Good evening Iam new to this site and iam looking at getting a ford f250 with the7.3psd but have been told that the short trips to work and running around town would kill it. would please like your input on this and if anybody else has had trouble with thier psd due to short trips thanks

 

Welcome to FTE !

Not true just keep up with the service and you will be good to go

 

This will help you when you go to buy one




Buying Used Power Stroke Diesels
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.

 

I try not to do short trips but like Mike said, just do the maintenance.

 

No real comment from me on this one.. I try to avoid short trips where the temp gauge doesn't even move.. But others will fill you in.. my main reason for posting was to tell you I love your screen name.. How does nobody else have that on this forum already.. best of luck I love my truck wouldn't trade it for much else..

 

Short trips (around an 8 mile commute to work on country roads) are about 80% of the driving my truck sees. Granted I haven't put a ton of miles on it, but it is handling it just fine. As long as you're driving it far enough to get it up to temp before you shut it down I wouldn't worry about it.

Oh, and welcome to the site. Buy that truck, spend lots of time here, save lots of money on repairs and service, spend all the money you saved on modifying the truck, and you'll be hooked on this place!

 

Fuel mileage is going to be down. These trucks don't like light to light traffic. Oh and welcome, like Nate said, buy it. You'll love it

 

True mileage will suffer a bit on short trips (I average around 15 MPG last I checked) and my truck is a real DOG until it gets some heat in the motor, but it still returns about the same mileage as my '99 F-150 with a 5.4 did and I have twice the truck.