Just looking for a little preliminary advice...

Sometime this summer I'm looking to buy an inexpensive "work" truck. No intention of it being a daily driver, or long trip vehicle so comfort and fuel economy are not primary concerns, just reliability and ability. Mostly for stuff like mulch, moving appliances, furniture etc... just handy stuff where you say "man I wish I had a truck". I'm partial to the 87-89 models, as my family had one new, and there's lots of good memories.

In the "must have" category is a manual transmission and long bed. I'm aware that somewhere along the way there was a 5 speed mazda transmission that's not well regarded. Was that ever offered with the F250, or 351?

4x4 I would like to have, but not sure it's worth the extra initial cost, and potential maintenance items and fuel economy loss. I have a Jeep for a winter vehicle, so the only reason for 4x4 would be access to unpaved land for hauling and i've always thought trucks should be 4x4

Ext or Crew cab are preferred but not required

Trim level doesn't matter

Would like to have diesel, but not finding much diesel in the price range I want (<$2k). Alternative would be the I-6 (what my family had) 351 or 460.

I believe I want at least an F250, as my understanding is they have semi-floating rear axles, which should be more durable than the 150. I may never "need" the additional capcity of the 250, but I'm not seeing a big difference in cost, and since comfort isn't a big concern I figure "I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it).

Based on the above, is there a particular year, or range of years that are known to be much better/worse than others?

If a truck is a 5 speed, how do I tell if it's the Mazda or ZF?

What are the functional differences between the 150, 250, and 350?

What are common problem areas I should look out for, and what are "features" I should be looking for?

Sorry for all the noob questions, but I have bought vehicles before only to find out that if I'd done a bit more research up front I could have found something a little better.

Thanks!

 

Well, you've almost answered your own question....

Btw, a ZF is a 3/4-1 ton tranny....The F-150's never came with them....

Otherwise...I'd personally shy away from a 87-88....New truck designs, usually equals the first couple of years being a guinea pig more or less....But thats a personal thing...

 

Thanks, but did the 250/350 ever come with the Mazda?

If not then that makes it easy, I can just avoid any 5 speed 150 and 4 speeds seem to be quite rare.

Were there any specific improvements in the 89? When was the "update" in the 90's?

 

As far as I know....The 2-350's all were ZF trannies....BUT with the exception of Light Duty 250...I think they had a Mazda 5 speed...Don't me to that....

As far as significant changes go...None body wise...And if you DID have to settle for a Automatic, the 90-91's Had the new E4OD....A bit better than the AOD in the 87-88's....

Otherwise its all in the electrical components, etc that small changes were made....

Also, in 88-90, the transfer cases became the New Process 200 Model....

 

How does one tell a "light duty" 250?

 

Front Differential, Springs, etc.....GVWR, etc.....More guys can chime in and tell you a bit more...

 

Not true. Some 1988 F-150's with the 351 could be ordered with the ZF. It's a rare combination. 99% of the F-150 5 speeds are the Mazda.

The 1987 wasn't much of a change from the 1986. Same drivetrain and options, just different sheet metal and interior.

Yes, but you will only find it in a light duty F-250.

Correct.

Not really better or worse. Designed for a different application. The E4OD was the replacement for the C6, updated with overdrive, a locking torque converter, and electronically controlled. It's the only automatic OD tranny Ford used behind the 460 and diesel.


No such thing as a NP 200... are you just making this stuff up?

The transfer case in a 87 to 89 will be the BW 1345. Sometime in the 90's they went to the BW 1356. The NP 208's last year was 1986.

You can visually tell the difference by looking at the rear axle. A HD F-250 will have a full-floating rear axle and the LD will have a semi-floating rear axle. A semi-float doesn't have the hub sticking out 5-6" from the wheel mounting surface and the full float does.

A LD truck will have a lower GVWR and can be found with the 302. If it had a 302 or 300, it also had the M5OD. A HD F-250 will have an 8800# GVWR and it never came with a 302. They are all 300, 351, 460, or diesel and if it has a 5 speed, it was the ZF.

