9th or 10th gen F-150

[ram_man]

Having been looking for a truck for our nephew my wife mentioned us buying a 4x4. We are inheriting my grandparents house it's on a lake in the country. The roads can be pretty bad in the snow and our main reason for wanting to buy a truck with 4x4 is we want to buy a boat by next spring. We went boating a lot this summer with her aunt and have decided we want to get our own boat and do that for family fun.
That being said we don't want to spend $20,000 + on a truck or have a payment. So we are thinking of looking in the $5,000 range give or take a little bit. Seems like this price lands me in the 9th or 10th gen f-150. I have decided I want a ford truck . I want to skip on the ram because they rust like crazy and fall apart and the interiors just crumble to bits. The interior parts are also hard to buy and expensive to buy as well.
The chevy trucks are ok but I just prefer a ford. Really no reason other than preference.
The 9th gens have the legendary i6 but the 10th has the 4.6 the 9th gen looks better (my opinion) but the 10th gen are a little newer more refined ect.
Condition being equal which gen would you prefer
What are some common issues for the 10th gen 97-03? I believe is the year range. I've never owned one so my knowledge is limited. I'd love to hear from owners it previous owners. Any input is appreciated. Thanks everyone.

 

[Gene K]

'99+ 4.6L/5.4L have PI Heads without enough spark plug threads and can blow plugs out taking the threads with them when they get older (5.4L is a worse offender). I think the threads were fixed in either '02 or '03 but you will have to research. Also they made the 10th Gen in 2004 also. I think they called it a Heritage to differentiate it from the 11th Gen.

The 300 has one achilles heel. They tend to need a replacement oil pump at 150,000 - 225,000 mi. The 302 doesn't have as much low end torque as the 300 buut the 302 EFI does as well as the 300 EFI on fuel and is also a long lasting engine. The 300EFI doesn't do as well on fuel as the carb because they run richer.

If you can find a Gen 9 with manual hubs and a manual shifter trans case it will be less problematic. The vacuum operated hubs and electronic transfer case especially on the Gen 10 can be problematic when older.

 

[wpod]

I don't care to use the generations and there are changes with in the design change for the years.

 

[OVERKILL]

Common issues are the same as for the Expedition, of which we've owned three, so:
1. Ball joints
2. Launching spark plugs on the PI heads
3. Camshaft tensioners. These are hit and miss, if they haven't gone, they probably won't. Seems Ford tended to use the molds too long.
4. Exhaust manifold studs breaking off and manifolds cracking. Both happen. Passenger side almost always.
5. Throttle body getting gummed up and sticking
6. If it has a sunroof, the rockers rusting out because the drains get plugged
7. Factory muffler will rot out and split. Replacement will do the same unless you go with something different.
8. On the 9.75 the axle seals will start to leak, usually passenger side.
9. Headlights are absolutely awful. A relay harness here may help.
10. DTRL resistor module will fail.
11. ABS pump controller will fail internally and kill the battery

That's all I can think of at the moment. They are particularly hard on the front-end bits, mostly ball joints but also tie-rod ends. Moog makes Problem Solver replacements which seem to be an improvement.

 

[BISCUT]

I've had excellent "luck" with ford. From 1997 Explorer to 2002 Explorer to Mountaineer and all were excellent. 04 F150 I had a good one and my 15 F150 is 6 years old and only 50k miles but love it. I say this to show I'm no F150 basher. We keep our vehicles to past the 200k mark.

I would caution that any F150 you are looking at in the 5k range is probably overpriced for what your getting given the market today. And something this age you really don't have a clue how it's been maintained or how hard it's worked. Front ends for sure and IWE's are often trouble. MHO you are potentially headed into a minefield of repairs. If you are able to do the repairs yourself it certainly opens thing up. If not it can get more pricey in the long run than a new XL base model. Run the numbers over a 5, 7, 10 year span and then add the value in the new one if sold.

It's hard to find that utopia of a used 5k pick up. But man if you do find it, you certainly made out like a bandit.

 

[blupupher]

Common issues are the same as for the Expedition, of which we've owned three, so:
1. Ball joints
2. Launching spark plugs on the PI heads
3. Camshaft tensioners. These are hit and miss, if they haven't gone, they probably won't. Seems Ford tended to use the molds too long.
4. Exhaust manifold studs breaking off and manifolds cracking. Both happen. Passenger side almost always.
5. Throttle body getting gummed up and sticking
6. If it has a sunroof, the rockers rusting out because the drains get plugged
7. Factory muffler will rot out and split. Replacement will do the same unless you go with something different.
8. On the 9.75 the axle seals will start to leak, usually passenger side.
9. Headlights are absolutely awful. A relay harness here may help.
10. DTRL resistor module will fail.
11. ABS pump controller will fail internally and kill the battery

That's all I can think of at the moment. They are particularly hard on the front-end bits, mostly ball joints but also tie-rod ends. Moog makes Problem Solver replacements which seem to be an improvement.

1. Yup
2. Only if not torqued correctly (28 ft/lbs dry). Don't use a helicoil to fix, use a Time-Sert or similar
3. use 5w-20 oil, the hydraulic tensioners work faster with it, but if damage is already done, won't make a difference
4. yup
5. yup
6. depends on location, around here, it just ends up causing leaks in the cab
7. Not down here. my '02 has original muffler still
8. 200,000 miles and mine are still fine, although my pinion seal leaks
9. yes, but getting clear lens replacements helps a lot
10. not an issue in the US
11. there is a fix for that

Never driven a 9th gen, but I know they have their pro's and con's as well.
The 10th gen being newer (although at least 17 yrs old) tend to not be as in bad of shape, except the 4x4 models tend to get trashed by teenagers cranking the torsion bars to get lift and just doing stupid stuff to them.
I like my '02 F150 and plan on keeping it for a long time.

