I have a 93 Ford F-150. I am very happy with it, as it is my first big truck in 25 years... Went through a Toyota stage until I really wanted to use it as a TRUCK. My Ford is an extended cab with an 8 foot bed. The straight six is a champ... 175,000 and running really well... but has limited power, and gets lousey gas mileage.

But I have several complaints about this Ford design. Granted, some are sniggley, there are probably many technical problems that I know nothing about, but I just thought that most of these problems would be easily remediable... Here goes:

1.) My extended cab has the classic rust hole on the driver's side... clearly a design problem. Why not just fix it? I've seen it on scads of Ford trucks.

2.) My side mirrors shake so much that they are useless for clear vision (while driving fast.) They appear to be mounted on such a large expanse of sheet metal, that they cannot be stabilized in wind. The old ones that were mounted to the top of the door as well never caused me any problems like this. I can't tell if it is a cop or a corvair behind me while on the highway... :-)

3.) And this one REALLY pisses me off. There is no secure place to put my coffee cup! I bought this truck used, so maybe they offer that as an option, but every truck driver I ever met required a place for his morning coffee on the way to work! Any simple suggestions would absolutely thrill me.

4.) Not wanting to turn this into a brand name comparison bash session or anything, I just wonder why the straight six has so little horse power and gets such average to sub standard mileage. Surely the technology for good gas mileage in a pick up is here by now... Do any pick ups of this size get better than 15 mpg?

5.) Who invented the side mounted back seats? Is there any advantage to them compared to the later designed bench seats? I would have thought it could be designed better.... and why haven't they consulted me? !!!!

6.) The road stability is not what I had hoped for in a big truck either. On the occasion that I hit a pothole or something like one, the shock to the body makes me fear the sucker will go into a tailspin... This clearly could be ignorance speaking, but it is currently my reality.

7.) The seat belt design must have been designed by somebody who doesn't drive. Not only is it difficult to push the belt into the latch one handed, but the strap across the shoulder digs unpleasantly into my neck. Hopefully, newer vehicles don't have this design.

8.) With the enormous amount of space in the front seat, there is no space at all for any kind of console due to the stick shift. It is perfectly designed so nothing will really fit in front or in back of it... Also gets in the way of the center passenger. Isn't there a more user friendly design?

9.) The AM/FM radio has no cassette or CD, and, well, seems to be more of a K Mart design than something I would have expected from Ford. Isn't it kind of cheap to even offer something like that? Do some people still opt for AM-only radios?

10.) Why, when we have guys jogging on Mars (or whatever), do we still have hood latch cables breaking, emergency brake cables breaking, the latch on the seat for access to the back -- snapping off, the rear view mirror dropping off, the under the chassis spare wheel holder falling apart, and other kind of planned obsolescence designs...

11.) The rubber seal to my door does not seal. I hear wind through the door crack at all times. I have never owned a vehicle that had that problem...

Hell, I could go on and on... And complaining never helps anything unless you just need grease, but I was wondering if anybody else thought these things, and if Ford ever consulted any of us?

Before anybody goes ballistic on me, know that I love my truck like a horse. And treat it well. Know, too, that I am fully aware of the fact that I don't know a lot about trucks, designs, and especially options offered to new truck buyers... and that I wish the hell I could afford to buy a brand new bugger...

...and lastly, would Chevy, Dodge and GMC owners make the same or similar complaints?

I am originally from Detroit and remember painfully well the Vega, Maverick, Pinto era... 175,000 miles on this truck has them all beat by about 175,000 miles... I could just as easily make a list of things that are fantastic about this very truck. If yr interested in this topic at all, please add to it, to compare notes. I am interested. :-)

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 14-Jun-00 AT 09:18 PM (EST)[/font][p]Howdy...
First off, let me tell you that I too have a '93 F-150 supercab with 111,000 miles on it. Its got the 5.0L automatic and I love it! I sure haven't had any problems to speak of in the 7 or so years that I've had it, with maybe the exception of a bad PCV valve that cause a horrible blowout of my oil pan gasket. Bad PCV (after only 15,000 miles) was to blame and not the vehicle design. Come to think of it, I haven't had anything else go wrong with it or fail...not even a lightbulb. I would like to think that I care for my truck with exceptional care but I really don't. I change the oil, filter, and lube it every 3000 miles, service the tranny every 20,000, and other standard periodic maintenance things that need done...and I drive the heck out of it. It still drives darn near the same as when I got it...though my mirrors do vibrate a bit but more because they've been beaten by other truck doors slamming into it at the local Kmart parking lot. I really haven't had any of the other complaints you have stated (no rust, no excessive wind noise), but then again I do have an OEM console that holds my coffee, and a rear bench seat that holds my dog. Its a great truck, and I love it. Nuff said... )

