Heavy hauling in a tough little truck.

This is an evaluation of my 1993 F150 that I bought new 10 years ago.

At that time I was in the market for no frills full size pickup to pull a dolly trailer and also serve as daily commuter. Later I used it to tow a 25’ travel trailer ( 6000 GVW, 4000 empty). My main concerns were:

1. Enough power to do the job.
2. Reliability and Dependability.
3. Fuel economy when used as a commuter.
4. Cheap. I wasn’t expecting it to last too long considering the abuse it will take while towing so why spend too much on options?

I also evaluated the Dodge and Chevy trucks but decided that the Ford was a better value in a barebones configuration. I went for a factory order and the only options I picked were automatic transmission, sliding rear window and the heavy duty payload package. Here are the full specs.

1. 4.9 litre six cylinder engine.
2. E4OD 4 speed electronic overdrive transmission.
3. 15 inch wheels
4. Two Wheel Drive Standard cab Long Wheelbase with 8 ft box
5. Dual fuel tanks ( 19 and 18 gallons).
6. Vinyl Bench seat and rubber floor covering.
7. Sliding rear window.
8. Heavy payload package.

COMFORT , COVENIENCE AND VISIBILITY

The Ford has a very comfortable bench seat using ample foam padding with plenty of lower back support, much more comfortable than either the Dodge or Chevy. The instruments and controls are highly visible and easy to reach except for the Hazard flasher button which is located behind the steering wheel and would require you to snake your hand through the wheel spokes to turn it on. Not easy to do when you are driving. Storage space within the cab is limited as with all regular cab pickups but small cargo can be stored behind the bench seat. Other small odds and ends can placed on various parts of the dash and in the side map pockets. The driver’s position provides a clear view of the road, both ahead and rear. I didn’t opt for air conditioning but the combination of the sliding rear window and vent windows provide decent ventilation on all but the hottest days.

ROAD MANNERS AND HANDLING

The heart of the F150’s handling characteristics is the unique Twin I-Beam front suspension system which is well known for durability and a car like ride. The steering is precise and crisp with no noticeable wandering and pulling on the highway. The ride is generally smooth but the rear end can get a little bouncy on rough roads which is probably due to the stiffer springs that came with the payload package. I can’t really say that the I-beam system gives a better ride than the traditional suspension used on the Dodge an Chevys, certainly no worse, but what is does allow for is a MUCH smaller turn radius. This is very useful when negotiating parking lots and other areas that require tight turns. This is probably the one thing a long time Ford owner would notice if he drove a Dodge or Chevy and I’m sure he would have a hard time adjusting to it. The F150 uses the industry standard Front disk/ Rear Drum brake setup with the addition of electronic rear anti-lock . Stopping power is impressive for a vehicle this size and it always stops in a straight line, even in emergency situations.

POWERTRAIN AND PERFORMANCE

The 4.9l inline six motor came standard and seemed like enough power to do the job. I’ll deal with towing performance later. Various V8s were available as options but they were way too expensive. For example, to upgrade to a 5.0l V8 was a $1000 extra. Any truck owner knows that cubic inches is what counts, not number of cylinders so picking that option would have been a waste of money. The six performs best at low RPM’s and at no time does it feel like it’s straining or working hard, as long as you keep those revs down. At the higher revs performance drops dramatically and the engine gets very loud. In other words, this is a real truck engine and is not designed for racing performance but it does have some passing power on the highway and generally feels happy cruising at reasonable speeds. The six works in combination with the E4OD automatic. This was an expensive option at $900 and I had a tough decision choosing between it and the bulletproof, well proven Borg-Warner T-18 4 speed manual with the cast iron casing ("They don't make 'em like that anymore") . The E4OD is computer controlled and shifts very strange compared to traditional automatic transmissions. Sometimes the shifts are so smooth you barely know it happened and at other times the shifts can be harsh and mushy. Shifting performance can be very unpredictable as it tends to shift up too soon and downshift too late, but I understand that ford has an updated the shift solenoid to correct these quirks. I’ve always considered the E4OD to be the weak link in this setup, considering it was new and unproven technology at that time. Fuel economy is 17-20 mpg .

