1997 Ford F-150: check engine light

Filed Apr 12, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 207,667 miles · SC · fire

Driving at normal speed (45 MPH), no abnormal noises or vibrations present. Loud bang noise came from within engine bay, and truck began to sputter and stumble very badly. Check engine light came on and preceded to flash, put truck into neutral and rolled to the side of the road where truck was shut off. Excessive fuel was found on top of the engine at the third cylinder from the front on the passenger side (4.6l v8 engine). Spark plug was separated from the wire and lying on top of engine. Spark plug boot was melted and smoking suggesting it was previously burning. Spark plug was %100 covered by burnt sooty material.

Filed Feb 7, 2012 · Engine · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, a loud banging noise emitted from under the hood and the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The front end of the vehicle also began to shake. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but the manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 211,000.

Filed May 22, 2011 · Engine · 165,000 miles · OH

Just driving my 1997 ford f-150 and have had 2 spark plugs fly out the truck. Motor then runs rough and continues to operate for some time before you get any engine light. Afraid to let wife use truck cause it could catch fire.

Filed Dec 13, 2010 · Engine · 91,848 miles · FL

1997 ford 4.2l f150 - 91,000 miles vehicle properly maintained, "babied" it. It never had oil, coolant, or any engine problems. Started vehicle and heard an engine sound "pop", and noticed white smoke emitting from tailpipe. The gauges were reading all normal, as well as oil and transmission fluid levels. The check engine light came on. I immediately took the truck to my shop, they said without taking engine apart it sounds like a rod or bent crankshaft. They mentioned that it appears to be a common problem with ford 4.2 engines. It is now at the local ford dealer - they have not explained how this happened but that I need an engine rebuilt. Really. Thank you ford for standing behind your product. Cheaper to buy a rebuilt engine? Does it have the original engine gaskets? Then I can expect to spend another $4000,00 in three years or just after the warranty expires. If you have an engine problem with the ford f150 4.2l just do an internet search! Where is the class action lawsuit?

Filed Feb 15, 2009 · Engine · 106,071 miles · TN

My f-150 was running rough and had a "check engine" light illuminated. I took it to my local dealer for diagnosis and repair. They replaced the spark plugs, plug wires, and ignition coil for a cost of over $500. They stated that the #5 plug had been fouled with antifreeze. It ran fine for about a month, then upon starting my truck, a loud banging or rattling noise could be heard and the engine locked up. Upon doing research on the internet, I found numerous people who claim that a faulty gasket design caused water to leak into one of the cylinders inspection of the cylinders showed coolant to be pooled in the front, passenger-side cylinder. Certified mechanics attribute coolant in the cylinder to be due to a premature gasket failure. If not corrected, the problem leads to major engine destruction. Documented effects of the coolant leak are worn out bearings and surfaces, and broken or bent connecting rods, necessitating an engine rebuild. Ford sent a tsb to some owners of these engines to replace the faulty gasket but not to other owners. The knowledge of a faulty gasket design was withheld from some 1997 4.2l f150 owners. I never received notification, and like many people, have suffered catastrophic engine failure. Average repair costs are around $4500 dollars. Ford did not notify owners of known defects and ford technicians who should know better than anyone, did not notify me.

