Hi everyone, Does anyone know how I could find the production numbers of how many of these trucks were built with the 5-speed manual transmission? I have a 2006 F-150 XL which I bought new that I had the dealer locate for me. I was pretty specific in what options I wanted and did not want. After almost 10 years, I'm starting to realize that there can't be too many that were ever built. Some parts stores have no record of them even existing, so for the parts that are specific to the manual transmission, they can be hard to find. I love the truck, and don't ever plan on letting "him" go. But I'm curious as to how many there are. Mine is about the heaviest-duty 5-speed model you could get in these model years, and it is a beast! Still a pleasure to drive, though. 8 ft bed, towing package, 3.55 gear with limited slip, cloth seat and AC. Of course having the V6 engine it is a regular cab with 2wd. With the limited slip, it's an absolute champ in the snow!

 

IDK how many with the manual in '06 or '07, but my LX is the base model, although it is rather well equipped. In researching it years ago, I determined some interesting things; it has the 3.31:1 rear which actually appears only in the F-250 chassis lists. Since it also came with the extra GVW package, the assumption is it's on a 250 chassis. It has PS, PDB/ABS/Load apportioning, AC, radio, cloth int.
This one also has Arabic writing under the hood. Maybe a big government Mid-East order fell through and they sent them to the dealers. In December '06 they were advertised for $12,888 in the local paper. I got mine on Jan. 2, '07. I had been shopping mid-sized trucks around $15,000 but nobody seemed willing to deal at all. So when I drove this one I bought it. That very afternoon I drove straight from the dealer to a location 100 miles away to pick up some wheels and tires for my SUV. It was a mild day in January and I had a great, happy time driving my new truck to do that errand. Later that night I drove it back to the dealership with my wife to drive the SUV home, and something funny happened - when I turned on the lights, they were on hi-beam. I pulled on the stalk but couldn't get the lights dimmed. All my other recent vehicles worked by pulling the stalk - you know what happened - I had to PUSH the stalk to dim the lights.
But it's been a good truck - pushing 20,000 miles now and almost time for it's annual oil change. I'll be using it a lot this fall - I already picked up several loads of mulch with it and I will have several loads of cuttings going to the landfill over the next few months.
I guess the V8 with manual is the most rare but there aren't many of the V6's either. As far as possible extra value because of the manual, I don't think it exists. However, the combination of the drive train and steel body (except for the hood) might add up to a few more dollars to the right buyer. But I definitely would have preferred the small V8 with auto myself. If I were to buy a new one, I would get the 2.7L, auto, regular cab and short bed. I think that would be a very sporty truck and would carry the same as my '07.

 

Here is a picture of my big blue beast.


Thanks for the reply, 1saxman. These trucks are built on a 150 chassis. If I remember correctly, the F-250 in that year still used a C-channel frame, where mine and probably yours also use a very thick and durable boxed-channel frame. The differential may have been borrowed from the Super-Duty line, but that's about it.
It sounds like your cab is optioned similar to mine, with the cloth seat and AC. Everything else was standard equipment in those years; such as the power steering and power brakes. I have an uncle that has a 2006 more similar to yours with the short bed and 3.31 gear, but vinyl seat and no AC. As for the Arabic writing under your hood, that is odd. I know Ford does sell these trucks in that region. Maybe yours was intended for that market, but never made it over. Could have been because of all of the political strife in that region, like you said. That could explain for the difference in the high beam switch function. My wife's 2005 Mercury Montego operates the same way.
Like I said, mine has the 3.55 gear, so mine is geared much steeper and actually pulls quite strong. I've actually pulled small root stumps out of the ground with my truck, before. I wrapped towing chain around the hitch receiver and around the stump, then let the torque of 1st gear do the rest. No damage to the clutch at all. The way mine is geared, first gear is almost like a granny gear. Most situations I can start in second, unless I'm facing uphill. If I'm putting around town I can be in 5th as low as 30-35 because of the torque of the motor. This V6 is rated at 265 lbs-ft of torque, and the 3.55 gear really capitalizes on that. The downside of that is I can't rev much 3500-4000 without it sounding like it wants to blow itself up! You probably get slightly better fuel economy with the 3.31, but I won't complain about the mileage mine gives me. I feel like it does pretty good for a big truck.
With the low mileage you have on yours, you must not use yours every day. Mine is my daily driver and weekend hauler when needed. Mines approaching 104,000 now and it's been great. It's taken quite a bit this year especially in repairs, but one of those things was a starter, which doesn't last forever anyway. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was last winter when due to the severe cold, several of the idler/tensioner pulleys seized up and snapped the serpentine belt. But those things happen when you have three weeks straight of single-digit temperatures! BURR!!! I also had the clutch replaced back in the Spring, as well. That one I'd been saving for for over a year.

