Heya all - newbie here, don't have a ton of knowledge about engines, etc., so be gentle

I recently bought (from a dealer) an '01 F150 XLT 5.4L Short bed - very nice, very clean, 56k miles - the vehicle was well taken care of, and so far has been a great truck! My first Ford . . .

My question is - since I'm coming up on 60k, and I don't really have any previous maintenance records on the truck, I'm guessing I should get a complete engine "tune-up", right? I'll probably take it to my local Ford dealer for this (I don't have a regular mechanic), but want to educate myself a bit before doing so. If I just hand them the keys and say "give 'er the 60k tune-up", what sorts of things will they check/change/replace? What are the major items I should make sure get "fixed"? What should I expect to pay, roughly? Is there anything I should watch out for, or be aware of so I don't get ripped off?

Any other suggestions on things to look for and/or replace when buying a pre-owned vehicle so I can make sure I'm running clean and mean?

Thanks in advance. By the way, AWESOME forum! Tons of great info. and insight. I plan on becoming a regular here!

- JP

 

plugs, coil packs, fuel filter, air filter, degunk the intake and throttle body, coolant service, injector service, clean the MAF. those are all items that usually will cause issues. coil packs usually last pretty good while and stock plugs lasts up to 80K+ in most of our trucks

 

Handing over the keys with little input but tune up is a way to get you bottom line hit hard.
Not saying there won't be some things that need attention but it sometimes is a matter if judgement.
They could replace the brake discs, pads, flush the trans, change the fluids in the front and rear, the coolant, engine oil, leaking shocks and on and on,with fuel filter, PVC etc without some limits in place.
At 60k, the air filter, plugs, trans, coolant, check the rear and front drive areas if 4x4, steering arm could all be in play here.
How much is anybodies guess.
What i'm saying is if you are concerned about cost, do some of that work yourself at at least $40 per hour dealer time and get the parts yourself.

 

One of my buddies just got the 100k from the dealer on his truck. They changed all the coils, plugs, cleaned the intake and T.B., Tranny service, and coolant system. His cost was $1300.00 bucks. Also, fuel filter, air filter, and cleaned the IAC. He could have done all that himself for around $400, but he is pretty damn lazy.........I will say that the truck runs great though, almost as good as new.

 

Just the plugs alone will cost you around $300 - $500 because it takes a while to change them. If you start searching the forums here for how to methods for tune ups, plug changes, cleaning the MAF, etc you can do it yourself step by step and save A LOT OF MONEY. If you get stuck on something, just ask & we will help you out...


Good luck,


Brian

 

Thanks guys - all great suggestions! I'll keep you posted...

 

most delaerships their labor rates are aound 75 bucks and all u speak of is about a 5-6 hour job. thats what it pays at dads work. so do it yourself its all fairly simple save yourself big bucks!!!

 

jplant, you can save yourself a lot of money as ptlmbutler said. Start by getting a Haynes manual for your truck. Read Chapter 1 and you know how to do everything in your 60K check. And, you will have a much better understanding of your truck. If you have a friend who has experience in mechanical work that helps a lot. Even if he doesn't help, but is just available if you need to call, you will do well.

The Haynes manual is a favorite of mine. It starts slow, assumes you know nothing, and guides you through with lots of illustrations. I have one for every vehicle. For $15, they are priceless and the first task you do by will more than pay for the manual.

Good luck.

Hunt4Fun

 

Thanks Hunt - the manual's a good starting place. I could probably get myself through most of it - just don't want to go screw anything up!