I'm hoping to purchase a Ford truck in the future. I'm always on the lookout for a deal and getting my hands greasy doesn't bother me one bit. In fact, I love working on cars.

I've done brakes, hoses, belts, pulleys, and have changed about every fluid there is in a car. My goal is to buy a nice truck ($5-10K) that needs enough work that I can do that, when it's all done, the truck is worth substantially more and I end up having a really nice truck. Beyond that, I'm hoping to challenge myself with more advanced repairs because I'm hoping to learn more by tackling bigger projects.

My questions have to do with the bigger ticket items to watch out for that I can do (no transmissions or engine swaps):

-Is cam phaser replacement something that I can do myself (I've seen the excellent guides on this site and think I might be able to stumble through). The trouble with cam phasers, though, is that if I'm buying the truck with existing problems, this problem might turn into a lot more. That leads to another question.

-Are the new OEM cam phasers better than the factory installed ones? I wouldn't want to have to do this every 30,000 miles as if it's tranny fluid.

-As the cam phaser job sometimes turns into more (timing chain, driver/passenger side, VCT, etc.), what would be a reasonable discount to expect from a private seller? I know from experience that as soon as you open it up to replace one thing, three more turn out to be bad. I just replaced the serpentine belt on the minivan and found all three idler pulleys were bad! A $25 job went up to $100 right off the bat. The dealership cost would have gone from $50 to $250.

-What other sorts of mechanical trouble could I look for in a 2004+ F150 that the dealership/mechanic would charge an arm and a leg for but is really something that a determined DIYer can attempt over a weekend or two? I'm thinking past the level of new brakes. Manifolds? Water pump? Radiator?

-Besides scouring Craigslist, any good ideas on how to locate such trucks?

Thanks for responding!

 

If you are venturing into car flipping and find one with the cam phaser issue, bring a mechanical oil pressure gauge and know how to quickly install it. Bring the engine up to normal operating temp and check the pressure. If it's close to 25 at idle or below, move on.