 

So lets say I'm looking at a specific truck..

1988 F250, 351, manual transmission, 2wd.

Is it safe to assume that having a 351, it is the "heavy duty" model?

 

LMC truck catalaog lists the major changes in the trucks...

And it clearly states "The transfer cases were upgraded to the new Process 200 Model..."

So it was merely me repeating a established parts catalogs words...

My bad if it were incorrect....

Also, on the trannies...I wasn't referring to special orders, etc....Just was meaning the generally built trucks...

And as far as the first years deal...That is a preference of mine....Stuff is changed, as you said, to better fit the application...

Look at the E4OD for example...A 96 model is technically a smidge better worked out, with the electronics, etc.....

 

The M5OD isn't as bad as its made out to be. It's nowhere near as strong as the ZF, and if you plan on doing any towing, stay away from it. But for light use it's fine. The weak point are the three rubber plugs on the top that keep fluid in. They dry out, crack, and leak. The tranny runs low on fluid, and then it's done. That's by far the most common failure mode. If you keep it full of fluid, it's a good transmission.

Maintenance is minimal. Same with fuel economy loss. To me, it's worth it to have a 4x4 because it's better to have it and not need it. The initial cost is not too much more. Condition and miles play a bigger factor.

The diesel sounds overkill for what you want anyway. The 300 is a great motor. Long lasting, reliable, and will pull anything you hook it to, just maybe not as fast as you'd like.

A heavy-duty F-250 will have the full-floating rear axle, which is much stronger than the semi-floating rear axle the F-150 comes with.

I would say no. I'd rather have an EFI truck so any 300 after 1987 and any 351/460 after 1988 would be fine.

The easiest way is to look at the ribs on the side of the case. Horizontal and vertical, it's an M5OD. If they are diagonal, it's a ZF.

What do you mean by functional difference? The bigger the truck the more you can haul with it.

Common problems are rust (depending on where you live; in the southwest US it's not a problem, in the northeast it's a big one), fuel delivery system (aka the fuel crossflow problem, do a search if you don't know what I mean), and the EGR system. It's common for the valve to get clogged up or the sensors to fail and cause driveability problems.

Not at all; you are wise to do your research *before* you buy.

 

Very likely it's a HD because of the 351, but not 100%. Look at the rear axle. One glance will tell you all you need to know.

Don't believe everything you read. There's no such thing as an NP 200.

Generally speaking, that's true and I agree with you. In the IT software world, there is a rule that many people go by: "Never install version 1.0 of any software". Well, the same thing goes for cars. The first version of any redesigned model is going to have a few kinks that get worked out in the first few years. However, in a 1987 truck's case, the drivetrain is the same as it has been for a number of years. Same with the frame and suspension. The only real changes were sheetmetal and the interior. Ford didn't make a lot of changes to these trucks between 1980 and 1996 aside from the addition of EFI - and let's give credit to Ford, the transition to a new fuel delivery method was remarkably trouble-free - and the sheet metal/interior changes every few years.

 

anyone have a handy dandy reference of the difference on the axle? I know in general what yall are talking about (I am an engineer for Mack Truck after all), but would just like to see the specific application.

This is the picture of the truck in the CL ad... can't tell much but it appears to have the full floating rear.

 

Off topic but OMG, Andy... Do you have a blue oval on your head board? What do you do for a living? lol good info my man ...

 

LOL I have a job that allows me to spend way too much time on FTE.

I've read probably 10 times as many posts as I've written. I have a mind like a sponge and I try to retain as much as I can. I also have a pretty sharp eye for detail and I try to think like an engineer when I can.

I'm passionate about a few things... computers & networking (which is what I actually do for a living - I know more about TCP/IP networking than just about anyone I know), collectible coins, and poker. If you get me started about something I know a lot about... it can be hard to get me to stop.

 

What do you want to know?

That looks like a full floater to me too.