Hello,

I am going to buy a f250 crew cab 1999 automatic. 7.3d. I never owned a diesel before and was hoping some of you could give me a heads up on some of the things I should look for before buying the truck. The trucks in my price range all have around 200,000 miles on them.

I have read about blowby and taking the oil cap off to check for it. Is a little steam OK?

Any other suggestions on what to look for would be great.

Contact our Ford Diesel expert Tim.... his screen name is ' The Warden"....

Look for cracks in the air intake between the filter and the turbo, dirt in the intake (leaking around the filter), and if possible look at the turbo blades to see if they look worn (from dirt being ingested). Also look at the oil pan for rust, they will rust out and they're expensive to replace because you have to pull the engine. You don't want any major oil leaks from the engine, intercooler tubes will probably be oily but that's ok. Some blowby from the oil cap is ok, mine does that and always has. It would also be good to know if the coolant has been maintained with SCA's or even if it's been changed but that could be difficult to tell..... I guess you could get several test kits and check it when you look at the trucks. I wouldn't worry too much about that since cavitation isn't too much of a concern on the powerstrokes. Can't really comment on the transmissions since you'll probably only be able to find an auto.... mine is manual (if you find one put a good clutch in it ASAP). Good luck!

__________________
1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

There is great info on thedieselstop.com or oilburners.net about ford diesels. I have a 90 and they have talked me through all kinds of issues. Like this place seems to for the MB

That's an easy one!

Look on the side of the door panel, if it shows "Cummins 24-Valve Turbodiesel" you are good to go!

If you are buying from a private party, ask him about the SCA level in the coolant. If he gives you a blank look, he probably did not maintain it. If he gives an intelligent answer, its probably OK.

Check out all the great people at thedieselstop.com

The very FIRST thing to look for is a GM Duramax. You don't have to shut them down to order at a drive thru or shut them down so the person in front of you in the drive thru can order.
Just my opion.

__________________
84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)

Everyone will have their own opinion on what is best. I have a 7.3 IDI and love it.
But I do not know much about the Power Stroke. Have a good diesel shop look at it. IH here in Portland is a great place for info. This is a IH motor and is used in a lot of applications.

With that many miles look for a 6 speed or a 94.5 - 97 with a 5 spd. The autos are trash. Other comments on cavitation are true but maintenance records are the only way to tell. THE Cummins suggestion was a LMAO!! A Dodge with that many miles would be falling apart!! Of course the engine would still be purring like a kitten. I have had 2 7.3 IDI's and 3 PSD's and never any issues with them. Highest miles was 276K but i have seen 500K on them.............

__________________
2003 Ford Crew Cab 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel 6 spd 4x4(For Sale)

1981 MB 300SD 190,000 miles Gray with cream interior.(sold)
1981 MB 300SD 239,000 miles Cream with Brown interior.(sold)

Thanks for the help.

SCA level??? Is the coolant different for a diesel? And why is it important? What can happen if coolent sca level is not maintianed??

This is all new to me so thanks a lot.

A properly built E4OD (turned into 4R100 around 2000 MY) is an excellent transmission. Stock, they leave much to be desired as the coast clutch likes to come apart and the center support bearing is plastic! At 200000 miles, I highly doubt it's the original unit... the stock valve body is very poor. TransGo has an excellent kit that's a breeze to install for them that corrects many of their problems.

Older Dodge's have a similar problem on the 47RE with converter drainback when the vehicle is turned off hurting internals eventually killing it. Needs a properly built valve body and a special shift valve with a check ball in it to prevent this, it's pretty easy to remedy also.

Best trans out there in them is the Allison 1000 in GMs trucks, that Isuzu Duramax is a nice motor. The more simple LB7 motor (without EGR and VVT) are less expensive too, but that newer LLY is a far quicker truck.



IMO - see what's out there before you decide. You may not like the fit/finish of a certain make or model when you drive it.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I have decided on a powerstroke for the simple fact of avalibility.
I am looking at crew cabs Dodge just starting making them and chevy 4 doors are few and far between.

Also after test driving about ten trucks I decided to sell something so I can afford atleast a 1999. 1997 are slow compared to the 1999. I bet those 1999 powerstrokes , with the chip, are faster then alot of cars.

I read some about the sca additives. I think if I buy a truck with high miles 200,000 my best bet would be to switch to waterless coolant then I shall have no worries.

1997s aren't intercooled either...

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]