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Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 03:50:25 -0600 (MDT)
From: owner-fordtrucks80up-digest ListService.net (fordtrucks80up-digest)
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Subject: fordtrucks80up-digest V1 #184
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fordtrucks80up-digest Thursday, October 23 1997 Volume 01 : Number 184



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Ford Truck Enthusiasts - 1980 And Newer Trucks Digest
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In this issue:

New F150 Questions [tgstoner umich.edu]
Powerstroke vs. 4 Runner [Larry Smeins ]
re: 1999 F250&F350 ["Dale Ellis" ]
Re: cow magnets ["Dave Resch"]
re: New F150 Questions [KNBD87D prodigy.com (MR JOSH J TENNEY)]
4x4 Hubs, Problem with [ILuvTruks aol.com]
Re: Powerstroke vs. 4 Runner ["David J. Baldwin" ]
Re: Dual Tanks and Oil Pressure Gague ["David J. Baldwin"
Re:Winter Tires ? -> tire sizing info[A] [Geoffrey Hoffman
Re: Winter Tires ? [Midwest96 aol.com]
block heater ["Casey Vandor" ]
95 F150 Transfer Case problems [Steve ]
Re: Winter Tires ? [Geoffrey Hoffman ]
spring diff. [Mobleaudio aol.com]

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Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 15:17:25 -0400
From: tgstoner umich.edu
Subject: New F150 Questions

I'm currently driving my third Ranger, a 1996 XLT Supercab, but lately I've
been wishing for a more conventional back seat arrangement. At first I was
waiting to see what the 4-door Ranger was going to be like when it's
introduced next spring, but I'm beginning to wonder if that version won't
be close to the same price that I'd have to pay for a Supercab F150. The
stepside F150 is a great looking truck, and of course with it I'd still
have a full sized bed to haul things in. So I've started visiting my local
dealers and looking at what's available. This has led to a couple of
questions:

First, should I break with tradition and get an automatic rather than a
5-speed, if I buy a new F150? All three of my Rangers have been 5-speeds,
and this seems to be one of the weaker points of the truck. I don't know
all that much about the bigger trucks though. I'm sure that they use a
different manual transmission, but is it any better than the Mazda-produced
box used in the Ranger? What experieces, pro or con, will anyone share?

On the specifications page, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of
difference between the 4.2 liter V-6 and the 4.6 liter V-8 used in the
F150. This is the same reason that the Ranger I'm currently driving has
the 3.0 engine rather than the 4.0, and I've not been disappointed with it.
Still, I'm leaning toward the 4.6 engine if I get an F150. I tow an 1,800
pound boat fairly often, and also occasionally haul a bed full of firewood.
Which engine would you recommend, and why? Is the EPA fuel mileage rating
of 15/20 anywhere near accurate for this engine in this truck?

Finally, does anyone know of a good reason that the PowerStroke engine
isn't offered in either the F150 or F250, other than because Ford just
doesn't want to do so? I doubt that I'd opt to get one with the diesel
engine, but I think that it would be nice to at least have that choice.

Thanks for your replies and opinions.

Tom Stoner
Ann Arbor, MI
1996 Ranger XLT Supercab
1996 Taurus LX

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 13:34:32 -0600
From: Larry Smeins
Subject: Powerstroke vs. 4 Runner

This past weekend I headed up into the Colorado mountains with a couple
of buddies to elk hunt. I was driving my F-250 Powerstroke with a 6,000
pound horse trailer in tow. One of the buddies was driving his 91
Toyota V6 4-Runner. I hadn't towed the trailer for quite sometime and
it seemed that the engine wasn't pulling as strong as expected and the
fuel gauge was dropping a little faster than normal. Even so, I noticed
that whenever I got to a large grade the 4-Runner dropped back. When we
got to our destination the Toyota owner came up to me and said , "I
couldn't keep up with you on the hills". A little later he said "I
brought the 4-Runner instead of the Cruiser because it has better fuel
range, I only used half a tank." I asked how big his tank is and he
said he didn't know but thought between 16 and 18 gallons. I couldn't
help but exclaim that I had used only half of one of my 18 gallon tanks.
I don't know what was going on with the apparent power and fuel
deficiencies in my rig on the way up but going home it seemed to be back
to normal. ie good power and mileage. It seems everytime I take that
Powerstroke out I become even more enthused over its performance. Sure
pleased I went with Ford and Navistar diesel.

