98SCREAMER,

I am not exactly sure why i am here either.
Honestly, I like working on things or fixing things like you wouldn't believe. I am on the Dodge board too, obviously, but i thoroughly enjoy reading posts of specifically engine related problems or mechanical problems on these boards. I figured i might run across a post now and then i might be able to offer some input that may be useful. If not, i like giving my opinion. I do not own a ford myself, BUT i OWNED a ford, it was an 85 F-150, and it was a great truck in my oppinion, aside from poor engineering of a carter carb. Had 170k miles on it. Plus my mom owns a 97 Expedition, so the 5.4 questions may be in line with what i have seen or possibly fixed. Anyhow, i love vehicles, engines, and working on them, so this board was a great place to read, offer input, and become educated. I don't hang out on the Chevy board though. I dont like Chevies and the ones we owned werent terrible but they werent exactly engineering marvels either.

 

Works for me! Just puzzled me that someone with a Dodge would frequent a Ford message board, that's all. You're welcome here as far as I'm concerned. Plus you have relatives with Fords to boot. Enjoy the site!,,,,,98

 

Springfield,
I feel your pain...I bought a `99 F150 in January after my wife totaled her `97 Nissan Pathfinder. The Pathfinder had 53,000 miles on it and never had a problem. I put a new battery in it and new tires, and changed the oil. No electronic problems, no head gasket problems, etc. Just put gas in it and drive, no worries.
Then, I decide we need something a little bigger so we can tow an RV trailer and haul building materials. Consumer Reports recommended the F150 and I got a great deal on mine.
Then, after driving it for about two weeks, we noticed the smell of burning oil, head gasket problem. Had a new head installed on warranty. Then, there was a clunking noise under the cab that only happened every couple of weeks or so, never could find the problem.
After the warranty expired, it started running bad and I took it to the shop. MAF was dirty, cleaned it, ran great for a couple of days. Then it started acting up again, so I bought a new MAF. Ran great for about 2 hours, then check engine light came on, took it to dealer and they replaced the new MAF, and another sensor. Wouldn't even cut me a break on the labor.
Now, the driver's side window is making funny noises when it goes up, and the engine is starting to act up again. I've also noticed that the truck uses about a quart of oil every oil change, a sign of a poorly engineered motor.
I love the looks of this truck, the power, even the gas mileage isn't bad (16-18 mpg on highway).
But, the amount of problems is just plain ridiculous! There are a certain number of people who are so completely brand loyal that they will defend Ford and demonize the poor owner who has had nothing but problems with their $30,000 lemon. These people are ignorant and intellectually lazy. Ignore them. They will continue to buy Ford no matter how much money it costs them or how many problems they have. they have to belittle others because it makes them feel better and in their small minds they need to somehow justify their support of inferior products and engineering. They also have never experienced the trouble-free ownership of an import, so they don't know what it's like to not have to take a vehicle to the shop every month.
People who have had zero problems with their Fords are indeed lucky, and I truly envy them. But they are in the minority.
I have owned many Ford trucks over the years and was a die-hard Ford fan in my youth, having owned many Ford muscle-cars. It is sad that I can no longer support Ford. I will continue to be a fan of older Ford products, but I cannot trust my wife and kids' safety to a new Ford.

 

These people are ignorant and intellectually lazy. Ignore them. They will continue to buy Ford no matter how much money it costs them or how many problems they have. they have to belittle others because it makes them feel better and in their small minds they need to somehow justify their support of inferior products and engineering. They also have never experienced the trouble-free ownership of an import, so they don't know what it's like to not have to take a vehicle to the shop every month.

Say what you want, I will not get rid of my truck just because you happened to get a bad one. Insulting people for brand loyality is intellectually lazy in my opinion. If they have had a good experience with one manufacturer consistantly, then why should they be made to feel stupid for sticking to one brand?? I have had two foriegn cars in my lifetime, and neither was reliable or trouble free. One was a Honda Civic that kept overheating and mixing the oil and coolant, and the other was a Nissan 280ZX that could not be made leak free no matter how much you worked on it. I can say one thing for the Nissan, though. The smells of leaking gasoline and coolant coming from the engine compartment made it to the interior quickly, so you could make the necessary roadside repairs before any real damage could be done. I've had bad experiences with both Japanese cars I've owned, so I will never buy another one. It goes both ways.,,,,,98

