F##kin FORDS!

[motionclone]

Thanks ford you suck. First time and last time owning an F150. Ive had good luck with superduties for work and plowing, they hold up well. But this F150 POS is pissing me off.

I bought it used with 110k on the clock. shortly after coolant leaks and exhaust leaks. have to roll the window down in the morning so i dont die of carbon monoxide.

ANYWAY im 8 hours into putting in exhaust manifold gaskets. 8 hours to get the turbos out still have to take out the warped manifolds....grrrrrrr

Both manifolds warped and rear exhaust bolts broke.

Ford was nice enough to put the turbos in a real easy to access spot too. Manual says to remove the cab for this job.

through the wheelwell

even had to take the starter out

nice spot for the turbo ford

 

[jimh406]

I hope you got a good deal. Fwiw, Ford Mechanics can get an entire cab off in less than an hour. There are videos that prove it. I'm not sure what shade tree mechanics are supposed to do though.

Good luck with your repair. An older video I watched interviewed guys at a Ford dealership. Almost all of them said they'd choose the V8 over the turbo models, but the turbo models are great when they don't fail.

If you haven't found it, look at Ford-trucks.com. There is a lot of good information about Ford's there.

 

[xrocketengineer]

While you are in there, might as well check that the turbos are ok. It does not look like fun.

 

[ItBmine]

That's why I got a 5.0 V8 in mine. Yes it can fail too, but sure a lot simpler.

I got peeved at Ford a few years ago and switched brands. Then switched brands. Then switched brands.
Now I'm back to Ford because......they are all junk to some extent. LOL

 

[Fordtech86]

20 minutes to get the cab off maybe 30 with rust .

that job is easy money

 

[motionclone]

That's why I got a 5.0 V8 in mine. Yes it can fail too, but sure a lot simpler.

I got peeved at Ford a few years ago and switched brands. Then switched brands. Then switched brands.
Now I'm back to Ford because......they are all junk to some extent. LOL

I was looking for decent fuel mileage though. This is a commuter truck for work. wasnt real thrilled about the turbo thing either.

 

[motionclone]

20 minutes to get the cab off maybe 30 with rust .

that job is easy money

lol took me 2 hours messing around with one of the exhaust studs from turbo to pipe. ended up torching it off. Yeah a little rust on this thing too.

 

[ItBmine]

I was looking for decent fuel mileage though. This is a commuter truck for work. wasnt real thrilled about the turbo thing either.

Don't overlook the 5.0. with the 10 speed trans. I commute the same 300 mile trip every week back and forth to work. I have a VW Tiguan 2.0 Turbo that I was very impressed with for gas mileage, and my new F150 will take a few dollars less every fill up. I was pretty blown away.

That was running them both at 60 MPH with cruise control on. And it was $90 less fuel than my diesel Superduty used. (and gas was more than diesel at that time.)

But I won't quote any exact numbers because too many variables. But the 5.0/10 speed and that light aluminum body seem to be pretty respectable.

Is yours the 2.7 or the 3.5 Eco?

 

[motionclone]

this is a 2012 with the 3.5 . Its a beater for work just has to be reliable. I go 150 miles a day some days.

 

[ItBmine]

this is a 2012 with the 3.5 . Its a beater for work just has to be reliable. I go 150 miles a day some days.

Okay. I don't know much about the 3.5 other than they are supposed to be strong pullers, but I had two friends with the 2.7 and they got awesome mileage but they had all kinds of issues with them.

 

[PaulR]

5.0 here. Loving it so far after 16K miles. Got some snot compared to my old 5.4 Triton 3V. Actually that one still goes too after new plugs (yay!) and 140K miles, looking for a new transmission to bring it to 200K.

Pick your poison, they all have flaws, good luck OP.

 

[NCL4701]

Recently replaced the intake manifold on my father’s 4.3L in his old Crown Vic. It’s plastic and notorious for leaking antifreeze and drowning the coils. Only has about 130K on it as it was really my mom’s car and she passed several years ago. Second time it has been replaced. First time an ASE mechanic at the dealer did it. He left one bolt completely out of the manifold and apparently couldn’t figure out the trick to release the wiring harness plugs for the injectors so he just broke them all and secured them with wire ties. Dad sourced an A/M with aluminum neck for the thermostat to hopefully stop the leaking.

In general I dislike mechanic work but have the tools and ability so I do it anyway after stuff is out of warranty. It’s all a PITA to me, and as others have said, seems like everything has its issues and quirks. Not sure why manufacturers make stuff so hard to work on. Maybe to force people to a professional? Seems like a physically small engine in a large engine compartment would be easy to work on; kind of like the 196 ci straight 6 in my Dad’s old Nova I grew up working on. More modern stuff it’s remove the cab to access wear items, take the whole top end off to access the number 6 spark plug (my old Frontier), etc. Regardless of manufacturer doesn’t seem like anyone designs them with service in mind.

