hey guys I am more familiar with the 87-96 series trucks... But my dad is looking for a newer diesel with fewer miles. It seems there are more low mile better shape 99-03's around here and so i was wondering what besides the body did Ford change from the 94-97 PSD to the 99-03 PSD???? do they still have the ZF 5 spd? what did they put in them for an auto tranny (better than the e40d?)? are they still running sterling axles? what did ford change mechanicallly??? are the 99-03's just as reliable?

I know there are probably plenty of changes but I am just wondering what they are... A broad question I know... I like the older ones because I know how to work on them and my dad likes the newer ones because you can usually find them a bit cheaper and in better shape with lower miles for the same price... what's the HP and TQ of a 99-03 PSD? I think the 94-97's is 525 TQ and 235HP... Did ford use the same block for the newer PSD's? Thanks for any and all info...

 

94-97:

Mechanical two stage fuel pump
non-wastegated turbo
ZF-5 or E4OD
94.5-96 215HP 1997 225HP

Early 99:

Electric fuel pump
still used the OBS 15* HPOP
Intercooled
94-97 compressor housing, 99-03 exhaust housing (turbo)
Rated at 250 HP (this is supposedly overrated)

99-03
Different compressor housing (turbo)
17* HPOP
ZF-6 or 4R100 (just a little bit improved E4OD)
Intercooled
99-01 235HP
02-03 250 HP 525 TQ

These are a few of the differences that I can think of, I am sure I don't have all the facts straight, If I don't I am sure someone will correct it.

Hope this helps!

 

So what is the torque rating for the newer 99-03? That's something I'd really like to know since we are planning on pulling big trailers/camper...

Also, are the mpg's any different since they are essentially the same block?

I guess what I am after is someone to "sell me" on the newer 99-03 PSD truck instead of the older one... Why besides milage, availability, and overall condition would I want to go with the newer one? Ian I see you have a 95... why did you get yours instead of a newer one????

Thanks for the help guys!

 

You'll have to drive a newer one for yourself to see if you like it and make a decision based on your opinion. A friend of ours has a '97 CCLB 4x4 ZF5 w/ 3.73's & the 6637 mod (otherwise stock) and his seems to get up and go faster than our '00. His truck gets the same fuel economy as ours. Our truck appears larger than his truck as it's the newer body style vs the OBS.

 

Ok you just gave me 2 more questions...

does CCLB mean crew cab? 4 door?

What is the 6637 Mod?

I am better at the 87-96 gas lingo...

 

CCLB = crew cab (4-door) long bed

6637 = NAPA 6637 air filter - an open element air filter mod that's quite popular with Powerstrokes.

 

Split shot injectors
Solid front axle
Larger stock downpipe

Having driven both, my experience is that the 99-03 are more reliable, just all around good pickups.

Not trying to start a flame fest with the OBS guys, but I've owned both and the Superduty is one great pickup. Your dad won't be disappointed.

 

ok good to know! I think if we were looking for an older 94.5-97 PSD we'd be looking for a CCSB SRW 4x4... most likely a XLT version too...

Dad doesn't like having a huge vehicle to drive and park...So a CCLB DRW would be out of the question. I don't think you can get a 4x4 DRW anyway unless you want to do a dana 60 swap on the front of your truck... did the 99-03's come in 4x4 and DRW????

 

Yes, I believe the '99-'03 PSD came with CCLB DRW 4X4.

 

Yes the 99-03 came in all cab configurations with either srw=single rear wheel and drw=dual rear wheel some were also sold as cab and chassis only (these will usually have a flat bed or tool bed on them)and have a little different wheel base for their particular cab configuration. You will like dual wheels over srw for towing but not parking and going through drive thrus. I had a 95 with a diesel and 199? with a 351 both had 5 speeds and 4.10 gear.s I traded the diesel for my 2000. I liked the old body style better. The newer body style (99-03) grew on me and I sold the 351 but in retrospect wished I would have kept it. It was a no brainer at the time with diesel about 60 cents cheaper than gass. The truck in my sig gets better fuel mileage than the other 2 did but it is unfair comparison as they both had 5spd with the 4.10 gearing and the 2000 has 3.73 and auto. I have been amazed at how well the auto has lasted as I did not want an auto at all when I traded.

 

I've owned both and I'll take my OBS over an SD
Benefits of an SD- intercooled, larger injectors, room for a 4" down pipe, quicker turbo spool
Benefits of an OBS- no stupid unit bearings or ESOF, regulated return fuel system, better looking truck
Honestly I wouldn't hesitate to own either, but I like my OBS better than the SD I had. The important thing is to get one that hasn't been beat on or not properly taken care of by a previous owner.
OBS CCSB trucks are hard to find, and only available in an F250 which has the TTB front end. TTB is less desirable than the straight axle D60 on the F350's. All the SD trucks have a straight front axle.

 

Really the CCSB's only came in F-250's? huh... I Already have plenty of long beds (see pic in sig)... We just want a tower and hunting truck... I don't know how the 99-03's are set up but I like the older manual hubs and the floor shift transfer case. Less electric motors to break and easier to fix. Not to mention I think the manual hubs get better mpgs... Dad wants the crew cab b/c he's going to have a slew of grand-babies to take camping in the future... LOL... Plus it's easier to throw your hunting stuff in the back seat and not get it full of blood in the bed... Tends to happen more often than not... Anyway if we can only get a CCSB in F-250 a D60 swap would be needed...

Thanks for all the help guys! i am sure we are going to look at both and the pros and cons of each before we make a decision...

I did find a 96 XLT F250 CCSB SRW 4x4 PSD Texas rust free truck near me... The guy wants over 9K for it though and it has 283K on it... it's really nice but I don't think I can bring myself to spend 9-10K on a 14 y/o truck with almost 300K on it. Plus it has the E40D in it... Ugh I hate the E40D! the ZF542 is much better! Even in Excelent Conditon KBB only prices it at $6400... Time to look for a few 99-03's...

 

I have a '97 F250 4X4 psd ZF5/47and a '99 F250 2wd psd ZF6. and like them both, I tow mostly with the '97 as it has 3.55 gears and my '99 has a service body and is already loaded heavy.
the obs has a 10.25 sterling rear and '99 and up has 10.5 sterling. '99 and up has 4 wheel disc brakes.
these engines can take a lot of abuse, my '99 was a hot shot truck and than a ranch truck for the first 280,000 miles and neither on of them believed in maintenance or preventative maintenance. it is still as strong as an ox.
in my shop I have been seeing quite a few failures on the 10.5 sterilings the one I finished yesterday had 180,000 miles and an input pinion bearing failed. the one before that both carrier bearings failed. I haven't repaired or replaced ant 10.25 sterlings yet, and some of my customers have over 300,000 miles on them

 

Great info... Thanks! 4 wheel disk brakes would be nice but not at the expense of reliability. I'm sure both are great trucks and it will depend on what we can find. I use crazedlist.org alot so it might be possible that we run to TX, OK, AR, KS, MS and even northern LA... Just depends on what we find local but like I said... I know the ins and outs of the 87-96/97's so I might lean that way more heavily... We'll see!

 

i think obs had the front axle shackles ahead of the front axle, the sd had the front axle shackles behind the front axle for a smoother ride. i like the looks of the obs myself, but would not trade my sd for anything. if your mechanically inclined there is alot of great info and even better people on here that can help you fix any problems you run into. good luck on finding a truck.