Broke down Ford f-150!!!

I have a good friend that owns a 2004 f-150 with 160,000 miles on it.6 months ago his 5.4 3 valve engine started knocking. Since I work at a Toyota dealership, I tried to get him to sell it for what he could get out of it and buy a new Tundra.He decided to rebuild the engine, install a new fuel pump and a couple other things.it was 4 months later and he got it back.He drove it 2 months and noticed the frame was pretty rusty.He removed the bed and took it to a man in our area who does welding and metal fabrication.the man told him the frame was rusted so severely that he couldn't repair it.On his way home the frame started giving way and this is the result!! I bought my 2000 tundra new before he bought his ford and my truck just turned 400,000 miles!!! This is why you should buy a good truck when you spend good money on it.I hope this will help ford owners to check their trucks so this won't happen to them!! He is selling this truck now for $2500 and it has a pretty good interior and a new rebuilt engine,fuel pump and new tires.

 

Ho lee shit

 

I bet Ford ain’t replacing his frame like Toyota has done ???

 

That does suck but.......Toyota is one of the worst for frame rust. This seems somewhat isolated

did he regularly drive through ocean Water on the way to work?

 

That's nucking futs. The bed must have been helping distribute the load across the frame. No bed and the stress finds the weak spot.

 

Whiskey...Tango...Foxtrot. Was that truck submerged in a flood? Holy crap, that frame is sooooo friggin rusted.

 

Looks fixable...........

 

You want a little more tongue weight with those.

 

Winters in the north or a single drive on Daytona Beach will do that.
Commercials showing fun filled beach/surf driving makes me cringe!

 

This is not unique to Ford. Google Tacoma broken frame.

 

Safety feature, you know, like a volvo...except this one folds/accordions pre-collision.

 

That looks like a decent condition 04 lariat crewcab minus the frame. I’m surprised the cab corners didn’t rust out but the frame did. There are openings on the back wall of those trucks from 04-08 that lets water in and it gets trapped between the inner and outer cab metal in the cab corners. No way out for the water so they rust from the inside out.

 

Exhaust looked new but its bent to shit now. I wonder if whatever the driveshaft was plugged into is scrap now.

$2500 is pretty optimistic unless he parts it out himself.

 

2500 is very optimistic. I had mine listed for a month and got someone on the hook for $3500. Guy asked if he could test out the 4wd on the test drive. I reluctantly said yes, he turned the knob and i knew as soon as he did the 4wd vacuum actuator gave out. Sold it for $3200 and he drove it home in 4hi.

One thing I will say about those trucks is they’re super simple to work on..

 

Isn't that era of F150 known for rotting the boxed frame under the cab?

 

The gas cap looks like it’s still in great condition. You have to remain positive in these situations.

 

I had never heard of it in my ten years of ownership. I think the most common issues were:

• Broken spark plugs when doing plug changes
• Cam phasers going out
• Exhaust manifolds warping or rusting out
• Cab corners rusting on crew cabs
• Full pump control module corroding and failing
• 4wd vacuum actuator becoming water logged and failing
• Steering shaft U-joint locking up and not turning over when wheel is turned
• Rear diff clutch pack wearing out
• Wiring in driver rear crew cab corroding making radio stay on for 15 mins after shut off and dome lights on coming on when unlocking the truck

I think that’s it... or at least the major ones. If you keep an eye on those things they’re not too bad of trucks. Great for people who want to learn to work on vehicles.

 

Yup. That was an issue, too. Gas cap filler surround would vibrate and chip all the paint inside and around the gas door. Then it’d rust..

 

Well, 97% of all Fords are still on the road.





The other 3% actually made it home.






On a serious note, did he drive through a lot of road salt? If so, did he just not wash it off?

 

Ford should have stuck with Vanadium Steel like Henry intended.

 

eh we've had a few f150s that body style with severe rot, Chevy Colorado's (the older ones) rotting in the same spots as the tacomas, jeep wrangler that literally had its frame crumble on the lift. All of theses cars will rot. all the damn frames are built by the same companies that made the tundra frames! (Dana originally, metulsa on the replacements)


that being said, if people would actually clean under their trucks they DO last alot longer.. I blow out my frame rails once a month just to keep shit out of them. The 01 taco had its frame replaced, my fathers 02, original frame after all these years, yes theres sufrace rust (and some scale in the back i want to address) but its been kept clean underneath. bore scope inside that frame shows a beautifully preserved internal structure, thanks to 3M cavity wax and keeping it clean.

 

Washing definitely would help.

Living in the areas where salt and the new alternative liquid stuff is used for about four months of the year on the roads just kills the vehicles up here and washing isn't enough.
With many vehicles costing well over $60 grand plus ya think it would be a no brainer to have a yearly rust proofing treatment at a cost of about $160 Canadian. Not sure why more people don't have it done.

It's a bit messy when servicing your vehicle but you ain't going to be in a mess like that F150 owner
is in.

Crown rust proofing / rust check / corrosion free all worthy options..... corrosion free is
probably the best and it doesn't drip all over your driveway !!

 

That frame is fine. It’s a wheelie bar

 

Modified for improved breakover clearance.

 

Most people are too lazy or just don't realize there are product that can help. I've seen proof fluid film works and even if you have to apply it every year it's not an issue for me.