There was one truck I was interested in but it's sold now.
It was a 1994 F350 7.3L Turbo diesel automatic 4x4 for $2700 obo BUT the OD light was one and the guy didn't know what caused it. This scared me away from the truck. What causes that light to come on? Is it a cheap fix?
Or was I stupid for not buying it?
And also, it had a sunroof...do some of these trucks come with a factory sunroof?
I was afraid that it was aftermarket - and that it would start leaking.

Also, I had read on one website where you type in your year and make of truck and it gives you the tow limit and
what is required to pull with that truck safely....this particular website said 1994-1997 F350 requires the 4.10:1 axle ratio and
also requires an automatic transmission. Now my question is - Why does it require an Automatic transmission?
And also where can you find the axle ratio on a truck?

 

i am going to disagree here. I say your crazy to not buy the dodge/cummins the years your looking at come wiht the 12v cummins. the 12v cummins is flat out the best diesel ever made. yeah the truck is is not a s nice as a ford but the the cumjmins is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun to drive.

Now wiht a few FREE mods and a call to Dave Goerend for a trans upgrade or just a converter and VB and and that cummins will run circles around a 1gen PS.

now if you could get a ford with a cummins that woulc be sweeet.

also be careful about the front TTB on the 350's i dont rremember what years havea SA or TTB

 

Welcome to FTE.
The dodge will get you better mileage, and the power is quite impressive. Cheaper to mod and get more power out of it, but the tranny will not last. Should you go with a dodge, you will most certainly want a manual tranny.

The Ford is certainly without some issues as well. The 7.3 is an awesome engine, but it has it's quirks. Cam sensor is the number one issue. Tranny is a little better than the ones in a dodge, but should be beefed up if you want it to last. A transgo tugger kit with an aftermarket cooler would be the least I would do to it, along with synthetic trans fluid. Fords are just heavier/better built in my opinion. A custom tune from one of the sponsors of this site will make your truck a real good driver. We can help you with some mods that will make your truck last a long time. When you go look at one, take it for a good long drive. Get it good and warm. Then see how the automatic transmission acts when you come to a stop. Should it try to stall the truck, you are looking at some potentially serious transmission problems. Also, if it tries to stall when coming to a stop, see what it does when shifting into reverse, and manual 1st gear. If it acts the same, walk away from it, or go into it prepared to spend some serious money for a good rebuild.

Check for excessive smoke at startup, and blue smoke when warmed up. Ball joints or king pins depending on the truck. Make sure they're tight.

 

What does this mean? (the smoke)
And how do I check the ball joints and king pins?

 

And I also meant to ask which is a better, reliable truck...
1995 and newer 7.3L Powerstroke
-------or-------
1994 and older 7.3L Turbo

And which one is easier and cheaper to work on?

 

OK. The smoke issue I am referring to is the exhaust. A lot of white smoke at start up when it's cold is usually an o-ring issue. O-rings form the seal between the injectors and the heads. If they leak it's usually at startup. Blue smoke at idle when warmed up is a sign of piston rings going out.

To check the king pins or ball joints, you need to jack the front end up and see if there is any movement in the ball joints. Unusual tire wear is a sign of front end problems. It won't have king pins unless it's an F450 or bigger. The 95 to 97's simply called them super duty's. They have 10 lug wheels instead of 8 lug wheels.

The 94 to 97 trucks are basically the same. Pre 94 trucks are non-turbo trucks if I'm not mistaken. 94 to 97 trucks have more power, and can be made to put out more power a lot easier than the older trucks.

All are quite reliable.

 

OK - now I understand. Thanks so much!
So there's not much difference in the 7.3L Turbo trucks and the 7.3L Powerstroke trucks?
If there is a difference - what is it?

 

Only the F250 4x4's came with the TTB front axle. All the F350's came with a Dana 60

 

Did I miss out on this deal?

 

There is a difference between the turbo 7.3's and the non-turbo 7.3's. There were some turbo IDI 7.3's, I believe, but I'm not positive about that. The IDI engines have a mechanical fuel injection pump with a line going to each cylinder. The Powerstrokes have one fuel line going to each bank of injectors that is controlled by computer. There are some similarities between the mechanics of the engines, but the fuel injection is totally different between the two.
Powerstroke 7.3 turbo has around 225hp factory
7.3 IDI engines are around 165-175hp I believe.

 

No, not necessarily. As for the axle ratio, there is a way to get it if you've got the vin number. At the top of this page is a tag Articles/Specs. Put your icon on it and click on vin decoder and enter the vehicle number. That should tell you all the stuff you need to know about the truck, assuming it's factory.

 

Actually I just tried it on my 97 and it didn't mention the differential or axle ratio.

 

It is in the sticker in the drivers door with a code number.

 

There was one truck I was interested in but it's sold now.
It was a 1994 F350 7.3L Turbo diesel automatic 4x4 for $2700 obo BUT the OD light was one and the guy didn't know what caused it. This scared me away from the truck. What causes that light to come on? Is it a cheap fix?
Or was I stupid for not buying it?
And also, it had a sunroof...do some of these trucks come with a factory sunroof?
I was afraid that it was aftermarket - and that it would start leaking.

Also, I had read on one website where you type in your year and make of truck and it gives you the tow limit and
what is required to pull with that truck safely....this particular website said 1994-1997 F350 requires the 4.10:1 axle ratio and
also requires an automatic transmission. Now my question is - Why does it require an Automatic transmission?

 

I am using my Chevy right now to find it's gear ratio....since I don't have a Ford.
But on my sticker (inside the door) it doesn't have anything listed as axle ratio and
the owners manual doesn't help (in case, someone says that) all it lists is all the trucks made, engine sizes,
and multiple axle ratio's for each.