I am trying to find some reviews on the 1995 F250 powerstroke diesel. Is it a good truck or a money grabbing lemon?

 

Hi and welcome to FTE! Please take a moment to check out the guidelines, they contain important information that you'll need when posting here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html

We have quite a number of specialized forums here so I've moved your question into one that's appropriate to the vehicle you asked about. This is a site for Ford Truck Enthusiasts, so most people here are going to be fairly positive about their trucks and asking your question in the manner you did is likely to ruffle a few feathers. Lets just sit back and take in some honest opinions here!

 

i have a 95 psd supercab 4wd with 190,000. i have owned it for 2 years and 28,000 mi. is it a good truck no its great truck! lots of power lots of fun. now have a i spent money on it. yep but if you stick around here much longer and you will get the horrible symtoms of modyourtruckitus. i ahve put alot of money into my truck but not on the engine other than mods. just normal stuff for a truck chassis with nearer 200k. i have put 1 glow plug, fuel pump , water pump, and a vacum pump. those are all kind of high dollar items but i will not need to do the for atleast another 100k.

there is one thing if you go with a psd that you need to have in your glove box and that is a spare cam sensor. the achilles heal of our wonderful beasts! they are a problem that you just have to be ready for at a monents notice. i have one but have never had to use it. (now that i have said that i bet it goes out today)

 

I put 380K on my 5-speed '95 F-250 4X4. Only work I had to do on engine was waterpump, gpr, glowplugs, one sensor (can't remember which one, but it was expensive as I recall), and just the routine maint. of filter changes (fuel, air, oil, etc) and regular oil changes.

My buddy has similiar exp. with his '96 with 240K on it.

 

TigerDan
Thanks for the honest input. I am a woman and not mechanical. I have never owned and diesel and am afraid of what I am not familiar with. Vehicle repairs depress me because they cost me tons. I recently bought a 97 Toyota Rav4, which will be needing a transmission/transfer case and a clutch to the tune of $3000.

Sharon

 

What size engine in these trucks? The one I am looking at has a 7.3 litre, I believe.

 

Dear tjbeggs

What size engine in your truck? I am looking at a 7.3 litre and I have never owned a diesel. I am a woman and know nothing about repairs. I currently own an 88 Ford F250 with a 302. It has never let me down.

Sharon petzscs

 

Okay Sharon, glad you found us. This really is probably the best place you could have come on the 'Net for honest answers to your questions, and I'm sure the guys will be gentlemen and take it easy on you! Just be patient, I'm sure you'll get more replies throughout the day.

And with the info you'll learn on here, you could grab a wrench and start doing your own work!

 

mine is a 7.3 also forgot i put a exhaust backpressure sensor.

 

Good morning Sharon,

The '95 in general is a good truck with no major issues but there are things that you need to check to keep from buying someone else's problem. I will start a list of things that come to mind.

Prior service history.

Regular oil changes with an oil appropriate for the Powerstroke engine. It is important to change the oil in these engines on a regular basis because it affects the performance of the fuel injection system as well as the normal lubrication issues. For me, it's every 3000 miles with Shell Rotella oil and a Motorcraft filter (part number1995). They hold a lot of oil, so this part of maintenance will cost you about twice as much as a comparable gas motor.

The coolant requires an additive that prevents cavitation and shouldn't be extended life coolant for the '95 year. Using the wrong coolant or not maintaining the additive can lead to costly and possibly hidden damage. Check the history and have someone knowledgeable check the coolant to see if it is in compliance.

