WTF is this sh!t Ford?

[91stranger]

This wasn't even their worst f'up. When they installed the first radio in a full size Transit w/ 36 miles they screwed right through the main battery cables, air bag wiring, and some other stuff in the way. (The battery is under the drivers seat, the wiring runs right up between the seats, they tried 3 times to find something solid to screw into... they found the cables eventually.

They've screwed through transmission cases. They've screwed into gas tanks.

You need new techs.... Those dumbasses are going to catch something on fire.

 

[Dirtman]

Ford made the powershift transmission. It doesn't get any stupider than that. A bicycle chain running off the crank to the axle would be an improvement.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Why dont they just wire the radio into the battery, inline fuse, done?

 

[Dirtman]

But then how would the radio run through the ECU and the transmission control module and be integrated into the steering wheel, and tire pressure monitors, and the seat controls, or to the gps and satellite systems? And let's not forget the radio needs access to the trailer harness and uplinks to cyberdyne. Oh and the body control module and power windows.

99% of that is true on modern cars btw...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

But then how would the radio run through the ECU and the transmission control module and be integrated into the steering wheel, and tire pressure monitors, and the seat controls, or to the gps and satellite systems? And let's not forget the radio needs access to the trailer harness and uplinks to cyberdyne. Oh and the body control module and power windows.

99% of that is true on modern cars btw...

Even the radio on my 2002 was supposed to adjust depending on vehicle speed.

 

[Snoranger]

Why dont they just wire the radio into the battery, inline fuse, done?

It's basically a CB... just a different frequency. It only has key on power, constant power, ground, and an antenna. Those usually aren't the problem. It's the 3" self tapping screws that cause all the problems. If they don't put a screw through something, they wrap the antenna wire around one of the 30 airbags in the headliner, b-pillar, etc.

 

[Dirtman]

Even the radio on my 2002 was supposed to adjust depending on vehicle speed.

My mkx adjusts volume for speed, and when you roll the windows down. Mutes if any warning lights come on, mutes while backing up, plays white noise when the radio is off and gets louder the faster you go (never figured out how to turn that crap off). It audibly yells at you when the software needs to be updated. Constantly tries to pair with every phone in the car or wifi signal it picks up. Has no physical buttons so operating it while driving is dangerous as hell. Automatically tries to change the presets when you go out of range of your programmed stations. If a trailer is hooked up it mutes when the collision lights come on or yells at you for exceeding a certain speed while towing.

I truly hate that car. Which is why it has no miles on it...

I'm not as opposed to technology as rusty. But the crap in that car is absolutely beyond comprehension or any form of usefulness.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My mkx adjusts volume for speed, and when you roll the windows down. Mutes if any warning lights come on, mutes while backing up, plays white noise when the radio is off and gets louder the faster you go (never figured out how to turn that crap off). It audibly yells at you when the software needs to be updated. Constantly tries to pair with every phone in the car or wifi signal it picks up. Has no physical buttons so operating it while driving is dangerous as hell. Automatically tries to change the presets when you go out of range of your programmed stations. If a trailer is hooked up it mutes when the collision lights come on or yells at you for exceeding a certain speed while towing.

I truly hate that car. Which is why it has no miles on it...

I'm not as opposed to technology as rusty. But the crap in that car is absolutely beyond comprehension or any form of usefulness.

I don’t think it worked or if it did it didn’t adjust it much.

I wish my ranger had it, going from howling mud tires and windows down at 60mph to a stop makes for a lot of radio adjusting.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I still maintain: build me a new truck that's the "farm truck edition."

Minimal to no plastic. No electronics. Manual everything. Exposed (painted) metal in the cab.

Until someone does, I'll just keep building and modernizing my 1988 until I have exactly what I want.

 

[adsm08]

Is it just the camera angle or are the cylinder walls thicker?

Those black lines in the first picture are not left over gasket material, they are tiny little water jackets. The area of cylinder wall between the cylinder and those coolant passages is roughly 3/16" thick. The head gaskets are blowing out in between and letting coolant into the cylinders.

The redesigned block still has the passage, but it isn't open at the top, and so it has more area to seal with.

 

[Snoranger]

Those black lines in the first picture are not left over gasket material, they are tiny little water jackets. The area of cylinder wall between the cylinder and those coolant passages is roughly 3/16" thick. The head gaskets are blowing out in between and letting coolant into the cylinders.

The redesigned block still has the passage, but it isn't open at the top, and so it has more area to seal with.

Ok, I'm on my phone... I had to zoom in to see that. The new design only has a single drilled spot between each cylinder, where the old ones had a slot across the entire top.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I still maintain: build me a new truck that's the "farm truck edition."

Minimal to no plastic. No electronics. Manual everything. Exposed (painted) metal in the cab.

Until someone does, I'll just keep building and modernizing my 1988 until I have exactly what I want.

So you want dad's '66 F-100. It had: Manual steering, manual door locks, manual windows, manual transmission (3 on the tree, to boot!), manual choke, NO plastic, except MAYBE around the gauges and the knobs on the switches, and it might have even had manual (DRUM!) brakes. My sister learned to drive on that thing. I rode around in it lots when I was a kid. Man, was it a BEAST!

 

[Curious Hound]

Improvements that are worthwhile are acceptable. 4 or 5 speed manual trans with floor shifter, power brakes, disc brakes, power steering. A good efi engine. And maybe a double din hole for radio for those who want to install one. A bank of accessory switches would be handy but we could add that easy enough.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Improvements that are worthwhile are acceptable. 4 or 5 speed manual trans with floor shifter, power brakes, disc brakes, power steering. A good efi engine. And maybe a double din hole for radio for those who want to install one. A bank of accessory switches would be handy but we could add that easy enough.

I don't think you can get a 4 or 5 speed floor shifter on those trucks. Power Brakes might've been optional, Disc Brakes not available, EFI not available, double din hole not available.