New Raptor owner, need some guidance

[Thewiz]

Hello,

New member here. Just bought a 2013 Raptor Super Crew. Truck has 60 000miles.

I live in Norway and parts are not so easy to come by over here, so most likely i will have to order from the US.

Got a few questions that i hope some of the experienced members can answer.

My Rack and Pinon is leaking on the passenger side, so i guess change the whole thing? Any recommended racks? Really want to get it right the first time when ordering, because shipping it cross the globe is not cheap.

Also, my right front shock is leaking from the top? So change that aswell, or should we do everything? I have read that these can be rebuildt, and i was just wondering, could for instance a motorcycle fork shop do this? Or how do i go about doing this?

Happy with the truck, but i got shaking when driving. To me it seems to get worse when the truck is warm, i thought about getting the tires balanced but after reading on the forum it seems like alot of F150 have this problem. I'v seen guys on here that has done the whole thing with balancing driveshaft, tires, suspension without improving the problem.

Also could use some new brakes and marker lights it looks like, any good parts store you would recommend?


Hope to get some good advise

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Hello,

New member here. Just bought a 2013 Raptor Super Crew. Truck has 60 000miles.

I live in Norway and parts are not so easy to come by over here, so most likely i will have to order from the US.

Got a few questions that i hope some of the experienced members can answer.

My Rack and Pinon is leaking on the passenger side, so i guess change the whole thing? Any recommended racks? Really want to get it right the first time when ordering, because shipping it cross the globe is not cheap.

Also, my right front shock is leaking from the top? So change that aswell, or should we do everything? I have read that these can be rebuildt, and i was just wondering, could for instance a motorcycle fork shop do this? Or how do i go about doing this?

Happy with the truck, but i got shaking when driving. To me it seems to get worse when the truck is warm, i thought about getting the tires balanced but after reading on the forum it seems like alot of F150 have this problem. I'v seen guys on here that has done the whole thing with balancing driveshaft, tires, suspension without improving the problem.

Also could use some new brakes and marker lights it looks like, any good parts store you would recommend?


Hope to get some good advise

Hello,

Congrats on your buy! You bought a great truck and I am sure it will be polarizing on the roads in Norway. For several years now, I have thought about shipping my Raptor to Europe to do some traveling across Europe. Norway is on my list of places to go. Lol I have heard stories that the women are beautiful there

But to answer your question, yes, you need to go ahead and replace the entire steering rack. You want to use a Ford OEM steering rack. Also, non-Raptor steering racks are electric, so make sure you get a Raptor steering rack that is hydraulic. If you use a company like Tasca Parts, you can call them and they will verify that the part matches your vin number. However, I am unsure which companies will ship to Norway. Here is a link to Tasca: https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-part...meT0yMDEzJnQ9c3Z0LXJhcHRvciZlPTYtMmwtdjgtZ2Fz

Given that you are changing out the steering rack, I would go ahead and change out the power steering pump. The OEM pumps are known to fail. So it is a worthwhile upgrade to go ahead and change it out since you are changing all the power steering fluid for the steering rack anyways. I would recommend you go with the RPG power steering reservoir or the GJ Motorsports power steering reservoir. Both are really good set ups without breaking the bank.

https://www.rpgoffroad.com/product/power-steering-reservoir/

https://gj-motorsports.com/Powertrain/2010-2014-F-150-Power-Steering-Reservoir

In reference to your front shock leaking, I am sure it is due for a rebuild. Typically the FOX shocks needs to be rebuilt every 50k if you haven’t did any hard off-roading or towing. These service intervals can change drastically depending on how you use the truck. But more in likely, the original owner of the truck never had the shocks serviced. Personally, I would probably buy new shocks, which can be expensive, but you would know what you are getting. I don’t know how much experience your motorcycle shop has in rebuilding shocks. A ton of people say they can rebuild them, but they screw something up and don’t really know what they are doing. So that is a decision you are going to have to make. Forged Offroad has rebuilt hundreds (if not thousands) of Raptor shocks here in the states and is well-known. Here is their website: https://forged-offroad.com/shock-rebuilding/?v=7516fd43adaa

In reference to your vibration concerns, it is hard to pinpoint one thing. Your shocks could be bad, your tires could be bad, your steering rack/tie rods could be bad. So I would methodically go through all those things. You definitely need to balance the tires though. Your current tires may be too late to save, but I have always balanced my tires every 3000 miles (about 5000 km) to insure proper wear. So when you get new tires, make sure you start balancing them right away.