 

dodge and crapcop

both of you have no dam idea . shallow? lmao . i've owned 7 fords in my life . 4 chevy's . 3 datsuns/nissans, 1 toyota and 1 dodge . so dont lecture me about not knowing jack about rice burners or they're ability to go for alot of trouble free miles . the datsuns and toyota was some of the best vehicles i've ever owned ! but as you can see . 7 fords !! that right there tells ya something . i've owned at least one of all the major brands of vehicles less honda . but in that regards i've owned kawi m/c's and i've rode harley's hondas kawi's , bmw's . and if it came down to me buying another m/c it would be a honda gold wing .

if your having problems . sorry to hear that . sucks to be you . you got a lemon and that is what the lemon law is for USE it and get over it. get off the ford board and go buy something else . sure you can pitch a fit as much as you like thats your right . but my right is to not have to listen to it if i dont like to . as yours is not to listen to me . yes i am highly opinionated . THAT IS MY RIGHT to be and if you dont like it DON'T read it . but i wont sit here and swollow anyones crap about i have no idea or i am intellectually lazy cause i am loyal to ford . it is called EXPERIENCE and KNOWLEDGE !! i wish you luck in figuring out what your are loyal towards . i know where mine stands


EDIT : crapcop . who is loyal to ford

`99 F150 SC 4x4, 5.4, XLT, off-road package.
Latest in a proud history of Ford trucks:
`79 F150 SC, 2wd, XLT
`79 F150, 2wd, Ranger, 44,000 miles
`76 F150, 4x4
`66 F100, custom cab, 2wd, rodded
`69 Ranchero GT, 390 4bbl, restored

hmmmmmm ???

 

Carpcop stated:


Well, first things first, I'm honored that you envy me, but I don't know if I wan't someone like you envying me.

Second, speaking of "Intellectuality", that's an interesting statment you try to pass off as factual. Tell me, did you come up with that one all yourself, or are you going to provide us with the link to the website where you got this "Fact"?

Carpcop stated:

So, what you are implying is that because you had a good experience with imports they are all good. And, since you had bad experience with FORDS, they must be all bad. Thus, in your mind the above quote is true. But you cannot just assume this applies to everyone. And you certainly cannot have evidence to support that the majority of Fords are not trouble free.

Carpcop stated:

Are you not to a certain level yourself being "Brand Loyal" to Imports?


I'm just not seeing how you can attempt to justify your "intellectuality" by making statements like and the way you did.

 

I do have to agree with one of the things dodge4x4 said and that is Ford should do what ever it takes to fix a problem when you spend $25k plus.

I have owned Fords for over 15 years now so the amount of post mean NOTHING as far as who is loyal and who is not. It only means some of you have found this forum along time before people like me did.

I have an 01 F-150 4.2 manual. It has a leaky head gasket on the drivers side. It has 20,000 miles on it and Ford is taking care of it as they should and as I expect them to. I do not feel lucky that they are because its part of the cost. Ford has two options, either sale something that is reliable for the price they are charging and/or repair it for no cost or charge ALOT less so we have some money in our pockets to fix it.

Don't take me wrong I will always own Fords, but for instance these guys with the 97 4.2 with all the problems they have with the motor should have the motor repaired at NO cost its Fords screw up. I don't care if these guys have 100,000 miles on their motors Ford screwed them up to begin with so they (FORD) should pay to have it fixed.

If my motor should have another problem after the warranty is done Ford should fix it free as well, it has a problem now which means its screwed up. I know nothing is perfect "but" if Ford wants to charge that kind of money for a truck then it should be their cost to fix it. Its all in the cost of doing business. Ford can save money now by cutting back, but if they can't figure out their cut backs will cause problems then to bad, Ford should shall out the money they saved to repair there chosen problems they designed into their trucks.

 

I stand by this statement and it pretty much aplies to all that tried to refute my claims.
I am still a die-hard fan of OLD Ford vehicles. Heck, I've owned 16 Fords over the last 20 years, including 6 Ford pickups and 4 muscle-cars.
However, the last 2 Fords I've owned newer than `95 have been nothing but trouble.
I also don't simply base my opinion on just my personal experiences. It is pretty much a given fact that imports are much more reliable and trouble-free than domestics. Take a look at a Consumer Reports automotive edition and do the math. I did this a couple months ago for a similar thread, and although I've forgotten the exact numbers, it was very apparent that Consumer Reports was not impressed with domestic vehicles, since imports dominated the top spots in all categories.
Also, some of the "testimonials" given here about imports being just as bad as domestics, were given about older imports. Domestics were great in the `60's and `70's; imports reached their peak in the early `90's, and have been getting better and better, while Ford and others are barely recovering from the `80's.
To be fair, domestics are getting to be higher quality in fit and finish, but they still lack the superior engineering of the imports.

