1997 Ford F150 XLT from North America - Comments

Driver side mirror replaced twice.

Sparkplug wires replaced.

Thermostat replaced at 52000M.

Front timing cover gasket leaking at 56000M.

For the early part of my ownership, nothing much can be reported, with the exception of the driver side power mirror being replaced twice while under warranty, a set of new spark plug wires and a few recalls that were taken care of.

The main thrust of this entry concerns a recent problem that may have started as long as 6 or 7 months ago, but was only brought to my attention on 2/4/03 by a former Ford mechanic that now runs a quick change oil place. I had noticed coolant on my garage floor for about 3 or 4 months, but could not determine where it was coming from. When I looked under the hood there was no obvious sign of a leak and I dismissed it as an occasional boil over that probably wasn't anything to worry about. Then one night while driving home from work, the temperature gauge indicated a high temperature in the cooling system and it fluctuated wildly from cold to hot. I knew this was a symptom of a bad thermostat and took it in to the the quick change place mentioned above. It was indeed a bad thermostat and the repair cleared the problem. About a month later, I noticed the heater wasn't heating properly. It would slowly start to emit heat and then cool down and then return in a constant cycle of cool and semi-warm air. The temp gauge showed absolutely no sign of instability, although it seemed to register slightly cooler than before the thermostat was replaced. Yesterday, 2/4/03, I took it back to the quick change place, thinking that maybe they had installed a bad thermostat. I fold him not only about the heater problem, but about the coolant leakage. He then did a detailed analysis of the engine and concluded that my front timing cover gasket was leaking. He went to say that this was a common problem with some Ford products and then listed on a paper the remedies and their costs. The total could be as much as $1400! It would involve tearing down the front of the engine, replacing the front cover gasket, and the intake manifold gasket. He went on to say if the intake manifold or front cover gasket surfaces were pitted, they would need replacing as well to prevent leakage of coolant, which I've found, has happened to a lot of 1997 F150 owners which ruined the engine. At 56000 miles, this is totally unacceptable to me. I have been doing a lot of research into this and it turns out there is not only a TSB (technical service bulletin) but a recall by Ford (99b29) that covers other Ford products (including 1997 F150 trucks) with the same problem. In fact, the only difference that my truck has than the other vehicles listed is the engine, a 4.2L V6. That is what excludes it from the recall. However, the engines that were affected includes the smaller V6 as well as some V8 engines. This same mechanic also gave me a copy of the TSB and it showed there being a fix for this problem in the sense that the gasket kit has been modified to stop the problem from recurring.

As of this morning, 2/5/03, I am waiting for a call from the Atlanta office to voice my complaints. Already I've spoken with a "Customer Care" rep. He told my only recourse was to go to the last dealer I had the truck serviced, and "try to work a deal" with them. What the heck does that mean? Negotiate the cost of a repair of a materials defect that Ford is responsible for? I don't think so. If there are similar stories, I'd love to hear them. My email address is s92556a@yahoo.com. Here is the web site to find the district offices and people who can supposedly help:

http://www.bonforums.com/contacts/contacts_fordreps.htm.

Very common problem with the 1997 4.2L Ford engine.

http://www.leakingfords.com.

I just fixing my ford f150 v6 4.2

today june 13 2003 I've found the same problem in my truck

it's been leaking for a long time

fixing it.I found that the truck has one bolt that goes trough the metal and hits the coolant

that's why the gasket leaks

the gasket protects the edge of the metal around the timing chain, but it is not design to protect around the bolts

and that is the reason why my truck leaks

i would say a factory defect from ford.

I questioned a dealer about the problem and they said the fix was a piece of gasket paper between the bolt head and the cover.

Talk about a rigged job.

I found out today that I will have to get my Ford Truck 4.2l front cover gasket and intake manifold gasket replaced because of faulty materials used by Ford upon manufacture of this engine. The dealer said this is a common problem with 1997-1998 F-150 trucks. The dealer stated that there might be further engine damage that could result in replacement of engine. I feel I have been victimized by Ford feel I will not buy Ford products in the future. Ford should compensate owners for shoddy workmanship and materials or risk losing valued customers FOREVER!

I purchased my F-150, (1997) used with approx. 20,00 miles on it. From the the very first week I had it, there was a small coolant leak that I dismissed as overflow. My garage is carpeted and I have over the past several years always noticed small spots of coolant on it, but could never find the leak. Today, while I was at lunch I noticed a considerable puddle under my truck. I left work drove it home to get a good look, and found it to be leaking from the timing chain cover plate on the left side somewhere around the top left side of cover plate. Have not yet contacted a dealer, but will in the near future.

Dave.

Most of the time first year vehicles have problems. With the exception of the new v6 they put in the F-150,they had 2 good new engines.

4.2s are infamous for problems. The only good side to them I've ever seen is that it makes dead F150s inexpensive parts donors when the engine dies (the rest of the truck isn't bad). For the adventurous, get a V8 donor truck and swap drivetrains. (Yes, you'll need enough stuff to justify a donor truck.)

A web search will confirm my comments. Also, be aware the early 4R70W transmissions are starting to die now. Just replaced the spouses in her 1997 F150, but it had 160K+ miles so that really isn't out of the ballpark. Expect to pay about $1500 for a remanufactured unit, and get those in preference to having a local tranny shop swap bands/clutches/seals as used to be the standard.

I too, have had the same problems with the timing chain cover leaking. That was about 10 years and 130,000 miles ago. I had it repaired (kinda) by the dealer, they never really fixed the leak. Other than that it has been a great truck. It is 11 years old with 161,000 miles on it, and I wouldn't hesitate to go on any road trip with it today.

I bought my 97 in 2001 with 18000 on it. Was absolutely trouble free until 2008 with 138000 miles on it. Had a broken bolt on the transmission and the normal front end parts replaced.

If I could I buy this truck all over again, with 143000 miles on it now, I would take it anywhere right now.

No leaks. No problems at all till 138000 miles. Fixed it up and it's ready to roll. One small rust spot on right rear 1/4, which is amazing here in SALT country.

Handles excellent in snow. Most of the miles on this vehicle included pulling a 4000 pound trailer.

So I guess I must have been a lucky guy?

I bought my 1997 F150 4.6 LTR V8 with 160,000 miles in 2006. The engine and transmission have no leaks at 197,000 miles and burns no oil between oil changes. The transmission shifts better than my friends new Chevy 1500 truck. The paint is still in great shape too. The only problem besides routine maintenance and upper ball joints is the tach went out at 165,000. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a 1000+ mile road trip at a moments notice.

Built Ford tough!! /SD.

You had to replace your spark plug wires?! Oh no! That's terrible! God forbid you have to do some basic maintenance right? Spark plug wires don't last forever. You should replace them every 50,000 miles or so.

I had the same gasket problems on my F150XL 4.2L with 45000 miles. After the problem got fixed by a Ford dealership, and I got my truck back and put 10 miles on it, the motor blew. The dealership said it was not their problem. So I called the place where I got the truck. They said 2 of the 4 recalls they did, the motor did the same thing and Ford is replacing the 4.2L motors. So all and all, I got a new motor and I got 185000 miles on it with no problems. I love my Ford truck.

I have a 1997 Ford F150 with the 4.2. The motor recently died and I have swapped it with a 1998 4.2. Is there anything I need to know of that might set me back. The motor is in and 90% installed, and it's starting to look like an emissions problem is about to happen! Any help would be great!!!