Seems like you've already made up your mind. Just get whatever you're happy in, it's your truck.

 

OK, I will buck the trend here and say that the trade would be a good one for you.
I believe that the 97 will ride and drive better, and be easier to live with. It is younger, just as reliable if taken care of, and they look fine to me.
The only real issues I know of are the power windows and door locks can be wonky if they get wet, and the COPs going out. I have not had these issues with my 03, though..yet.
I tow quite a bit with my 03, and it does very well. Plenty of power, but it is a 5.4L. The only thing I don't like is a bit of float while towing and going over large road undulations. I don't know if that is due to the torsion bars or not.
I doubt the 4.6L would redline hauling just 300lbs, it should be fine with a moderate load.

As for looks, I hated the new style when they came out, but now I like it. It is still a bit feminine looking compared to the earlier gen trucks, but can be made to look tougher pretty easily.

 

I completely agree with ewalt98

I had a 97 w a 4.2(V6). it was a reg cab long box 4wd XLT 5speed.
She was kinda a guttless turd and only got 15mpg. THEN I took out the 3.08s and put in 4.10s. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I got 20mpg and the truck had all kinds of power. I miss that truck, but I also really like my ranger

 

Just some thoughts...

There is a recall on some (all?) of the 97-04 trucks for windshield leaks. When this happens, the Generic Electronics Module (GEM) near the electrical panel under the driver's side dash gets wet, shorts out, and causes malfunctions with the components that it controls... transfer case, power windows, power locks, horn, security system, cab lighting, etc. Don't know how effective the repair is, I think I've read somewhere when searching for my latest truck that some folks that had the recall done still had problems due to the windshield glass channel not being stamped properly or something.

If you wreck one they get bent up pretty good, just look in the junkyard and compare among the OBS/bricknose trucks to the 97-04 trucks. Cab usually crushes in, as shown in the video earlier.

The 4.6 modular engines are good reliable engines. Some have had issues with blowing spark plugs out of the heads, check with previous owner on that because the most common fix is to use helicoils and I wouldn't be too comfortable with that. Also look at the front of the intake manifold, in front of the forward-most intake runner you'll see a coolant crossover (looks like another intake runner but will have the thermostat boss cast into it. You're looking to make sure the coolant crossover is aluminum, some of them were/are plastic like the rest of the intake and will (not might, it WILL) eventually crack, spewing coolant everywhere and leaving you broke down somewhere. You're right, there are 2 different engines, Romeo and Windsor. You can tell which one you're looking at by the valve cover bolts... Romeo engines have 11 bolt valve covers, Windsor engines have 13 or 14 depending which valve cover you're looking at. That truck should have a Windsor in it.

If it has a 4R70W auto trans, you can install a NICE "shift kit" by yourself with just a few parts from your Ford dealer and a good set of drill bits. But, that 97 4R70W transmission also has a one-way roller clutch, as opposed to the 98+ "mechanical diode" which is a more durable part. With the truck off the ground you might be able to tell which one it is by turning the driveshaft by hand. The mechanical diode will make a ratcheting sound, the roller clutch will make a squeaking noise. Just something to consider... the 4R is a good transmission overall, but like anything they have their weak points. With those transmissions, the newer it is the better it is.

Truck should have an 8.8 inch axle in the rear, it's a decent axle with a good selection of aftermarket gears and goodies. Don't know what's up front for an axle...

The front axles on that truck are halfshafts... they look like the axles on a fwd car. Watch for tears in the boots and such.

That's about all I can think of right now...

 

believe me that thing redlined. given it was in cruise control but still. take this for what it is but the school that had one with a 4.6 sold it after the first year they used it and got a 96 with i believe a 302. and this is a gov. run school that doesnt spend $$ unless it absolutely has to

 

You would be surprised how much these trucks can haul with the 4.6 i had 2k pounds of compost in the bed plus a small trailer with a few hundred in that, now granted she was squating so bad i drug the hitch a few times but it hauled it no problem obviously that motor was working hard but never failed! i think its a good trade but thats my opinion

 

Well I'm stuck with my 89. Its my truck but in my dad's name and he says the 97 has too many miles. And I have 15,000 on a rebuilt 351w. So I want the 97 but stuck with the 89. So what I'm gonna do is save up some money and buy a truck I want and leave it in my name. I want something with alittle better mpg, drives better, and the lifted stuff is getting old.

