Hello all,

I will be buying my first diesel powered truck sometime in the near future, and Joe f350 (who lives maybe 10 miles south of me now that he moved) said I should check in with this forum. I was in involved in an accident while riding my bike and am expecting a settlement. A friend of a friend has a 1990 F-250 4x4 and a 1990 5th wheel trailer for sale that she stated she would sell for $6,500. The truck is a 460 gas/C6 truck, with only 65k original miles. However, her husband has an '89 F-250 4x4 truck with the 7.3L diesel and a 5spd tranny. Both trucks are already setup for towing the 5th wheel, but he states his gets better gas mileage, and its easier to tow with. I told them I would prefer buying his as I have always wanted to own a diesel so I can learn more about them.

Joe has already told me about SCA's and coolant additives, and even to make sure they put in Motorcraft glow plugs. The owner said it has been sitting for 3 years, and he has it in the shop now to have the injectors replaced, along with the glow plugs, both batteries, the alternator, and the wire harness from the batteries to the starter. I have not seen the truck yet, but will get the chance this weekend. I will take my camera and get as many pics as possible. Unless there is something major wrong with it, I am pretty sure I will buy it. The owner says it has been well maintained and the only thing wrong with it is the clear coat has started peeling. They live in Pismo, and I in Fresno, but the truck and trailer are here.

Besides the coolant/SCA issue, is there anything else to look out for when buying a 7.3? I don't know how many miles are on it, but again he said it was well maintained. I tend to agree with him since he is currently driving a 1990 Toyota pickup with 235k on the odometer, and it looks brand new. So if the F-250 is in half the shape that Toyota is in, I will be a happy camper. Other than the repairs mentioned above, he says he also had the power window motors replaced since they stopped working. I will mainly use it to tow the 5th wheel, and as a daily driver in the summer as the F-100 does not have AC. I have even been thinking of adding a Gale Banks Sidewinder turbo to it, as well, but will want to make sure the engine is in good enough shape to handle it. Both trucks are already in my sig as I am sure I will buy them barring any major issues.

Jim

 

It sounds like he wants it to be in decent shape before he sells it, Joe about has you covered as far as the motor goes ( suprized he actually has a friend) joking.

All the normal things you would normally check, drivability, 4X4, all ujoints,how the tires are wearing,and of course any leaks coolant, gear oil and motor and tranny oil.

 

Show up early in the morning when its cool out open the hood and have a look around and as your doing it put your hand on the motor to see if he cranked it up and let it warm up before you got there. There are a lot of problem that can make a diesel hard to crank but will more or less be fine once warm. Look around in here a lot of people with cranking problems. That said it sounds good. Diesels are not fast nor do they have the hp of a gasser but they were built to work and work for a long time. Some of these engines out last the truck if you spend a little money along the way.

 

I have heard a lot of good things about diesels which is why I want to own one of my own and find out first hand. I have owned a 460/C6 powered F250 in the past and I loved it. And if I did not find out about the diesel truck being up for sale too, I would have been perfectly happy buying the wife's truck. Especially after finding out it only has 65k miles on it. However, I want to try my hand with a diesel. I don't plan to race it, or anything stupid. I would like more power for going up the mountains with the 5th wheel behind it, which is why I am thinking of adding a turbo. I have also heard adding a turbo increases fuel mileage if you don't suddenly develop a lead foot after installation.

Thanks for the suggestions, I don't know what time of the day I will be able to see it, but I can check to see if it is warm before the owner starts it. Since the owner will be the one taking me to it, and the trailer, it will be up to him when he comes over to get me. Not knowing anything about them, I just wanted to post and ask if there was anything out of the ordinary that I would want to check. I will look at the rest of the truck too, and check tire wear etc, but I am a total newbie when it comes to diesels.

I know Joe from this site, I have not seen him personally yet, but we have talked on the phone, and I am impressed by his knowledge of diesels.

Jim

 

Ya racing you will not do in one of these. The neighborhood kid with a good bike might make it the end of the block before you do. The best thing about these trucks in my opinion is that they are simple. By that I mean no computer, no sensors, and no smog control. They are simple and that makes them more reliable and easier to work on.

 

Kool. Simple I like.