For those that have seen some of my previous posts we just bought a 2000 XLT 4X4 with 81k miles on the 2nd of January. We really dont have history on this vehicle (will be getting a carfax report in a couple weeks...waiting on tax return to come back). I got the oil changed and put the 5W30 Mobile (regular not synthetic) Oil in it and also dumped a bottle of the 'engine cleaner' in the gas tank(what do ya'll think of these engine cleaners or do you recommend a name brand?). This seemed to help my gas mileage a bit..will know exactly when I fill up tomorrow. (got 12.3mpg last fill up before this) The trottle hasn't stuck since that either....Rear end rattles(rough) a bit, to me at least, but been told that its just a 4X4 rough ride. As far as oil change, tire balance every 3000 miles what else should I be looking to do to this truck to help keep it in good shape? We are buying new tires in a couple weeks also. Looks like it has a little more wear and tear then the truck I traded in but I personally baby my vehicles and make sure everything is in good shape, body wise inside out. (traded a 2000 ext. cab (4th door) Chevy 1500 4.8L 64k miles(got it new in 2000) for this 2000 5.4L w/ 81k miles) With a little one running around we need something bigger and 4 full doors. The engine looks extremely clean and it runs good. Im also not familiar with the air ride suspension. I beleive it has it in all 4 corners. Are there any problems with this year model I should be aware of? We have a 2 year Ford Base Warranty on it. Thanks

 

Since you don't know the history, I'd recommend changing the transmission fluid and the transfer case fluid since its 4X4. For this model, it should have a drain plug in the transmission pan, which helps keep the job a little less messy. But, you still need to drop the pan, and change the filter. Also, drain the torque convertor to make sure you get as much of the old transmission fluid out as possible. Take care to re-load with the correct Mercon fluid for this model vehicle and transmission. If you do a search on this forum, there are several good descriptions of the how-to's and things to remember.

I have the same truck with almost the same mileage, and the only other thing I'm considering is whether or not to tackle changing the plugs, which are a real bear! My truck runs great, and the manual says plugs should be good for 100K miles. But, there are several posts here that talk about plugs being blown out of the head on hard acceleration due to being loose. Also, there's a known problem with a heater hose clamp over the number 4 plug tending to fail, and leaking coolant down on the coil, and causing a miss. These couple of things make me think that changing out the plugs is smart maintenance for peace of mind, if nothing else.

Hope this helps.

 

The optional air ride suspension is on all four wheels on 4x4 models.