I was thinking on buying a 1996 F250 6.0 PSD. it has 250,000 miles and the guy who is selling it never had any problems with it. It is in good condition as far as the body goes. It is an Automatic, not sure what type. He has other gauges that goes with it.

I am trying to find out the positives and negatives. I don't wanna buy it and having to put it in the shop.

 

great trucks man. you cant go wrong. just ensure that tranny has been maintained.

 

Start the truck cold and see how easy it starts.

While the engine is running romove the oil cap and see how much blow-by there is.

Check the play in the front end.

Pull the tranny dip stick and smell the fluid.

That's a good start. These engines are rock solid if they have been taken care of.

jimbo

 

What is oil blow by? I don't understand.
How do I check the play in the front end?

 

the 6.0psd was not introduced till the 2003.5 model year... Personally I think our 7.3psd's are a better engine than the 6.0. (not here to start a PSD debate please no flames, note the word Personally) thanks
I would avoid a 96 that has a 6.0 swap unless yor are an experienced mechanic yourself.

The IFS front suspension is prone to wearing out depending on how it has been used. Tie rod end, ball joint, U joints, traction beam bushings etc. can set you back close to $1000 in parts. If you are not doing the work yourself you are probably going to pay quite a bit in labor to get that work done. Find a good shop and have them check it over.

Blow by is combustion gases that leak past the piston rings, valves etc and enter the crankcase. if you take the oil cap off and have a lot of air/ pressure coming out when running you have blow by... whether its excessive is more of an experience thing.

Having a 96 PSD with almost 200K I will say they are great trucks. even abused they tend to last a looooonnngg time

The tranny is probably the weak link in this vehicle. but again it depends on how it was used. I swiched to Full synthetic fluids all around on mine after buying it wit 181K miles... I highly reccomend spending the extra money for full synthetic fluids

at that mileage you should expect to have some repairs pop up such as alternator, water or fuel pump, belts, hoses. See what has been replaced already...

I guess it comes down to price. I got a good deal on mine and as a proffesional mechanic, only had to pay for parts. also It had a snow plow on it which I removed and sold... that paid for most of the parts.

 

The truck is used for a landscape and Lawn care Biz. I don't own it, I'm only trying to get out what all can go wrong with this truck plus positives. It is a local truck for 4500.00 with a 6.0, the original engine, no swaps. I am planning on buying for my Landscape company. And I am looking for another truck to pull equipment like a skidsteer and other misc equipment.

Soutthpaw:
(not here to start a PSD debate please no flames, note the word Personally)
I am assuming psd stands for Power Stroke Diesel.
I currently drive a 1991 GMC 1/2 ton 4.3 2wd Pickup.
To me, a truck is a truck. Each manufacturer has thier has their problems. I'm not against any vehicle.
Just looking for a depenedable truck, might be replacing the GMC.

The IFS front suspension is prone to wearing out depending on how it has been used.

What is IFS suspension?

Blow by is combustion gases that leak past the piston rings, valves etc and enter the crankcase.
The more, the better or worse?

Fellas, I like the results I'm getting so far. Please give more if possible and keep them comming. Please educate me much as possible since I'm new to these terms. This truck would be my first diesel. The owner told me so far, he has vertually no problems with it.

It currently gets 18 to 20 MPG, With additive 25 MPG Will post more as I find out more.

 

Here's the overall on what we're talking about:

1. If it's the original engine in a 96 then it is a 7.3 litre Powerstroke diesel. Great engine! Great truck!
2. Blow-by comes about as a result of wear. Diesel engines have very high compression compared to gassers. The compression of the fuel into a very small space under great pressure is actually what causes the combustion of the fuel in the cylinder, driving the piston back down in the cylinder giving us our power. Gassers compress it half as much and then cause the combustion with a spark plug. Both types of engines have tight-fitting metal-to-metal movable parts that slowly wear down and allow some of that pressure to slip by and escape into the engine oil compartment(crankcase). So when you open up the oil cap with the engine running and a huge, pressurized, smokey stream of air keeps coming out of the hole, you are seeing and feeling blow-by. All engines have it. Older engines can have a lot of it, which will be really whitish, grayish smokey.
3. F250 comes with IFS - indepedendent front suspension. F350 comes with solid front axle. They both have the traditional pumpkin. Solid axle has a solid, round pipe welded in place from the pumpkin out each side to the wheels. The IFS has moving parts from the pumpkin out to each wheel. The moving parts are a big thick arm that moves up and down as the wheel goes over bumps and the small round axle that comes out of the pumpkin and goes outboard to the center of the wheel. The IFS makes for a smoother ride but the parts are weaker and need more maintenance than the solid axle.
4. The F350 is a strong 3/4 ton truck and the running gear and suspension will hold up GREAT for a landscape business. There are many of us that have F250 that really work them hard. They are strong and they hold up.
5. To check the play in the front end, jack the truck up and put it on jackstands.( if you don't have some get some, the good ones. Don't be cheap with this. It holds 4-5 tons up in the air over your body.) Put blocks in front of and behind one of the rear tires. grab each front tire and try to move it side to side. If it moves more than a quarter inch then get down and look at all the front end parts while you're moving it and determine where the movement is. Then lock it into 4 wheel drive on the hubs and the floor shifter and try to turn the wheels over forward and backward like the truck is rolling. If it rolls more than 3/4 of an inch then keep moving it while you look at the axles and driveshaft to find out where the movement is. You should also reach inside the universal joint on the end of the axle and see if it moves with a little pry bar like a larger screwdriver. You can also put a large prybar under each front tire and lift up on it to see if that causes any sloppy, unchecked movement in the front suspension. The front suspension should go up and down smoothly and freely and on the F250, independently. On the F350 the solid front axle is called a monobeam and the whole thing moves as one piece.
6. Have fun. Great trucks. Last a long time and there are only a few things that keep them from running. Neglect is the most common.

 

what year would the 6.0 be made?

 

The one you are looking at is a 7.3 unless he has changed it.

Look at http://pages.prodigy.net/stevebaz/_i...az/index3.html
about 1/4 way down. There is a section on buying a used psd.

 

So, fellas, That's the only things that are the most imprtant that needs attention to when looking at these ford diesels?

 

If you're just paranoid you could hire an appraiser to take care of the inspection for you. Just go look at it. Life is a gamble. Go with your gut or hire an appraiser.

jimbo

 

Agree get it checked out by a competant person that knows diesels, it will be worth the 50-100 bucks for your piece of mind even the local ford dealer will probably do it. if the guy does not want to take it there at your expense then that is probably a good warning to avoid it as he probably knows of a problem he is not telling u about

 

Thanks guys, I might just take it to a ford dealership and see what they say. I know how to inspect gas trucks but not diesels.