So here's the link to the posting on CL
1992 F250 7.3 Diesel 4x4
So lookin for advice once again,
It's a 7.3 non turbo has 254,500 miles on it said he just changed and flushed the trans fluid, said the oil is good for 2,500 miles, antifreeze is good but not changed. I asked him about SCA's and he had no idea about SCA's or cavitation, says he get about 15 to the gallon, now I know cavitation is very rare to be seen but with him not knowing about SCA's and cavitation is that a red flag or no?
That is for the help anyone.

 

how long has he owed it and how many miles has he put on it, in that time with untreated coolant? it's a red flag in general.especially @ that mileage.

 

He said he's put 1500-2000 miles on it since he got it

 

Tryin to get ahold of the current owner to see how many PO's there are

 

I'm going to say that if it's running good, go for it. You're always taking a risk, but the price should reflect that.

Chances are, add some SCAs yourself and never worry about it.

 

Yeah I was thinkin about taking that route, maybe seein if there's any symptoms of cavitation too look for, I know TJC has said he's only seen 2 engines suffer from cavitation in his life span (probably a million times he's said it) however should I flush the coolant and start with new?

 

yes.definitely.the same applies to all fluids in any used vehicle iv ever bought.otherwise you don't know what the condition of that fluid is.

 

Do you think it's worth the gamble with the price he's asking, I figured I oughtta low ball him some

 

i also had a question, not to thread jack but can a 7.3 idi be a good reliable daily and cross country runner with 300k on it

 

that is the designed life expectancy of the engine.many of them fail before this,but many have gone further as well.when your getting up in high miles on an engine like that,it's more than likely not to be as reliable as it once was.you should have proper expectations about it's efficiency,performance and reliability.it's not that you can't have a reliable vehicle with 300k miles on it with it's original engine,but i personally would rent something before considering running cross country with one.
(iv never owned a vehicle with miles anywhere near that high.i ware them out past the point where they are no longer worth putting $ into them long before that.)

 

Take some test strips with you, at 254K it better be a good deal too.

When I bought my truck the owner didn't know much about SCA's, but I guess he took it someplace to have it serviced and they did add it, and the coolant tested good.

 

Yeah I can get some from any auto part store right?

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...r-the-idi.html

 

Seems like an okay deal and sounds like he's willing to go down, don't let the mileage worry you these engines go an easy 400K and some go nearly twice that.

No point in worrying about the SCAs, you can't undo the past. Just start fresh and enjoy your truck.

 

The mileage isn't such a concern as how well it was taken care off. Some people are hard on trucks and when they get old they get passed around a lot and so a lot of, uh, interesting "repairs" need to be undone.

And although the trucks and engines themselves are good for many, many miles they do still go through the usual 200K mile parts hunger that all civilian motor vehicles go through, water pumps, PS pumps, steering gear boxes, alternators, etc. That could be an advantage of buying a 300K truck though, it's been through that already if it was done right.