SERVICING THE 2004 LIGHT TRUCKS

Motor,  Jan 2004  by Weissler, Paul

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The stakes keep getting higher in the light truck sales game. Many players have improved their hands, and no one's folding.

Is 2004 the year of the truck? Well, it certainly looks that way, with lots of brand-new machinery. The lead vehicle is the bestselling Ford F-150. But there also are the General Motors midsize twins, Chevy Colorado/CMC Canyon, a first-ever full-size Nissan pickup called Titan and a long-wheelbase Toyota Tundra Double Cab. Brand-new SUVs also appear in 2004a premium model irom Volkswagen called the Touareg, the Dodge Durango, Nissan Pathfinder Armada, which is built on a modified Titan platform, and the new Lexus RX 330.

If there's one theme that covers all these vehicles it s that they have a much nicer interior than before. Even for the more trucklike models, the level of ride and handling refinement is amazing. These vehicles can be driven all day without the driver feeling like he's been beaten up. And because they have rack & pinion steering, they're very nimble.

In the tech service department, they all have a lot that's new. Even if it isn't something you'll see tomorrow, you'll want to store it in your brain, so it can be handled in mentally digestible bites. In addition, what you know now can lead to better tool and equipment buying decisions.

And what may be the most mind-altering tech introduction is being added to existing vehicles: the Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra pickups with the hybrid electric option. It won't go on sale to the public until spring, so we'll just give you some basics here. But as we noted last month in our import car report, for the new Toyota Prius, hybrids are slowly ramping up to be big business. And hybrid versions of the Lexus RX 330 and Toyota Highlander are coming, with at least the RX 330 probably out later this year.

So let's see what new technology is coming down the pike, nameplate by nameplate.

Ford

Ford made many quality improvements, including luxury-car-level interior appearance and comfort, and a smoother ride to maintain the F-150's leadership in what's looking to become a sales dogfight. The 2004 F-150 will have a league-leading tow capacity of 9900 lbs., with power supplied by an optional heavily redesigned version of the 5.4L V8.

Strength is a watchword for trucks, and the F-150 has a fully boxed frame that's almost nine times torsionally suffer than its predecessor. Front and rear suspensions were redesigned. Both 2WD and 4WD front ends are coil-overshock types (torsion bars are gone from 4WD). The rear shocks were moved outboard for better ride and handling.

The bed is deeper, and while that does mean more capacity, the issue of loading it has, well, become an issue. Optional rear steps are recommended. A new balancing spring system for the tailgate, reportedly inspired by an old GM patent, is a real help; it makes the gate feel almost featherweight.

The base engine on the new F-150 is the 4.6L V8, which develops 231 hp and 293 ft.-lbs. of torque. But Ford also invested in a three-valve aluminum head for its cast-iron 5.4L SOHC V8. To fit the second intake valve in and have a centrally located spark plug, Ford had to use a "super-skinny," a spark plug with a 9/16-in. hex.

The addition of a second intake valve and variable valve timing enables the engine to produce 300 hp and 365 ft.lbs. of torque. The competitors' top engines, all of which are larger (5.6L for Nissan, 5.7 for Dodge and 6.0 for GM), have slightly higher numbers. But the F-150 is a solid performer, and with top towing capacity (substantially also a function of the drivetrain), the F-150 is not hurting. In addition, the 5.4L threevalve produces those numbers on regular gas, unlike some others.

The F-150 also has lower emissions and good idle quality, helped in part by "charge motion" valves in the intake manifold. These are electric-motor-controlled flaps that pivot to produce a restriction that speeds up airflow for good fuel mixing at low speed. Its not a new idea, but it works well in this application.

The air cleaner housing should make technicians happy. There's no need to disengage then reengage retaining clips in tight quarters. Simply undo wideopen clips, pull open a drawer and theres the filter element.

Ford is moving into CAN/OBD II at a moderate pace, and the new F-150 has it. But that's not the only new piece of diagnostics you should know about. The new engine has an intelligent electronic throttle that's tied into the OBD II diagnostics through both the MIL and a dashboard cluster light of its own that's shaped like a wrench. So if theres a driveability issue and both the MIL and the wrench icon are lit, you know the problem includes some aspect of electronic throttle operation. Yes, it has a series of its own trouble codes.

The four-wheel disc brakes are large, with vented rotors front and rear; antilock brakes are standard. The front calipers are two-piston types, the rear calipers single-piston. A drum-type parking brake is built into the rear rotors.

General Motors

The Chevy Colorado/CMC Canyon twins are the eventual replacements ibr the S-10/Sonoma pickups. They're a few inches longer in wheelbase (111 or 126 in.) and overall length (207 in.), but about the same weight, thanks to a hydroformed steel frame and lighter engines. They're not just restyled, though; they're all-new vehicles with all-new engines. The 2.2L Four and 4.3L Vortec V6 are out, replaced by inline four- and five-cylinder engines.