 

I have a 2005 f150 with the manual transmission. My truck has the XLT package including power windows/mirrors/ locks, cruise, AC, and 2 tone paint. I also have the 3.55 limited slip rear end.
I keep an eye on auto trader for trucks similar to mine and have only seen a couple XLT trucks with the 5 speed.
There is usually a decent amount of base model XL trucks with the manual but they are still not as common.

My truck is also from the Norfolk VA. Assembly plant which closed in 2007. That may make mine even harder to find.

It would be interesting to find out the production numbers.

 

5spdxlt, Thanks for the reply. Yours makes the second XLT model that I've heard of with the manual. Before I bought the truck I have, a Ford salesman offered me an XLT model with the manual, but I turned it down. I specifically did not want the power windows and carpeting. I had too many problems with power windows in previous vehicles. I also specifically wanted the rubber mat that is easy to keep clean.
If manuals are rare enough, I'm sure the XLT models are the most rare. Is yours a short bed or long bed? Does it have the towing package? Mine was also built in Norfolk, in November of 2005.

 

1 Saxman, do you happen to know what assembly plant your truck was built in? So far we have two for Norfolk, VA.

 

My truck has the 8ft bed with the factory bedliner. It does not have the towing package. I also noticed arabic writing under the hood of mine.
I agree with you on the rubber floor being much better in a truck but I really wanted all the power options, cruise, keyless entry ect. I also like the extra chrome and different grille on the XLT.

Here are some photos of mine.

 

To 5spdxlt: Nice truck! That is interesting about the Arabic writing under the hoods. Just to confirm, I looked at mine again over the weekend, and I do not have the Arabic writing. I didn't think I did, seeing as I've had this truck for well over 9 years now and I would have noticed if I did. All of the tags and stickers under my hood are written in English. I also discovered stickers on the frame rails directly below the cab last year indicating what is probably the precise build date. Like I told 1 saxman, I know Ford does market the F-series in the Middle East. I really wonder if there was a batch or two of trucks that was supposed to be exported over there, but never made it. Rather than take the loss, Perhaps Ford decided to sell the trucks here instead, even if at a reduced price. I see that you have the same color interior that mine has, the tan cloth. My seats are badly stained after years of daily use, but I'm currently gathering prices on getting both my truck and my wife's car professionally detailed before winter. That will include having the seats cleaned on mine. Her Mercury is in far better shape. I have to say it is probably one of the most comfortable vehicles I've ever owned. The seats really are very comfortable and supportive. Especially for a base model work truck. Mine also has the manual lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat, which I have really come to appreciate as I've gotten older.

 

Yep, Norfolk for mine too. I'm in VA so I thought that was particularly interesting. It had an oval sticker in the inside lower right corner of the windshield that I took out after it started to come apart and had it laminated. I got mine on Jan. 2, 2007. I don't know how many more they made in Norfolk or the date of the closing.

 

Blue; I don't think I've had mine over 4000 RPM either but there's no red line on the tach. I guess the ECM will limit RPM if you ever get it to whatever point they have it sat at. On the F 250 chassis, I assumed that because you have to go to the F-250 codes to find the differential code.
A small thing I like about the truck - the cam comes in at 2500 RPM, and you can clearly hear it as you go through the gears. The intake makes more of a 'moan' exactly at that point.
Here's something any of you might need to do; take the intake snorkel off the cold air adapter in the fender and see if that area above the wheel well is packed with leaves or anything else, like rodent nests. Open the driver's door and look into that cavity as well as the lower cavity - I have to blow/vacuum them out every year. The first time I discovered it, the cold air intake was mostly blocked. I must have worked on the truck for two hours getting the debris out of those voids on both sides of the cab. I never heard the 'moan' from the intake until I opened up that fender. I had leaves in the filter housing too, along with bird feathers - don't ask me, I don't know how they got in.
So, my annual oil change is coming up in November. I think it's had 11 oil changes in 20,000 miles . The first change was at six months and I think I did another six-month change in there somewhere, but usually a year.
And heavy-duty wheels? The center section of the wheels is 1/4" steel!

 

I should mention, these are the 'new truck' pictures. It doesn't look that sharp anymore but I plan on detailing it soon, so it should clean up nicely.
Also, mine has never shifted right. Sometimes it's like stirring concrete trying to shift, and the trans always makes a 'clunk' going into gear. I'm actually surprised the trans has lasted this long. It has all the symptoms of a dragging clutch but the engagement point is well up off the floor, and I always floorboard the clutch pedal when shifting. I've never had a manual that acted like this in a car or truck. I'm constantly on the verge of getting rid of it but I like having the third vehicle around, and it's not worth enough to get anything good for on a trade.

