Looking at F250 with 7.3 powerstroke- Advice

[PineyMountainRacing]

I have an '02 crew cab, short bed, 4WD, AT and hope it lasts till I don't need a big truck anymore. I don't use it for a DD, only pulling horse trailers, a 7X14 enclosed moto trailer and some equipment trailers (biggest is 12T deck over for skid loader and attachments). It is completely stock, have never tried a chip. I get 10 - 12 mpg pulling pretty much anything and run 70-75 - a lot of my trips are SW Florida to western NC. 70 - 75 is just over 2000 rpm, I don't think I've ever done a long trip without pulling something. Rotella oil changes every 5000 and tranny fluid and coolant at 50,000 - has been in the shop once for a speed control factory recall. Still original brake pads, bought new ones last year figuring they needed replacing but they were still better than 50%. An exhaust brake would be nice in the mountains... Just turned 90K, runs like new! I love this truck. Left FL this morning and just got to NC via Chattanooga this evening, it makes the trip a breeze.

Did I mention I really like this truck?

PMR

[trc.rhubarb]

Originally Posted by gs short

ford about that time had a fire wall issue were the clutch master cyl. mounted it would crack and flex this would cause loss of slave cyl. movement check for a problem or the repair to have been completed. drive train is bullet proof other wise

Damn, I had an 85 F-250 that did that. Killed 2 bellhousings with that before getting a new truck.

[concours]

Originally Posted by nwdub

you'll get 16 in the city and maybe 19 on the highway unloaded and babied to keep the turbo from spooling

word.

[DaFoole]

Has a Banks 4" turbo back exhaust and manual tranny. I would assume this might help a bit...

STILL in the ballpark of my Xterra.....

[DaFoole]

Meeting with the guy tomorrow. Turns out he's a mechanic. Will post some pics.

[HiSPL]

I have an 02 Excursion with the 7.3. Bought it with 140k miles and it now has 245k on it.

There is a Cam Position Sensor that, while it doesn't happen often, goes out and will sideline you. As in, will not start and there's no work around. Truck just dies.

Good news is, the sensor is not that expensive, nor is it hard to install on the side of the road. Many people carry a spare sensor and the tools to change it with. You can be back on the road inside of 15 minutes.


The other very common problem with these trucks is the stock airbox. They have a nasty habit of developing cracks under the filter so that the turbo can suck in unfiltered air. That's bad. Generally the fix is to remove the whole airbox and install a Napa 6637 air filter. It's a giant paper filter that replaces the whole airbox. Kinda like those ricer kids with their cold air intakes, but the 6637 is physically bigger than a whole honda engine. (not really, but almost)

After that, just drive the damn thing. I know a guy that runs a limo service that has just shy of a million miles on a stretch excursion. He probably has a million hours of idling time on it too since they never shut off the engine when they are on a job. He hasn't done anything inside this motor, ever. It does have a lot of blowby and needs a rebuild, but he's waiting until it rolls the odometer to see if ford will give him anything for it!

To get max economy out of it keep the RPM under 2000. On my 2wd Excursion I am doing 68 mph at just a tick under 2000 rpm. I'll get about 17 mpg there. If I drop it down to 65 mph I can get around 18.5 to 19 mpg. I think the pickups do a little better than my Ex. I've got over 8000 pounds to haul around when fully fueled with my junk in the back.

[HiSPL]

One more thing. Make sure it has the right antifreeze in it. Since this guy is a mechanic, hopefully it will already.

The diesel engine shakes and vibrates like a hound dog shittin peach pits. Regular antifreeze can cavitate inside the waterpump and erode the impeller. Ford makes a special antifreeze that stops the cavitation from happening. It basically has a higher surface tension than regular antifreeze.

Not a big deal, and won't stop the truck, but can cause it to run hot at high RPM's because the water pump isn't working like it should.

[Gourdhedd]

That's very low mileage for a truck of that age. I had a 2000 model and loved it until some knucklehead ran into me on a snowy road in Colorado. I wasn't ready to let that truck go. It had 207K on it and still would get 18-19mpg on highway. Some of the typical problems are cam position sensor, vehicle speed sensor, high pressure oil pump seals, turbo pedestal seals, needle bearing in front end(4WD only), leaky pinon seal. The steering will get a little wonky in higher mileage units and you'll need to replace the sector and other components. These were very reliable trucks. Take a look over the thedieselstop.com for a lot of good info on these trucks. I replaced my 2000 with a 2008, still a good truck, but the mileage is terrible.

