1994 F150, standard cab, 8' bed, 4.9L 6 cylinder, auto transmission and 4 x4 with 104,000 miles.
Pictures of truck look clean. What issue should I be looking for in going to examine this truck? I know the 300 from what I read on here is pretty bullet proof. What about automatic transmissions? This truck already has manual locking hubs on it. I've read on here about the front spring towers rusting, and even mentions of the rear spring shackles.


Thanks John

 

the 300 6 is a great motor, typically long lived if treated properly (like anything). not 100% sure which tranny it has. does it go through all the gears nice and smooth? Make sure the underbody appears to be in good condition. check the spring hangers/shackles. check for broken leaves. check spring towers like you mentioned, shock mounts, radius arms and radius arm brackets. use your ears good too, any strange noises from anywhere in particular? seems obvious , but you get the point. sounds like a clean low miles truck but you can never be too certain. Good luck with it

 

Don't all the Ford engines use the EO4D automatic overdrive transmission from 1992-96?? I see many on here say they only like the 300 with a manual transmission. Does the automatic bog the engine down more?
John

 

I bought almost the exact same truck about a year ago, though mine had a manual transmission in it.

Mine had 125k miles on it when I bought it. The shackles were rotted almost off the back of the leaf springs. I've seen a lot where they've rotted a hole in the bottom of the shackle (no drain hole, thanks Ford!). Definitely check those out. The front towers can rot out, but it seems quite a bit less common.

Changing the shackles isn't difficult, I torched mine off. New ones are readily available at parts stores and are simply bolt-on. I think they're like 40 a piece and come with the bushings.

Body rust is pretty common too. Check the cab corners, all the fenders, etc etc.

Can't say much about the transmission preference. If I were towing I'd probably want the automatic, but for what I'm using it for (junk hauler/bush truck) I wanted the manual.

 

That six is wonderful.

I'm on my 3rd.

Even an engine that came to me with little maintenance ran good after I replaced the crank bearings... it was allowed to run out of oil by the previous owner... I got it cheap. That was 25 years ago. It was an '84.

Back to the '94's. Mine had 154K on it when I got it. Original automatic front wheel locks.

The automatic transmission is the weak link here. It will run just fine, until one day it will crap out. I know. Mine did this. I sure do wish Ford had used the C6, or the AOD in these trucks instead of the E40D. It's so complicated. The pump in these is a weak link, along with the shifter plungers. The rest of mine was disassembled and inspected. The rest of it was in good condition, so we didn't do a complete rebuild.

It's nice to see a truck with reasonably low mileage on it. Do you have any idea how it's been treated over the years? Regular maintenance? Oil changes? Transmission fluid changes?

I bought my '94 a year ago. It had a big oil leak that the PO was told was a bad rear seal. I got it home, and found the PCV valve was not working due to a plugged up vacuum line, and a worn out grommet on the valve cover. Cleaned out the line, replaced the valve, and grommet, and the truck seal leaks stopped completely. A new throttle position sensor cured a stumbling problem. Now, the check engine light stays off, as it should.

Good luck with the truck. Mine has been good after the transmission failure was fixed.

The rest of my truck is in good non-rusted condition. I like it, and hope to drive it for many years.

 

This truck is sitting on a local dealer lot. From the Car Fax online it seems like it wasn't driven much the last 5 or 6 years. The Car Fax shows no warranty work or accident reports on the truck. They are asking $4995 for it, which by the Kelly Blue Book seems high for that year truck and mileage. I contacted the dealer by e-mail, sounds like he might come down to around $4300 for it. Been on the lot since January.
Slightly off subject, but why does it list the 6 cylinder getting 1 mpg better with the auto tranny over the 5 spd manual tranny? I would think the manual would give better mileage?


John

 

I gave $1,800 for mine, then put another $1200 in the transmission. Then, new upper and lower ball joints on the passenger side due to potholes. It came with a brand new set of tires, and all new brakes, too.

Your truck price seems high to me, unless it's mint inside and out. Mine is an XL model, but is very basic throughout. It's my kind of truck, if you know what I mean.

Maybe the higher mileage is due to the shifting of the E40D transmission being quicker than a manual? You're guess is as good as mine.

 

That is my thought, that the price is a little high on it. But then it does look like a clean truck inside and out from the pictures. I almost wonder if it hasn't been repainted at some time..... I know the 1992 we had back in the 90's was bought new. It was starting to get rust bubbles over the rear wheel opening on the bed and also if I remember right some on the bottoms of the doors too. Overall it wasn't a bad truck, had to clean and re-lubricate the auto hubs and also need new rotors. Seemed like it liked to warp the rotors all the time. I think we did have to put a new exhaust from the muffler on back on it. It was a 1992, 351/automatic 4x4 truck....
I do know what you mean this truck as advertised is what I would like to find. 8' bed is a plus for me for hauling. Not sure I could drive a stick or not, this one is automatic which seems "rare" in the 6 cylinder trucks.


John