Hello, This is my first post here. I had a question regarding a 1996 F350 that I am looking at to purchase. It is a Power Stroke crew cab 4x4 5 speed manual with power everything and 159000 miles. It also has a lift with 35" tires. It's in good condition for the year and miles.

Here is the bad part, it has a branded title due to it having a fire on the top of the engine; this happened about 4 years ago and was repaired. It appears to drive fine. Now here is the question, the lot it is at was asking $9500, then it went on sale for $8500, and they said they would go as low as $7900 for cash. Does this sound like a honest price? I realize I would probably have some problems selling it down the road, but I am curious if it would still be a good buy.

 

Howdy FOX GT. Welcome to FTE!

I'm not familiar with the term "branded title", but all else being equal $7900 is a good price that truck. It is difficult to find a clean, good runnng Powerstroke for less than 10 grand.

 

i am guessing branded means a salvage/rebuilt title. even with that probably not a bad price but keep in mind that nobody gives loans for rebuilt title vehicles. so you will need to pay cash for it and if you decide to sell it it will be only to those who don't need to finance it.

 

Not my post, (Steve Baz) but a good list. Sounds like a good price to me, I recently paid 10k for mine and dropped a couple more into it. Well worth to me.

Things To Look For When Buying A Used Power Stroke Diesel
Turbo:

You might take the air tube off the back of the air filter and look inside of it. If there is dirt build up, that is a very bad sign, so are the turbo fins looking sand blasted or bent. A little oily film is normal since the valve cover breather exits inside the tube.

Airbox:

Check the two bolts holding down the airbox lid. If they are plastic with a square recess, it is a recalled part. The recall is expired, but without the updated lid the risk of dirt infiltration is greater, the lid was updated with more supports and the updated bolts are metal with a straight slot. If it is the old style, you spend around $80 to update it.

Tranny:

If you buy a truck with an auto tranny, finding out if it's been maintained is essential, as the E4OD is an expensive transmission. Also, (if auto) seeing if the truck has an auxiliary transmission cooler would be worthwhile. For sticks, listen for clunking when shutting off or small vibration while operating. It could be an indication of a dual mass flywheel going out. Many have replaced them with single mass units.

Rear Gear Ratio:

4:10 will pull better, get slightly lower mpg’s and run a higher RPM compared to 3:55.

Coolant:

Ask the previous owner about the coolant - have they been adding FW16 or DCA4 to keep a proper SCA level? It is very important for stopping cavitation. You can get test strips to check the SCA level from NAPA, International, or Ford. I would test the current condition while looking over the truck, the SCA level should be between 1.5 and 3.0. Also, see if it has a block heater (it was an option on 97's).

Front end:

Check the front end for wear, or have an alignment shop check out the ball joints and steering linkage (tie rod ends). If they are shot, it is spendy (all four tie rods are around $400 just for parts, ball joint labor is also very spendy)

Oil:

The questions to ask are how often the oil was changed (at least every 5,000) and what kind of oil they used (diesel rated)? An oil analysis could tell you if there might be an engine problem or not.

Aftermarket stuff:

Seeing if the truck has got an aftermarket downpipe would be nice, a chip, or gauges (pyrometer, trans temp, etc.). Ask about any added items and who installed them.

Glow Plugs/Relay:

Find out if the glow plugs are in good working condition as well as the relay. Ask if either has been changed and when. You can check the glow plug resistance through the valve cover connector if needed (http://forums.ford-diesel.com/cgi-bi...&f=21&t=005210), and the relay should have power to both large terminals on top when the key is turned on, and one of the terminals should go out before ~2 minutes.

Injector o-rings:

The injector O-rings have been known to be a problem. The new o-ring sets have a pink middle seal. If the truck has an o-ring problem, one of the signs can be a discoloration of the fuel in the filter bowl. There is a drain on the passenger side front of the filter bowl for draining water (the filter is also the water separator) and you can catch some of the drained fuel in a jar – it should be dingy yellow and not blue or dark.

Leaks and Drips:

You can check the valley between the heads of the V8 for moisture and/or fluid. It should be dry not wet. Most leaks will run through this valley and down the back of the motor dripping off by the tranny/engine coupling.

VIN number:

If you take the VIN to any dealer, they can tell you when it was built, when it went into service, and some of the work that might have been done on it. You can also run prospective VIN's through Carfax.com to see the title history.

 

Thanks for the replies. It will make my decision easier, since I am not too familiar with the going prices. That list will help quite a bit also since this will be my first diesel.