1990 F150, who here has/had one?

[QueBert]

I was looking at a 1997 f150, but talking to a few people they said the 302 > Triton. So I'm leaning towards the 1990. it'll be for my side job so it won't be my main vehicle. I Googled a bit and see a bunch of different opinions on the different transmissions though.

it's the 5L 302 4 speed automatic with the AOD tranny, so this is the one I'm asking about. A few told me I should track down the E40D, some others told me the AOD's more rock solid. On other forums it's random people, on here I know names so feedback would be more trustworthy. I'm not a gear head but I want to start doing my own work, would this be a good truck to learn to wrench on?

 

[RLGL]

I have a '96 FWD F-150. Good truck130K

 

[NutBucket]

I think at that age just look for the best example you can find.

 

[BStorm]

I owned a '90 5.0/AOD 4x4 until I sold it 5 years ago running strong w/165K. I put about 20K miles on it. The transmission needs quality fluid and proper interval filter changes, otherwise there is little to go wrong.

My only real complaint about the AOD is overdrive is really tall so if you have the 3.55 standard rear end (like mine did), going up hills or against the wind can cause pretty bad lugging and subsequent sluggish downshifting. This is combated easily with driving it in third but fuel economy takes a further beating. I rarely got better than 11MPG even with a tuned up vehicle, so be prepared for that.

If you are looking at F150's with the E4OD/5.0 combo, look for the later models ('95, 96). The early E4OD's were plagued with electrical harness and solenoid issues that were rectified in later revisions.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Could always go 300 straight 6 and 4/5 speed stick.

 

[Yuriman]

Could always go 300 straight 6 and 4/5 speed stick.

The 300 straight 6 is a bulletproof motor, and gets surprisingly good gas mileage too. The rest of the truck will rust to pieces around that engine/transmission combo.

 

[QueBert]

Welp I bought it, pretty nice looking especially for how old is it. Question though, are the turn signals only suppose to blink once unless you hold them? Doesn't sound right, but the owner said yes that's how they've always worked in this truck.

It's been forever since I've been in a car that had a different key for the door and the ignition, forgot how older cars were until driving this.

 

[NutBucket]

Ask that again? Most GM cars blink 3 times when you tap the stalk. Most every import I've driven only blinks once when you tap the stalk.

And yes, not sure why the Americans like the separate key thing. Pretty sure imports weren't like that, even 30 years ago.

 

[QueBert]

Ask that again? Most GM cars blink 3 times when you tap the stalk. Most every import I've driven only blinks once when you tap the stalk.

And yes, not sure why the Americans like the separate key thing. Pretty sure imports weren't like that, even 30 years ago.

If I press the turn signal, it blinks once. I have to hold it up or down to get it to blink more than once. If I hold it for a second and release it, it stops blinking as soon as I release it. I never remember driving a car that did this. I'm use to the 3 blinks thing like you said, or it keeps going until the you turn the wheel a certain amount or manually stop it by moving the signal switch. But he's trying to tell me this is how it's suppose to work. Never drove a 90 f-150 so maybe he's right *shrug* The 2 key thing is super annoying, since I have power doors (wooo lol) I should get an aftermarket keyless entry system installed.

 

[Yuriman]

My 95 locks into position when you press it, and continues holding there and blinking until you turn the wheel, then turn it back. There is no momentary position.

 

[BStorm]

My 90 also locked into position until the wheel was turned or manually cancelled. The turn signal cam might have debris jammed in there or its mechanically broken. I had to use a bit of WD-40 on mine to get it working good. It was as if the previous owner never used it.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Yeah that's not normal lol

 

[QueBert]

Yes, I knew it couldn't be normal. I checked and don't see anything stuck in there, will get it fixed if I can figure it out, or if I can get a mechanic to fix it for cheap. I absolutely love how the high beam switch is on the floor board. I'd accidentally pressed it then ended up up spending 15 minutes that night trying to figure out WTF. If it wasn't for the internet I'm almost certain I never would have figured it out on my own, not unless it was due to dumb luck. lol.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

My brother had a '92. It was a "rusty but trusty" that he picked up for $500, then turned around and did brakes and tires on to make it actually drivable.

It was a decent truck. Kinda fun to drive, IMHO.

He rear-ended somebody and all the rust that was holding his front end together went byebye. It was sad, though - he couldn't afford to fix it the "right" way so instead he half-assed it until he ran out of money.

He should have just junked it and bought a new car to start with, but he didn't realize there was frame damage, didn't have it inspected by somebody who knew what they were doing because "I'm totally a car guy! I can do this myself!" and once he got started, he fell for the sunk cost fallacy hook, line, and sinker.

Anyways, yeah. If I needed a weekend truck for home projects and helping friends move, I'd buy one.