 

Familyman ,
I have a 90 F150 , 164K miles and the only time it was in a shop other than mine was to have the A/C recharged . Its never been off duty more than 2 days for repairs or problems in 10 yrs . The mileage is about average , I checked mine recently on a 200 round highway trip driving at 70 to 75 and I got 16.3Mpg . I rigged up a console that accomodates large coffee / drink cups that works fine , even has room for a coozie to keep drinks cold . The problems Ive had with my truck Id say are about average for any vehicle . If you think your truck has problems , I have a friend with a 92 1 ton Chevy ...All the mirrors have fallen off , the shift **** has fallen off , both the radiator and heater core died within days of one another , the A/c compressor is dead , the alternator , belt idler pulley , water pump , thermostat and serpentine belt all went to hell within a month of one another . This is a truck with 120K miles . Plus that thing eats fuel like a locomotive . And thats just one Chevy , wait till you move down the food chain to a Dodge .
Paul

 

For door wind noise, check if your doors are properly aligned. I suspect this because my doors make wind noise and they are not parallel with the roof line at the top. Someday I may try to line them up and see if it helps.

For fuel mileage possibly the throttle body needs to be cleaned out. A general tune up may help too.

 

I'm sure Ford has addressed some of these problems/inconveniences in newer models, but go ahead and send your gripe list to Ford Engineering. Just don't mention your history with Toyota, Hah!
Planned obsolescence says it all...Detroit has always made its serious profit on parts and service, not new vehicle sales. Will probably always be so. Welcome back to American iron!
On your other points:
1.)Rust is a fact of life, specially up where you live. You can fix this easily yourself...buy a body work manual and a few tools or barter to have the work done.
2.)Prowl the junkyards and find a pair of real West Coast mirrors. You said it yourself, they're mounted NOT to shake and vibrate.
3.)Buy a good seat or floor mount aftermarket console. Stuffmart sells them for less than $20.
4.)The 300 I-6 is a workhorse, all purpose engine. You can modify it to breathe better (intake and exhaust), and use specialty plugs to boost mpg consistently higher than 15...which by the way is good for trucks this size and weight. Granted Ford could improve mpg, but here again the idea is to push gasoline sales for their partner oil companies.
5.)Can your side-mount back seats and get a bench for less than $100 at the junkyard, or design your own modification.
6.)check and maybe replace your springs and shocks. Air shocks may be the answer here.
7.)You hit the nail on the head...shoulder strap belts simply s**k.
8.)That's a Ford manual tranny for ya'. Buy a seat console or custom build one to fit around your stick. Sacrificing a little floor space is a small price to pay for manual tranny reliability and strength when you really need it.
9.) Buy your favorite after market replacement stereo...not hard to install.
10.) Planned obsolescence sells parts and service.
11.) Align or get your door aligned and replace the seal with a thicker one...not hard to do or barter for.
Not trying to be crass here, just offering my 2 cents worth. Give your truck plenty of feed and water, run the hound out of it but never put it away wet. Do this and your Ford will last almost forever. I was an idiot to trade off my first truck '69 F100 360-V8 and last one (68 F100 300 I-6 heater and radio). Love my 90 F150 SC 300 I-6, but wish I had kept the others, too...wouldn't that make the wife ballistic!

 

this is a very interesting post. i had a 1985 ford ranger and piled on the milage with no problems, including the mirror shake. i had a 1988 f-150 4x2 i-6 4.9 manual tranny. it was a beut. never burned or dropped a bit of oil. i got it with 88,000 miles and i when i sold it it had 325,000 miles, with the original clutch, and tranny and engine. i replaced the battery in 1998 and the alternator in 1998. i loved that truck. i got a blazer chevy and it was junk 1996 v-6. i traded it out right for a f-150 4x4 manual tranny 5.0 and it runs good after i replaced the map sensor. it has 108,000 miles. i love ford trucks and a lot of people do too. but if you want something that rides like a car get a car.

 

We have 3 ford pickups and 1 Chevy and your chevy kind of person. Fords up to 96 are work horses every body feeding cows with pickups use fords.You should hear the wind noise in a drive through car wash.From 97 on there isn't enough difference in the fords and chevys to worry about excet fuel mileage until you drive the deisel.We have the same complaints as you do but we're used to them.

