Hi, I drive an '03 F-150 Lariat w/ 5.4L EFI. I've been trying to get the repair manual for the truck from Haynes and just found out they haven't written one yet. Neither has Chilton. Haynes suggested I get one from Helm. The one at Helm is $147+s/h! And I'm not even sure if that's the manual I want. I want a basic repair manual with lotsa diagrams, etc. Has anyone used a Helm manual before? It sounds like those are meant for dealerships and mechanics, not for weekend enthusiasts like me.
ADVthanxANCE!

 

I have seen some threads that say ebay has some dvd's that may get you what you want (unless you are set on a book).
It might be worth it to take a look around ebay.

 

I snagged a DVD repair manual (Ford OEM Service Manual) off of e-Bay for about $30. It's PDF based, but is indexed and comes complete with pictures, wiring diagrams, the works. Word of caution, an authentic DVD will run you for about $100+ bucks. The ones on e-Bay are just COPIES of the orginal I guess.

Either way, I'm happy, just not sure a boot-legged copy was worth $30.

Tony

 

Sparty,

The $147 is not too bad, if you consider the price of college books etc, where one will run $80 in a heartbeat!!!!

As for repair manual, you probably want the "shop manual" which will cover most bits. The only other thing to get, and I'm not sure how they get packaged...., is the Powertrain manual, which covers the computer based stuff, ie codes and repair proc's.

There used to be an EVTM (Electrical Vacume Troubleshooting Manual) but most of the vacume stuff is non-existant except for AC and heater flappers.... and the electrical part is basically just the schematics and good for wire tracing. The actual trouble shooting part is in the Powertrain manual which can tend to be about 4-6" thick as it typically includes many models!!!

As for the CD's on ebay....I'm really surprised that Ford and or Helm hasn't cracked down on them! I'm sure that stuff is copyrighted, and having copies sold is depriving Ford and Helm of revenue...... I wouldn't like it if someone was selling copies of something I wrote!

I prefer paper copies.....but they are tough to find unless you go thru Helm. I bought my dad a copy from Helm for his birthday a few years back when he got a new F150. He spent days looking thru it!!!! LOTS of good stuff in them! I just don't like the idea of reading stuff on a PC....seems slower..... plus I can take the book to where I'm working!

Books are always a good investment! Use them once and you've paid for half....... twice.... 100%!

Just MHO,
Steve

 

I hear ya Steve. I used to be into the books too until I got an electronic version of the manuals. Believe it or not, it's faster if you're doing a detailed job because of how it's indexed. (i.e. during reading one process, it referrs to another process to remove a different component that's in the way, usually it's just linked with a click of the mouse to that other process rather than having to reference the index and then flip through the pages. )

Also, I like to be able to PRINT just the pages that I need and make notes on them before I start a job. No need to lug that 6" manual with you into the engine bay (or worry about getting it all greasy/dirty). Once the jobs done, I just pitch the print-outs.

Tony

 

i got a CD for my old Ranger. I seem to remember that Ford came out with an updated version every months. so when the new version comes out, the old are worthless to the dealers, and they pitch them or sell them to us.