So I took a 2005 150 XLT home from the dealership today to take to my mechanic tomorrow and then buy depending on what he says. On the way home I stop and pick up take out at a restaurant. In the parking lot I spurr of the moment decide to test the 4WD to make sure it works. I'm going about 5-10mph, just coasting, and switch it to 4WD. It immediately starts handling strange, the brakes start "pulling", it felt like when you slam on the brakes and ABS kicks in except I wasn't braking and it wasn't quite that powerful. I switched back into 2WD but it continued acting funny, almost like the brakes were engaged, the motor seemed to have to work harder than it should to move the vehicle. Also if I let off the gas, the truck would eventually stop itself and not move foward while in Drive. Same in Reverse. I got out and immediately smelt burning.

I popped the hood right away but nothing was in there, and then I saw smoke coming from under the left front wheel. Not a ton of smoke, but it was coming regularly. Eventually it subsided, but that wheel was much hotter than the others. I looked behind it and saw the smoke was coming from the top of the back of the wheel. No idea what's back there (basically behind the wheel on top), but it was smoking. Smelled like burning rubber to me. Got my food and jumped back in the truck, on my way out of the parking lot I hit 4WD again to see if it would pop back into place or whatever was wrong, and it started braking on its own again. Put it back in 2WD for the drive home but it still seemed like the truck was braking itself, the engine took a lot more to get it up to speed and just seemed sluggish. I got it home and had a buddy come over, he said it smelled like burning brakes but had no real idea what it could be, he thought it was maybe the ABS sensor misfiring and causing the brake to lock up. Again this was only one the left front side.

So that night I took it for a ride around the neighborhood, just up the street, and when I got to the top of the hill the truck actually quit moving. I sat there revving the engine, and while it didn't fall back, it didn't move forward. I finally revved hard and it went, and I took it back to my house. I have a driveway with a SLIGHT incline and while parking it I experimented and realized that it took way more gas than it should to move it up the hill. If I just lightly touched the pedal (enough to get the RPMs up though) it wouldn't move.


So at this point I have no idea, it seems to be a transmission/brakes issue, that was caused by the 4WD? Before all this started I had driven it about 30 miles with no issues, although the tires are horrendous, if that helps at all.

I'm calling the dealer tomorrow and then having my mechanic check it out, if its just a small isolated issue then hopefully the dealer will fix it and I'll buy it, but we'll see. What do you guys think?


P.S. I know I have a thread already started in this forum about buying a truck, but I decided to post this issue in its own thread to hopefully get more attention and faster responses before I call the dealer tomorrow.

 

Well regardless of the outcome I will give you one bit of advice. Do not ever engage 4wd on pavement. Even wet pavement has too much friction/traction for the 4wd system to overcome. Without some "slip" in the drivetrain, you can potentially cause fatal problems with the 4wd system, particularly as it relates to binding. Even in a straight line the system needs a touch of slip, usually.

On to your problem. It could be that you have an issue with vacuum and IWEs. Does the system make any noise when engaged? (test this on a gravel or dirt road if you can, or a grassy field). It is possible that the automatic hubs are staying engaged even in 2wd and putting additional drag on the system. This shouldn't stop the truck, but it will create a noticeable force for the truck to work against.

In my honest opinion, I'd take the truck back to the dealer, tell them the issues, hand them the keys, and move on.

 

It actually almost sounds like a brake caliper has seized up (not that uncommon on these) and it just so happened when you decided to try the 4WD. If you do a search on the seized caliper on here you will see some more info. It doesnt sound like a IWE to me, but again, im not a certified mechanic. Take it to your shop, tell him what you told us, im sure he will be able to pin point it.

 

^^^ That is highly likely and I completely overlooked that possibility. I too am not a mechanic, just spouting out information.

 

Well the mechanics weren't quite sure what the deal was, they only did a cursory look because I was only paying them to check out the vehicle before purchase. They found that the hubs were still locked and the caliper was stuck on the one side. Also the tires were worn very strangely, almost like there were different tires on the vehicle at the same time, like sizes, however there weren't (at least the ones on it now). Also the spare was worn down to nothing as well.

The caliper obviously was an issue, but they thought it was more than that, like the wrong gear ratios or something really bad. I can't test the 4WD again because there aren't any areas near me that would have the proper surface for it. One of them said he wouldn't buy it, the other two said that the dealer would really have to go to work on it and figure it out before they would.

Right now its this or an 06 with 171k on it, but checks out completely mechanically and the maintenance records are all there. Only a couple recalls and oil changes. Obviously I'd get the plugs checked before I buy it. This one is an 05' with 85k on it, but there's the 4WD issue. And I WILL be using the 4WD pretty often this winter.

What would you guys do?

 

i would keep looking, possibly expand my search area. there is no reason to purchase either of these if you arent happy and they have problems.

 

X2 on the keep looking

 

Well unfortunately that's not really an option. We've been looking for a month and I'm going up to school with the boat on Saturday. So it's one or the other, lol. Both checked out completely fine except for the braking issue on the red one and that they both probably need a new set of plugs (or at least checked out to see if they do).

 

Well if its at any way possible, i would hold off. One has alot of miles and one has some front end problems, brakes, IWE, tire wear, from what you said. So one is going to have some up front cost right off the bat, and if you have someone do it for you, you might be talking over $1000+, the other has alot of miles and more than likely will start nickle and dimeing you pretty quickly. I would personally stay away from both.

 

^^^^ x2

Don't rush into this purchase. I understand your urgency based on need, but think this one through completely.
Couldn't you always return home one weekend and pull the boat back to school once you've gotten the "right" truck? Seems like the more mature decision.

 

pull boat at a latter date OR rent a uhaul one-way and drop off the truck when you get the boat to school

 

I know you want the 04-08 generation. This is other option that fits your price range with better truck in my opinion. Rather than to push yourself into such high miles truck within early model of 04-08 at higher price not including upcoming costs to maintain.

How about this one? If all checks out well, I bet you can knock off another grand on this one.

There's plenty of trucks similiar to this.

Cars for Sale: 2003 Ford F150 4x4 SuperCab in Deer Creek, MN 56527: Truck Details - 304421211 - AutoTrader.com