"What needs to be done to a LD that has 100,000 miles?"
Assuming the schedule maintenance schedule has been faithfully followed, just continue with the recommendations in Ford's Scheduled Maintenance Guide. The guide shows required service out to 150,000 miles. The spark plugs are replaced at 100,000 miles.
In addition, consider doing the following:
-Have the suspension and steering checked out by a good front end shop. Ball joints commonly are worn by 100,000 miles, especially if not lubed regularly.
-Have the drive shaft's u-joints and center bearing inspected, another problem area.
-Inspect and/or replace the the cooling system's hoses, including the heater hoses.
-Shock absorbers, even Bilsteins, can be worn out by now. Tighten the mounting hardware.
-If the roof seam has not been resealed with Eternabond, it's time. Check the roof vent's seals.
-Tighten the roof A/C mounting bolts.
-Re-seal the end caps if they are pulling away from the body.
-Have the coach mounting bolts checked for tightness.
One thing I see more and more is noise in the joint between the cab and coach. It shows up as a squeak just above the driver's or passenger's head. The connection is secured by a few sheet metal screws. With the pounding from deteriorating roads, the screw heads snap off, allowing the cab and coach to move in relation to each other.
The cure is to replace the broken screws with two or three times as many screws. It requires removing the trim carpeting (and about a hundred staples) to access the screws. I'm surprised LD has not address this problem. I first ran across it ten years ago in our 1983 LD and have seen many newer LDs, including our 2003 LD, with the same problem.
Contributor: Larry Wade
