There are people out there who likely tired of hearing about my beloved "Rice-Eating Generic Chevy Truck" - well it looks like you guys are in luck. Since the day I drove it new off the lot, my sweet little 1/2 ton Silverado has given me more than it should; whether hauling stuff that should have been towed by a 3500-series, or making fools out of local gangstas in their winged Hon-duhs and Escalades. But now, she's dying. For the last several months, I've been trying to kill some gremlins in the EFI system. Sensors, motors, actuators, injectors, fuel pump, nothing seemed to work; couldn't even get an engine failure code that made any sense. Short of taking the time to pull out the whole mess and go through the harness wire-by-wire; I wasn't getting anywhere. Could still get to work, by "heel-n-toe" at stoplights and riding the clutch when the light turned green. So now the clutch is toast.
When I last had the clutch done (couldn't take the time to do it myself)at 94k miles; we had to turn the flywheel down almost to minimums (and Mrs StangDreamin' still can't figure out a stick shift); so that would need to be replaced. And since the T/O and the master/slave cylinders (hydraulic clutch) never gave me a lick of trouble in 166k miles; they probably ought to be replaced "while I'm in there". So, in addition to whatever money/time the EFI mess will cost me; tack on another day or three and $400+ to fix the clutch in my driveway. All this to keep driving a 15-year-old 1/2 ton V6 pickup with a couple of cylinders down 10-15 lbs; with a finicky A/C, bad paint and upholstery, many dents, dings and gouges. Oh yeah, the synchros for first ans second gear are starting to squawk on cold mornings and the front end is pretty doggone sloppy - oughta rebuild that, too.
So here's the deal. In my front yard sits a one-owner '02 F150 Lariat 4x4wearing Dealer's License Plates. "Just take it out and have one of your mechanic buddies look it over and bring it back tomorrow night"
5.4 liter OHC V8, four-speed automatic; new skins all around, original full-size spare still has tags and paint marks on it. Power and automatic everything, Line-X spray in bedliner, Class IV hitch and power/light kit for the horse trailer, even leather interior (prolly freeze my a$$ off when I sit down in it tomorrow AM).
My question is: Does this thing stand a snowball's chance in Death Valley of being as reliable for as long as my Chebbie has been for 14-1/2 of the last 15 years??? From experience, I know the 5.4 will likely pull our horse trailer up hills much better than the anemic two-valve 4.6 that tries to pull around my work truck (2000 F-150). And the tranny is supposedly much more bomb-proof than the original 4EOD's were. Lots of B/W 1392 transfer cases fly Ford trucks around Glamis and the sand dunes; it should do okay just keeping me moving around in any mountain mud. And, I've got the dealership's service records on it (same dealer).
But how reliable is it really gonna be? I figure that, with the national scope and performance mindedness of our crew; at least a few of you has had some time in a new Ford pickup; let me know, before I possibly make a $20k mistake sometime early this week.
EDIT: P.S. Yes, I crawled all around underneath, a little mud-spray but no leaks other than a suspicious stain on one rear shock. Put it in a little blow-sand out at a friend's house today; the electric transfer case and vacuum front differential actuator did their jobs, I threw some small rooster tails from all four tires. According to the tag under the hood; the recall work on the cruise control harness was performed when it was traded in.
Thanks!
When I last had the clutch done (couldn't take the time to do it myself)at 94k miles; we had to turn the flywheel down almost to minimums (and Mrs StangDreamin' still can't figure out a stick shift); so that would need to be replaced. And since the T/O and the master/slave cylinders (hydraulic clutch) never gave me a lick of trouble in 166k miles; they probably ought to be replaced "while I'm in there". So, in addition to whatever money/time the EFI mess will cost me; tack on another day or three and $400+ to fix the clutch in my driveway. All this to keep driving a 15-year-old 1/2 ton V6 pickup with a couple of cylinders down 10-15 lbs; with a finicky A/C, bad paint and upholstery, many dents, dings and gouges. Oh yeah, the synchros for first ans second gear are starting to squawk on cold mornings and the front end is pretty doggone sloppy - oughta rebuild that, too.
So here's the deal. In my front yard sits a one-owner '02 F150 Lariat 4x4wearing Dealer's License Plates. "Just take it out and have one of your mechanic buddies look it over and bring it back tomorrow night"
5.4 liter OHC V8, four-speed automatic; new skins all around, original full-size spare still has tags and paint marks on it. Power and automatic everything, Line-X spray in bedliner, Class IV hitch and power/light kit for the horse trailer, even leather interior (prolly freeze my a$$ off when I sit down in it tomorrow AM).
My question is: Does this thing stand a snowball's chance in Death Valley of being as reliable for as long as my Chebbie has been for 14-1/2 of the last 15 years??? From experience, I know the 5.4 will likely pull our horse trailer up hills much better than the anemic two-valve 4.6 that tries to pull around my work truck (2000 F-150). And the tranny is supposedly much more bomb-proof than the original 4EOD's were. Lots of B/W 1392 transfer cases fly Ford trucks around Glamis and the sand dunes; it should do okay just keeping me moving around in any mountain mud. And, I've got the dealership's service records on it (same dealer).
But how reliable is it really gonna be? I figure that, with the national scope and performance mindedness of our crew; at least a few of you has had some time in a new Ford pickup; let me know, before I possibly make a $20k mistake sometime early this week.
EDIT: P.S. Yes, I crawled all around underneath, a little mud-spray but no leaks other than a suspicious stain on one rear shock. Put it in a little blow-sand out at a friend's house today; the electric transfer case and vacuum front differential actuator did their jobs, I threw some small rooster tails from all four tires. According to the tag under the hood; the recall work on the cruise control harness was performed when it was traded in.
Thanks!