Huh, so that's what it was!

Bret4207

Well-known Member
Late last fall my field truck (tool), 97 F150, started giving me problems by not going into reverse. I got busy and just parked it as I didn't need it over the winter. Yesterday we aired up the tires and stuck in a battery. It started right up but wouldn't move. Went to check the tranny fluid and couldn't locate the dip stick! Found out the dip stick tube had RUSTED OFF about 6" above the tranny itself. A little cutting, some PEX, a hunk of old garden hose, some tape and some ATF later and it works fine.

I've never seen anything rust like that, and I live in salt country. I must have been blowing ATF all over the place when I was using it last summer.
 
The new ones, like a friend bought last year, nice F150, its open from the inner fender to the engine compartment ! All the road spray and such goes right up in there, and I believe the concern is the exhaust manifolds rusting out, but that spray will get onto everything. My '64 F600 has complete inner fender wells! I think I mentioned this about the new ones here on YT, and someone said or I have heard you have to order or have the dealer install an extra to solve this problem. That is truly a poor design, the truck is incomplete without a full inner fender! I guess they want them to have problems and premature failure of components to make more sales ? Whatever the case may be, they made this really nice truck but left out the simplest of items, a full inner fender !
 
That ATF will keep the bottom nice and clean. Had a 65 Galaxy that had a tailstock seal leak but only when driving. A large V-shaped area of the floorboards were like new metal. Also had the engine dipstick tube rusted off on my 99 SD.
 

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