When you test drive the truck, you need to show up early in the morning before it has been cranked the first time for the day in order to check a few things. Diesels use glow plugs to warm the cylinders in order to help them crank when cold. To check the system from a cold start do the following. Turn the key to the on position and notice that a light should come on in the right side of the dash that says "wait to start." At the same time, listen for a heavy single click sound coming from the engine compartment and look at the volt meter for a marked drop in voltage. The click verifies that the glow plug relay is working and the voltage drop means that at least some of the (8) glow plugs are working. If the weather is moderate, say above 40 deg, go ahead and crank it up when the wait to start light goes out. If it is colder, you may want to wait another minute or so. If all of the glow plugs are working, it should crank up fairly easily, if not it may be very hard to start. These trucks are also equipped with a block heater, which you may see as a wire that looks like a black extension cord that can be pulled out of the grill opening. If this cord is plugged into house current when you arrive, the truck will crank easily even if the glow plug system has problems. It's a nice feature to have in cold climates like where you live but don?t be fooled by an easy start if it is plugged in or if you can feel heat from the hood indicating that it was plugged in prior to your arrival.

Next to the wait to start light on the instrument panel is a ?water in fuel? light that you should also make note of. It is occasionally necessary to drain the fuel bowl to remove water that collects there to avoid damage to the injectors. This is some thing that you should be able to do yourself.

Under the hood, take a look at the batteries. There are two. They should be nearly new and in good condition with the terminals clean and be able to turn the engine over with authority or you should deduct from the asking price for new ones. This can be a larger expense than for a gas car or truck because they are big, there are two of them, and the wires are special and more costly to replace if they have been damaged due to neglect.

Look at the air cleaner, which the black plastic box just behind the driver's side battery. There were problems with leakage of unfiltered air with these, which was repaired (sort of) by a factory recall that replaced the original plastic bolts through the top of the filter housing with steel bolts. If it still has plastic bolts, there is a possibility of premature were to the turbo and engine from the unfiltered dirty air bypassing the filter. Many of us use an upgraded aftermarket filter or a homemade replacement system that may be better than the original equipment. Ask the owner to open the filter box for you. You can feel inside the box on the clean side of the filter and then look at your fingers for the presents of dirt to see if dirt has been getting past the filter.

Climb up on the front bumper and look at the center of the engine under the black cover that says Powerstroke on top. The cover hinges up like a hood for access to the fuel filter as well as the drain **** for draining the water out of the fuel bowl. Look all around this center part of the engine, known as the valley, for signs of leaking oil or fuel. Be sure to close the cover before closing the hood.

Check maintenance records for a front end rebuild or look under the front for new parts including shocks. Look at the ends of the tie rods where the rubber grease boots are for condition. If they are original they will probably be cracked or look rotted and news ones will have rubber that is in good condition. Check for excessive play in the steering.

When you test-drive the truck from a cold start, it is normal for it to feel like it doesn't want to accelerate for about the first five miles or so. This is due to a system that puts a restriction in the exhaust to speed the warm up time. After that system shifts to the normal mode, you should feel a noticeable increase in power as you accelerate past about 2000 RPM as the turbo spins up to maximum boost if all is well. If you don?t get that kick in the pants from the turbo, suspect a problem with turbo wear.

I need to know whether it is a 5spd or an automatic as both have some issues that you should check for.

Keep in mind that with a heavier truck that all of your routine maintenance will cost more just due to the larger and more heavy duty nature of the parts. Be sure to check the brakes, tires and so forth. The fewer items that need replacement in the near future, the better off you will be.

You might consider hiring a mechanic familiar with the Powerstroke from the local Ford dealer or an International / Navistar service center to go with you to inspect the truck.

The '95 model has the 7.3 liter Powerstroke engine, which is a non intercooled, turbocharged, V8 engine, supplied to Ford by International. The engine is also known as the 444 when installed in International medium duty trucks.

That should get you started.

Gene

 

Dear Gene

Thanks for the wealth of info. The truck is a 5 speed which has had the transmission replaced.

