Did the stock air filter change from 2003 to 2007, or has the truck I'm looking at buying had the filter upgraded to an after-market filter? I'm looking at a 2007 F-350 Lariat DRW 4x4... I noticed when I was test driving it that whenever I stepped on the gas, I got a good bit of whistling noise from under the hood. I almost wondered if I was hearing an exhaust leak out of the turbo or something. When we got back from driving it I popped the hood and had my friend step on the gas while I listened... I noticed right away the air filter was way different (black plastic square intake thing with an open top and a red cone-shaped filter inside). The whistling noise was coming from the filter when the engine revved up. Assuming I buy this truck, is that something I should plan to switch back to the stock filter? Or is that okay? I didn't see any manufacturer info on the filter right off.

Also, in my '03 F-250 with the short wheel base and single rear wheels, when I mash on the gas and "drive it like I stole it" I get pushed back into my seat and I take off... serious power and torque. On this '07 F-350 with the long wheel base and dual rear wheels, mashing on the gas doesn't produce the same results. Yeah, it's got power, and it picks up speed for sure, but it doesn't give me that same feeling of raw power unless I put it in tow/haul mode. Is that normal for these bigger trucks? I know the DRW and the longer wheel base adds a lot of weight...

Last question (for now)... the truck has 71,000 miles on it. CarFax gives it a 90 with an average range for that truck of 84-90, so it shows at the top of the range. The truck has been auctioned three times over it's life, starting in Arkansas, going to Florida, then to Nebraska, and finally here to Colorado. Anything I should be concerned about with it going through three auctions in only 71k miles? And since there are no maintenance records, what would be the important things for me to make sure to do right away if I buy it? I know this one has the bad EGR cooler in it, so I'll definitely plan to add a coolant filter right away, in addition to doing a full coolant flush. I'll also make sure it gets a full oil change (5W-40 synthetic recommended for cold weather at high altitude, right?) and new fuel filters. Should I also look at having the transmission flushed? I noticed when I test drove it yesterday it was really rough at cold start... idled a little rough (ICP checked out okay, though) and shifted really badly until it warmed up. I did read in other posts that the rough shifting at cold was normal for these, and that a PCM update fixed a lot of that, so if I do buy it I'll have the dealer flash the newest software to the PCM for me. It definitely ran VERY smoothly after it warmed up, though. Very nice ride!

thanks y'all!

 

The whistle could be anything from a Intake/Turbo leak to a Bad HeadGasket

stock the 03s had the least amount of issues IMO

All upgraded parts the 05+ is the better one

At least you know where you at with your 03 Dave

Are you just buying a new truck to avoid the Oil Cooler work???? Or No you wanteda Crew Cab Right???



Dave as much as that truck sounds like its been Passed around Im thinking its a PROBLEM CHILD Id pass that one

 

That is not the stock air filter, it sounds like an aftermarket like K&N. You may want to pull off the air inlet hose to the turbo and make sure that it hasnt been damaged with the A/M filter allowing dirt to pass through dusting the turbine wheel.

With it having dual rear wheels it may have a lower gearset like 4.10:1 and that will affect the way it drives, but i would think that would make it launch better than the usual 3.73:1 gears.

When i got my truck 06 F-350 4X4 Crewcab shortbed, i had the edge installed and noticed my TFT was running close to 190 F which didnt mean much to me at the time but i went and had the transmission flushed and filters changed at the dealer now it runs closer to 150 F. So at a bare minimum i would have the coolant flushed, transmission flushed and change the oil, oil filter and fuel filters and make sure that only motorcraft/racor filters are used. On a side note make sure the dealer changes the transmission filter under the passenger side front as when i took mine in and looked at the work order i noticed they only changed the screen that is in the tranny. Doesnt breed much confidence in your dealer when the customer knows more about your truck than you do.

One last, try and get an oasis report from your dealer as it will tell you about any warranty repair that has been done to the truck, hopefully yours will be more willing to provide you one than mine was.

 

Yeah, I want a crew cab... it's tight with one child seat in an extended cab, and two would be impossible...

The whistle sound DEFINITELY came from the air filter which I believe is after market... it wasn't from the turbo as I first thought.

This dealer has a 7-day no-questions-asked return money back policy, and an additional 30 days no-questions-asked full-price trade-in deal (in other words, if I decide within 30 days I don't like it or it has a mechanical issue, they'll give me my full purchase price towards trade on another vehicle). Since it has only 71k they're also willing to sell me an ESP on it, which I would definitely get.

So head gaskets could be a problem? Say I call the dealer tomorrow and tell them I'm interested in purchasing it after all...
--I ask them to do a compression test to check head gaskets
--I ask them to do a full coolant flush (I noticed crap in the degas bottle and mentioned it to them yesterday when I drove it)
--I ask them to do a full oil change
--I ask them to do a transmission flush for me
--I ask them to flash the new PCM software
--I get an ESP to cover anything that could go wrong on it...
--Would they do the blue spring upgrade if I asked them to?

Anything else I would want to ask them to do before I buy it, assuming I buy it?

 

Thanks, Mustang! I'm really impressed with this dealer. I've not been impressed with a dealer before, but the sales manager really knows these trucks inside and out, too... even offered up that they often get trucks in with egr deletes already done, and if I wanted him to look out for one for me, he would. Surprised me that he 1) knew what it was, and 2) was willing to admit that he'd sell one with the mod done since it's technically illegal. I started throwing lots of tech speak at him that I've learned from you guys, and he tracked with me the whole time. I'll definitely ask him to change that passenger side filter, too.

 

AS Long as the whistle isnt from the Coolant Bottle