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!

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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.

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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.............

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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)