So, due to financial reasons I'm losing my 2011 Jeep Liberty Limited for a while, and I'm gonna be stuck with my 1993 Ford Flareside F150 with the 5.0EFI in it. It's at 174,000 miles, it's had the transmission rebuilt about 10,000 miles ago, fuel tank relay replaced and I am actually currently at Starbucks waiting for the rear brake wheel cylinders to be replaced as they blew out a few days ago. It needs a new EGR valve and sensor still and an A/C compressor. My question is for the reliability of this vehicle to be able to put on over 100 miles a day for an extended period of time, and any tips to increase fuel economy until I can get the new EGR valve. Any ideas?

NitrogenTSRH

 

usually you can get mid to high teens for mpgs on trucks of our vintage with small blocks. If you want better gas milage you have to spend the cash and fix the EGR and maybe do a sixlitre tuneup...
ignition upgrade and timing bump (no 56K) - Page 2 - FSB Forums

check rockauto.com or amazon for a decent priced EGR... Or you can do a EGR delete too...

 

These trucks can be plenty reliable as long as they are taken care of (maintained). That said, it sounds like you have some work to do.

 

I miss driving my 89 as a daily driver. My truck has a 5.0 5 speed, 3.08 gears in the rear end. It was awesome, got good fuel mileage, had plenty of power, and most importantly was about the most comfortable riding vehicle Ive drove!

With it being winter, I wouldnt worry about the AC too much yet, and the egr valve isnt the worst thing in the world to purchase.

 

I don't remember egr valves being very expensive or hard to replace. Driving that many miles you'll find out quick what needs replaced. Do you get much snow? Didn't say if its 2wd or 4wd. Might be dicey driving that far daily in snow & crappy weather. Make sure to put weight in back and have good tires.

 

he could be in the south and not worry about snow... And if I recall correctly depending on where you live and emissions inspections you might be able to get away cheap with an EGR elimination set up from Ford Fuel Injection

 

His profile says Florida, so I doubt snow will be an issue!!

 

I agree with White Max. These are well designed vehicles. If you take care of it, it can be as dependable as anything (or even more so). Plus, they are cheap to work on compared to many other vehicles. I've driven my '97 F250HD 100 miles per day, every day, for going on 3 years without issue. I keep the preventive maintenance up and when something does start to go bad, I fix it right away. For the money you save in new truck payments and insurance, you can afford to keep it up. My only complaint is the cost of fuel. 17 MPG is good for what it is, but an economy car making only 34MPG would cut my fuel bill in half. I hope to have my '93 Festiva back on the road in a couple weeks, then I'll enjoy both ultra-reliability and 48 MPG.

 

Yes, it's a 2wd. Just had the transmission rebuilt. And I live in Panama City, Florida.

 

I drive a 93 Flareside V8 5.0 as my daily driver. Plenty reliable. I love the truck. I never want to get rid of it. I get 18 hwy/ 15 city. pretty good for a vintage truck