Larry
If you don't care where you are, you ain't lost.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 16:00:44 -0600
From: "Dale Ellis"
Subject: re: 1999 F250&F350

Josh,

Maybe this has been asked, but do you know what kind of axle and
suspension will be on the 1999 F250 and F350?

Dale Ellis

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 15:55:03 -0600
From: "Dave Resch"
Subject: Re: cow magnets

>From: Geoffrey Hoffman
>Subject: Re: cow magnets
>
>At 3:19 PM -0400 10/21/97, Bill Funk wrote:
>>The magnets attract cows to the air fuel mixture, which produce methane,
>>a much cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline; this helps reduce emissions.
>>Yeah, that's it... The cow one is definitely the right answer.
>
>dang, well i am in vermont, so it would be particularly effective up
there.
>better go get them!!! :)
Actually, this cow magnet thing has piqued my curiosity and I decided that
I just had to try it to see if it would stop all those exposed exhaust
valve stems (which just happen to be in the direct path of the intake
air/fuel mixture in my cylinder heads) from warping. Now I am simply
amazed by the astounding improvement in performance! Wow! Even more
intrigued by the amazing 46 mpg I was getting with my F250 and how I was
blowing away all those D*dge C*mmins weenies and Powerstrokes and 460s
climbing up Loveland Pass while towing a gooseneck horse trailer w/ 10
Clydesdales and a tag-along tri-axle w/ a 22 ft cabin cruiser (now there's
a real man's bass boat!) and at the same time not just meeting but
exceeding all the new 2003 California UZLEV emissions standards for a tin
can that weighs less than half what my truck does and puts out only...
well, now it would be only a tenth of the horses that my 351M puts out, I
had to get to the bottom of this.

Now, I'm no salesman or MLM guru or infomercial junkie, but I got to tell
you guys (& gals) that these dad-gum cow magnets are just plain amazing. I
know, you're probably thinking right now, "This guy is not just nuts, he's
gone right over the deep end." And maybe you're right, but you know,
before I found these babies, I would have sworn that there's just no way
you could evade the laws of Newtonian physics (except for quantum
mechanics, but I don't trust them anyway, what with all their darn
quasi-charming sub-mesons and all that pseudo-philosophical mumbo-jumbo and
hyphenated things) and thermodynamics, but I'll tell you what, these cow
magnets are just nothing short of magical.

Here's how it works (according to my step brother's Toyota mechanic, who
knows all about these things and has only been indicted twice for fraud) --
In our modern high-tech engines with computers and fuel ingestion, the
"normal" gas molecules and air molecules mix are divided into atoms for
just a couple of nanoseconds in the pre-combustion process, right after
they are swirled in the intake port and just before they "quench" on the
intake valve seat and tumble willy-nilly into the chamber where they trip
all over those dang Splitfires and get all clogged up on all that PTFE
stuff that forms an invisible (and virtually undetectable) coating that
mysteriously bonds to the metal so your engine would run forever on one
tank of gas without any oil at all and defies gravity and turns your whole
vehicle's electrical system into a superconducting dynamo of power that
will blast your socks off when you turn on the radio and... whooeee... I'm
getting ahead of myself. Well anyway, apparently the magnets attract cows
(really!), and dang it if those cows don't flow better than any dog-back
exhaust system, even a fifteen-incher with dual SnortMaster mugglers and a
DynoBlast harmonic inducer with triple-chrome tips for that stylish (yet
modern) racy look that your brother in-law envies every time he comes to
visit in that yuppity smug little H*nda *ccord that he claims will get two
or three times better mileage than your proudly American-made Ford truck.
Well, Bucko, these cow magnets will not only knock his socks off, they will
scald his feet! Not only that, but with a special (optional) ultrasonic
implant, they actually repel deer, racoons, marmots, and other cute and
environmentally friendly little animals, and if everybody in the state of
Montana used them, we'd cut road kill (and probably that new-fangled "road
rage") by two-thirds in the United States alone! Why, think of how the
greenhouse effect would be reversed and the ozone layer would thicken and
everybody in the whole world would join hands and sing together and all
mankind (oops, personkind) would live forever in harmony if we could get
just another 100,000,000 people or so to use these cow magnets. Utopia?
Could be... and all because you were smart enough to order your cow magnets
today at 1-800-HOGWASH

