sliding rear window (again, under warranty).

I'm sure you'll find many happy F150 owners here, and a few unhappy people as well. I think you'll be okay! How do you like the 4.6 5-speed? I've been thinking about going that route for my next truck.

 

Sometimes you just need to vent ... and where better to do it than here where someone might have shared your pain or where someone might have a solution. You will get more information here than you will from any dealer because someone here has been there , someone here has done that , and everyone here is willing to share their knowledge.

 

Well I had a Lightning and it was a great truck. No problems at all really. Put together well, ran great.

I Just got rid of it because I needed something more practacal that fit in the garage.

These boards are places people come to get answers to their questions or problems, so as a rule you are going to read things like....is this noise normal, how do I get Ford to fix this etc. It is like anything in life. Bad news travels fast.

Don't worry about your truck until you have to. Statistically speaking you probably won't have to.

They all make lemons, from Ford to Porsche. It happens but in my experience if you take care of your ride it will take care of you.

 

With so many registered members, we are bound to see some problem trucks.

I'm just glad this place gives them the resources to find a fix, and ammo to hit the dealer with if they claim it is an isolated problem.

As a note, I also post on a board with less than half the members and all brands. I see almost as many problems and complaints in the GM section as this entire site has. Not knocking GM, just stating that without the forums we might all be driving lesser trucks.

 

Goneloco, I like the 5 speed. I had a similiar mazda 5 speed in a Thunderbird Supercoupe so I know the quirks: use Dot5 hydraulic fluid so that it doesn't trap moisture and break the slave, keep oil in it, keep it bled, and double clutch 2 to 3. In my t-bird it was fine at 130K when I sold it.

 

I have a 1997 with 100K miles and have never had any problems. Think about it, out of the millions of ford trucks sold only a few thousand have had problems. Thats a good statistic considering fords are the #1 sold truck in the US.

 

My 4.6, 5-speed is running great. I have enough confidence in the 4.6 to bolt a supercharger to it.
I think poeple look for message boards when they are looking for upgrade ideas and when they are trying to solve a problem.
The more time you spend here the easier it is to "understand the tone".
I think you will find that the majority of us are proud to own/drive a Ford truck! I am!

 

I've never had any trouble with my Fords, but with over 22,000 people on these boards there is bound to be 10-15 guys who have had bad luck. I check out the Dodge boards once and awhilce and they have the same problems.

-Jon

 

108,000 miles and the biggest problem so far was replacing the u-joints. It's been a great truck.

 

...the only problem I had with mine was a screwed up computer, which was replaced under warranty (once they figured out what the problem was). Since it is gone now I don't guess I will have any more problems with it.