Scheduled Maintenance

[Plati]

2014EL 5.4. 97K miles.
Have NEVER had any maintenance other than normal wear and scheduled.
New battery, front brakes, and plugs at 75K. 6K oil changes.
90% of miles are on the interstate, also use it for Forest Service type roads.

I just scheduled an appointment with my (very) trusted local shop to do some Preventive / Scheduled maintenance. They need money for Christmas presents for kids! If anyone has any suggestions on what else to do, lemme know. I count on this vehicle to be there when I need it when far from home or civilization. Would like to keep it going until 2035. I could do a lot of this work myself but too many fish to fry at the moment. Alignment is perfect. I oil the crap out of underside and plug holes in rockers to avoid corrosion.

I'll do plugs again at 150K and plan to do this list again at 200K.

work scheduled:
- serp belt, inspect pulleys
- rear brakes including inspect & lube parking brake
- tranny fluid & filter
- rear diff fluid
- transfer case fluid
- front diff fluid
- rotate tires (which have 18K since last but don't really need rotation)
- inspect steering and suspension components & advise
- grease front axle & u joints if possible
- engine coolant change

I've learned a lot from comments on this Forum, don't agree with everything at first or ever but listen to all maintenance opinions and factor in. I guess I'm halfway between following manufacturers schedule and change fluids every weekend.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

I have a 2015 Ford Expedition Limited 4x4..

You may want to check your vehicle owner’s manual for the recommendation on changing the engine coolant. Often it is changed based upon mileage or time.

 

[Plati]

I have a 2015 Ford Expedition Limited 4x4..

You may want to check your vehicle owner’s manual for the recommendation on changing the engine coolant. Often it is changed based upon mileage or time.

Did check that … says 105K. Seems odd number but that's what it says and I am having it changed now at 97K.

Thanks

I also think there is great value in having the experienced mechanics poke around under and in there doing stuff, they might spot something that is on the edge. They also might screw up and not do something right but such is life.

 

[Icemanjones]

A clean underside will help your mechanic in the event he finds a leak he will know it happened recently and where it is instead of clinging old fluid. When I take in my old truck they keep begging me to power wash the old grime away lol.

 

[Trainmaster]

All sounds good to me, Mr. Sticker! Probably a bit more than necessary, actually.

 

[Don Hall]

When you do the coolant change, you might replace the reservoir cap gasket (cheap to buy, or make your own using the old gasket as a template).

The gasket is essential to maintaining a 'closed system', and can be comprised (torn/crumpled) when removing the cap to service coolant. A deformed gasket will allow air into the cooling system defeating the siphon (return of coolant from the overflow bottle to the radiator during engine cool-down). Without a siphon, you will continually reduce radiator coolant, and eventually overheat.

My compliments to scheduling a detailed maintenance list.

 

[Trainmaster]

... and of course the thermostat.

 

[Don Hall]

work scheduled: - serp belt

I find it interesting about the mileage variance of the serpentine belt from vehicle to vehicle (Using the same belt brand).

When I was driving much more than now, my Corvette belts lasted about 35K miles before showing signs of ridge cracks.
My wife's '04 Mustang GT has about 33K miles, and the belt looks new ...... some recommend changing at 70K as newer belts stretch rather than crack. Not concerned with my '04 Expedition with 19.3K miles at the moment.

Here is an informative link on belts:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/serpentine_belt.htm

 

[TobyU]

That looks about right. You might not need rear brakes. I would go by the pad thickness compared to a new pad. Shops will always replace. You didn't mention rotors. Yours may be fine or they might have a lot of pitting and rust on the braking surface but they don't have to be replaced just because pad are going on.
I would do thermostat UNLESS you have a good fast hot heater as these get weak in 5-8 years.
Ford trucks have GREAT heat. The needle should start to move in only a couple of mins and only in mere blocks of driving.
Serp belt is all about condition. If it is cracked up, it is getting near the last parts or at least last 40% of it's life.
There are peope who have conditioned these with 303 protectant and such and gotten 150k+ out of them. All about condition. This is why some cars vary. Temp and air flow differences etc.

 

[Plati]

Thanks for comments, keep em comin. I feel like I might be forgetting something.

