It's a regular cab, 2wd 5spd manual. 100k miles on it. I recently got this truck for free. Woo free beater truck! Which is what I call it, but it's not in bad shape considering it was free.
It currently has a pretty nasty stumble/miss at lower rpm that clears up above 3k rpm? I'm not sure since there's no tachometer. Not throwing any codes. It probably just needs plugs, wires, etc. Anything scary I should be aware of? Anything awesome I don't know? Which is very little about these trucks.
The wfbt!
Nice. I'd give it an Italian tune up to start, and see if that clears up the miss.
In reply to Robbie:
That was my first choice of problem solving and how I learned that the miss/stumble clears up in the higher rpm range. I also learned that the open diff is very open because this truck will light up the rear tire from a roll in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear (once above stumble range).
How could ford have the audacity to sell a 5spd with no tach!
The V6 isn’t bad. I towed too much with one for a summer and it always impressed me with how well it could get the job done. My dad still has it and fights with a misfire from time to time. He has been through a few sets of plug wires on it so they seem to be a marginal design. I would do the basic plugs, wires, filters tune up and go from there.
That truck did love to get stuck everywhere though. Once had to be rescued from wet grass by mom’s Audi. A terrifying vehicle in the winter without good tires and ballast.
In reply to GhiaMonster:
I agree. I have a 1998 that has been great. They have spark plugs that are supposed to be good for 100,000 miles, and old school plug wires (unlike the V-8) so it wouldn't hurt to change the plugs and wires and do a compression check while you are at it. They are known for coolant leaks from the intake manifold gasket that will allow coolant into a cylinder, mimicking a bad head gasket.
In reply to Danny Shields:
I did a little bit of reading on the truck forum and there was some uncertainty of whether Ford had fixed/addressed the gasket issue by 2000 or not. So that's something I'm mildly concerned about.
In reply to clutchsmoke:
Well, just be mindful of that potential issue. If it ever gets to the point where the starter is getting voltage but doesn't want to turn it over, don't risk hydro-lock by forcing anything. Just pull the spark plugs and then turn it over, to expel any coolant that may have collected in a cylinder. If any coolant is present, a leakdown test will tell you if it is getting in through the intake or the head or block.
But let's not dwell on potential problem areas. There are good reasons why Ford F Series trucks are the best selling vehicles in America, year after year. They are so doggone useful for so many people. Enjoy it!
That's a great engine. I've personally put over 400K on one, and almost 300K on another. All in, I think it's a much better engine than the 300 I6 that everyone seems to love.
At 100K, it probably needs plugs and wires. I'd start there.
Trackmouse wrote: How could ford have the audacity to sell a 5spd with no tach!
Just upshift when it hits the fuel cut, problem solved.
I really like that engine. A 4.2/5spd 97-04 f150 is a great truck if you keep up with the known issues.
They are known for intake manifold vacuum leaks which can cause your low rpm/throttle rough running. There are multiple ways to diagnose that. Do you have access to a scan tool?
I would check out the front suspension ASAP. Most of those trucks either need front end work or are about to, and i've seen them get worse on those trucks than basically any other. Ball joints and front wheel bearings especially. And of course swaybar endlinks although those arent really a safety concern.
I have one with over 327k on stock clutch, things are very reliable. Check the rubber plugs in the transmission. They leak over time and run the trans dry
As others have said expect to do intake manifold gaskets at some point, not a hard job at all really if needed, In regards to the misfire start at plugs and know these engines do not take well to any plug other then OEM plugs and coils (seriously I've had trucks kill coils and or plugs within 8 months((tip as well, its MUCH easier to get the plugs when you take the wheels off and the fender liners out))) be sure to check your EGR pipe and valve as well as they go bad every so often.
Be sure to keep an eye on the front cross member by the lower radiator mounts, yes I worked at a place that dealt with bulk salt so symptoms were extreme, but its worth a good look around there, ford does still sell that front cross member if needed but its a big job.
We also had issues with leaks from the Steering gear box output shaft and on these "newer" models they are installed from the inside so its a core return rebuild, again easy enough job with a big enough hammer but it usually turns in to a while I'm here job with the front end components.
Good trucks for doing 75% of what america needs to do with a truck.
When diagnosing Any drivability issues with a ford of that era you should alway start with cleaning the MAF sensor. I'm not saying it fixes all or even half of the cars, but it's fairly successful, easy and free so why not.
In reply to gearheadmb:
I was planning that as part of the "tune up". Good to know it's not a waste of time 
As my son learned, the Ford engineer who designed the coil has a twisted sense of humor. Pay attention to the numbering, lest you create an impressive misfire 
.
Danny Shields wrote: They are known for coolant leaks from the intake manifold gasket that will allow coolant into a cylinder, mimicking a bad head gasket.
I had a 97 that I bought new that developed the gasket problem suddenly enough (10K miles) that Ford replaced the engine under warranty. Other than that I had no problems for the 100K miles I put on it.
Just to add a little more on the ball joint issue, I won't say they don't go bad, but lots of F-series and E-series have had ball joints replaced unnecessarily. IIRC Ford came out with a TSB on it that basically says a certain amount of play is normal. There is a checking procedure and spec.
I just did upper control arm bushings on both a Dakota and an S10, but you'll probably never have to replace those on one of these F150s because the upper ball joints go bad so often that the whole upper control arm gets replaced on pretty much every single one of them.
The last one i checked had horrible lower ball joints too, but they were original and ~15 years old.
These are the only vehicle i can think of where i learned to recognize the particular symptom of the wheel bearing being so loose that the wheels cambered out and pushed the brake caliper pistons all the way back in so that you had no brake pedal until the 2nd pump, and the rotors would grind on the caliper brackets. 
I still think a 4.2 F150 is overall my favorite half ton truck of the late 90s era, so don't take this as negative. I like them.
I've driven 4.2/5spd and 4.6/5spd in otherwise identical f150s of the era and it's shocking how little the 4.6 gets you considering it has more issues and is more annoying to work on and gets worse fuel economy. And it's harder to find with a stick!
You'll need to log in to post.
