Junk Ford F150...

[hattaresguy]

I'm not really shocked by this since in my circle of friends and workers this is about F150 number 5 that's imploded, but still:

Yesterday my dad wanted me to do him a favor and pick up his 2007 F150 at the dealer. His extended warranty just went up for time, he just rolled over 60k on the truck and the alternator went bad for the 3rd or 4th time and the dealer changed it. But his other complaint was the truck had a lot of top end noise, he said the mechanic at the dealer drove it and said its normal. (Backround, he has owned this truck since new and is old school so it got a LOF every 3k maybe 3.5k at most with whatever the manual called for 5w20? With a Ford filter.)

I only half listened, I mean its a truck they make a bit of noise right? So I go to pick the thing up and it had been sitting all day with a high of maybe 5, it sounded like a diesel starting it up. Literally idling threw the Ford dealers parking lot it sounded like a (*)&^*()^)T^Y%& Cat under the hood. So I park this wonderful sounding POS V6 outside the dealer and left it idling. I'm thinking clearing they are screwing my dad over because their is no way in [censored] this could be "normal". I find his service guy who is clearly a moron and say listen whats going on, it sounds like a freaken cancer patient with half a lung. He is like that's what they sound like. I said no &*(^^&*(&^* way my 130k mile Chevy sounds like a gas motor and normal, this sounds like death. This sounds like Ford screwed the specs up on the lifters, cam and valves and as a result it sounds like death. The service guy said sorry its out of warranty, my comment is nah don't worry about it, its going to be a 2014 Forester soon so screw you idiots. Driving it home it sounded really, horrible.

This is the second diesely sounding F150 we have experience with, the first was a 5.4, this is the first V6. My uncles F150 made it until 80k at least before the rear end, motor, and transfer case blew...

Trade in time. I think the 14 Subaru's are nice.

 

[Michael_P]

I think there was a recall / TSB on the cam phasers. Change those and the noise should go away.

 

[spasm3]

I might try a regional service manager, explain the problem, elderly father etc. May not do any good but you have nothing to lose, especially if you have, or the dealer has service records.
Did he take in to the dealer about the noise before it was out of warranty?

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
I think there was a recall / TSB on the cam phasers. Change those and the noise should go away.
That only applies to the 5.4 V8. OP said his is a V6.

 

[JHZR2]

Interesting. For the oil biz in the VI, ford trucks are entirely what is in use because of their toughness. The original V6 F150 that was the transition over from toyota hauled more pallets of four 55 gallon drums of oil over more severe terrain that is ever seen in the states, and is still operating well in severe service in severe terrain.

The super duty 250 gets worked even harder, and the V8 F150 has been really good too, other than plastic trim rotting in the sun.

Bummer yours have been so bad. Id never buy one as a commuter truck, but as work trucks, theyre pretty darn good in service far beyond what goes on in the states.

 

[askani79705]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
I might try a regional service manager, explain the problem, elderly father etc. May not do any good but you have nothing to lose, especially if you have, or the dealer has service records.
Did he take in to the dealer about the noise before it was out of warranty?

This

 

[Clevy]

Huh. That's disappointing.
If I had that experience I'd be brand shopping too.
He'll like the forester. Very capable and practical

 

[Olas]

I'm not sure if it's the case in N.Am but in Europe pre-planned obsolescence is rife in the car industry - Very soon after the warranty expires the car fails in several ways, mainly so you have to buy another one.

Same reason they won't sell you a lightbulb that never breaks..They'd never sell you another one..

 

[Cmarti]

The 4.2 v6 has had problems with the intake manifold . The manifold will leak coolant into the front cylinder. First sign is a knock, with very minor coolant loss. this is major and you canlose the engine. The thermo-plastic plenums struggle in the cold and allow air leaks arond the individual cylinder intakes resulting in a lean code 174 & 171. 2007 should have the better gaskets that were supposed to be immune to the temp change and resistant to the dirty egr/pvc system. This is all a pain in the [censored] couple hour job,but roughly a 100$ Gates manifold gasket kit.

