Hi Guys, family has a camp in Ontario Canada and we killed our 1991 ford f-150 last year which was on its last legs anyway.



Ive owned 2 6.0 based vehicles already (denali xl and esky esv) and i sort of know my way around enough to carry out routine maintainence and minor-ish repairs.



So far this truck with 200k miles on it seems to run just fine. Definitely signs of it being used as a farm truck, rode hard put away wet, however its foundation is very good.



please chime in with guidance on repairs and preventative service so i may set this truck up for as trouble free service to the family as possible. we are remote!



interior and body (ib)



ib1. ticking/clicking/tapping noise from behind center of dash. It is correlated with temperature slider positions. seems that only the driver side slider will affect clicking noise. when it is in center position (blend of hot and cold) it clicks. if i move it to either full hot or full cold click disappears. passenger side temp slider has no influence on noise.



ib2. driver window sounds like it is grinding glass when up and down movement applied.



ib3. driver door hinge pins are shot —— on order



ib4. gear select lever is a bit loose. —— checking to see if the screw is loose.



ib5. driver seat cushion and cloth cover replacement. colour is grey with a dotted pattern inset. need new cushion and cover.



ib6. new windshield -install complete



ib7. diy the bed liner. need to find which is best.



in8. something is funky with tailgate handle. it works just feels to stiff.



mechanical (m)



m1. all fluids changed



m2. leaks. i deteste leaks. transfer case output seal for sure. and there is something forward of that leaking but have not had the truck up on the lift yet.



m3. needs shocks!! dont need ultra high performance. Monroe reflex was the plan, any major gripes or any major successes out there with much cheaper shocks? I run bilstiens on the vettes but doubt the need for them on a camp truck.



m4. the tires are rock hard and very old. new tires to be installed shortly.



m5. we are on a dusty road off the main highway and id like to see if i can install the injector shrouds/covers like on my denali and escalade.



m6. anybody want to trade for airaid intake? id like to go back to stock.



here are pics. she isnt clean but shes got a great foundation.



you will see prior owner had a 5th wheel installed on this 3/8 plate. we will be removing that.

 

Good luck with your project - at 200k hopefully it doesn’t become too much of a pain. Here’s what I can offer you for now - I’ll try to keep up with the thread.


ib1. ticking/clicking/tapping noise from behind center of dash. It is correlated with temperature slider positions. seems that only the driver side slider will affect clicking noise. when it is in center position (blend of hot and cold) it clicks. if i move it to either full hot or full cold click disappears. passenger side temp slider has no influence on noise.

Driver side temperature actuator. You’ll see it on the side of the HVAC housing, just above the gas pedal. Dorman makes decent replacements (usually the only ones available when we need to replace them at work). They’ll list the same actuator for multiple positions - just make sure the connector and the shape of the shaft matches up. Also the driver temp actuator can be tricky to reinstall as the actuator operates a linkage that operates the blend door - patience and a good working light are your friend.

ib2. driver window sounds like it is grinding glass when up and down movement applied.

Are there scratches on the glass? What’s the condition of the seals where the window goes into the door (if still in tact, is it contacting the glass)? Usually this happens because of dirt/debris that’s caught inside the door.

ib5. driver seat cushion and cloth cover replacement. colour is grey with a dotted pattern inset. need new cushion and cover.

I’m not sure what’s available from GM/aftermarket for this, but we’ve had customer seats repaired at local upholstery shops for $100-$200 depending on what needed to be done.

ib7. diy the bed liner. need to find which is best.

Most of our customers use a plastic drop in liner or bed mat. In terms of corrosion protection, both seem to do well. No experience with spray on liners, DIY or professional.

in8. something is funky with tailgate handle. it works just feels to stiff.

The bezel around the handle can be removed by pressing the top lip down and pulling out (or vice versa - can’t recall at the moment). Once it’s off, soak the handle mechanism and both latches in penetrating oil or other spray lube, then open and close the tailgate several times to loosen them up. The plastic clips on the handle for the linkage rods are available from Dorman.



mechanical (m)



m1. all fluids changed



m2. leaks. i deteste leaks. transfer case output seal for sure. and there is something forward of that leaking but have not had the truck up on the lift yet.

Common leaks from the engine bay are the valve covers, power steering hoses, and cooler lines for the engine oil and transmission fluid (yours may only have one or both). The rule is to look for the furthest point forward on the bottom and then look for the highest point up from there. A good washing will help, but I recommend hot water and low pressure as opposed to cold water and high pressure, with or without a degreaser.

m3. needs shocks!! dont need ultra high performance. Monroe reflex was the plan, any major gripes or any major successes out there with much cheaper shocks? I run bilstiens on the vettes but doubt the need for them on a camp truck.

