Hello all - this past weekend my nephew picked up a 1995 F350 7.3 5-speed CCLB with 135K miles on the odometer. I'm familiar with this generation of trucks since I own a 94 F150, but this is the first time either of us has ever worked on a diesel. Any diesel. So bring on the roasting as I ask some relatively noobish questions.

Today he has the day off so we are going to go thru the entire truck and figure out what if anything needs replacing right away. Most importantly we want to replace all of the fluids. I have a list below of what I think we should used based on my internet searches - please advise if you see anything wrong.

Transmission (ZF5) - synthetic ATF (brand recommendation?)
Front Differential - 75w90 gear oil
Rear Differential - 75w140 gear oil and Ford Friction modifier (4.10 LS)
Transfer case (Looks the same as my BW1356) - ATF
Brakes - DOT3
Clutch - DOT3
Coolant - It looks like the coolant was just changed - very bright green color
Oil - 15w40 - looks like Delo 400 is very popular
Oil and Fuel Filters - Motorcraft brand or is there a better option?

One thing we noticed right away - no horn. I asked him to check his cruise control as well and that is out as well. On my F150 I had the same problem with the flashing airbag light and it turned out to be my airbag clockspring - but this truck doesn't have an airbag. Maybe just a fuse?

Also curious if the F350 came stock from the factory with ball joints and steering components that had zerk fittings on them? My F150 did not but his truck has them on everything, so trying to figure out if they have already been replaced at least once. I will also take any tips folks on any immediate preventative maintenance things to do - I remember when I got my F150 everyone told me to replace the PCV valve and the vacuum lines and it made a world of difference for something I never would have thought of on my own.

Thank you in advance - here are some pics - he is in love:

 

That's not a truck, that's a museum piece! Dang, a five-speed 4x4 CCLB two-tone, original running boards (some folks scoff at those, but hey, they're original!) and an aux controller, in near showroom condition. Awesome find, and you rescued it from a Chebbie dealer, no less. You will LOVE this truck (except perhaps when you're maneuvering in a parking lot).

Oil - In Oregon you MIGHT consider 5w40 synthetic, for better flow at low temperatures. But you know how oil threads go; you get 10 of us in a discussion, you'll get 12 different opinions. Ultimately, just make sure it's a diesel-rated oil, don't buy into any of those extreme OCI ideas (remember, the injectors run on the engine oil pumped to high hydraulic pressure), keep the level up, and NO additives. Beyond that, it's user's choice.

Motorcraft fuel filter can be had at most FLAPS (I get them at Advance Auto, and use the online 30% discount). For oil, if you opt for synthetic, Mobil makes a Mobil 1 M1-601 synthetic media filter.

Coolant - if you're not going to change it, check the SCA (anti-cavitation) level, and add if necessary. If you ARE going to change it, you can get a pre-charged anti-freeze like Fleet Charge. It's old-school "green" (although it's dyed pink) anti-freeze pre-charged with SCA. It's been said that our trucks don't play well with extended-life (ELC) anti-freezes, something to do with the material of the injector sleeves.

DO NOT change the clutch fluid. It's in a tightly closed system, and is a PITA to bleed. You MIGHT consider replacing the fluid if you find yourself with clutch hydraulics issues, but most likely if you have an issue, it's the slave and/or master failing. Best replacement option is a complete pre-built pre-bled master-line-slave kit. But again, if it's working, LEAVE it.

But speaking of the clutch, do you have any service record info? At those miles, it could be the original clutch and flywheel. Between the IH engine and the ZF tranny, Ford, in its infinite wisdom, spec'ed a "dual-mass" flywheel; it supposedly provides a "smoother" more car-like feel to the clutch. Problem is, when the bits holding the two masses start to fail, and it lets go entirely, the loose bits can grenade through the tranny case (there's no separate bellhousing). Common clutch replacement includes a new single-mass (conventional) flywheel. You do occasionally hear more gear "rollover" noise, typically only when decelerating at low speed.

Re. the horn/cruise, they MIGHT be on the same fuse; check the owner's manual (no owner's manual? HA, demand $1000 off!...). If it's not that, these trucks don't have the kind of clockspring the half-tonners have; it's the old-school style with the concentric rings and brushes. Could just be a problem there. With no air bag, steering wheel removal is easier.

