Ford F-150 Maintenance Schedule

You've invested in your Ford F-150 truck. Maybe you purchased it brand new, or perhaps you found yourself a late-model truck with low miles. Either way, you want to protect your investment, so you have a quality, dependable vehicle for as long as possible. 

For decades, the Ford F-150 has consistently been one of the world's most reliable, hardest working trucks. It's also one of the best-looking trucks, so you'll want to care for it, inside and out, so it looks and runs the same as the day it rolled off the assembly line. 

Ford went to great lengths to make servicing and maintaining your F-150 as simple and easy as possible. We took the liberty of creating this guide to help you better under

stand what's necessary. If you follow our guide, your F-150 will run like a dream.

Fluid Checks

You have various fluids inside your F-150 that do myriad things. Washer fluid helps clean your windshield. Engine oil lubricates your engine and protects it against

high operating temperatures. Brake fluid provides the hydraulic pressure to slow and stop your truck, sometimes gently, once in a while rapidly. 

Your transmission also has fluid to lubricate and cool the gears inside. Then, there's your engine coolant, also called radiator fluid or antifreeze. You even have a power steering fluid to assist you in smooth, responsive control.

All of these fluids need to be monitored. Eventually, they all need to be replaced. Monitoring them takes little effort. We recommend you check these fluids once every week or two. It's easiest to do while you fill your gas tank. Your oil and transmission fluid have dipsticks you pull with a full and fill line. It takes a few seconds to determine if you have the proper amounts. 

Your brake fluid has a fill line on the outside of the reservoir. Again, it takes a second to examine. Same with your washer fluid. Even your antifreeze has an overflow reservoir with a fill line. If any of these systems need fluid, you can easily buy more and top them off while you're at a gas station. 

Keep in mind that if you find these systems in constant need of filling, your truck could have a leak somewhere or there may be something more seriously wrong. If so, bring your car to Ciocca Ford of Red Lion's service center, and one of our expert technicians will inspect your vehicle.

Oil Changes

Even if you've recently added oil, you should change your engine oil every 5,000 miles. Fresh engine oil provides maximum protection against thermal breakdown. The longer that oil stays in the system, the easier it is for debris to build up. Over time, this can cause damage to the internal parts of your engine.

Tire Rotations

We recommend you have your tires rotated every other oil change. That puts you at a 10,000-mile interval. After that, of course, you can go a little over or under, but don't wait too long. You see, even though your tires start with the same amount of tread, the uneven load and operating conditions between the front and rear tires result in uneven wear. Rotating your tires allows you to spread out that wear evenly.

Tire Replacement

Obviously, when your tires wear out, you need to replace them. How long a tire lasts depends on many factors, such as load, weather, driving conditions, temperature, and more. A high-quality tire should last between 20,000-40,000 miles. We recommend you check your tires often. You can purchase a tire tread depth gauge for a few dollars or use this hack. Take a quarter and stick it between the treads with George Washington's head facing down. If you can see the top of his head, your tires need replacing.

Wheel Alignments

Your F-150 was engineered to have its wheels sit precisely within the steering and suspension system. However, your wheels can get misaligned quite easily. Striking a pothole, curb, or some other foreign object can jar your wheel from its proper position. If you love 4x4 adventures, rock crawling, jumping logs, and water- fording these can all lead to misaligned wheels. We recommend having your wheels aligned every 10,000 miles to ensure proper safety and operation.

Transmission Fluid Flush

Your transmission fluid works similarly to your engine oil but under less duress. Even so, it breaks down over time and debris can build up. Therefore, it needs to be replaced. You should replace your F-150's transmission fluid every 60,000 miles.

Engine Coolant or Antifreeze

Your antifreeze plays a huge role in keeping your engine running smooth. The high operating temperatures created by internal combustion need constant cooling to keep from seizing and breaking.

Over time, radiator fluid or antifreeze breaks down, offering less heat-absorbing properties and thus not cooling your engine properly. Therefore, you should flush your radiator every 75,000 miles. If you live in climates that experience extreme temperature swings, you should try to time this with the start of winter or summer for maximum protection.

Service at 10,000 Miles

You should have your second oil change performed at this time, along with a tire rotation and wheel alignment. In addition, our technicians will inspect your F-150's brakes, cooling system, transmission, engine, and tires to ensure proper function.

Service at 20,000-30,000 Miles

You should have your fourth oil change performed at this time, along with a tire rotation and alignment. In addition, our technicians will inspect your other systems, paying close attention to tires and brake pads as they tend to need replacing at this interval. We'll also check your brake fluid and replace it as necessary.

Service at 50,000-60,000 Miles

At this point, your F-150 needs some additional maintenance beyond oil changes, tire rotations, etc. You should have your transmission fluid and antifreeze flushed. It's also time to clean the throttle body and mass airflow sensor for smooth, efficient operation.

Service at 80,000-100,000 Miles

It's time to have your spark plugs replaced after 80,000 miles. You might not notice a drop in performance or efficiency, but it most certainly has begun. Also, you should be flushing your engine coolant and transmission fluid again. In addition, you want to check your timing belt as it should be replaced at this time.