'nother truck thread

[Perd Hapley]

Only things I can think of for those years are the 6.0 piston slap problems and ABS modules on the 2500/3500 series.

6.0 engines from that era had an issue with cold-start piston slap, essentially the piston design allowing a cold piston just enough free play to cause a slight knock at start up. If the performance environment was one of starting, driving short distances, shutting off the engine long enough to cool significantly, then starting again, this can lead to excessive piston scuffing. On the upside, reasonably priced reman long blocks are available from darn near everyone short of 7-11. Ditto performance upgrades, some of which are astonishingly cheap.

ABS modules are a known Achille's heel of early 2000's 2500/3500 series trucks. They live under the truck and are a common failure point, mostly leak-related. Cheap third-party replacements are available but should be avoided (Dorman, Cardone, etc). They are a waste of time an money. Factory modules, now revised and reliable, are expensive but will likely outlast the truck.

Plan on replacing the fade-prone headlight assemblies. They can be polished out but once they've begun oxidizing it's only a matter of time, the process will continue to accelerate regardless of how much UV protectant you slather on.

Otherwise the trucks are pretty decent. Relatively easy to work on, parts are readily available, and the ride and performance are good.

Brad,

If I buy a GM, it's likely to be one of the 1500s from the 2000s. How much of the above (and your other musings) would you think apply to those?

[zxcvbob]

Brad,

If I buy a GM, it's likely to be one of the 1500s from the 2000s. How much of the above (and your other musings) would you think apply to those?

I had an '01 1500 2WD standard cab.  4.8L V8, automatic, towing package.  Not sure if it was a slightly slicked-up work truck, or a stripped-down LS or whatever Chevy calls it. You could barely hear the engine running at idle even with the hood up.  I never had a bit of trouble with it until the bottom rusted out from salted roads.  I would love to have a sunbelt truck just like it, same year.  I also liked the 2500's (not HD) from the same era but I don't remember what engines were available. (I'd want a small V8, or a big straight 6 which I'm pretty sure they didn't have)

[Brad Johnson]

Brad,

If I buy a GM, it's likely to be one of the 1500s from the 2000s. How much of the above (and your other musings) would you think apply to those?

Plan on headlight assemblies. No getting around the plastic hazing over time. It's just what they do. At this age they are probably oxidized so thoroughly that yellowing and hazing can no longer be polished out. Might as well plan on tail lights while you're at it. They're bad about it, too.

Everything else is a maybe. If the truck has been well-maintained and necessary repairs done in a timely and complete manner, you may be okay for a while.

Depending on age, miles, and use, transmissions are another thing to keep an eye on. I'm not very up to speed on Chevy transmission from that time but I think that was the 4L60/4L80 era. They are both good trannys but, as with all slushboxes, they need to have been serviced regularly and not abused. See if you can get records. If not, take a good look and sniff. If the fluid doesn't appear sparkly or smell burnt and the trans seems to shift okay, you're probably okay for a while. However, if it's had a recent service this method won't give you much info.

In the end it's a twenty year old vehicle. It's gonna have problems, it's just a matter of how many and what kind. Mostly it's a matter of how the truck has been cared for. If the owner had problems repaired promptly, was conscientious about maintenance, and proactively addressed any potential known problem areas, they are as decent a used truck as you can get. If something does fail, there are a billion of the things on the road and GM used that powertrain for a lot of years. Most issues are relatively inexpensive to address, used parts are dirt-common, and new parts are readily available. A decent set of tools, YouTube, and LMC Truck are your friends.

Brad

[Bogie]

We still sell the big sealed beam bulbs... which, being glass, don't turn dark yellow with time. My '95 van uses those.
 
The auto assemblers need to come up with a real Work Truck. No frills. As in bench seat and hole for radio and crank windows... Whatever color you want, as long as it is white...

[RoadKingLarry]

Mandatory truck thread post

[Bogie]

You know what would be cool? A truck about the size of the old Dodge Dakotas, extended cab, 2WD, with a one-ton rear axle and 8' bed, with a four cylinder diesel...

[dogmush]

You know what would be cool? A truck about the size of the old Dodge Dakotas, extended cab, 2WD, with a one-ton rear axle and 8' bed, with a four cylinder diesel...

A Toyota Land Cruiser pickup is close to that. Not 2WD, but pretty close. You can't have one though.

[Perd Hapley]

It's starting to look like the V6, half-ton trucks might be the way to find a low-cost truck, that's not already worn out. Going to look at one or two of them on Saturday, if they're still there.

I don't expect to be towing much of anything, or hauling anything very heavy. Just have to find a V6 truck whose owner(s) didn't use like it was a one-ton w/ a 10-cylinder.

[Brad Johnson]

Just have to find a V6 truck whose owner(s) didn't use like it was a one-ton w/ a 10-cylinder.

Or a Daytona 500 qualifying lap.

Brad

[Perd Hapley]

Saturday, Lord willing, I'm picking up a 2006 F150 XL, in Belleville, IL. Went to see it last Saturday, and just had to get funding in place.

Has 152,000 miles, and only a little bit of rust. Mostly, it seems pretty solid. Has a V6, and manual everything. I've had terrible luck with power windows.

Really excited about it. I like that it's a manual transmission, and it's getting hard to find a standard cab and 8' bed these days. I like the extra space behind the seat, so it's an ext. cab, without really being an ext. cab. No need to have a toolbox in the bed.

Don't like that it has a skull shift knob. Had to look through the owner's manual just to figure out the shift pattern!    (Normal shift knob is on order.)

Red is not my favorite color, but whatever. Since it's ultra-MAGA hat red, I have named this truck The Donald. 