 

After 94.5 all Ford Powerstroke diesels were 7.3L (444ci) Direct Injection Turbo engines. They are good, tough engines made by International Harvester (IH). It is the same engine used in the IH medium duty trucks (like 5 Tons and under). The only weak points on the engine/truck are:
1. "as stated earlier" CPS (cam postion sensor, located on the front engine cover near the crank pulley, one 10mm bolt & one plug, 5-10 min. to change, cost approx. $60-70)
2. Glow Plugs & Glow Plug Relay (glow plugs located under the value covers & relay located in the engine valley, right front, these last as long as 200,000 miles + but some go out earlier, couple of hours to change out, not too hard, if you can turn a wrench and follow directions you can do it. Cost: relay=$30-$60, plugs=$10-$15 each.)
3. Under value cover wiring harness, Value cover wiring harness, Injector/Glow Plug wiring harness pins & connectors ( under value cover wiring harness " most go over 200,000 miles +" three plugs to undo to change out; Value Cover wiring harness, remove value cover and replace "usually due to burnt connector & pins; Injector/Glow Plug harness pins & connectors, a little time and the pins and connectors can be replaced "again usually due to burnt pins".
4. Automatic Trasnsmission (towing heavy loads and/or adding lots of horsepower will take its toll on a stock auto)
5. Dual Mass Flywheel (when they start to go south they can come apart/bearing seperate/cause major vibration; replace with a solid flywheel kit, about $700, and next time you need a clutch just replace the clutch disk & pressure palte about $200. Normal driving will get about 150 to 190,000 miles on a clutch.

All of these things do not go bad or need to be replaced all at once. (i.e. glow plugs; sometimes only the relay goes bad or two or three glow plugs, or one set of pins or the under value cover harness, usually its only one of these things that causes a problem with the glow plugs, fix the one thing and your back in business)

All in All I have a 95 F250, Super Cab Long bed, with 185,000 miles on it and I would not take $25,000 for it, I LOVE my truck. But remember, it is 16 years old and little things are going to wear out on it. Also I know of several trucks that have been driven with a whole bank of injectors not firing (one half of the engine) and gotten them home, try that with a gas engine. The only thing that will stop you dead is usually the CPS failing.

Hope this helps. There is info on this site for thing to look for when buying a truck, just do a search. Also this is the best site for help with any probelm that may arise.

Good Luck & I hope you go diesel

 

Sharon,

Check if the flywheel was also replaced with a single mass flywheel and if the hydraulic system to actuate the clutch (master and slave cylinders) has been upgraded to the later type. These have been problem areas. The trans is a ZF unit that is normally pretty much bullet proof.

Another thought. When you look at the air cleaner, see if there is a sticker on it that says that the computer has been reflashed with an updated program sometime in the year of 1996. I think you can have this done for free at the dealer if not. It corrected some problems that the earlier Powerstrokes had.

Good luck,

Gene

 

Thanks plowhand. I love your name. The info was very helpful for a non-mechanic. I could even understand it.

 

Sharon,

One other point comes to mind. When I was looking for my truck, which is a '95 crew cab (CC) dual rear wheel (DRW) XLT (high trim level) Powerstroke with 5 spd manual, I tried to stay away from the ones that had been used for professional hauling. There are a LOT of them for sale. If it has a fifth wheel hitch it is more likely that it was used for towing a large recreational trailer. If it has a gooseneck type hitch with just a ball in the middle of the bed or a hole in the bed where one was previously installed, then it is more likely that it hauled hot shot loads, a heavy equipment trailer, a larger horse or cattle trailer or that sort of thing. A standard receiver hitch could go either way. Heavy wear in the bed is another indicator that she's been worked hard.

I wouldn't make my final judgment based on that, but I would ask more questions. Some times the professionals take better care of the truck than an individual would and, depending on what it was used for, it may not have seen as much stop and go driving in the city as a truck owned by an individual would. More highway miles.

You can also look at the rubber pad on the clutch pedal. for heavy wear on the left side which would indicate the previous owner road with his foot on the clutch which could lead to premature wear. These pads are easily replaced, so don't be fooled by a new one either. The clutch was probably replaced along with the transmission, but be sure to ask about the other parts mentioned earlier.

Gene