While in there, clean the egr port for each cylinder. I added a catch can in the pvc line. There are highly detailed instructions available at the ford truck forums. These leaks were common and occured in both 4.2 trucks I have owned. Finally, it is a pushrod motor and tends to clank a little cold. Good luck to you and your father.

 

[mrsilv04]

Waiting for the Ford fanboys to come to the rescue...

It always happens if anything negative is said about a Ford.

 

[Roadkingnc]

While not my first choice for an engine, the 4.2s would last a long time and weren't extremely noisy. I would take it elsewhere for another opinion.

 

[rjundi]

While you complain my brother in law got 200k trouble free out of a 2000 F150 with 4.2L 6 cylinder by simply changing oil and a few things otherwise. It was his work truck.

My father in law got it and kept till last year but it rotted out since he lives 100' from Atlantic ocean. It had 400k. It ran fine but had some work done cheaply a few times for around $500-$1000 in the 300k-400k range.

His luck yours bad luck. I think the majority fall between there.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Waiting for the Ford fanboys to come to the rescue...

It always happens if anything negative is said about a Ford.


Let's just be glad this thread isn't about Panthers!

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Waiting for the Ford fanboys to come to the rescue...

It always happens if anything negative is said about a Ford.

And if someone says something negative about GM, someone has to complain that this site is full of GM bashers, so what's your point?

 

[Jarlaxle]

I saw several 4.2 vans wind up 250,000+ miles. The op's truck has a problem, but the 4.2 V6 is a decent engine.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Cmarti
The 4.2 v6 has had problems with the intake manifold . The manifold will leak coolant into the front cylinder. First sign is a knock, with very minor coolant loss. this is major and you canlose the engine.



I don't have a lot of experience with this particular engine, but a bit of research had one individual with a 4.2L with a coolant leak bend a rod, and the slightly bent rod was contacting the crank counterweight, thereby making noise.

I would definitely get a second opinion.

 

[tig1]

As Cmarti said, there was intake problems in the 90s and early 2000s with the Ford V6 engines. Not sure about the 2007 models. It seems like other makes have intake problems and noise issues as well. Chevys are notorious for these problems. I know a guy that filed a suit against GM for piston slap, but lost. The next week he sold that truck.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Huh. That's disappointing.
If I had that experience I'd be brand shopping too.
He'll like the forester. Very capable and practical


we have a 2011 forester and that is not a particularly quiet engine either n- esp on start up with lots of chain racket. but, Maybe the wife has it carboned up from conservative driving and its got deck slap from carbon buildup. Many new engine designs have neg or zero deck.

 

[Cmarti]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Waiting for the Ford fanboys to come to the rescue...

It always happens if anything negative is said about a Ford.


I am a Ford guy, but I was willing to point out a known weakness and a solution to that weakness if it is the problem. Chevy, Toyo and Ram all have had a design weakness evidenced by TSB and recalls. We can list everybody's. Ask Chevy about V6 intake gasket
problems.

In this specific case, It was a bullet proof block with a bad intake design and seal material. It got better as Ford learned. It was discontinued as it was limited in the HP/MPG you could get out of a cast iron pushrod motor.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Cmarti
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Waiting for the Ford fanboys to come to the rescue...

It always happens if anything negative is said about a Ford.


I am a Ford guy, but I was willing to point out a known weakness and a solution to that weakness if it is the problem. Chevy, Toyo and Ram all have had a design weakness evidenced by TSB and recalls. We can list everybody's. Ask Chevy about V6 intake gasket
problems.

In this specific case, It was a bullet proof block with a bad intake design and seal material. It got better as Ford learned. It was discontinued as it was limited in the HP/MPG you could get out of a cast iron pushrod motor.

We have two 5.4's in the family right now with 168,000 miles on them (each). Other than one launching a plug, they have been bulletproof.

It's the luck of the draw, sometimes you just get a lemon, regardless of brand.