Seven problems related to starter have been reported for the 1997 Ford F-150. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I was driving home from town when all the ball bearings fell out of the steering column and the steering wheel became loose and the truck began to sway from right to left, it was controllable at the low speed I was going but thank god I wasn't on an interstate or highway at a higher speed I could have run off the road or worse had a head on collision ! the truck has not left my property since but I still have to keep full coverage insurance and tagged for insurance purposes and a lien from my bank on it,I have also replaced the starter on it eight (8) times the parts are very cheap but it has an airbag and my local Ford dealer gave me an estimate of 200. 00 two hundred dollars to replace two six and seven dollar bearings. When the incident happened I had no idea what happened since the ball bearings are very tiny and are hard to see and it took a long time to figure out what happened my truck just sits there all this time because im afraid of someone getting hurt seriously or killed because im afraid of losing control on the steering. I have been driving since I was sixteen and was a big truck driver from 1979 to 1996 till I became ill but I would never drive a vehicle with steering problems, thank you.
I have a 1997 Ford f150 with a 4. 2 l engine that just turned 100,000 miles. I bought it second hand from a Ford dealership June 1999 with about 45,000 miles on it. This truck was meticulously cared for over the years. After noticing that the coolant level was down after a a recent refill I refilled it again. I didn't drive the vehicle for about ten days but when I went to start it the engine made a clunk and wouldn't crank. I suspected the battery after a charge yielded the same results. The battery was replaced but still the same result and also after refinishing lead terminals and starter replacement. I checked the oil filler cap and there was a thick light brown substance I had never seen before on it and all the way down around the inside wall of the filler tube. I suspected a leak in the head gasket or elsewhere and went to the internet sites for clarification. After some research I realized I was far from being the only one with this problem. As I suspected the coolant leaks via the loose seal of the head gasket into one or more of the cylinders. It appears that this was a known defect and recall that Ford never conveyed to all the owners of this model.
The starter went out twice on my 1997 Ford f150 4. 6lt and I just bought it a month and a half ago, it only has 94,684 miles on it.
I had an electrical short under the dash caused by moister in the fuse box , which was caused by water leaking around the windshield. I was not to concerned until I took it to the shop and found out that there is 13 pages of service bulletin about moisture get into the fuse box. It does thing as wiper not working while in drive or reverse but will work any other time. Radio not turning off, blower motor not shutting off. Trying to engage the starter while the vehicle is running.
Windshield wipers will operate intermittently on their own. Also, starter will make noise as if starting car when already running. Dealer contacted ,and cannot remedy the problems. Problems still exist.
Starter failed.
Ignition/ starter have gone out several times.