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 18-Jun-00 AT 08:58 PM (EST)[/font][p]

I've had my 1993 F-150 for about 6 years. It has been a da** good truck. Very cheap to maintain, and has had a few problems, I have only had to replace the 02 sensor, TPs sensor, coolant sensor, and one other. My ac is very very cold, a round 38 degrees. also had to replace the egr valve and clean the throttle. Basically its because of maintence and miles.

I have quite a few mods on my truck and am avging 20.1mpg. I have gotten 23 before. The 300 was probably the best you could get. If your truck is stock, 15 isn't bad. Especially with 175k. It's not a spring chicken anymore. But the 300 should easily get over 200k without serious problems. I don't expect my 302 do last as long as the 300 would. Really for 1993, the hp isn't bad. the 4.3l had 160hp, only about 10 more than the 300 but the 300 had 260ft/lbs, the 4.3L had about 245. You want a fullsized truck that is very reliable and cheap. You have it.

The factory radios do suck. I replaced mine with a Alpine Cd player and love it. I'm noticing alot more pickups from our era with rust. especially supercabs and over the wheels. That is just part of it, Chevys and dodges will do it too.


I have terrible wind noise too. I helped stop it by putting some stickon adheasive on the doors. My vent windows leak a bit too. My truck rides terrible too. You think its bad, my sister has a 1993 Geo Prism that rides even worse.


***********PASTMASTER***************
1993 XLT 5.0 E40d 3.55LS Normal Cab/Long bed Loaded from the factory with aid of...MSd 6a ign/s.p. wires, blaster coil, Hypertech Chip, K&N filtercharger, Cat-back dual exhuast w/o mufflers, 3.5", echo tips, Accel distributor cap, Dark Mocha over light mocha. 5% Dark tint, Alpine Cd player/remote, Pioneer speakers.

 

RE Wheel well rust: I had a bad case of this on my '84. I believe you have to hose out the wheel wells, expecially the lip inside the edge of the wheel well, frequently with a hose. I don't think you can trust the car wash either. A couple weeks ago I went through the car wash and specifically paid for an undercarrige wash. Guess what? I felt around the wheel well lip and got lots of fine-grained wet dirt. That holds moisture and will make your truck rust.

 

I have
>only had to replace the
>02 sensor, TPs sensor, coolant
>sensor
>the egr valve and clean
>the throttle.
>
can you tell me what the O2 sensor is, what the TPs sensor is, and the egr valve?

>I have quite a few mods
>on my truck and am
>avging 20.1mpg. I have
>gotten 23 before. The
>300 was probably the best
>you could get.

and please tell me what you did to increase the gas mileage. Regular is up to $2.00 now and still rising... I put on at least 400 miles per week.


MSd 6a
>ign/s.p. wires, blaster coil, Hypertech
>Chip, K&N filtercharger, Accel distributor cap

r these the mpg enhancers?

thanks.

 

There are alot of things you can do for mileage. First has to be driving itself. IF you have a tonneau cover or a topper, that helps alot, otherwise, try driving awile with the tailgate down. That has helped me while driving on the interstate by at least 1mpg. In town driving, you arn't gonna get good mileage, especially if traffic is really hectic. Try to avoid stop and go driving, idling. Baby the throttle, don't full force, and then stop hard. Try to keep the rpm's as low as possible, and avoid using ac.

I have found that the best mpg products are the K&n filtercharger, and then the K&N FIPK is better. A exhuast is another thing that really helps. Try to get as low restriction as possible.




***********PASTMASTER***************
1993 XLT 5.0 E40d 3.55LS Normal Cab/Long bed Loaded from the factory with aid of...MSd 6a ign/s.p. wires, blaster coil, Hypertech Chip, K&N filtercharger, Cat-back dual exhuast w/o mufflers, 3.5", echo tips, Accel distributor cap, Dark Mocha over light mocha. 5% Dark tint, Alpine Cd player/remote, Pioneer speakers.

 

iam very sad to say that with gas prices rising so rapidly it would be better to get a small rice burner. if you have a truck in todays opec market whether its a ford,dodge or chevy or even a tractor trailor you are screwed. i think what we as americans should do is lobby outside the white house and protest the gas prices. after all remember the wars we fought for oil rich middle east countries? i remember the lives we almost lost and the tax payers dollars sunk into the middle east wars. does anyone else remember? what about the marines killed in lebonon?