Dave R. (cow magnet devotee)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 18:47:05, -0500
From: KNBD87D prodigy.com (MR JOSH J TENNEY)
Subject: re: New F150 Questions

I would get the 5.4L, but I aint buying the truck. The 4.6L is
better than the 4.2 V6, but if 1800 lbs is all you tow, the V6 will
do that easily. The 5 speed is still a Mazda 5 manual, so it is your
choice to decide.
The power stroke is too heavy to put in a 1/2 ton frame, and it has
way too much torque.

Josh
KNBD87D prodigy.com
'98 Ranger 4x2 4.0L 5 speed manual reg cab

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 19:02:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: ILuvTruks aol.com
Subject: 4x4 Hubs, Problem with

hey, y'all,
I just want to get something cleared up. Could somebody please explain to
lil old me what exactly the front hubs do when 4x4 is engaged, not engaged,
and why it is so important to drive with them locked. A buddy of mine drove
his 88 Bronco II like a moron and really screwed up something in the 4x4. He
says he has shift-on-the-fly and doesn't need to lock the hubs if he is only
going a short distance. I told him he was crazy. Am I wrong? I don't know
why, but I know it is important to have the hubs locked when you shift into 4
high or low. On my 86 Bronco II I don't think I have shift-on-the-fly, but I
never shift unless both wheels are locked and I'm in neutral, while sitting
still. With him, as a consequence, whenever he shifts now, locked or not,
his front end makes this wierd sound....BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,. It sounds
almost like it's binding or something. We still aren't sure what's wrong.
His alignment is off, it pulls to the right a lot, but it has done that for
years (he never had that fixed either) but will that affect the opperation of
the 4wheel drive. It drives fine in 2H. It will still pop about another few
times after it's back in 2wheel drive though. Anyway, If someone can help his
problem(whether it will get fixed of not, I don't know) it would be
appreciated. More importantly, as I however do take care of my BW 13-51(I
think, don't have the # with me) transfer case because I luv my 4-wheel
drive, can somebody tell my why I'm taking care of it so much, besides the
obvious (luv to 4-wheel). All this time I've been 4-wheeling, I've known how
to take care of the 4x4 and use it properly, but I just didn't know why. As a
note, both of us have manual hubs, and A4OD over-drive trans with the 2.9L
V6. Also, how did we finally determin if you have towing package or not?
Later,
Clay
1986 Bronco II 4x4 XLT

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 18:28:26 -0500
From: "David J. Baldwin"
Subject: Re: Powerstroke vs. 4 Runner

Larry Smeins wrote:
>
> This past weekend I headed up into the Colorado mountains with a couple
> of buddies to elk hunt. I was driving my F-250 Powerstroke with a 6,000
> pound horse trailer in tow. One of the buddies was driving his 91
> Toyota V6 4-Runner. I hadn't towed the trailer for quite sometime and
> it seemed that the engine wasn't pulling as strong as expected and the
> fuel gauge was dropping a little faster than normal. Even so, I noticed
> that whenever I got to a large grade the 4-Runner dropped back. When we
> got to our destination the Toyota owner came up to me and said , "I
> couldn't keep up with you on the hills". A little later he said "I
> brought the 4-Runner instead of the Cruiser because it has better fuel
> range, I only used half a tank."

I had one of those (4-Runner) once. Took it to Purgatory, CO. to go
skiing. That little wheeze-box rice-burner could hardly get out of its
own way. It had the 4 cylinder. It really sucked. Only could stand to
own it two years, and was never so glad to see anything go.