 

[fried1765]

Recently replaced the intake manifold on my father’s 4.3L in his old Crown Vic. It’s plastic and notorious for leaking antifreeze and drowning the coils. Only has about 130K on it as it was really my mom’s car and she passed several years ago. Second time it has been replaced. First time an ASE mechanic at the dealer did it. He left one bolt completely out of the manifold and apparently couldn’t figure out the trick to release the wiring harness plugs for the injectors so he just broke them all and secured them with wire ties. Dad sourced an A/M with aluminum neck for the thermostat to hopefully stop the leaking.

In general I dislike mechanic work but have the tools and ability so I do it anyway after stuff is out of warranty. It’s all a PITA to me, and as others have said, seems like everything has its issues and quirks. Not sure why manufacturers make stuff so hard to work on. Maybe to force people to a professional? Seems like a physically small engine in a large engine compartment would be easy to work on; kind of like the 196 ci straight 6 in my Dad’s old Nova I grew up working on. More modern stuff it’s remove the cab to access wear items, take the whole top end off to access the number 6 spark plug (my old Frontier), etc. Regardless of manufacturer doesn’t seem like anyone designs them with service in mind.

Not Ford,........ but related issue!

MB dealer quoted (2020) $1034.89 to replace 6 plugs on my 2014 MB E350.
"Intake manifold must be removed" to replace one plug....NOT!
U-tube shows how to avoid this!
My total cost....$70 for 6 OEM Bosch plugs + tube of dielectric (SP boot) grease.
Job did take me almost 3 hours, but..... I was 79, and am NOT a mechanic.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I listened to my brother who road tests vehicles for a living,from Evs to Ferraris....so I trust his knowledge.
He told me never ,ever buy anything with an 'ecoboost' engine.

I've removed dozens of cabs from frames past 5-8 years, chevies are easy(bolts from btm),fords from inside...ugh...

 

[Fordtech86]

apparently couldn’t figure out the trick to release the wiring harness plugs for the injectors so he just broke them all and secured them with wire ties.

In their defense, those connectors get extremely brittle over time and the locking tab breaks off as soon as you touch them. No customer wants to pay the added cost for replacing all the connectors, no dealer is going to eat the cost of them, and no tech is going to replace them for free.

missing bolts, no excise there. If the replacement intake is a dorman one, they are junk as well.

 

[mcfarmall]

I have a 2011 3.5 TT paired to a 3.73 rear axle and it loves to pull indeed! I did the timing chains and all 4 cam phasers, etc at 125k and new plugs every 25k and it has been running well.

 

[Fordtech86]

I have a 2011 3.5 TT paired to a 3.73 rear axle and it loves to pull indeed! I did the timing chains and all 4 cam phasers, etc at 125k and new plugs every 25k and it has been running well.

Would be my choice if I were looking for a 1/2 ton truck (or a 5.4).

 

[NCL4701]

In their defense, those connectors get extremely brittle over time and the locking tab breaks off as soon as you touch them. No customer wants to pay the added cost for replacing all the connectors, no dealer is going to eat the cost of them, and no tech is going to replace them for free.

missing bolts, no excise there. If the replacement intake is a dorman one, they are junk as well.

Yeah, I would have preferred an all aluminum intake but only one of those we could find was a high rise Edelbrock that would have required cutting a hole in the hood. Tried briefly to talk him into the high rise, put a blower on it, and tub the rear for drag tires but he said at 85 he’s not into that any more. If you know a source for a more reliable intake I’m all ears. Even if we put it on the shelf for next time might go ahead and pick it up. It’s an easy job, just takes a while. Not real sure why he even has the car. He drives his F150 all the time and never drives the Crown Vic.

 

[Fordtech86]

Yeah, I would have preferred an all aluminum intake but only one of those we could find was a high rise Edelbrock that would have required cutting a hole in the hood. Tried briefly to talk him into the high rise, put a blower on it, and tub the rear for drag tires but he said at 85 he’s not into that any more. If you know a source for a more reliable intake I’m all ears. Even if we put it on the shelf for next time might go ahead and pick it up. It’s an easy job, just takes a while. Not real sure why he even has the car. He drives his F150 all the time and never drives the Crown Vic.

We only use the OE ones, and don’t have issues with repeat failures. Was that what the dealer used, or did they use the dorman one?

 

[NCL4701]

Th

We only use the OE ones, and don’t have issues with repeat failures. Was that what the dealer used, or did they use the dorman one?

They used OEM. First one leaked at the thermostat. Second one leaked at the thermostat and leaked where the bolt was left out. Tried the Dorman with the aluminum insert for the thermostat on the most recent change. No telling how long it will hold. Dad drive it about 500 miles so far with no issues and now he’s back to driving the F150 so the Crown Vic is just gathering dust again.