I am thinking about buying a 1997 F250 4x4 with a 7.3 turbo desiel with 177000 miles. If the engine has had its normal maintenance of oil changes, what is the expected milage that you would expect to get out of one. It appears this truck was used for leisure and not for work. Also is there any thing to look for or common problems with the turbo diesel? One last question for now, what is the typical city and highway milage that poeple get with these. Thank you very much for any help.

 

common problems. air filters....if it still has the stock airbox ensure that it has metal screws on top not plastic. check out the balljoints those are a pricey fix...you dont say if it has an auto or manual...if auto ensure previous owner has changed the fluid religiously. if not and he towed heavy you can expect to be replacing that someday....good luck welcome to the psd world. let us know when you get it and post some pictures.

for some great info check out steve baz's site... scroll down about a 1/4 on the frist page for the what to look at when buying a used psd section. also check out the rest of the site and do some reading. you can learn a lot on there about our trucks.

STEVE BAZ CLICK HERE

 

I was actually yesterday talking to the powder river rep here who drives a powerstroke with 430,000+ miles on it and still running strong.

 

Thank you Brianjharder and 1997F-350. The truck does actually have a fith wheel on it but I am not sure what he pulled with it. How often should the trany fluid be changed?

1997F-350, you said the ball joints are pricey, is that dealer pricey or you doing it yourself price, ball park on price if don't mind.

Again, can you give me an indication of mileage. Does the turbo get about the same or less when cruising as lower rpm then a non turbo. Thank you again.

 

dealer pricey .... if it is something you can tackle when the need arises no biggie. dealer ive heard is around a grand. nothing on these trucks is fixed by the dealer cheaply. i fix all my own stuff.


you definitely want a powerstroke if you can. the have a lot more power than an idi.


for example i have a 97 f350 cc 5 sp with 4.10 rear end and 33" tires and i get 14 mpg 95% of the time.


chances are if you need help one of us has had your problem in the past and we can usually diagnose it right here saving you big $$$$. dont be afraid of the 5th wheel hitch. but make sure he did his maintenace. i assume you are buying directly from the previous owner. so ask him if it has been changed. also why is he selling his pride and joy??????

 

My '97 gets 14MPG with 4.10 gears. With a 3.55 I have heard of 18-20MPG.


A powerstroke with 430,000 miles... Whoa.

 

The truck is actually on ebay being sold by a dealer. Similar to yours 1997F-350 but with the short box. the truck looks amazingly clean and hardly any visible wear. If it says power stroke, then it means it has a turbo?

 

Ebay, hmmmm. I would go look at it, drive it, kick the tires before buying.

 

i would not be afraid of ebay purchases. i do a lot of buying on there....just so you know that price is to high especially for a texas truck...

what do i mean by that you ask? texas has a ton of older strokes and they are cheaper there than any other place in the U.S. that is about a 9000 truck. you need to find one that a private seller is selling to get a good price.

i used

ebay
trucktrader
autotrader
forddirect
for sale section here

 

You found it 1997F-350, the one in fort worth? I was thinking about going up to 12 for it. I am in Vermont so finding a rust free rig in new england is just about impossible and finding a truck like that up here just doesn't happen. The only thing I don't like is the mileage, but the ones I have seen on ebay are similar in miles. It does seem like texas has a lot of crew cabs.

 

i was talking to a guy the other day that has a fleet of service vehicles trucks and vans all diesels one is a 96 powerstroke van and has 948,000 miles on it and has not done anything to it except regular maitnance

 

A friend who works for the auto companies in Detroit said they call the 7.3L powerstroke the "480" engine because they average 480,000 before needing major engine work. I run 4.10 limited slips and get around 17 mpg on winter mix and 19 mpg on summer blend. No real city driving (no cities here) no real hi-ways either. Lots of winding two lane and dirt... I have gotten a little higher/lower mpg depending on how much I use the 4 wheel drive or cruise on the interstates. I've noticed with the 4.10s that the milage starts to fall off quick when cruizing above 68 mph... Towing more than 7,000 lbs I find I get around 13 mpg...Great power plant, easy to work on and reliable! Frequent oil changes a must because everything is hydrolicly actuated. Keep the oil clean and they will run a long long time....

 

Fridgiddiesel, if I bought it and got that mileage that would be great. That would be at least as good and my 92 ranger 4x4 extra cab 5speed with 4.0L. What sucks is the price of diesel is more per gallon, but would at least have some power. Anyone else with fuel mileage figures, particularly northern climates?

 

If I watch the boost gauge and only use 2 to 3 pounds of boost when accelerating, I can get 18 to almost 21 mpg. The more boost you use the more fuel you use. This with 4.10 gears.

 

Thanks 94 1/2 Stroker. I am happy if I can get that out of my ranger in the summer, and it is only 1/3 of the truck compared to these.