Raptor05121
01-03-2014, 01:37 PM
If you've got the time, grab some popcorn and read:
Let me take you back- My truck was built Nov 1997 in Norfolk, VA. Shipped via rail to Florida where my dad bought it in July 98 off the dealers lot. Now, early 97s and 98 F-150s with the 4.2L V6 were shipped from the factory with a fault. Fel-Pro sent Ford intake manifold gaskets that were 2mm too small and as a result, shrunk over time. This shrinkage caused water to enter the combustion chamber. We all know that water cannot compress and as a result- KABOOM. New engine. So that happened in 2001. New engine for the truck, yay. In 2008, my clutch went out @ ~200K miles. So new clutch, slave cylinder, etc. Yay. In 2010, on my way home from work, my truck suddenly died and I coasted to a stop right in front of my local Ford dealer. Hours later, we diagnosed it to be a fuel starvation issue but could not fix it/find the problem. So we pushed it 30 feet backwards into the Ford dealer and let them have it. It turned out to be the cam pos sensor. Then in 2011 my catalytic converters went to **** because I used Sea-Foam in the gas tank (now you all know why I hate it). It burned up my left rear cat and caused my engine to get 8 mpg city and 9 mpg highway. I was getting 200 miles a tank! So $300 later, new Magnaflow High-Flow cats welded in. So all-in-all, my truck has been in the shop a total of 4 times in the past 16 years. Pretty great, right?
Apparently I thought so too. On my way to work this morning, I was thinking: "wow, how great has this truck been? In the past few years, nothing has gone wrong with it!" I quickly also surmised that I haven't checked the fluids in a while. Hours later, I get out and start my truck. I sit there and let the engine warm-up/get some oil flowing and check my phone. I put my transmission in reverse and let out the clutch to back up. Bam I stalled it. Damn. Restart. Try again. I almost stall it again. WTH?!? I put it in 1st and start moving forward when I notice the clutch is biting a lot quicker than it is used to. (For those not used to manual transmissions- they have about 2" of play before the "bite" then another 2" out after the clutch has engaged). Whereas I was used to letting out 2" before it "biting" I was only moving 1/2 an inch. I immediately knew it was low clutch fluid (back from the slave cylinder days). I drive around town headed towards VatoZone in 3rd gear, trying to avoid red lights as I can feel the fluid getting lower every time I changed gears. I was panicking that my truck needed another slave cylinder, it had to go back in the shop, etc. I stop in VatoZone, get some fluid and pop the cap off the reservoir. Sure as ****, it is dry. I pour in about 1/8th of a cup full and it tops it off. 3 little air bubbles and I give it a try. All is back to normal. No leak, nothing broken. Just a low fluid level. Catastrophe averted. Moral of the story? When you think everything is going great, something is about to happen. Next time I think that I haven't checked the fluids in a while, DO IT!!
Let me take you back- My truck was built Nov 1997 in Norfolk, VA. Shipped via rail to Florida where my dad bought it in July 98 off the dealers lot. Now, early 97s and 98 F-150s with the 4.2L V6 were shipped from the factory with a fault. Fel-Pro sent Ford intake manifold gaskets that were 2mm too small and as a result, shrunk over time. This shrinkage caused water to enter the combustion chamber. We all know that water cannot compress and as a result- KABOOM. New engine. So that happened in 2001. New engine for the truck, yay. In 2008, my clutch went out @ ~200K miles. So new clutch, slave cylinder, etc. Yay. In 2010, on my way home from work, my truck suddenly died and I coasted to a stop right in front of my local Ford dealer. Hours later, we diagnosed it to be a fuel starvation issue but could not fix it/find the problem. So we pushed it 30 feet backwards into the Ford dealer and let them have it. It turned out to be the cam pos sensor. Then in 2011 my catalytic converters went to **** because I used Sea-Foam in the gas tank (now you all know why I hate it). It burned up my left rear cat and caused my engine to get 8 mpg city and 9 mpg highway. I was getting 200 miles a tank! So $300 later, new Magnaflow High-Flow cats welded in. So all-in-all, my truck has been in the shop a total of 4 times in the past 16 years. Pretty great, right?
Apparently I thought so too. On my way to work this morning, I was thinking: "wow, how great has this truck been? In the past few years, nothing has gone wrong with it!" I quickly also surmised that I haven't checked the fluids in a while. Hours later, I get out and start my truck. I sit there and let the engine warm-up/get some oil flowing and check my phone. I put my transmission in reverse and let out the clutch to back up. Bam I stalled it. Damn. Restart. Try again. I almost stall it again. WTH?!? I put it in 1st and start moving forward when I notice the clutch is biting a lot quicker than it is used to. (For those not used to manual transmissions- they have about 2" of play before the "bite" then another 2" out after the clutch has engaged). Whereas I was used to letting out 2" before it "biting" I was only moving 1/2 an inch. I immediately knew it was low clutch fluid (back from the slave cylinder days). I drive around town headed towards VatoZone in 3rd gear, trying to avoid red lights as I can feel the fluid getting lower every time I changed gears. I was panicking that my truck needed another slave cylinder, it had to go back in the shop, etc. I stop in VatoZone, get some fluid and pop the cap off the reservoir. Sure as ****, it is dry. I pour in about 1/8th of a cup full and it tops it off. 3 little air bubbles and I give it a try. All is back to normal. No leak, nothing broken. Just a low fluid level. Catastrophe averted. Moral of the story? When you think everything is going great, something is about to happen. Next time I think that I haven't checked the fluids in a while, DO IT!!