F150

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Welcome to the F150 truck portion of our page. This is by far the best vehicle I've owned. I like it so much I went through the trouble to create this page. These are my impressions, information and a pictures of the truck. If you have any questions please email me. The best site on the internet for information about the F-150 is definitely F150online. Check it out.

Impressions: One of the first things you notice before climbing inside is the incredible height of the truck. This gives a good driving position with an incredible view of the road. You can see over the tops of most vehicles which can give you a warning of any impending disasters. Though this is a big vehicle it definitely doesn't drive like one. It feels much smaller than it looks. The ride is very comfortable. Much better than friends' dodges, and chevies. (I'm sure they'll like that). The motor is very snappy and has a surge as the rpms increase. The ample power makes it easy to stay ahead of traffic. Outfitted with 6-way power seats, 6disc CD changer, power mirrors/windows/door locks the inside feel almost luxurious yet practical. 4 cup holders in front and 2 in the rear provide plenty of room for beverages. The soft sculptured door handles do seem to dirty a little easily. (this is supposedly fixed on the 1998s). The stereo with the 6 disc changer is adequate. The CD player sounds awesome but when you listen to the radio afterwards it sounds dull. Defiantly needs more treble. One drawback is the 6-disc changer can only be used with the factory head unit.

The 5.4L motor is filled with technology and convenience. The oil filter is remotely located in the driver side front wheel well. There are no scheduled tune-ups for 100,000 miles. There is an individual ignition coil for each spark plug which is located directly on the plug. The motor will has a function called failsafe cooling: When the engine detects a rise in temperature do to a coolant loss, it will alternately pump air and not fuel through its cylinders, allowing it to limp to a repair station at reduced power. Any other vehicle would leave you stranded. Also include in the Ford V8's are a single overhead camshaft (SOHC). This type of technology is currently only offered by Ford in the truck market, all other manufacturers use older overhead valve designs (OHV). The 5.4L has also been voted One of Wards 10best Engines for 4 years running (that's since it was introduced).

If your interested in buying one of these I have some recommendations. Definitely get the 5.4L V8 instead of the smaller 4.6L V8. There isn't much price difference and a very noticeable power increase.

The only drawback to this vehicle is realized when you visit your local gas station. Averaging 14mpg for city driving and 16.5mpg freeway driving it isn't the most economical vehicle around. It is however comparable with any other full sized truck. You don't buy one for gas mileage anyway. See the gas mileage page for details.

Problems I've Had: (Took delivery 7/4/97)

12/97: Recall: Automatic transmission selector may become detached from cable, making it impossible to shift. Dealer fixed.
1/97: Rubber stop came disconnected from parking break. Causes brake warning light to flash intermittently. Stop is used to contact switch. Replaced.
7/98: Recall on the Lug Nuts. Apparently the lug nuts are not staying tight. Made from a wrong material or something. Replacements won't be available until the fall. Checked mine. They were fine.
12/98: Finally got lug nuts replaced. Developed a water leak under dash. Turned out to be a bad seal on the windshield that had been replaced earlier by a glass company due to a rock chip. The second time the glass was replaced the installer said the 97 and newer F150s are hard to seal because of the curved glass. He used extra sealer and it was fine.
4/00: squeaking front steering arm linkages. Lubed for life seals needed lubing. Used injector needle to squirt grease in pitman seal and tie rod seals. Some needed to be punctured.
4/00: squeaking rear brakes. Brake drums were cleaned. Still 50%pad left at 58000miles. Tire tread 20%
8/00 66,000miles: New LT265/70/R17 BFG all terrain TA KO tires. Ride is a lot rougher. Replaced mechanical fan with electric. No problems, just an experiment. See the modifications page.
3/01: New front brake pads. 76,600miles. Not bad for a 5,000 lb vehicle. There is some rust developing on the rear bumper over the exhaust.
10/01: 87,000miles rear axle seals started leaking very slowly. I've heard this is common approaching the 100,000 mile mark. Will not fix until spring. (update: never fixed, stopped leaking on it own)
11/01: 88,000 miles :Check engine light on. OBD Code p0171 - system lean bank 1. All signs point to a faulty o2 sensor, no other problems detectable. Could have been the MAF. After I cleaned it. Light went out.
12/01: 89,000miles: Engine stopped firing on cylinder #4 code P0304 (rear passenger side). Ran really rough and vibrated. I changed plugs at 66K but could not reach the back (2). Took it in since I couldn't get to the problem. Turns out it the ignition coil went bad. Possible heater hose leak dripping on coil. Replace coil and both rear plugs. Its possible this caused the previous problem on 11/01. Engine could have been trying to lean the mixture because of extra fuel present in exhaust. Truck runs really good and strong now.
5/02: 96,500miles: Gibson dual sport exhaust rusted out where the tailpipes exit the muffler. Replaced with Gibson side swept single 3" exhaust. Quieter but deeper tone.
1/04: 117,000miles: New tires (Bridgestone Deuler ATs). Old BFG A/Ts were leaking air. Ride improved dramatically with the new tires (P rated, not LT rated). Rear brakes and rear axle seal replaced. Rear axle had leaked onto rear brakes. Front lower ball joints are loose and needs replacing. Shocks are getting weak and need replacing.
10/04: 123,000miles: Decided it was time for new shocks and front brakes. New pads and rotors. Rotors were rusted on to the hub. Had to take it to a shop. The cut them off. Put new Monroe Sensortrak shocks on and had a 4wheel alignment. Shop didnt complain about the lower ball joints like the previous one. Removed chrome steps, they had rusted through. Truck drives like new now.

OBD-II codes - clickhere

These are the onboard diagnostic trouble codes

Specifications

VEHICLE/MODEL	1997 Ford F-150 SuperCab
Price, including tax	$28,800, List : 31,200 +tax
ENGINE TYPE	90 degree V-8; cast-iron block, aluminum heads
Displacement (cu. in./liters)	5.4L /330
Fuel delivery	Sequential port injection
Valve gear	SOHC; 2 valves/cyl.
Redline (rpm)	5,400
Fuel requirement	Unleaded/87
ENGINE OUTPUT
MANUFACTURER'S SPECS	1997 Ford F-150 SuperCab
Hp (stock)	235 (estimate with mods - 255)
Torque (lb-ft) (stock)	330 (estimate with mods - 345)

SUSPENSION
Front	IFS SLA, torsion bars, 27mm antiswaybar
Rear	Live axle, leaf springs
STEERING
Type	Recirc. ball
Steering wheel revolutions, lock to lock	3.3
Overall Ratio	16.5:1
Turning Diameter, curb to curb (ft.)	45.8
BRAKES
Front	12.1-in. vented disc Anti-lock
Rear	11.0x2.25 drum Anti-lock
Power Assist	vacuum
Swept area (sq. in.)	406.4
Antilock	4W
WHEELS AND TIRES
Wheels	17x7.0
Tires	265/70R17
DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase (in.)	138.8
Length (in.)	222.3
Width (in.)	79.5
Height (in.)	75.3
Overhang, f/r (in.)	38.7/48.2
Track, f/r (in.)	65.4/65.4
Minimum ground clearance (in.)	8.9
Ride height (in.)	37.0
Load lift height (in.)	35.5
Bed dimensions LxWxH (in.)	78.8x65.2x19.6
Approach/departure angles (degrees)	24/20
Breakover angle (degrees)	19
Weight (lb.)	4,980
Base weight distribution, f/r (%)	61/39
GVWR/GCWR (lb.)	6,000/12,000 (est.)
Max Payload (lb.)	2545
Max towing capacity (lb.)	7700
Fuel capacity (gal.)	24.5