 

I haven't had no steenkin problems wit ma Ford foo. Recognize game in yo face. Change yo oil and raise up off.





























hahaha lol. j/k

 

My favorite quote from Carpcop

Allrighty then - I guess it always relates to the engine design only when an engine uses oil. Give me a break! I'll just keep trucking on in my pretty much trouble free F150 with 149,000 miles on the odometer today - without adding a drop of oil beween oil changes

 

No one will win this argument.
You got to walk in the other guys shoes.
If a brand is good to you, you defend it.
If a brand makes you bleed green, you swear it off.

This past weekend I parked beside a neighbor that we hadn't seen in five years.
We had both bought new '95 Windstars.
Their's was in the shop several times.
She was driving a new Montereo and asked what we were driving. I said it's the Windstar, she said, you kidding it looks brand new.
(Women! didn't recognize a vehicle she drove for two years!!)
She said her husband won't even consider anything with a FORD plate on it. They got burned bad on their minivan, I guess.


Anyway, just wanted to give a shout out to all my fellow loyal Ford owners.
See you on the side of the road.

(Oops, I mean see you down the road.)

 

Boy, I get all warm and tingley inside when a fellow member calls me ignorant and intellectually lazy.
Gezz, if i wanted to be bad mouthed I would be on one of the competitors boards.
This is a site for late modle F150's ect. If someone wants to bad mouth Ford trucks and it's owners, why isn't it done where it can be appreciated.

ignorant: Exhibiting lack of education of knowlege. Unaware or uninformed.

In my opinion it is a sign of ignorance when someone chooses to make broad generalizations about people, or a group of people who he knows almost nothing about.

Now if you don't mind, since my self esteem has been reduced to a pile of *****, I'm going to crawl away and die.
I'll be back though!

 

I have a 1997 F-150 4x2 XLT Extra Cab Long Bed 4.6L auto with 138,100 miles and still running strong. Never been in the shop for more than a tune-up or tranny fluid flush. Couple things that are annoying, though. One, when it rains, my truck leaks in the backseat and on my dash. Also, my A/C will run when the truck is off when it rains. Two, the factory 6-disk changer takes a dump every 3 months or so. It won't spit out the cartridge and it says "No Disc" on the reciever. Three, the factory alarm has a mind of its own. I was talking to a guy about my truck. As soon as I said "Ford" the alarm went off. Other than that, I love that truck. After I get it paid off and finish school, she's gonna be a real ground-pounder.

 

What a ridiculous discussion


Hey, watch it, buddy. That's my shoe!!!

 

bwa hahahaha, nice try to defuse the thread. But just for a second, put away the flame throwers.

On the subject of imports vs. domestics ... I feel that IN GENERAL the imports are perhaps better designed. Before I owned this truck (2002 4.6L auto tranny flareside Super Cab), I drove a 1992 Toyota Camry. the car finally broke down, after 128,000 miles of hard hard use in Dallas traffic. The one problem we had with it was that the distributor cap wore out after 110,000 miles.
We have another Toyota, a 1997 Avalon, with 90,000 miles on it, again in Dallas traffic. It used to go 40 miles to work and back again every day. So far, we have had not a SINGLE thing go wrong with it. So, with the two imports I am intimately familiar with, they have lasted without a single problem. I chalk the distributor cap up to wear and tear, because it is a mechanically rotating device.
I have several friends that drive imports, and they have absolutely no problems with them. Two drive old Mitsubishi eclipse from 1991 and 1992. Nary a problem, even after 100,000 miles. My friend's 1999 Accord has had no problems at all. A friend of our family drove a Toyota Avalon, totalled it, and liked it so much he bought a new one. Neither one had a single problem with it.
Now, we bought one Ford vehicle recently, a Windstar. It has been in three times for different things, a major wind noise, cosmetic problems with the ceiling and all of those hanging things, and then one time the engine died without warning and wouldn't start again. I've read about all of these problems with people's Fords THROUGHOUT the life of the truck. These aren't just minor things, these are "we need a new engine in here" or "let's replace this part three times in a row until it works."
Now, do you dare to tell me I do not have the credentials to say I feel that imports are perhaps better built? I own one Ford with a rough idle and have dealt intimiately with another, plus a friend with the same truck as mine, just 1999, and he has major problems as well.

Gentlemen (and ladies), you can pull out your flame throwers again.