One of our F250s came with original steering linkages, and no, none of them were greaseable; I don't think Ford put greaseables on any of the pickups of this vintage. So if you're seeing zerks, that means they're replacements.

BTW, when you get back to the forum main page, scroll down vvvvv some; there's a whole section dedicated to '94-'97 PSDs. Boatloads of info there, and it's not all cluttered with that lame gasser chatter (KIDDING!!!).

 

Thanks for the advice and compliments - it is a beautiful truck and he waited patiently for a looooong time to find the one he wanted. Pretty impressive for a 19 year old young man, IMHO. He's hoping it will be his forever truck.

Those running boards cannot be factory - if they are then then they were removed from the truck and re-mounted in the most hideous fashion possible. Like someone fabricated their own crappy frame-mounted L-brackets after the fact. We removed them first thing and were pleasantly surprised not to find any holes or any major scratches or damage. Makes the truck look 3" taller and really shows off the 35" tires.

 

Oh, yeah, looking again, actually I think they are aftermarket boards. The factory did have some fiberglass running boards, but they did not extend over the wheel wells.

 

Beautiful truck. The only thing I think I'd change would be the steering wheel...I've never been a fan of that look. I prefer the older style without switches on the wheel.

I'm jealous of that truck, though...I really am.

 

Um, where would the switches go, if they weren't on the wheel? They never came with them anywhere else except on the wheel.

 

Those without cruise have no switches. The style of the previous design is what I like...with no switches.

 

Don't forget to get rid of those car mirrors, I've always thought they're terrible in both form and function.

Awesome truck though...if it's going to be his forever truck, start learning about 7.3 scanners and acquire one. He'll/you'll need it when there's a problem with the 7.3.

 

So what you really meant is that you prefer a truck without cruise. The XLTs came with cruise. I doubt the OP would want to give up cruise just for the cosmetics of the wheel, but you never know....

As for the mirrors, with the doors drilled for the Nemo mirrors, unfortunately the only other option would be the bigeffin' four-post trailer mirrors. Well, you could get the swing-aways, but there would be some bodywork to do along the beltline of the door. The Nemos really aren't bad if you're not towing. At least it gives you the option of power mirrors.

 

He wants to put on chevy or dodge tow mirrors. I told him if he ever talks such gibberish again I am hiding his keys.

Didn't get much done yesterday because of the weather - mostly just went thru the interior, replaced the cluster and climate control bulbs with LED's, and made a huge list of things that need to be done. To be continued.

 

Haha, you're raising him right! Actually, there are several mod threads about later tow mirrors, Ford and otherwise. It's a bit of a conundrum, because those bigeffin' mirrors are part of the reason why newer trucks don't have the wing window. And it's the wing window that, in part, makes an OBS an OBS. Some guys have come up with designs that cover just the bottom corner of the wing window, but still allow you to open it. If he REALLY is going to tow with it, they'd be worth a read. If he just wants to look like those "Cummings" dudes who drive with their mirrors flipped out 100% of the time (way to reinforce the stereotype, dudes...), then yeah, def. hide his keys.

 

I'm not a fan of replacing the wing windows for mirrors, I like the manual truck mirrors, mounted nice and high. Not the best, but some of the best of the time.

 

^^^^^ You mean the West Coast style, where the bracket is bolted to the top of the door frame and the beltline? Yeah, those def. have the most "classic" look, combined with the option to really reach outward for towing, without interference with the wing window. Only downside is the same as with the big four-post tow mirrors - no way to fold the whole thing flush with the door.

I think as time has marched, and esp. as urban spaces have gotten tighter and more crowded, the demand for truck mirrors that tuck in tight but also extend for towing has driven much of the design change of more recent doors/windows/mirrors. Our generation of truck just isn't amenable to this demand. The closest you can come is a swing-away mirror (bracket shaped like a "7"), and an "Extend-a-Mirror" add-on bracket. But those do introduce some shake, esp. when extended. It's one of those "build a better mousetrap" challenges - combine extension for towing, folding ability, options for power adjustment/heat/signals, on a classic design door with wing windows, all in one package.

 

What a nice, clean, straight truck! I bet he gave top dollar for it, but he sure does have good taste in trucks!

 

Ended up being about 15K with a 2 year power train warranty and first year of oil changes for free. Not bad at all really. Definitely above KBB but I have seem them go for 20K around these parts. And rarely this nice with low miles and a 5 speed. He hit the jackpot.