Heres some pics of my 89.

 

And also I've been looking for a crash video dealing with my 89, or the 87-91 body style and cant find one. Anyone know where to look?? or have one?

 

I would bet my paycheck that the 97-03 is safer than the 80-91 trucks.
When Ford designed the newer F150s they didnt care what the Truck looked like after and accident, they were more concerned what You looked like. If you noticed in that vid the cab pretty much stayed solid and everything else crushed around it. THAT is what makes a vehicle safe

 

I know 4.6's do blow out plugs, because I have had to repair them, but just to show I'm not insane here are some others who have had the same thing happen:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...park-plug.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...park-plug.html

Anyone do this fix for spark plug blown out of head? - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

Those are from a quick search using only 97's.

The 2003's supposedly fixed the problem by adding more thread to the plug holes I gather, I don't recall having to put inserts in 03 up, but we don't have a contract with anybody who has gas engine trucks around that year so the only ones I have encountered are the ones privately owned.


The spark plug removal issue wasn't directly related to the OP's post, it was a separate issue in response to another poster in the thread. They said the truck had a false poor reputation for spark plug removal problems. The only spark plug removal problem I am aware of occurs with the two piece plug in the 3v 5.4 engines, which were made from 04 to 08 I believe. So I was agreeing with the poster about the false reputation.

Here is the tool to remove the broken part that sticks in the engine:

Lisle (LIS65600) Broken Spark Plug Remover for Ford Triton 3 Valve Engines : Amazon.com : Automotive

I didn't buy mine from amazon and it cost a lot more than that when I orginally bought it, but its the same tool.


Edit: I didn't wish to give the impression that these engines are popping out plugs left and right, some of them both 4.6 and 5.4 never do even under heavy loads and rough working conditions, but some do, and its not really that big of a deal, we charge $75 plus plug and coil to fix it and have never had one with further problems with that plug. Even the one with 5 inserts is at almost 300k - and it may be a 5.4 not a 4.6, the company does a good job keeping records on their trucks so we don't have to, but it did strike me as exceptional. So I may have given the wrong impression there, over the course of 15 years we have put a lot of inserts in both 4.6 and 5.4s from 97s to 2001s (they started changing over to diesels around 99) and I've pretty well lumped them together.

I also suspect, but don't know for sure, that these trucks occasionally get hooked up to loads way beyond thier capacity. Its a big company and so of course no one ever admits to anything, but several of the trailer setups around thier yard are intended for much larger trucks, and military style pintle or no I can visualize the smaller trucks being used to move the big trailers from time to time.

 

Thats what I was thinking. Not to mention that the 89 doesn't have air bags, the 97 does.

 

im sure the the 97 is safer and it does have airbags. i personally wouldnt want airbags in my truck as i use the front end to push stuff like roundbails around every now and then. i also dont like the 4.6 but thats just from personal experience and to each his own.

 

No trade...

 

I also would vote to keep the '89. Being the first year of a total redesign, the '97 is likely to have it's share of problems. My good friend has a little '97 shortbed single cab with the 4.6L. It has all kinds of electrical problems and the gas milage is only marginally better than my '89 F-250 HD with the 7.5L. It certainly does ride smoother and is much easier to park though.

 

Well I got to talking to one of my friends and he says he knows where a good truck is for me. Apparently is a 2000 Ford f150 fx4 supercab shortbed. With all options except leather seats with a fresh 4.6 and tranny from Ford with 12-15 thousand miles. new cv axles and always with routine maintenance for the complete truck with all paper work. For about $4000.