[Brad Johnson]

Okay, so an XL trim with the 4.2 V6. If it's relatively unmolested other than miles and general wear, probably a solid buy. Door sticker axle code will let you look up the axle ratio and whether or not it's limited-slip.

Manual trans was standard with the V6. If memory serves it was made by Mazda. Good transmissions, smooth and reliable, just not tolerant of abuse. Treat it right and you should be fine. I think the last year Ford offered a manual of any kind in the F150 was either 07 or 08 and it was only available with the V6.

If it were mine, I'd do a full fluids refresh, belts (including idlers and tensioner), hoses, and maybe even a round of sensors (O2, throttle position, and MAF). Also plugs and coil packs if they haven't been serviced already. Aside from that the 4.2 is pretty solid presuming it was properly serviced.

06 is within the model range where the instrument clusters can have an issue with solder joints. Causes oddities like the brake light staying on all the time, dimming readouts, blank odometer panel, etc. It's a known thing and usually an easy fix. CircuitBoardMedic does a flat-rate repair. My 07 suffered the problem and I had CBM do the repair. Removing the cluster is an easy driveway job. Turnaround was fast and it fixed everything. They also offer flat-rate repairs on the PCM and SJB assemblies if you have problems.

Instrument Cluster: https://circuitboardmedics.com/2004-2008-ford-f150-instrument-cluster-repair

PCM: https://circuitboardmedics.com/2004-2008-ford-f150-pcm-repair/

Smart Junction Box: https://circuitboardmedics.com/2004-2008-ford-f150-smart-junction-box-repair

Brad

[Ben]

Good deal, Perd. I had a 2002 "stripped" regular cab longbed F150 with the 4.2 and manual. I never had an issue, except if IIRC, once with an emissions doodad that was a quick fix.

The setup can get a little doggy on steep grades, but otherwise was fine. You should check the cargo capacity. I forget exactly what mine was, but it was actually under 1/2 ton. I ended up selling it to my cousin, who to this day uses it as one of his farm trucks. I have no idea of the miles on it by now, but it's driven every day.

[Brad Johnson]

You should check the cargo capacity. I forget exactly what mine was, but it was actually under 1/2 ton.

QFT. Not much fun trying to pick up a load of something only to discover your half-ton... isn't.

There will be a spring code on the same door sticker as the axle code. It'll tell you what spring package is in it. Sticker will also have GVWR.

Brad

[Perd Hapley]

It has two open recall notices, one for an airbag, and the other for the instrument cluster. My understanding is, Ford dealerships are supposed to take care of those, and Ford pays for it, yes?

As far as the payload capacity, I'll check into it. I don't expect I'll need to haul anything that heavy.

[Brad Johnson]

It has two open recall notices, one for an airbag, and the other for the instrument cluster. My understanding is, Ford dealerships are supposed to take care of those, and Ford pays for it, yes?

Maybe. IIRC there is an 8-year limitation on free-repair recalls. After that the owner foots the bill. That's an old memory so don't hang your hat on it. Check with your dealer to make sure. I can't remember if there is differentiation for safety-related recalls like an airbag.

Brad

[Perd Hapley]

According to Ford's recall FAQ:

Are recalls free?

Yes, absolutely. Any repairs required due to a recall from Ford Motor Company will be conducted at no cost to you.

[Brad Johnson]

Excellent!

Brad

[Declaration Day]

You can buy an air suspension lift kit to increase the load and towing capacity of a 1/2 ton pickup.  They range between $300 and $500 generally, and can be installed in a couple of hours with a socket / ratchet set by anybody with basic mechanical skills.

[Ben]

Oh - the other good thing about that truck/engine is having pretty luxurious workspace under the hood for basic maintenance stuff.

[Perd Hapley]

Oh - the other good thing about that truck/engine is having pretty luxurious workspace under the hood for basic maintenance stuff.

I'll have room for the cappuccino machine and my reloading press!

[zxcvbob]

You can buy an air suspension lift kit to increase the load and towing capacity of a 1/2 ton pickup.  They range between $300 and $500 generally, and can be installed in a couple of hours with a socket / ratchet set by anybody with basic mechanical skills.

The limiting factor on that truck is probably not the springs.  Pretty sure it's the transmission or the clutch, then they will match the tires to the lower GWVR.

[dogmush]

I had that Mazda M5R2 5 speed in my 95 F150.  It's not a bad transmission, but it doesn't handle overloading well.  Not the truck, so much, but towing over the limit seems to break them.

FWIW I didn't have any trouble at all with mine, although if you put a new clutch in it, bleeding the slave cylinder is a right PITA.

That truck should be pretty good for you.

[Brad Johnson]

Also, Ford engines of that era are notoriously sensitive to carbon buildup in the throttle body. It can cause all kinds of idle and throttle tip-in strangeness. Easy fix. A few minutes with a rag, small brush, and some throttle body cleaner are all it takes.

Brad

[dogmush]

Strictly speaking, not the throttle  body, but the idle air control valve.

You can clean them out, but they will gum up again. If you are getting low or surging idle, it's better to just replace the IAC. It's like $50 and two 8mm bolts.

The issues stems from sticky build up from the crankcase vent8being recirculated into the intake.

[Perd Hapley]

Strictly speaking, not the throttle  body, but the idle air control valve.

You can clean them out, but they will gum up again. If you are getting low or surging idle, it's better to just replace the IAC. It's like $50 and two 8mm bolts.

The issues stems from sticky build up from the crankcase vent8being recirculated into the intake.

Are you talking about an improved IAC that doesn't repeat the problem, or does the new unit just take longer to gum up than an old unit that's been cleaned?