R1 Concepts has one of the best brake packages out there for our Raptors. Yes, it is a little expensive, but the performance is there. You ought to get long life out of them and it will make a noticeable difference in how your Raptor brakes. Make sure you get the stainless steel brake lines and a good set of brake fluid. Rick has packages that includes both of those things: https://www.freedommotorsports.us/c...m-replacement-performance-brake-packages.html

Another thing to check, would be to grease your slip yoke on the drive shaft. This has been known to cause rough vibrations while driving. See this video here:

In closing, I highly recommend you purchase your shocks, power steering reservoir, brakes, and any other raptor goodies through Rick@FreedomMotorsports. He has saved me a bunch of money throughout the years and offers some of the best customer service in buying Raptor parts. It is always best to use a vendor because they can typically get in touch with the companies much easier than customers and solve any issues that arise. Given that you are purchasing stuff to be shipped to Norway, communication will be key.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

@RDFTS

 

[B E N]

If your rack is leaking and needs to be changed its a good place to start on the vibrations.

Tire balance is inexpensive and should be done regularly anyway so its a good place to start as well, the tire people can check for any other potential tire problems as well. There are a lot of tire related issues that can cause shaking.

You didn't specify where you are feeling the shaking. Is it through the seats? Pedals? Steering wheel? Seeing it in the mirror? These can all be attributed to different things. I don't believe in throwing parts at a problem, especially if diagnosis is incomplete so give us as many details as you can!

 

[Thewiz]

@SVTFordRaptor Thank you for much good information there. Yes, i would recommend a trip to Norway if you have the chance. Granted the Raptor is huge on the roads here,
so parking and such is a PITA, but with all the snow here in the winter you can test it quite well Norwegian woman er indeed very nice looking

From what i have gathered i need a STG450 rack, atleast that was the part number i got from one of the dealers up here. Like this? https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/motorcraft,STG450,rack+and+pinion,7388

Thanks for the steering pump advise, will def consider that.

To me it seems better to just buy new shocks aswell, considering my location etc. I saw these online: https://parts.wadeford.com/oem-parts/ford-shock-absorber-assembly-ash12263?c=az0x

I asked a local shock shop about service on my leaking shock, and they qouted atleast 700 USD for rebuild / service per shock, which is alot i think, considering the price of new shocks.

I will start this vibration issue with balancing / getting the tires checked.

@B E N I have only really driven the truck with 4 massive wheels in the bed, and the shaking occured at random speeds, but specially at 50 mph, and above 70 mph. The shaking / wobble is not noticable under 40 mph. Don't feel any shakeing in the steering wheel, but the front seats and center mirror is shaking quite a bit, so that means its from the back, right?

Thanks again guys for helping me out.

Adding a picture of my truck aswell ! Since i live in Norway, i have two sets of wheels for this badboy. The one in the picture is the AT "summer tires" and on the other set is the stock SVT rims the truck comes with. Also, my truck is the LUX package with sunroof, Sony speakers / sub etc.

Also got aftermarket lights etc.

 

[B E N]

Good start on the diagnosis, since your not feeling it in the steering wheel it is unlikely to be a front tire issue. Since your seeing it at speeds above 40 only and its more pronounced at 70 its likely that you have a balance issue, or a tire problem. You could also have a driveshaft that is damaged, or a U-joint problem.

To diagnose the driveshaft and U-joints park the truck on a flat surface, in neutral using the parking brake, slide under the truck and grab the driveshaft near the U joint, try to wiggle it back and forth and side to side. If you have play here you will need to replace the U-joint. Check the driveshaft for any sign of impact, dents, bending anything like that. If you see any of these problems you will have to have the driveshaft repaired or replace it.

 

[Thewiz]

Just a little update here. I got this truck for a really good price, and i was aware that there was some fixing to be done.

Just ordered brake rotors and pads for the front, rear brakes are still good. Got my parking brake fixed, needed to thighten everything up and give it some TLC.
Took a closer look at the rack, and since the truck is new to me i cleaned of "all" the dried up oil, but it wasnt all that much TBH. So cleaned up the shock and rack, and i will revisit the leaks in a month or something after i'v had some time using the truck. Currently i have only driven it 500km, because it was long overdue for the goverment inpections. Also ordered new tail lights for the truck, as it was fitted with some cheap ass taiwan lights that of course has broken. Not gonna start troubleshooting those cheap lights, so OEM lights on the way.

As in terms of vibration im just gonna start by getting the tires balanced and checked. Gonna ask the tire shop to just take of all the old tire weights and fit new ones regardsless, just so i know its fresh.

Need new tail light and brakes to pass inspection now, so just sitting and waiting for parts to show up kinda sucks, but thats how it is when im around the globe from where the truck was made.

Question for you guys. Gonna do a oil change on the truck. Not sure if i can get the factory oil here, think it's called Motorcraft, is Castrol or Mobil1 OK?

And is 5w20 what you guys are running?

 

[MTF]

Full synthetic is the way to good.
I would suggest the Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w20, formally called Gold, this is what I run in my Whippled Raptor.
Better for cold weather and gives you extended mileage to 5000 miles between oil changes.
Amsoil Signature Series 5W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil is another good one.