flyin solo, post: 407626, member: 8089 wrote: Common in column shifting- had an F100 that wasn't much better.
Something Ford copied from GM no doubt...;)
paden cash, post: 407561, member: 20 wrote: I really wanna know how you nurse 8 mpg out of a Ford 460. The last one I owned got more like 5 or 6. It got so bad mileage the gas gauge would drop a quarter of a tank overnight with it just sitting...;)
I really put a lot of miles on it last summer. I ended up driving back and forth to Rock Springs every other week and up to Tremonton and around a job up there every week.
The Tremonton site requires driving through mangy sagebrush and I would NEVER take a new truck through there, so I decided to nurse my old Ford (with the stock 460) until at least that job is complete...
So let's see, last year's nursing: new brakes, new brake cables, new tires, new battery, rebuilt the air filter box, new headlamps (not just the lights, but replaced the whole assembly), new fuel filter, cleaned out the radiator by blowing water backwards through the fins (slight overheating issue appears to be fixed), fixed the seat releases, took the dash apart and retrieved the BIC pens from the heater box that kept the door-flapper from moving, rebuilt the door locks, rebuilt the ignition switch, found a small vacuum leak in one of the hoses that goes to a big black tank, got new door handles (so you don't have to reach out the windows to push the buttons anymore), replaced the flasher dohicky, tweaked the door hinges so my wife can open the doors, fixed the seat belts so she will let me take my daughter with me, put new bulbs in the running lights, replaced the trailer plug and the burned out wire for the trailer left flasher. I pulled the seats and floor mats out to clean the sheep crap out (my wife and I run the family sheep ranch on weekends) and found enough loaded 30-06 shells to deer hunt for the rest of my life. Plus a couple of bricks of 22's. Plus three Ashtech 20-cm Initialization Bars. Plus a half-dozen GPS batteries. Plus about $40 in loose change. I even washed and waxed it in August.
So here is the kicker, I am driving up to Rock Springs a few months ago and I stop to take a leak. I smell antifreeze, the water pump is gushing. I have 4 gallons of mixed antifreeze and 5 more gallons of water on me so I nurse it into town. Local shop replaces the water pump (how a water pump can only last 230,000 miles is beyond me--Ford needs to make more reliable water pumps that dependably last 500,000 miles.) They put everything back together, fill it and pressurize the system and it is now leaking antifreeze out of a new crack in a 2" transmission cooler pipe that goes in the side of the engine at the bottom. Looks about like 1 cup per minute. This cooling pipe was only used for 1 model year so there are not any to be had and it would have been $1400 plus a week to get the part if anyone had them.
I decide to nurse it back to Salt Lake City with the radiator cap vented open and trade it in on a new pickup. I figure if I don't make it I will use my towing insurance, that is why we carry cellphones. I stop by AutoZone and pick up 5 more gallons of antifreeze, fill up all the empty bottles that I have with water and on a whim I buy a bottle of BarsOil stop-leak. I had filled the radiator with a couple quarts when got to the store, so I could only get about 1/3 of the bottle of stop-leak in the radiator. I drive 4 miles to Cruel Jack's on the west side of town and stop to pour in the rest of the stop-leak but the leak is gone and antifreeze is running out the loosened radiator cap. I close the radiator cap and drive 5 miles to Green River and there is still no leak. And the overflow is now about 1/4 full.
100 miles later I end up in Evanston with Loyal and we drink quite a few beers toasting my good fortune. 5,000 miles later I am still carting around quite a bit of antifreeze, 3 5-gallon cubi-tainers of ice, and I still have 2/3's of a bottle of stop-leak. I assume that this is a clear message from you-know-who that I am meant to keep this truck forever and it's trouble free operation is undoubtedly payback for all my clean living.
But back on subject here, after all of these repairs I decided to burn off a full two tanks of gas and compute the mileage on a long trip to St George. I got 12 MPG! Granted, I only drive about 65 MPH (in the 80 MPH zone). I think if I were to leave some of the anti-freeze bottles and blocks of ice behind I can do even better.
So Paden, if you are only getting 6 MPG then there might be something wrong with your truck.
Your buddy,
Mark
Mark Silver, post: 407649, member: 1087 wrote: I really put a lot of miles on it last summer. I ended up driving back and forth to Rock Springs every other week and up to Tremonton and around a job up there every week.
The Tremonton site requires driving through mangy sagebrush and I would NEVER take a new truck through there, so I decided to nurse my old Ford (with the stock 460) until at least that job is complete...