Filed Apr 13, 2008 · Engine · 116,000 miles · CA

I have owned a 97 ford f150 xcab for >7 yrs. I kept up on all maint & oil/fluid changes. I have cared for my truck as I have my own kids! It ran well on friday night (4/4/08) then on saturday morning husb turned the key and the engine started to bang loudly and spit out white smoke. There were no prior symptoms or engine warning lights leading up to this so I checked the internet to look into it. I came to find there are thousands of people this has happened to and that ford knew all about it! My truck has only 116,000 original miles in 10 years! Not abused. Apparently, ford issued a recall on a faulty gasket that allowed coolant to leak into the plugs/oil but it was not a recall I was offered or told of when we asked if there were any recalls on the vehicle over the years! Today I found 2 more recalls 4 it on their site (not the gasket 1) that they didn't tell me of on 4/7/08 when asked 4 a VIN when calling about the problem. I asked 4 the price of a rebuilt engine as they said they wouldn't fix a rod & quoted $5,500. When I asked if it was for everything, he replied "no - parts can really add up, honey"! I took great care of this truck! I opted to tow it to another accredited shop since they wouldn't give me a total price. Not including 2 tows & paying $150 to diagnose I was quoted a min of $7,300 to fix w/rebuild +/- 12%. Why should I have to pay 4 something that is fords fault? They made a faulty engine & left thousands of us to pay 4 it! I can either buy a new car or walk now! Im handicapped w 2 disable adopt foster kids & husb who's a police officer! 1 income/ we rent, so wont qual 4 cash loan! Please see this: http://forums.treemedia.com/fb/archive/index.php/t-224.html where other ford 4.2 owners noted same issue & their responses fm ford. We need help or direction on how to start/join a class action suit against them to get repairs done or $ to pay for it!

Filed Oct 11, 2007 · Engine · 93,000 miles · NJ

Check engine light came on and when mechanic service vehicle he informed me that coolant has leaked into the number four cylinder and that this engine has a history of head gasket failures. He can replace gasket but believes that this would only be a temporary fix. He would be willing to replace gasket for $1600 but he can not guarantee results, a replacement engine would cost approx. $4800. After researching this issue on the web it has become apparent to me that ford has long known of this problem but has failed to take any action to remedy this situation.

Filed May 15, 2006 · Engine · 80,000 miles · OK

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there was a loud knocking noise coming from the engine followed by the illumination of the check engine light as well as smoke from the exhaust. Although the problem persisted, the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer.

Filed Mar 25, 2006 · Engine · 145,000 miles · CA

Complete engine failure on 1997 ford f150 4.2l 145k due to leaking gasket in engine, allowing engine coolant into engine, causing engine to freeze cylinder and throw a rod then engine completely stopped. I notices that engine coolant was disappearing and white smoke out of tail pipe, then check engine light went on, then soon after through a rod and engine seized up. My car now requires a new engine due to defective gasket allowing engine coolant into engine. This seems to be a recurring theme with ford engines in this year.

Filed Nov 30, 2005 · Engine · 88,000 miles · TX

I have a 1997 ford f-150 with a v-6 4.2l engine. This engine ran rough after being driven at highway speeds and was then slowed to normal city speeds. This was investigated at least three times while under the warranty period with no trouble found each time. At about 70,000 miles this truck began to run rough and the shop which serviced it told me that there was insufficient spark in the right half of the engine, but came up with no satisfactory resolutions. I notice that I was loosing coolant and the check engine light would come on and blink occasionally. This continued for several months until one day when I turned on the engine there was a loud bang and an obnoxious clattering. The truck was towed into a dealer at which point I was told I needed a new engine which cost $4200. After 55,000 more miles I started losing fluid again and experiencing similar problems and took the truck into a dealer which found no trouble. The symptoms were a fluctuating temperature gauge and no heat when the heater was turned on. Also, loosing fluid with white smoke from the exhaust. From other postings on various online forums I found out this was a classic failure for the 4.2l v6 with a blown head gasket. I seem to be on the verge of another blown engine. When I called a dealer to schedule a return visit I was informed that this the same engine as the taurus 3.8l with a long stroke hence making the displacement 4.2 liters. Also, I was informed that engine had the same trouble and many have to be replaced.

Filed Jul 16, 2005 · Electrical · MI · fire

I had been having issues with my truck, cruise control quit working, had some fuses blown under hood that were repaired, then check engine light had come on for about a week. Then my 1997 f-150 xlt spontaneously combusts in driveway. Had been parked for over an hour. Persons driving by alerted me to the fire, when I went outside, the windshield wipers were on and flames were shooting out of hood nearly 10' in air. Then the car alarm went off and at some point the doors unlocked themselves. Police and I extinguished fire, but there is extensive damage.

Filed May 16, 2005 · Engine · 49,000 miles · GA

Dt: in october of 2003, the check engine light came on. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and they said the problem was fixed. The dealer also mentioned that the problem was something near the carburetor.