Howdy,

I just picked up this vehicle. It has high miles (212K), but it runs very nice and is in great shape. I also got a pretty good deal (I think). The dealership that I bought it from did a lube job on it and I am just wondering if there is anything I should do to it before making it a daily driver? Thanks.

 

Anyone????

 

Id replace the spark plugs and wires flush everything that the dealer didnt and put new oil and coolant in. Id change all your filters. This is all stuff i did when i got my 96 f-250. A lube job at my dealer is they just change the engine oil and filter. Checking your brakes ,coudnt hurt. Check your oils to make sure your not burnin em. You also have some grease fittings on the sterring linkage that could be greased. Hope this helps good luck with your truck.

 

Oh have you tested the 4x4 yet. You have to go find some nasty terain and make sure that 4x4 works lol. I did that b4 i bought mine it needed new hubs but the dealer put them on when i told em.

 

This sounds exactly like my truck. Mine is a SuperCab. If it has automatic hubs I would check into their condition. I procrastinated doing that and for way tood long every time I took a sharp turn they would let me know they were there. I finally cleaned and lubed them this last weekend and can't believe the difference. Don't forget to check your differentials as well.

Rich

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I checked the 4 wheel drive. Works . I'm thinking of changing the auto hubs out to manuals. Suggestions?

 

Just out of curiosity, if you dont mind, what did you pay for your new rig? It sounds like you've got a good truck, the 460's really hold up well, so i wouldnt worry too much.

 

I paid $4000 out the door (tax, licensing, etc). I ran a Carfax and it was owned by a single owner. It all appears to be well maintained, and I am hoping to get a lot of life out of it. It also has a lot of extras: Warn winch, grill guard, nice rims and tires, bed liner, etc. The interior has been redone (carpet and upholstery) and the body has only 2 minor dings. The paint still looks pretty good, but I may repaint sometime down the road. I wonder if the engine has been rebuilt at some time but don't really know how to tell. Good deal or not?

 

Manual Hub recommendation would be Warns Premium or MileMarker Supreme. Both are all metal (ie - no plastic) hubs.
Cheers,
Popa Tim

 

I'd say its about average, possibly a little high, but it sounds like you got a really nice truck. I paid 1600 for my rig, but its 6 years older, carburated, low miles though, almost 77000 miles at the time of purchase. it came to about 1800 otd, from a private seller, but this was an unbelievably good deal, specially for cali. No rust, but the paint is flat, it was a farm truck so it didnt get used to much and sat around most of the time.

 

Personally I enjoy my auto hubs. There is good and bad with both. About 98% of my driving is on the road and extremely rarely do I get into a hard core 4 wheel situation. So I would much rather reach down and drop it into 4 wheel and go without getting out to lock in the hubs. Some of the guys I talk to say it is fun to get on the trail looking back to see buddies tromping around locking hubs it.
On the other hand autos are more touchy and need more mainatainence and are useless in reverse and downhill.
Tex recommended some great steps and I also have the Ford procedure so if you decide to keep your autos I'd be glad to share them with you.
BTW, sounds like a great deal. I paid about $6400 for mine about 2 years ago and then ended up having to put another $1k into it immediately after getting it. Ball joint, all four corner brakes (one rotor was cracked from the hub all the way out) and new rear axle seals. It had about 136K on the clock.

Rich

 

Rich,

I'm thinking I'll be keeping the autos for now at least. They seem to be working fine. What are the procedures for maintenance on these? Thanks

 

I removed and cleaned all hub parts and wheel bearings. Installed new wheel seal. Packed bearings with Amsoil Multi-purpose grease. Soaked hub assembly in Marvel Mystery oil let drip dry for few minutes then a quick dip in Mercon ATF (per Ford). Packed drag sleeve brake spring with Fords special teflon grease. ($36 for a 1 pound can. Let me know if you would like to try some) Packed small bearing in question with assembly lube and put everything back together.
If you contact me off list I will send you some clips of the Ford manual which gives you a better step-by-step guide.

But tonight my bubble is burst, at least a bit. I took it to a nearby dirt road, nothing too tough, and cycled in in and out of 4 wheel a few times. The grinding re-appeared. My wife did give me a good way to describe it though. I bought some tires tat were to extent of clearance with no lift. When turning sharp the tread would contact the front bumper and rub just enough to make a grinding sound. That is exactly what it sounds like. So this weekend I will remove the lockers entirely, cover the end of the hub to keep dirt out and put it to the test with lockers completely gone. Then I can decide where to go from there.

Hope this helps,

Rich

 

Now you're scaring me Rich. Maybe I'll start looking into manuals . My truck is a supercab also. The high miles scared me a bit, but it seemed to run as nicely and be in better shape than many that I drove in the low 100ks. Love this forum. I already have a list of things that I want to do to my truck. Now just have to find the time and money.

 

I wouldn't be scared if the danged tings weren't grinding. If yours aren't and you want to keep them just do a quick service on them and keep on going. I hardly ever use the 4 wheel drive and being lazy like I am I would prefer to keep the autos. But if I want to replace them entirely Ford is the only option and it would be about $300 per side. I would rather save $400 and apply it to the headers it looks like I am going to have to buy.
Rich