So let's see, last year's nursing: new brakes, new brake cables, new tires, new battery, rebuilt the air filter box, new headlamps (not just the lights, but replaced the whole assembly), new fuel filter, cleaned out the radiator by blowing water backwards through the fins (slight overheating issue appears to be fixed), fixed the seat releases, took the dash apart and retrieved the BIC pens from the heater box that kept the door-flapper from moving, rebuilt the door locks, rebuilt the ignition switch, found a small vacuum leak in one of the hoses that goes to a big black tank, got new door handles (so you don't have to reach out the windows to push the buttons anymore), replaced the flasher dohicky, tweaked the door hinges so my wife can open the doors, fixed the seat belts so she will let me take my daughter with me, put new bulbs in the running lights, replaced the trailer plug and the burned out wire for the trailer left flasher. I pulled the seats and floor mats out to clean the sheep crap out (my wife and I run the family sheep ranch on weekends) and found enough loaded 30-06 shells to deer hunt for the rest of my life. Plus a couple of bricks of 22's. Plus three Ashtech 20-cm Initialization Bars. Plus a half-dozen GPS batteries. Plus about $40 in loose change. I even washed and waxed it in August.
So here is the kicker, I am driving up to Rock Springs a few months ago and I stop to take a leak. I smell antifreeze, the water pump is gushing. I have 4 gallons of mixed antifreeze and 5 more gallons of water on me so I nurse it into town. Local shop replaces the water pump (how a water pump can only last 230,000 miles is beyond me--Ford needs to make more reliable water pumps that dependably last 500,000 miles.) They put everything back together, fill it and pressurize the system and it is now leaking antifreeze out of a new crack in a 2" transmission cooler pipe that goes in the side of the engine at the bottom. Looks about like 1 cup per minute. This cooling pipe was only used for 1 model year so there are not any to be had and it would have been $1400 plus a week to get the part if anyone had them.
I decide to nurse it back to Salt Lake City with the radiator cap vented open and trade it in on a new pickup. I figure if I don't make it I will use my towing insurance, that is why we carry cellphones. I stop by AutoZone and pick up 5 more gallons of antifreeze, fill up all the empty bottles that I have with water and on a whim I buy a bottle of BarsOil stop-leak. I had filled the radiator with a couple quarts when got to the store, so I could only get about 1/3 of the bottle of stop-leak in the radiator. I drive 4 miles to Cruel Jack's on the west side of town and stop to pour in the rest of the stop-leak but the leak is gone and antifreeze is running out the loosened radiator cap. I close the radiator cap and drive 5 miles to Green River and there is still no leak. And the overflow is now about 1/4 full.
100 miles later I end up in Evanston with Loyal and we drink quite a few beers toasting my good fortune. 5,000 miles later I am still carting around quite a bit of antifreeze, 3 5-gallon cubi-tainers of ice, and I still have 2/3's of a bottle of stop-leak. I assume that this is a clear message from you-know-who that I am meant to keep this truck forever and it's trouble free operation is undoubtedly payback for all my clean living.
But back on subject here, after all of these repairs I decided to burn off a full two tanks of gas and compute the mileage on a long trip to St George. I got 12 MPG! Granted, I only drive about 65 MPH (in the 80 MPH zone). I think if I were to leave some of the anti-freeze bottles and blocks of ice behind I can do even better.
So Paden, if you are only getting 6 MPG then there might be something wrong with your truck.
Your buddy,
Mark
Dang Buddy, sounds like one of my trips back from Nashville a few years ago. The radiator in my 2001 F150 sprung a leak at the hotel the morning before one of our state Board of Examiners (surveyor's board) meeting. I bought 5 gallons of antifreeze before I left Nashville. I stopped at every rest stop and a few exits on the way home, and I got within 21 miles of the house before it finally blew. It had about 268,000 miles on it. Very few problems with that truck, and it has a home until it just won't go anymore, then a new motor and tranny will probably be installed.
I do have a newer 2011 F150 that is my daily driver, so the 01 is now the weekend and fishing truck!
Had a Chevy Chevette that would leave you holding the shifter in your hand but it was no longer inside the console. Really, really hard to put that sucker back where it came from in the dark. Especially, if a couple of other vehicles are IMPATIENTLY stuck behind you at a stop sign or traffic signal.
I taught my youngest brother to drive in a worn out late 70's Ford Mustang with a 4-cylinder. The steering was so loose that you had to constantly bounce the steering wheel back and forth to stay in your lane. Shifting the 4-speed was an art form as whatever gives the shifter its pattern had long since worn out and the synchronizers weren't much better. Poor kid had to learn to keep the weaving to a minimum while double-cluching and searching that mushbox for the next gear. He was hell on wheels once he got the hang of it and moved on to a less demanding ride.
Holy Cow, post: 407658, member: 50 wrote: Had a Chevy Chevette that would leave you holding the shifter in your hand but it was no longer inside the console. Really, really hard to put that sucker back where it came from in the dark. Especially, if a couple of other vehicles are IMPATIENTLY stuck behind you at a stop sign or traffic signal.