Gary

[DaFoole]

Originally Posted by HiSPL

The diesel engine shakes and vibrates like a hound dog shittin peach pits.

[jules083]

I have an early 99 f-350 4wd dually with the 6 speed and 7.3. Best truck I've ever owned so far.

When I bought it (very cheaply) the truck needed a lot of work and the previous owner didn't have the money to fix it. I drove it home and tore it down, had to change front leaf springs, one leaf in the rear was broke, ball joints, front u-joints, glow plugs, glow plug solenoid, clutch, and turbo.

All of that added up to around $2,500, so not too bad considering the price of the truck. In the last 2 years I haven't had to do much besides drive it. The fuel milage isn't the best, around 12 or 14, but considering it's a dually with 4.10's I expected that. I'm running about 2400 RPM's on the highway, well out of the 'good economy' range but it pulls hard.

I run 5W40 synthetic rotella in it, with good batteries it has started every time without being plugged in, coldest was about 0 Farenheit. I like to have it plugged in though, it sounds like there's an oil pan full of rocks at those temps.

One thing with my truck is I have to use fuel treatment. I use Powerservice, it seems to work well. If I don't use it within 10 or 15 miles I'm stopped on the side of the road putting treatment straight into the fuel bowl to get it to clear up. I don't know why, but that's the case. Miles on the truck is unknown, it's worn out 2 odometers so far. Currently the second one is still there and non-working, I'm not worried about fixing it. All I know is that I put at least the 3rd clutch in, because the one I took out wasn't original.

Anyone have a rough estimate on how long a clutch would last in this truck? The one I took out was ceramic and shot, so at a minimum the truck wore out that and the original. Maybe 150,000 each, putting 300,000 on the truck? Pedals are worn to about the 300,000 point I would say, and the steering wheel is shiny smooth.

[DaFoole]

Originally Posted by jules083

Anyone have a rough estimate on how long a clutch would last in this truck? .

I was sort of wondering the same although I would imagine it would have a lot to do with how the truck was used.

[jules083]

Originally Posted by DaFoole

I was sort of wondering the same although I would imagine it would have a lot to do with how the truck was used.

You would think.

I know my truck was worked hard it's whole life, but at the same time with the 6 speed it doesn't need much slipping to get moving. Low gear has a top speed of like 2.

You still looking at yours today? One thing to consider is these trucks are helpless as a 2wd if you get snow or need to move in wet grass or something. They are very heavy up front. Mine sinks like a rock as soon as I hit a puddle in the yard. I've been pulled out quite a few times, and I'm 4wd.

[DaFoole]

Originally Posted by jules083

One thing to consider is these trucks are helpless as a 2wd if you get snow or need to move in wet grass or something. They are very heavy up front. Mine sinks like a rock as soon as I hit a puddle in the yard. I've been pulled out quite a few times, and I'm 4wd.

Had a 94 F250 2WD....same thing. Fact is, I have the Xterra for 4WD stuff. Don't really want the weight/complexity and expense of 4WD. Just looking at this thing for towing a trailer....I just gotta remember to keep it outta wet grass.....

[DaFoole]

Soooo, I went and saw this thing and OMFG!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME truck!!!
Looks showroom inside and out!!! The guy is a diesel mechanic and apparently a perfectionist. I keep my vehicles pretty nice but I have been put to shame. Been garaged it's whole life. Paint is near perfect with no signs of a repaint anywhere. EVERY receipt of every bit of work done including recalls (original owner), repairs and maintenance. Rotella and Ford filter every 5k miles (has ALL the receipts..) New clutch and pressure plate at 80k. Power Steering pump upgrade. New shocks, tires, brakes about 2000 miles ago. New belt. Could find no leaks or evidence of any leaks. NOT a pressure washed engine...had slight grime here and there. Diff dry. Line X bed liner. Bed not beat up. Banks four inch turbo back exhaust. Power chip (more for mileage). Turbo timer. Exhaust brake. A pillar gauge cluster.
Pretty much bought it on the spot....paid a bit more than originally advertised but he has been bombarded with calls and I was the first so he gave me 1st right of refusal...which I didn't. This is one of those vehicles you find very, very rarely. Have been looking a lot and the majority were shite with a LOT more miles.



Here's a coupla shitty cell-phone pics....

[HiSPL]

Looks like a Beaut! Glad you jumped on it. With that kind of maintenance history it was a very good price. Most 7.3's you see are dogged out by the time they get sold and people are still wanting north of 10 grand for them.


Double check that stock airbox for cracks. You may want to go ahead and do the 6637 mod now, just because it'll work better with the exhaust and chip you have.