Hi Everyone,
My 2005 F150 FX4 has become sluggish the last couple thousand miles. I'm currently at 6708 miles total. I called the dealership and they said that the power should return at about 10-12K miles--mentioned that the computers will self adjust. Well, that, in my opinion is just crap---I have to wait another 4-6K miles to get the power I bought back...crappy.

Anyone else have this problem or have a better solution?

THANKS!
Josh

 

Mine was sluggish, had a lag when I accelerated. I went in for an oil change and asked the Service manager if there was any thing he could do about it, that it was going to get me killed in traffic. He said they would do a computer reflash. it made all the difference in the world. Much more responsive, firmer shifts.

 

My truck is in the shop now actually. Brought it in because the A/C can't cool the truck--has to be on MAX all the time. It gets cold for a bit then the air will get humid. They said it's some vent flap that sticks open apparently? I don't buy it--I think they undersized the AC for the Supercab--but that is just my humble opinion. It also leaves a "film" on my windshield that takes FOREVER to scrub off!

I did talk to the service manager about doing the flash. He said he was concerned about doing that since I'll probably just have to bring it back in in another 6 months because the truck will be running through the same break-in process. Any thoughts on that???

THANKS!
Josh

 

i think they are full of crap. since when does a computer need to break in?
when we turn our computers on do we have to break it in to get online or burn a cd. they just dont want to do warranty work . if it was out of warranty you bet they would find a reason for it

 

Mine got the reflash at 6300 miles. I now have almost 13000 miles and it is running great. It was a dog till the reflash. That is all I know. If they won't do it, you might consider the tuner from Mike Troyer. Since Ford will pay for it under warranty, I do not know why they put you off like that.

 

The only "breaking-in" the computers do is learning your driving habits, which takes a few hundred miles.

If you cant get them to do the flash, take it to another dealer.

 

I just picked up my truck and WOW what a difference the flash made--it felt like it did when I drove it off the lot, only a bit more responsive now.

Highly recommend the flash to anyone who is having the same difficulties.

They service manager told me that in 2006, Ford will not include the "flash" service as part of the 36,000 mile warranty. Strange...you'd think for something so small and that takes such little time that if you called and wanted this done they'd just do it.

 

Not much of a surprise, considering they charge $75 just for a "diagnostic test" which usually means plugging in the scan tool and reading the CEL code.

 

One sneaky little trick that used to work, I don't know if it does anymore or not, was

When you are on the interstate or somewhere you are driving higher speeds, stop at a gas station or on the side of the road and disconnect the battery. Leave it off for 2 or 3 minutes, then reconnect it, start it up, and hammer the **** out of it. Drive fast, and keep it at WOT as much as possible, and it would set itself to a better a/f ratio. Now, the MPG suffered a little, but it worked back in the day. I haven't tried it in years though

 

Ditto on the last post, 98Navi has it down. Worked on my '89 I-6, works on my 97 4.6L. As for the "breaking-in" part, Ford may be partly right, although it should only be on the first few thousand miles, not kick in after a few thou. I wrenched at a Bombardier dealership, and their sleds are programmed to run limited power and ignition timing for the first 10 hours, then full snot after. If the OEM's going to limit break-in, that makes sense, but your situation.......???

Curious.... How much would it cost if you paid for the reflash, anyway ? Not that Ford shouldn't pay for it anyway .

Denis.

 

P.S., forgot to mention....

I bought mine used, 115,000 miles on it. Ran like crap for the first few weeks. Ran the bag off of it, Wide-open off of every stop light, lots of heavy foot helped clear it out, much better after the ECM adjusted to my heavier foot.

 

Very interesting thread! I am new to the world of the F150 and would like to know more about what I can expect.

I bought a 2005 FX4 and it's currently sitting at a little over 300 miles. I have kind of driven it like a baby, but only because I'm trying to stretch gas mileage as much as possible.

1. What can I expect in the future with regards to this "sluggish" engine response?
2. Is it possible that by driving it like a baby, I'm allowing the engine computer to "learn" incorrect driving habits?

Very interested to learn more...

DMad