Wow! Major Flashback.
I remember driving a girl friend's Chevy Vega down I-80 through Weber Canyon one afternoon, and having gear shift come up out of the floor in my hand. It had (maybe) a 1000 or so miles on it! We nursed it to my house in 4th gear, and I was able to rebuild good enough that she never had another problem with it as long as she owned the car (which wasn't really all that long).
Loyal, post: 407664, member: 228 wrote: as long as she owned the car (which wasn't really all that long)
I think she had that in common with every other Vega owner. The aluminum block was a nice idea, just a little ahead of its time.
And '74 was -- in California, at least -- during the Lost Decade of early smog control efforts. Low power output, rough running, difficult to keep in tune and expensive to repair. Not much good to be said about motors from that era.
Mark Silver, post: 407649, member: 1087 wrote: ..So Paden, if you are only getting 6 MPG then there might be something wrong with your truck.
Your buddy,
Mark
That was sooo long ago in a different life. I bought the 1978 F-250 4x4 for one thing...to drag the boat back and forth to the lake. And I might have been a little optimistic at 6 mpg.
Although always a Chevy man (it came from Pops during my upbringing) I wound up with this pristine low mileage specimen at a good price from a neighbor that was moving. All we had to do was remove a 7 ton cab-over camper from the bed. There were no casualties, but it was close. And that old truck would go anywhere, with anything in the bed that didn't hang off too much. I could pull the QEII up the steepest boat ramp. That old Ford would idle straight up a wall if it could get traction.
ANd I've always freely admitted that comparing Ford and Chevy trucks was like apples and oranges. Ford builds trucks. If you want to haul something or pull something, Ford has the truck. But in my experience they will always be a truck. IMHO they're crude, noisy and uncomfortable. They ride smoother with a load than empty...and their mileage sucks.
Chevy "trucks", at least lighter than 1 tons, are merely Impalas with a bed on them. But I don't haul anything but equipment so I don't really need a truck and I like Chevys. And Chevys have their drawbacks, too. Windshield cracks and fuel pump malfunctions happen at 50K mile intervals. At 100K the heater-A/C knobs quit working and by 150K the window motors and door locks are a thing of the past. But those are a drop in the bucket compared to the 2500 bucks you had to spend to completely overhaul the front end.
But I've got one in the driveway with 270K on the Hobbs. And I'd get in it and drive to Guatemala tomorrow.
Keeping it under 60 vastly improves the gas mileage on most vehicles.
My granny 1989 4 speed F150 4WD will max its torque range at 62mph and gets 14mpg or 14gph (gallons per hour) when light on the foot.
Any faster it is a total gas hog.
Rated as a mountain edition and wheel base is 5 1/2 in shorter than a standard short wheel based F150.
It will turn a circle inside that of my Toyota Tacoma extended cab.
Currently on its second motor and drive train under the body.
Yup, it's an original. The gas tank has been replaced four times, the drivers seat twice, the grill twice, the transmission once, the driver side rear view mirror once, the radiator three times, the engine twice and the entire exhaust system four times. (Pretty much the story of a 1983 Chevy Impala I bought new.)
James Vianna, post: 407495, member: 120 wrote: heard anything yet on a fix? I'm waiting until I hear something and can make an informed decision. hate to give it up as it has been the best car I have owned and the 41 to 48 mpg
is a nice change, used the $1,000 to buy snow tires for the family
I have heard nothing about a fix, which is really unfortunate.
I made a decision to take the buyback and move on with my life. It's a 2012, and when I turn it in, it will have about 145,000 miles on the odometer. I drove out of the warranty quite a while ago.
I get the concerns about crashing an SUV full of survey equipment. The problem I have with trucks, especially today's trucks, is that you can't get to anything beyond arm's reach of the tailgate. This is even worse with a bed topper. I look at new trucks and imagine trying to fish something out of the back ahead of the rear wheel wells. With most of them, the top of the bed comes up to my arm pits. No way to work out of it. Do people buying trucks really work out of them? With an SUV I can get to every square inch of the back from the hatch or the side doors and everything is protected from weather and locked up. I travel light, so the whole "5 tripods" thing is lost on me. I have two poles with bipods and a tripod. Covers my every need. I haven't toted a level rod in years. I need about five feet of freeboard space. I keep the RTK and Total Station in the rear seat and floorboard. Seems to work fine.
I definitely need to think about some sort of cage though... that's some scary $#!+ to consider right there.
i almost (would have if my *partners* hadn't objected so vehemently) bought a subaru forester a couple years ago for a survey vehicle.
as much room as most SUVs, AWD, way better mileage, and way more amenable to midgets like me. now, though, it's either a 6-speed or a CVT, and it's gonna take a while for me to be convinced that CVT has been ironed out enough to make that buy. they'll also pull an ATV, so long as you don't too heavy duty on the trailer.
