How does one use the search function on FTE? I have tried numerous times for a variety of issues and I always get 300 or more threads. What I don't get is referenced to the page in the thread that actually contains the answer to my question. I don't have the time to read each entire thread until I get to the part that contains the information I'm looking for.

Today I tried to search for information on how to install coil springs of my 1994 F150 4X4.

IE: "Coil spring installation."

I got over 400 threads for this search. Some of the threads contain over 10,000 replies. Most contain several dozen but nothing points to the actual page or pages where the information is contained.

When I use a "natural question" format I usually get "0" results.

IE: "How does one tell which end of a progressive coil spring is the top?"

Any help would be appreciated thank you.

 

I just started using the forum, but have been doing a lot of searching. Here's what works for me:

Locate "Search" at the top of the screen and click on the down arrow beside it.
Click Advanced
Select Older, Classic & Antique Trucks and click on 1987-1996 F150
Uncheck the box beside "child forums" (what the heck?)
Make sure "search all forums" is unchecked.
Type in your keywords and hit search.
Put words commonly used together in quotes- "rear main seal."

Hope this helps. YMMV.

 

Thank you 1MoProject. It does help. I was using the search box at the top of the page.

However, when I use the search function as you suggest I still cannot use natural wording. When I do I get 0 results. So I selected posts and tried "Coil springs" in the search window. I got a mere 499 posts. When I selected threads and used "Coil springs" I ended up with 500 results.

Everything you need to know about coil springs in twenty two days of reading and severe eye strain. Except, of course, the answer to the one question you had!!!!!


Sorry, venting is over. Back to normal now.

 

Did you search for the answer to this? I'm so sick of people asking questions like "how do I search" and not searching first.





My attempt at sarcasm.

 

Go to the 1987-1996 page, click search this forum in the top right (below the page numbers), and type in a general search. It's not that bad looking through 10 or less pages for results, compared to google where you get 10 million results.

 

Coil springs replacement | How a Car Works


The top coil of the spring may be flattened. Be sure to fit the new spring in the same way.

you install the new spring the same way the old one comes out is all ya need to know i suppose.

 

1985 Bronco, I tried what you suggested. I got 399 results. I give up!!!!

 

when searching, click the box for search titles, instead of search posts.
"coil spring installation"
"search posts" will show every post with the words "coil"," spring", and "installation" in the post.
if you search titles, it will only search for the title.

 

A child forum is any forum contained within another.

Example: Let's say you chose to search in the "2015+ F150" forum. If you check the box to search child forums, the search tool will also search within the 2017 Ford SVT F150 Raptor forum, since that is located within the "2015" F150" forum.

So in this example:
2015+ F150 is the parent forum
2017 Ford SVT F150 Raptor forum is the child forum.

 

Ah, I never would have thought of that.

 

Me neither. Been a member here for awhile, never knew what a child forum was. Glad I read this.

 

I would describe my own experience with the search function as "excessively frustrating".

I also hate when people automatically post a common and typical question without making any effort to do some searching around first, but the search function on this otherwise excellent site just plain sucks.

Searching through ten pages of results might be almost tolerable if any one of the results actually contained anything relevant to the search. I've made the effort. I've spent DAYS trying to do my research the right way. I have actually read entire threads with more than 100 pages of posts, and still not found anything of help.

When I see a relative newcomer posting basic questions, I'm much more understanding than I might be on some other site.

And, in the interest of grouping complaints in similar locations, I can't make the "Insert image" function work when making a new post either. The only way I can add a photo to a post is to submit the post without the photo(s), and then come back and edit the post afterwards.

Now, when I want to search something on the ford-trucks website, I do it with google.

 

Yeah sometimes that's much easier if you're looking for a specific topic.

In case some of y'all don't know, Google can be made to search only a specific website. For example if I wanted to search this site for how to install super duty seats in my OBS I'd enter the search in Google followed by "site:www.ford-trucks.com" (without the quotes and be sure there is no space on either side of the : symbol) and that would search ONLY ford-trucks.com for the results.

Check it out...

<a href=http://lmgtfy.com/?q=install+super+duty+seats+in+OBS+site%3Awww.ford-trucks.com>install super duty seats in OBS</a href>

 

advanced search function, and only searching titles works very good.
it is the generic search function that returns 5,000,000 hits for everything except what you are looking for.