TOWING PERFORMANCE

With the heavy hauling duties I had in mind I really got to test those fancy buzzwords Ford advertises… “Ford tough” , “like a rock” , “heavy duty” and so on… I have certainly run this one to the extreme of it’s capability when pulling the previously mentioned travel trailer. I can honestly say that it feels like dead weight when first moving from a stop but once rolling the combination moves happily along. The motor doesn’t feel taxed at all provided the roads are relatively flat and you’re not trying to obtain it’s best 0-60 score. It has no problem cruising down the highway at 65mph but I prefer to travel 55-60 for fuel economy and safety concerns. Highway grades are a different matter all together, especially with a headwind. The best I can do in this situation is 45mph at part throttle. Bearing down harder on the gas just causes a whole lot of engine noise without any increase in road speed. Engine pinging can be a big problem with these highway grades so I always use hi-test fuel when towing. I later learned that almost any small block motor would have trouble with these grades and you really need a big block or a diesel if you want to keep up with traffic, so I can’t really complain. Road handling is excellent and at no time have I felt unsafe. Trailer sway has been almost non existent and even when those 18 wheelers pass you at 85mph , all you feel is a slight jerk. Obviously braking performance is compromised when towing but using a little common sense I feel that stopping power is satisfactory in all but the most extreme situations. Fuel economy when towing : 13-14mpg.

MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP

All the service points such as oil, transmission and coolant fluid are clearly marked and there is plenty of working room in the engine compartment which is good news for your local mechanic. I usually perform my own maintenance and generally parts are available at my local Autozone but too often I had to visit the dealer and even then, the part had to be special ordered. I had heard that it’s easier to find parts for domestic vehicles but in my opinion this is a myth.

FORD SERVICE

I’m totally unsatisfied with Ford service based on the cost of parts, repairs and an unwillingness to perform warranty service and of course lack of honesty or incompetence. Maybe there is a good Ford dealer out there... Somewhere… but I haven’t found it. You are better off finding an independent mechanic or performing repairs yourself.


SO, HOW HAS IT HELD UP OVER THESE YEARS?

I can’t say it has been 100% trouble free but it never left me disabled on the side of the road. It was pretty much trouble free up to about 150K but now it’s approaching 200K so most of these problems were fairly recent. The good news is that none of these problems were caused by towing abuse and were mainly design defects and bugs that were fixed by Ford Engineering with updated parts. Going by memory the major problems were:

1. Oil pan gasket : Slowly leaked oil onto the starter causing it to fail. Design defect.Fixed with an updated gasket.
2. Torque Converter replaced due to shuddering: My fault for not changing the transmission fluid. Partly Fords fault for diagnosing the problem as a bad U-joint even though there was a Technical Service Bulletin on the shuddering.
3. Radius Arm bushing : Design defect , location too close to the hot catalytic converter causing it to soften and melt. Fixed with new bushings and a heatshield.
4. Alternator.
5. Windshield washer motor.
6. Rear leaf spring brackets. Made of a defective material causing them to rot and break.
7. Ping when towing ( showed up at 20K miles) : Never was fixed. Hi-test fuel is just an expensive cover-up that doesn’t get to the root of the problem.
8. Transmission Shift rod.

The straight six motor has held up wonderfully. It doesn’t use any oil between changes and it gets the same fuel mileage as when new. No trouble whatsoever except for the mentioned oil pan gasket. No wonder it has a reputation as one of the best engines ford ever made and I can say that this one still runs like new. The transmission has held up but will probably soon be due for an overhaul based on updates Ford has made to its design over the years. Rust is really grabbing a foothold in the lower door panels and front bumper and other parts of the body but the structural components are solid with only surface rust on the frame and various suspension components. It’s not pretty but it won’t fall apart anytime soon. Steering and handling are still tight.

The return on this investment has been tremendous and I think this F150 will still be running many years from now.