Shawn Billings, post: 407715, member: 6521 wrote: I get the concerns about crashing an SUV full of survey equipment. The problem I have with trucks, especially today's trucks, is that you can't get to anything beyond arm's reach of the tailgate. This is even worse with a bed topper. I look at new trucks and imagine trying to fish something out of the back ahead of the rear wheel wells. With most of them, the top of the bed comes up to my arm pits. No way to work out of it. Do people buying trucks really work out of them? With an SUV I can get to every square inch of the back from the hatch or the side doors and everything is protected from weather and locked up. I travel light, so the whole "5 tripods" thing is lost on me. I have two poles with bipods and a tripod. Covers my every need. I haven't toted a level rod in years. I need about five feet of freeboard space. I keep the RTK and Total Station in the rear seat and floorboard. Seems to work fine.
I definitely need to think about some sort of cage though... that's some scary $#!+ to consider right there.
Shawn,
My new to me 2011 F150 4x4 has a commercial camper shell on it, and I have the bed slide. It is the best setup I have ever owned, and it was perfect for me when I was working out of it. I have the utility shelves in the side, and everything is at arms reach.
Now that I am the manager, I don't work out of it, so I unloaded the box, and keep what little survey stuff I need in the side, and I have the back for my fishing stuff, and anything else I need.
Jimmy
Shawn Billings, post: 407715, member: 6521 wrote: I get the concerns about crashing an SUV full of survey equipment. The problem I have with trucks, especially today's trucks, is that you can't get to anything beyond arm's reach of the tailgate. This is even worse with a bed topper. I look at new trucks and imagine trying to fish something out of the back ahead of the rear wheel wells. With most of them, the top of the bed comes up to my arm pits. No way to work out of it. Do people buying trucks really work out of them? With an SUV I can get to every square inch of the back from the hatch or the side doors and everything is protected from weather and locked up. I travel light, so the whole "5 tripods" thing is lost on me. I have two poles with bipods and a tripod. Covers my every need. I haven't toted a level rod in years. I need about five feet of freeboard space. I keep the RTK and Total Station in the rear seat and floorboard. Seems to work fine.
I definitely need to think about some sort of cage though... that's some scary $#!+ to consider right there.
I would like to see something like the old VW pickup beds. Sides folded down to become a flat bed. Even if the center 3' of the bed rails were like a tailgate and folded down, then you could access more within the bed. Jp
Holy Cow, post: 369069, member: 50 wrote: I tell ya, all the new stuff is designed to be operated by Ethiopian jockeys, not cornfed Midwesterners. We have two Jeeps and both are a gigantic pain in the rear whether I'm gettin' in or gettin' out.
haha.... I can't even imaging working out of something so small. I have an 09 dodge Ram Laramie quad cab. might be a bit too big for my general use, but it rides nicer than any car I've ever been in.
Holy Cow, post: 369069, member: 50 wrote: I tell ya, all the new stuff is designed to be operated by Ethiopian jockeys, not cornfed Midwesterners. We have two Jeeps and both are a gigantic pain in the rear whether I'm gettin' in or gettin' out.
HC, my range of motion on my legs has diminished over the years and we've always had Jeeps around here. In 2011 I found this wonderful little bolt on trick from Jeep called "running boards". Look them up. They bolt on in ten minutes. I can hop up into the saddle so quick it makes me feel (almost) like a youngster.
That won't work for me. I have to drop my butt towards the ground, lean in head first while grabbing the top of the vehicle with my left hand, move towards the rear view mirror while sliding my butt horizontally onto the seat, then drag in the trailing leg and attempt to get upright. I wouldn't be able to do it at all if there were running boards in the way.
Holy Cow, post: 407787, member: 50 wrote: That won't work for me. I have to drop my butt towards the ground, lean in head first while grabbing the top of the vehicle with my left hand, move towards the rear view mirror while sliding my butt horizontally onto the seat, then drag in the trailing leg and attempt to get upright. I wouldn't be able to do it at all if there were running boards in the way.
Sounds painful. My entry method is "backing in" butt first. Kinda like a narrow outhouse...
I put my left foot on the running board and heft all my lard up and turn 90 degrees left and then sit. That '78 F250 I was talking about earlier required rappelling equipment for me to get in and out of it...
That would involve bending. Not gonna happen anytime soon. Can't rotate to the side if I'm sitting on the seat. My knees won't make it through the door that way. Besides my head won't make it through the door if I'm sitting on the seat. Other tall, large people have similar issues.