Does your camper hitch utilize a sway bar set up? If so, you’ll probably want to look into a heavier duty shock. The reflexes are good when doing a lot of hauling, but if your camper needs sway bars on the hitch, all that sway force is also going to put extra strain on the rear shocks. Think of it in terms of more horizontal as opposed to vertical movement. If you don’t have sway bars for the camper, the reflexes should do ok (you can always replace them after the first run if you’re not satisfied).

m5. we are on a dusty road off the main highway and id like to see if i can install the injector shrouds/covers like on my denali and escalade.

Not sure what you mean here - your pic of the engine bay shows a cover already on it. But as for living on a dusty road, you’ll want to consider relocating the EVAP canister fresh air filter to the engine bay. The factory mounted them above the filler neck inside the bed panel but dirt collects inside them. For anybody living on paved roads it’s not usually a problem; but living on gravel, it eventually builds up to the point that it can ruin the vent valve and possibly the canister depending on how much dirt gets pulled into it. We just relocate them to the engine bay near the brake booster (I prefer the corner behind the booster) using a length of heater hose to reach back to the vent valve, then zip tie everything in place.

m6. anybody want to trade for airaid intake? id like to go back to stock.

You should be able to easily find a stock air box and tube at a salvage yard.

My last recommendation is to thoroughly inspect the brake lines and replace if at all questionable. From the master cylinder, the lines run down to the frame where they are joined by the lines for the front wheels, then all 4 lines run along the frame back to the ABS module. The lines collect rocks and debris and rust out, and if one has rusted out, the others are not far behind. Multiple times we have tried to replace just the one leaking line (at customers request) only to have another one burst while bleeding. It happens over and over until, big surprise, all the lines have been replaced. And if you do the lines, might as well replace the hoses too.

 

Hi Gumby, thanks for the reply.

So we prepped and installed ez liner bed liner. it was a dream. so easy. used an old undercoating gun i had.


fixed the tailgate. the hing was bent on rear passenger side. used pliers and a vice to bend it back.

cleaned the interior.

oil and filter change. i dont think the filter had been changed in a long long while.

looking forward to the other fluids haha.

my extensive order of prts from rock auto has arrived. should have new shocks and bump stops by end of day.

will get this thread populated with more pics soon.

 

Bed liner looks good - hopefully it holds up.

If you’re concerned about the internal cleanliness of the engine, one way to really clean it is to use ATF. I’ve never done it but heard a couple different methods for doing so:

1) Drain the pan, leave the filter. Fill to correct level with ATF. Idle engine for 20 minutes, then perform a complete fluid and filter change.

2) Drain 1 quart of oil and replace with ATF. Go for a 10-15 mile drive without heavy acceleration making sure to cruise on the highway for at least 5 minutes. Perform oil change.

And you can always add some seafoam, marvel mystery oil or other cleaner of choice to the crankcase just before an oil change.

If you find the engine is leaking oil but can’t tell where, there is a UV dye you can add to the oil to help locate the source.

 

ok, update, the truck has really come together. covid helped.

in my list from post #1 everything is completed except the blend door actuators. i have them ordered.

ive also ordered ac delco wires.

need to install backup for the deck i put in. should help with getting trailers hitched easy solo.

surprises i found were worn parking brake shoes, massively stretched prking brake wire (fixed by cutting and installing a turnbuckle)

and leaking rear driver side axle shaft seal. fixed.

i have a slight leak from the front driver side differential output flange. common.

i have a leak either rear main (is there such a thing on these ls based engines?) or maybe its valve covers and then the oil pan is weeping.

so yeah....classic high mileage chevy but she does run excellent and i will bring some parts to the cabin and do a few maintenance items on my trip and this truck will serve us for a long long time.

 

did plugs and wires today. cured a bit of a misfire. the plugs look like they have been in there a while but they were autolites, so i dont think original.

installed backup camera and flushed all the old brake fluid out.

that pretty much completes the journey for this truck until i do the pian/idler/tie rod ends/balljoints one day. Likely not for a long time as they are not too bad right now and once this truck gets to the lake its not going to see much highway action.

oh, and i took the fancy 20” rims off. the tires were brutally sun checked and dry rotted plus the 20” rims leaves such a small amount of tire it rode like a board. put a set of factory rims on that i had laying in the yard with newish rubber.

All in all paid $4500 cdn for the truck, and there is less than $1000 in new parts that went into it and then a pi$$ pot of my time which was happy to do.

thnx for all the comments and help.

 

Glad to hear all seems to be going well for you.

On the front axle - the vents are known to get plugged and cause seals to leak. Remove the vent (should come out with a 22 or 24 mm deep well socket) and thoroughly clean it when you replace the seal. Also Just my opinion but I’d recommend drilling it out and installing a larger fitting with epoxy to make sure it doesn’t clog again.

Yes the engine has a rear main seal, but it also has oil and camshaft galley plugs that are known to leak as well and located right above the rear main. Either way the flex plate has to come off to fix, so I’d recommend resealing everything while you’re in there.