Well many on this forum kindly responded to my thread about my garage queens, hoping now someone will chime in with advice on what to do about my old workhorse. Truck is 2001 F-150, I bought it new, has 154,000 miles on it today, has been virtually trouble-free. I have always had it dealership-maintained, by the book, on schedule. Until 2 years ago it was my daily driver, never once left me in the lurch. I still do drive it regularly once or twice a week for towing/hauling chores, or just for fun. My intention has been for my 14-yr old daughter to drive it once she gets her learners permit and for the first year she has her license. She ain't thrilled about it, but I have gotten my money's worth out of it, and if she beats it up it won't be the end of the world. Until today I would have told you I wouldn't hesitate to take off for New York in it.
Took it out to stretch its legs Sunday afternoon and fetch some cable spools a friend procured for me. Drove it 20 miles to his house, loaded up, thanks man, and headed out. Came to the stop sign at the subdivision exit. Went to accelerate after the stop and the thing died. Just died. No sputtering, no cough, no strange noise, no warning light in the dash, nothing. I tried to start it again and while it would turn over strong, it just wouldn't catch. Tried a number of times to start it but no go. There was no smoke/steam or funny smells, temp gauge in the normal range, everything electrical worked. Just wouldn't catch and run. Plenty of gas in the tank. Oil level good, doesn't leak any, uses less than a quart every 5000 miles or so.
Well I rousted my friend to come pull me out of the intersection and got the wife on the way out there with the other truck. My friend had been planning to go fishing so I sent him along and waited for my wife. After waiting 30 minutes she pulled up and for the heck of it I tried the key again and dern it the old truck started right up and ran smooth like nothing ever happened. How bout that. In my younger years I would not have hesitated to take off for home in it (20 miles or so), but my older and wiser (?) self decided to drive it to my friend's driveway and park it there and send a tow truck for it later.
So it's strange, that truck has never ever done anything like that to me. It seemed as though it couldn't get any fuel to run, although I don't know for sure about spark either. In the bad old days of carburetors I would have thought of vapor lock the way it died and started back after it sat awhile but I thought fuel injection was supposed to have solved that. The only other thing I can really think of is the fuel filter, I don't recall offhand when it was last changed, but it was whenever it was supposed to be. Maybe the wires or plugs are going bad but again, they have been changed according to the maintenance schedule. I have been sitting here thinking, maybe instead of the tow truck I may just get a fuel filter tomorrow and lay out there under the thing and change it, and strike out for home and see what happens.
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts I would appreciate it. I am aiming to keep this truck for the long haul and am shooting for 300,000 just for the heck of it! I always enjoy the way people help each other out on this forum, with a minimum of pe@#er-measuring! Thanks for reading, namsag.
Took it out to stretch its legs Sunday afternoon and fetch some cable spools a friend procured for me. Drove it 20 miles to his house, loaded up, thanks man, and headed out. Came to the stop sign at the subdivision exit. Went to accelerate after the stop and the thing died. Just died. No sputtering, no cough, no strange noise, no warning light in the dash, nothing. I tried to start it again and while it would turn over strong, it just wouldn't catch. Tried a number of times to start it but no go. There was no smoke/steam or funny smells, temp gauge in the normal range, everything electrical worked. Just wouldn't catch and run. Plenty of gas in the tank. Oil level good, doesn't leak any, uses less than a quart every 5000 miles or so.
Well I rousted my friend to come pull me out of the intersection and got the wife on the way out there with the other truck. My friend had been planning to go fishing so I sent him along and waited for my wife. After waiting 30 minutes she pulled up and for the heck of it I tried the key again and dern it the old truck started right up and ran smooth like nothing ever happened. How bout that. In my younger years I would not have hesitated to take off for home in it (20 miles or so), but my older and wiser (?) self decided to drive it to my friend's driveway and park it there and send a tow truck for it later.
So it's strange, that truck has never ever done anything like that to me. It seemed as though it couldn't get any fuel to run, although I don't know for sure about spark either. In the bad old days of carburetors I would have thought of vapor lock the way it died and started back after it sat awhile but I thought fuel injection was supposed to have solved that. The only other thing I can really think of is the fuel filter, I don't recall offhand when it was last changed, but it was whenever it was supposed to be. Maybe the wires or plugs are going bad but again, they have been changed according to the maintenance schedule. I have been sitting here thinking, maybe instead of the tow truck I may just get a fuel filter tomorrow and lay out there under the thing and change it, and strike out for home and see what happens.
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts I would appreciate it. I am aiming to keep this truck for the long haul and am shooting for 300,000 just for the heck of it! I always enjoy the way people help each other out on this forum, with a minimum of pe@#er-measuring! Thanks for reading, namsag.