If you want a REAL truck, get a Ford--or at least something AMERICAN. I
learned the hard way. I bet the Powerstroke really cruises in the
mountains with that turbocharger. Had a turbocharged gas car once, and
it did mountains like they weren't even there.

- --
Best Regards,

Dave Baldwin
Dallas, TX
- --------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 18:42:27 -0500
From: "David J. Baldwin"
Subject: Re: Dual Tanks and Oil Pressure Gague

David Hertzberg wrote:
>
> I've not yet
> replaced the sending unit, but could to see if that makes a difference; the wire
> connected to the unit is in good shape, no corrosion. (Question for the experts:
> the wire to the sending unit is, at a point about halfway between the sending unit
> itself and the battery, cit in half and connected together at that point with what
> appears to be a diode or resistor. What is the purpose of this? Could this have
> gone bad?) I've also examined wiring/electrical schematics for the truck

You probably saw my diatribe on instrumentation earlier, which I wont
repeat. Basically, if you really want to know what your oil pressure
is, get an aftermarket instrument.

This "resistor or diode"-looking thing is interesting. I must say that
I'm curious. Does this "thingy" appear in the schematics? Usually,
electronic components are located in the modules, and not inserted in a
line in the harness. Unfortunately, I don't have a set of schematics,
but this does sound weird.

- --
Best Regards,

Dave Baldwin
Dallas, TX
- --------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 20:37:43 -0400
From: Geoffrey Hoffman
Subject: Re:Winter Tires ? -> tire sizing info[A]

At 8:49 PM -0400 10/21/97, Chris wrote:
> I'm looking to buy some winter tires for my Ranger, and was wondering if
>anyone knew what the conversion from my current tires would be to a tire of
>a different series ?

well, i can tell you what the numbers mean, and you can calculate it. lets
use 235/60R15 as an example (your initial tires). first of all, the R
means radials. easy enough. the "15" is the size of your rim, in inches.
easy enough. here is where the fun starts: the 235 is the width of the
tire in _millimeters_, so it is 23.5 cm wide. the 60 is the height of the
sidewall to width of the tire ratio, so the height of the tire from the
ground to your rim (or the thickness, kinda) is 60% of the width.

>Currently I have P235s on 15 inch rims that are 60 series.
>
>I plan to go to a standard 15 inch rim and hope to put on 75 series tires.

so, realize that going to a 75 type tire, your tires have more height
and/or less width, depending on what you want.

>Would that mean that the size of the tire should be a P205 ? or P215

well, they are are going to be different tires. you can ask someone for
more specifics on advantages of wider or narrower tires for snow, cause i
am not really sure.

>I don't think that P235/75R15 & P235/60R15 tires will be the same size,
>which would alter my spedometer (that's is if they would even fit)

so, you can calculate to get the height of the total tire, which us the
thing that affects your speedo. this is very convoluted, but it is how it
is (we will use 235/60R15 again):

the width is 235, or 23.5 cm. lets go to inches first: so, 23.5 cm ->
inces = 9.25 inches or so.

then for the height: 9.25 x .60 = 5.55 inches. this the sidewall height.

to get the total height, it will (2 x 5.55) + 15 = 26.1 inches, so roughly
a 26 inch tire that is 9 1/4 inches wide.

you can use this to compare with the other format (which is a lot easier)
which is something like 31x10.5R15 so, R = radial, 15 is the rim, 31 is
the total height, and 10.5 is the width, all in inches.

does this help? so i dunno, sit down and calculate some stuff, i guess.

if you want the same height as you have, then you need to back track. you
have 26.1 inches, so subtract 15, and divide by 2, and you have 5.55 for a
sidewall. now, that means with a 75% ratio, you only need 7.4 inches,
which is something like a 188 for width, so, you would need a 190/75R15 to
get the same speedo.

anyway, this means that your 205/75 or more 215/75 will be bigger, they are
in the order of a 27" and 27" 1/2 tires, so it will have an affect, since
you have 26" right now.

anyway, i hope this is everything you even wanted to know about tire sizes,
and sorry for the length, but i hope this helps. (can you tell i'm an
engineer?)

see ya...