 

Thanks for the tip about the intake snorkel, 1saxman. Let me offer you a tip about the transmission, although it may not be the case with yours. These transmissions are known to leak fluid from three rubber grommets near the top. If left unchecked, they will eventually leak dry and burn up. I know you only have 20,000 miles, but the truck is 8 years old, too. It might be worth it to at least have that fluid checked, or changed if you are planning on having the clutch replaced. I just had my clutch replaced this past Spring at about 100,000 miles. I also had them change the transmission fluid at the same time, and filled it with synthetic fluid. The owner's manual actually recommends having the manual trans fluid changed at 80,000 miles. By the way this transmission is basically the same Mazda unit that the Ranger used for so many years, just a heavy duty version. It actually is a bullet-proof unit.
If I get time this weekend, I might take that air intake apart and see if it's clogged at all. I probably do have debris inside the front fender as the rubber moulding at the base of my windshield virtually disintegrated a few years ago. I've seen that same problem happening on a lot of these trucks. It's a piece of rubber that sits between the windshield, the A-pillar, and the fender. Over time it dries up and falls apart. So I probably do have debris inside the fender. I should get that out of there before it causes the dreaded R-word.
Speaking of which, how is yours holding up against the tin worm, rust? Mine has some surface rust on the bumpers and wheels, but the body is great! I've been underneath it looking at the floors, the cab mounts, the frame rails; everything that I can see is still remarkably solid! My mechanic even said the same thing the last time I had it into the shop. This guy had never worked on my truck before, and he said when he first saw it, he expected it be a rusty mess underneath, but it's still surprisingly solid. I went over the bumpers and wheels last Fall with Rustoleum. Several times every winter I'll take a high pressure hose to the under carriage to get all the salt and snow out of all the nooks and crannies under there. Road salt likes to collect on the rear suspension joints, so I've wire brushed that clean and treated that with Rustoleum as well. There are better products on the market for rust treatment, but they're not in my budget right now. My wheels look pretty bad since the Rustoleum stained them brown, so I am planning on painting them the same color as the truck, which is Medium Wedgewood Blue. The center hubcaps I will paint chrome. I was going to work on that over Labor Day weekend, but it was over 90 degrees all weekend and I didn't feel like working out in that heat all weekend long.
I am looking at the new ones and I like what I see. It will be a few years yet though. My wife and I are saving for a house so we can get of our cramped apartment. Also, I don't want a new one if it means getting rid of my '06. I've grown attached to this old truck and I love it. I still like driving it. The new ones are much more fuel efficient, and can do more; but I simply like my old one too much to get rid of it. Where we live right now, we barely have parking space for the two vehicles we have let alone a third. So I'll wait until we buy a house with a big garage. The picture I posted above is where I used to live before we got married. A house with a small garage, but in a run-down neighborhood where I didn't want her living.

 

I checked the fluid in mine a long time ago and it was topped off. There is also no leak under the truck - not one drop of anything. Do you know of any adjustment on the clutch, like a free-play screw?

 

1saxman, I looked in my handy Haynes repair manual and it does not mention anything about a clutch adjustment. This truck uses the same Mazda M5OD as the Rangers, and in all my experience with Rangers I've never heard adjusting the clutch. Usually with a hydraulic clutch like this, that's not necessary or possible. But I am not a professional mechanic, either. Nor have I ever claimed to be. Please do not mistake me for an expert.
Hey I took your advice and cleaned out the air intake box today after work. I did see some dead leaves stuck in the fender well. Wouldn't you know it, but when I was putting it all back together with a new air filter, the metal collar that holds the two halves of the filter box together broke! It rusted and snapped in two. I'm assuming that's a dealer item only, so I'll call the Ford dealer tomorrow to see if they have one or can get one. Until I can get a new one, I'll probably use a small screw to hold the filter box together just so I feel safe driving the truck back and forth to work. Dumb little things!
Like I said, I live in the snow belt, or should I say the road salt belt? On a truck that's almost 10 years old, there is not one part of it that has not been impacted by salt in one way or another. The last couple of winters here have been rough too, and because this truck is so good in the snow, it gets used a lot. It's the only vehicle my wife feels safe in.

 

I saw a You Tube video about the clutch and it's a self-adjusting clutch. I don't think there's anything wrong with the clutch or hydraulic system - I've never had to add any fluid to the clutch reservoir. I guess it's possible it has some drag in the throwout bearing which could put rotational pressure on the input shaft, but it doesn't make any noise or feel rough. I'm going to D/F the trans in November when I do my annual oil change, and I'm going to add a friction modifier to see it helps any. The damn manual trucks are so rare nobody knows anything about them. Now I'm in the 'old man' mode of keeping it just to spite them!
I started to say get the big hose clamp at Lowe's but I think it's made a little different to index the raised areas so you'll have to get the Ford part. Just tape it together with duct tape and it'll be fine.