The truck would stop running while driving down the street, not start after driving, stop shut off and then would not start. Some times it may not start for several days then all of a sudden it would start up again and be fine for weeks then would start the whole process over again. It may stop at any time any where whether highway or city street. Total loss of power, engine shuts off. I had many extremely dangerous situations, with family members and other vehicles causing them to make evasive actions. This vehicle has a manufactures buy back from original purchaser when, new but no explanation could be found. I spoke to ford and they said they have no record of the buy back. It is on the title also.
1997 Ford F-250 engine problems
31 complaints (10% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 86,951.
- owner complaints
- 31
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- typical mileage
- 86,951
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine6
- Engine: gasoline5
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe2
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor2
- Exhaust system2
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys2
- Engine: diesel2
- Exhaust system: emission control: crankcase (PCV)1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford F-250 engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Ford F-250 engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
What 1997 Ford F-250 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
This is the fourth time this has happened, the spark plug shoots out of the block and shortly after you can smell gas fumes with is an obvious fire hazard. Not only is it expensive to find a mechanic who can coil the plug back into the block, after reading about it the same incident happens to many owners who have the same truck as I do. Yet, there hasn't been a recall.
Ford motor co. Refuses to do safety recall 07s57 on my 97 f-250 the recall is for the cam shaft position sensor. It must be replaced because the vehicle stalls while driving which can lead to an accident. They are refusing to do the recall due to a seized bolt. If this bolt breaks they want me to pay $2500 to get the safety recall completed.
I have a 1997 ford f-250 with with 87,000 miles on a 5.4 liter engine. One of the spark plugs was ejected from the engine, threads and all, which also damaged the ignition coil.
My complaint has to due with the pcv valve hose that runs to the vacuum system. It gets too warm and melts and it causes the engine to stutter or stall causing the vehicle to stop rapidly. I have noticed this on many of the f250 or f150 5.4l triton engines. This has happened several times to my truck and it is expensive to keep replacing it. It has almost caused a few rear endings.
Tl*- the contact owns a 1997 ford f250. He received a recall notice for the crankshaft position sensor. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they ran a diagnostic that showed a problem with 3 sensors. The contact is a mechanic so he remedied the recall himself. When he contacted the manufacturer for reimbursement of the parts and labor he was advised that they would only reimburse him for the crankshaft position sensor and that they would not reimburse him for the other parts or labor. The current mileage was 86000 and the failure mileage was 83000.
Monday, july 31 2007, I experienced the last of a series of intermittent stalling events in my 1997 ford f250 hd vehicle, equipped with a 7.3 dit powerstroke diesel. Subsequent to my own investigations, I discovered that the cam position sensor was a component implicated in such events. I replaced the component on july 27, 2007, after an increase in stalling problems. The condition repeated on the later date above, and I drove the vehicle to a repair facility. They could not find any diagnostic codes from the PCM, but the stalling episodes increased during their analysis. After performing other system diagnostic procedures, they were left with the final conclusion that the cps must be the culprit for the stalling condition. The newer cps I installed was replaced by the repair technician with another cps. To date the condition appears resolved. I have retained all parts and the repair work-order.
1997 ford f25. This was the second spark plug to blow out of head. First repair cost $450.00, this time it cost me my truck, 2 cameras, GPS, laptop computer and several other items as the truck cought on fire when spark plug hit fuel inection rail an started a fuel fire that burnt the truck to ground. Total loss. Burned my hands trying to save items in cab. Had a fire extinguisher, but high pressure fuel lines sprayed fire to fast. My girl friend, her dog, and I had 30 seconds to get out. In 2 minutes the cab was engulfed in flames. I will be dismantling this engine as I am a mechanic and machinist and plan to prove there were not enough threads securing spark plugs in thee alumin um heads. There were standards outlined for machining threads.
Dt*: the contact stated while parked and off, the vehicle caught on fire. There were no warnings prior to the incident. The insurance agency could not find the cause of the fire.
Attempting to pass on a two line highway when spark plug blew out of engine. Vehicle is a 1997 ford f250 4wd 80k miles. Repairs involve removing head. Cost is $2800. Vehicle worthless since don't know when another plug will blow!
Questions about the 1997 Ford F-250 engine
Does the 1997 Ford F-250 have engine problems?
Owners have filed 31 complaints about the engine of the 1997 Ford F-250, 10% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-250 engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 86,951 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford F-250 engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford F-250 have bad engine?
The Ford F-250 model years with the most engine complaints are 1999 (82 complaints), 2004 (63 complaints) and 2000 (44 complaints).
Other 1997 Ford F-250 problems
Tires 42Transmission 34Brakes 31Suspension 30Fuel system 29Steering 23Electrical 19Body 18Acceleration 15Visibility 12Wheels 10Airbags 7Seat belts 7Seats 5Lights 4Locks 1
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