I keep track of all maintenance from cradle to grave. The mechanic today said "its personal preference" when I asked him today if I needed this stuff. He did not disagree with doing those things though and said "vehicle maintenance not a bad idea at all". These guys do great work and are very honest. Dewey's in Fairport on O'Connor.

 

[Plati]

That looks about right. You might not need rear brakes. I would go by the pad thickness compared to a new pad. Shops will always replace. You didn't mention rotors. Yours may be fine or they might have a lot of pitting and rust on the braking surface but they don't have to be replaced just because pad are going on.
I would do thermostat UNLESS you have a good fast hot heater as these get weak in 5-8 years.
Ford trucks have GREAT heat. The needle should start to move in only a couple of mins and only in mere blocks of driving.
Serp belt is all about condition. If it is cracked up, it is getting near the last parts or at least last 40% of it's life.
There are peope who have conditioned these with 303 protectant and such and gotten 150k+ out of them. All about condition. This is why some cars vary. Temp and air flow differences etc.

Thermostat … never would have thought of that. My mind is spinning!

I'll keep the old tried & true serp belt and put it in the back.
Never know when it might come in handy, like a Polaris drive belt
Just have to also have the right socket wrench, right?

Rear brakes. Yes, could get more miles but that's not the goal. The goal is to be good for another 100K. Give the OEM parts a Gold Watch and let them enjoy retirement like me. Take them back to NEW. Pads, rotors, lube pins, looks for issues, inspect parking brake and put that copper stuff on if dry but probably leave alone. Use good parts, no shortcuts. I wish was doing this part myself because that's the only way to KNOW whats going on there. OK, just decided … I'll do that one myself next few days …. it will be FUN! I guess I should "back bleed" like MrLoco advises in his video.
Heated garage

 

[JExpedition07]

I always enjoy doing my brakes. Easy as pie and feels very satisfying to have new stuff.

 

[RogerD1959]

Is Van Bortel a Ford Dealer. Did they reset the Battery/charging system after they replaced the battery.

 

[Plati]

Is Van Bortel a Ford Dealer. Did they reset the Battery/charging system after they replaced the battery.

Yes they are. I don't know what they did which is kind of why I had the Dealer do it.
I know this is a bit more complicated process these days, sad … I remember the old days.

Kitty Van Bortle is also honest. Her Dad had a legendary Corvette business in Palmyra NY.

What do you mean by reset?
I think the trick is just to maintain power during the battery replacement … isn't it?
Or lose power, drain Capacitor and relearn set points … ??? I'm over my head.

 

[Langer]

Yes they are. I don't know what they did which is kind of why I had the Dealer do it.
I know this is a bit more complicated process these days, sad … I remember the old days.
Kitty Van Bortle is also honest. Her Dad had a legendary Corvette business in Palmyra NY.

What do you mean by reset?
I think the trick is just to maintain power during the battery replacement … isn't it?
Or lose power, drain Capacitor and relearn set points … ??? I'm over my head.

In forscan there’s a way to reset charging system, I’m sure the dealer can do something similar. The discharge capacitor method would maybe work, too? Not 100% on that.

 

[Jamo]

From reading this, it sounds like I should hook up another battery before I swap out or even clean my terminals? All is good right now, but it won't last forever. I have a '14 as well...

 

[Plati]

From reading this, it sounds like I should hook up another battery before I swap out or even clean my terminals? All is good right now, but it won't last forever. I have a '14 as well...

I don't know. I know when Advance Auto put a battery in my 2003 last fall they had some device they plugged in somewhere (might have been OBDII) and green lights lit up and they guy said "ok, I can do this" or something. He warned me that some cars you have to do something special. I gotta admit I'm clueless on this one. I have read (somewhere) that if you just take a battery out and put a new one in … you might end up with a problem.

However, there are multiple YouTube videos that just show take it out and put one in with nothing special on a third generation Expy.

 

[Don Hall]

What is this "reset the charging system" business after changing the battery?

Just remove the cables, and reconnect the cables to the new battery..... that is all I did when I changed mine.
No problem. If you want to keep your pre-set radio stations during the battery swap, there is a cheap 9V device that plugs into the cigar lighter to maintain power to the radio and clock.

If you are a Costco member, Costco provides the cheapest-quality battery (Interstate). They provide a core refund, but they do not install batteries.