 

[OVERKILL]

1. Yup
2. Only if not torqued correctly (28 ft/lbs dry). Don't use a helicoil to fix, use a Time-Sert or similar
3. use 5w-20 oil, the hydraulic tensioners work faster with it, but if damage is already done, won't make a difference
4. yup
5. yup
6. depends on location, around here, it just ends up causing leaks in the cab
7. Not down here. my '02 has original muffler still
8. 200,000 miles and mine are still fine, although my pinion seal leaks
9. yes, but getting clear lens replacements helps a lot
10. not an issue in the US
11. there is a fix for that

Never driven a 9th gen, but I know they have their pro's and con's as well.
The 10th gen being newer (although at least 17 yrs old) tend to not be as in bad of shape, except the 4x4 models tend to get trashed by teenagers cranking the torsion bars to get lift and just doing stupid stuff to them.
I like my '02 F150 and plan on keeping it for a long time.

On #2: I lost #4 spark plug even after torquing it properly. I think the threads were galled as the Expedition has rear A/C and heat and those lines run directly over top of that cylinder. I had it fixed with the lock-n-stitch insert (approved by Ford) and never had another issue with it.

On #3: A good friend of mine had his '03 F-150 religiously serviced with 5w-20, unlike me who ran everything from 0w-20 to 5w-40 in my 5.4L. At about 180,00Km his tensioners gave up the ghost, his engine jumped time and it had to go into the dealer where this was discovered. It was throwing random misfire codes all over the place and he had no idea what was going on. On the other hand, our 2002 Expedition is still going on the original guides and must have over 400,000Km on it now, as it had in the 340's IIRC when I sold it and the guy has a pretty good commute.

On #8: Do you have the 8.8 or 9.75? I believe the issue is 9.75 only, as both my dad on his 2000 and our 2002 had the right rear axle seal leak, but we both had max tow setups with the 5.4L, 4R100 and 9.75" rear.

On #9: Yes, we used the headlight polish kit from 3M and it helped. Also fitted GE Nighthawk bulbs, which improved it even more. My dad's are really dim now (it's 20 years old) even with clean housings so I think the wiring on his is just giving up the ghost. A relay harness would likely help immensely as I expect the drop he's experiencing is significant.

On #11: I got a used module in much better shape than mine, which had at the time seen over 300,000Km and plenty of Canadian winters, so lots of salt, at the wreckers for pretty cheap. I looked into the DIY fix before doing so, so am aware of the fix. Thanks for the link though, it may be valuable for the OP

 

[dogememe]

Not sure why you'd buy either of those over a GMT800 Chevy/GMC. I have nothing against Ford but GM simply made the superior trucks in the late 90s and early 2000s.

 

[ram_man]

Not sure why you'd buy either of those over a GMT800 Chevy/GMC. I have nothing against Ford but GM simply made the superior trucks in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Well I actually didn't like these much mostly because the brake lines just rust apart . The 5.3 also had some weird sludge build up when these first came out. But yeah where I live these just rust to pieces. They are more rusted out than the gmt 400's still around.

 

[OVERKILL]

Well I actually didn't like these much mostly because the brake lines just rust apart . The 5.3 also had some weird sludge build up when these first came out. But yeah where I live these just rust to pieces. They are more rusted out than the gmt 400's still around.

Yeah, they disappear around here too, cabs and fenders rot off them. Heck, did you see the pic of the frame rails on my buddy's work truck I posted? And that's a newer truck.

 

[ram_man]

Yeah, they disappear around here too, cabs and fenders rot off them. Heck, did you see the pic of the frame rails on my buddy's work truck I posted? And that's a newer truck.

No I didn't where can I find it I want to see it .

 

[OVERKILL]

No I didn't where can I find it I want to see it .

08 Silverado 4.8 horrible accelration/MPG Stumped ??

Torque management at work? IIRC the ECU won't let full power in 1st gear. Possibly a recalibration of that. Both vehicles are drive by wire but it's more apparent in the 2013. My 05 has it also but maybe it doesn't keep it from full power in first gear. It feels like it gives full power in...

www.bobistheoilguy.com

 

[ram_man]

08 Silverado 4.8 horrible accelration/MPG Stumped ??

Torque management at work? IIRC the ECU won't let full power in 1st gear. Possibly a recalibration of that. Both vehicles are drive by wire but it's more apparent in the 2013. My 05 has it also but maybe it doesn't keep it from full power in first gear. It feels like it gives full power in...

www.bobistheoilguy.com

Holy cow!!! That thing is rough. Our rust issue isn't quite that bad here thank god. It's definitely bad enough here though.

 

[blupupher]

...

On #8: Do you have the 8.8 or 9.75? I believe the issue is 9.75 only, as both my dad on his 2000 and our 2002 had the right rear axle seal leak, but we both had max tow setups with the 5.4L, 4R100 and 9.75" rear.

I have the 9.75.

...

On #11: I got a used module in much better shape than mine, which had at the time seen over 300,000Km and plenty of Canadian winters, so lots of salt, at the wreckers for pretty cheap. I looked into the DIY fix before doing so, so am aware of the fix. Thanks for the link though, it may be valuable for the OP

I had an abs light ( C1198, C1214, and C1185 codes) and another member on the forum had the same ones, it was a different issue than the ABS pump running, but still an issue within the box that was talked about in that thread.
For me, it was just a matter of pulling the box apart and re-soldering a few spots, problem solved.

Two other things to add on the 10th gen, the windshield on these eventually leak, and the water drips onto the GEM on the drivers side, causing all kinds of electrical issues.
The rear window also leaks, and can only be properly fixed by removing the window and resealing it with butyl tape, don't try to use silicone or any thing else to seal up the gaps, it won't work.