my maverick is my daily driver. what are some things that will commonly go wrong with a maverick that you drive everyday?
Change the oil every 3,500 miles with Valvoline,, check the trans fluid once a week,,, check airpresure in the tires every other week,, Keep it full and enjoy,,, Vary reliable car if well taken care of,,
I don't know about stuff specific to Mavericks, but as for just general preventive maintenance... About as long as I've been driving I've had old cars of many makes, and here's some of what I have learned. There are three kinds of old cars which are viable as inexpensive daily drivers: Type 1: These have been good cars, driven lightly and haven't had much go wrong with them. Owned by an old lady who only drove it once a week to church. These seem like good cars, but they are time bombs. All the things that the previous owner didn't break because he babied the car, will shake apart under your foot. This isn't always bad if you know it and are prepared for it. Just get ready for unexpected expenses and I hope you have a cell phone. Type 2: These cars have worked hard all their lives. There's a lot of work to do if you want it to be a "nice" car. It's probably rusty and rattly but things have broken and been fixed. It will probably be reliable mechanically but it has a long way to go cosmetically. You can work on this car at your own pace though, generally. Type 3: This is my favorite. This car used to be a Type 1. Somebody bought it, then the tires, battery, alternator, belts, hoses, transmission all went to hell within six months. Hopefully he got fed up with it and sold it to you cheap. I love to be the third or fourth owner of a car... So, which type is yours? There are a bunch of things I could mention, but I'm gonna focus on things that can leave you on the side of the road or worse. Some of the recurring things that I've had to deal with on old cars have been: Alternator/battery/charging system Frayed/worn/burned or just "old" wiring. Belts and hoses. The obvious ones have probably been changed at some point, but look at the ones that aren't in your face. Fuel lines, rubber brake lines, transmission lines... Rearend, especially in a truck, "muscle" or "sport" car. The gear oil has probably never been changed and it probably leaks. At least top it off.* Anything with more than 150,000 miles is going to need transmission service in the near future with moderate to heavy daily use.* *(about these last two - your driving style and that of previous owners is a big factor. I am hell on drivetrains, I know it and I prepare accordingly. I break rearends and transmissions that shouldn't have broken) Suspension, particularly front end bushings. Shocks probably have been replaced at some point, springs probably haven't. Even cars that have low miles will have weakened springs from bearing the load for 30 years, even parked. Water pump. If it's never been replaced, look for it to fail at some point soon. Gaskets. These dry up and leak. Check for leaks around the transmission pan, oil pan, water neck, etc. Brakes. Check everything. I've had to replace or rebuild many master cylinders. Plugs, wires, filters - general tuneup stuff goes without saying, but some less obvious stuff like the transmission filter could leave you stranded. Has it sat up for long periods before? Gunk buildup in the gas tank could cause frequent fuel filter problems. Tires of course... Look for the typical signs. I know I'm leaving stuff out, but it's a good start... I'm confident others will add to the list. Good luck!
the only things on my car that i had to replace to make it drivable was the ignigtion module, t-stat, starter, alternater, tires, fuel pump and a few bulbs to keep it street legal other then that the normal prevenative stuff like oil, filters, plugs and ignigtion components. aside from the tires i could probablly do all that again in an afternoon for $250? and thats over 2 years time and to help get it up to speed after after 30 years of neglectful daily driving so not only are these very reliable cars but not very costly to keep on the road either. if your good to them they'll be good to you
Yep,,,,,, he about covered that Good ,,,, I just got the car in my avitar over the summer,, I brought it back from South Carolina,, took it off the truck,,, started it and pulled it in the Garage and completely stripped it.. It has 28,000 miles on it,, even so,,,we black beauty blasted the body, complete,, rebuilt the diferential engine and trans and replaced all the suspention,,, and repainted it back to its factory color,, with a twist,, and thats Mavaholics fault,,,Lmao,, But he did have a sweet Idea I gotta say ,, The car was white with blue interior,, its gone to red now,, and has its grabber stripes painted on in red as well,, so when it goes back together with all new brake and fuel lines and radiator as well,, with new tires,, and light bulbs,,, I am just going to need to change the oil every 3,500 miles till I get around 80,000 miles the do another rebuild,,
Do all the fluid/filter changes of any other daily driver. The common problems for me when driving old Fords on a regular basis are: Low output alternator and unreliable external regulator. Lower radiator hose... make sure you have a spring in it. Keep up with the fuel filter more often than a new car. Keep a good 50/50 mix in the radiator... it will protect your heater core. (common failuire) Keep the front bearings packed with grease.
These guys have pretty much hit it on the head. I have done 60,000 miles in my Maverick since December of 2005, I have been through most of the problems listed here once or twice. My car sees alot of highway driving. I run 10w30 Castrol with Motorcraft filter and change it every 4,000-4,500 miles. I change my PCV valve every three oil changes. My engine is spotless inside, and it burns so clean that there is almost no carbon build up on the pistons or in the header. Both my transmission and rear axle have a slow leak, I put about a quart every two weeks in the trans and check the gear oil in the rear about every 20,000 miles. The all time best upgrades I have made to my car as a daily driver so far (in no specific order) have been electronic ignition (MSD 6AL with MSD plug wires and platinum plugs), electric fan, and front disc brakes. New shocks and rebuilding the front suspension (with a proper professionally done alignment afterwards) also makes a huge overall improvement in the way the car drives. Make sure you keep all the tires properly inflated, make sure the tires are in good condition and they all match. I know fat tires look good, but they are not the best for optimal fuel mileage, size your tires properly if you want to get respectable gas mileage. My car gets mid-high 20's on the interstate. If you take care of the car, it'll take care of you. I would not hesitate to drive mine anywhere.