- --
Geoffrey Hoffman gch2 cornell.edu
Cornell University http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://www.pobox.com/~hoffy

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 21:03:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: Midwest96 aol.com
Subject: Re: Winter Tires ?

In a message dated 97-10-22 06:01:40 EDT, you write:


which would alter my spedometer (that's is if they would even fit)
>>
Speedo can be manually recalibrated, dash is only held on by Torxs, usually
T10 - T20 in Ford, just use radar (most police will do) or pace to determine
difference. More importantly (someone correct me if I'm wrong), the Odometer
will need to be recalibrated, and this I think only Ford/Mechanics can do.

Craig

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 17:05:31 -0800
From: "Casey Vandor"
Subject: block heater

I am getting ready to head off to college in Fairbanks, and would like to
know if putting a block heater on a 83 3/4 ton 4x4 with a 351W is a
relatively easy job. Has anybody done this? If so what is involved? Are
there any addreses you all have out there where I could pick up a block
heater for less than buying from the Ford dealer (my only option here in
Ketchikan)
Thanks!
Casey

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 20:57:50 -0500
From: Steve
Subject: 95 F150 Transfer Case problems

Anyone able to help me out with this?

I've got a 95 F150, Long box, Supercab, 4X4, Borg Warner 13-56 transfer
case, AutoOD trans..
91,000 miles. Just bought it a little over a month ago.



I was driving in 2hi like normal up to a yield intersection, so I slowed
down,
turned the corner, and then hit the gas and I got the most awful gear
grinding
noise ever and no forward power.

So, I pull over, and first check the tx case shifter, which is in the
proper
place, transmission is in gear, but still no forward motion and some
grinding.
Then I put it in park and the grinding eventually stops.. I shift the
transfer
case lever in and out of 4hi and 4lo just to make sure I haven't bumped
it loose
or something, leaving it back in 2hi. Then I shift back into drive and
try to
pull away and I am in low range. I stop again and check the lever which
is in
2hi, all the way forward. Try moving it through the ranges again and
back to
2hi. Again, still stuck in low range. So I limp home in low range...

First guess is that the linkage is screwy, so I look underneath and
everything
looks to be good, except now I can't shift into low range. The linkage
looks
normal when I put it in 2hi, 4hi, and it almost makes it to 4lo, but not
quite
into the notch in the linkage. So again, I put it back to the 2hi
position
and still I'm stuck in low. no matter where I put the lever I'm still
in low.

The lights for 4x4 and low range sometimes come on individually, and
sometimes
together when the shifter is not in the place the lights say it is...

So...anyone know the problem? The linkage coming out of the transfer
case is
moving when the shifter is moving, so my current guess is that the
shifting
mechanism inside the transfer case is bent/broken which may also explain
the
strange indicator light activity, but I'm stuck here. Unless I remove
the
transfer case, I really can't look at anything else. The outside of the

case looks normal, and everything else looks good, so now what?

Thanks a bunch. How much should a replacement/rebuild cost, if
necessary?

Thanks again,
Steve
anthem hnet.net

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 23:25:02 -0400
From: Geoffrey Hoffman
Subject: Re: Winter Tires ?

At 9:03 PM -0400 10/22/97, Midwest96 aol.com wrote:
>Speedo can be manually recalibrated, dash is only held on by Torxs, usually
>T10 - T20 in Ford, just use radar (most police will do) or pace to determine
>difference. More importantly (someone correct me if I'm wrong), the Odometer
>will need to be recalibrated, and this I think only Ford/Mechanics can do.

well, also can't the calibrate it to the tires? when i had a jeep, and i
put bigger tires in, they just changed some gear somewhere....

- --
Geoffrey Hoffman gch2 cornell.edu
Cornell University http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://www.pobox.com/~hoffy

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 03:14:45 -0400 (EDT)
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