Ok So I am new to diesel but I need a work truck and have been looking at these for a while. I want diesel so it can haul my trailer easier and they run forever.

The Van is a 2000 E350 powerstroke diesel with 156k.

I have never owned a diesel before so i need to know whats important to check!
I have looked at it once already and it starts right up, no smoke, idles nice, drives OK, feels like its lacking power put I have never drove a diesel before.
It could also just be because of a high gear ratio in the rear end... ?

My biggest concern is the trans.. It feels OK NOW.. but how long will it last and how big is the cost to rebuild ?!?!

Also what are big expense items ?
Are all powerstroke motors turbo? Not sure if I could hear or see the turbo..
Glow plugs ?
odd pumps?

It was a city municipal truck.. hopefully they did important maintenance! Someone installed a hour meter on it.. I'm hoping this is a good thing.

Did a code scan, abs code came up but I don't care about that.
No info on VIN scan. Probably cause it was a city vehicle.

Any info is much appreciated ! Thanks

 

Nothing ?
Ill be on here all day researching so feel free to chime in!

 

How many idle hours on the meter? I felt the same "sluggish" response when I first got my 7.3 coming from gassers. What is the build date of the van? At work we used to have a 2000 E350 7.3 extended van, it never had issues in the 100,000 we kept it for. There is a turbo on all 94.5-03 7.3's. On the E it's pretty buried but its there. As for injectors as long as it was maintained you should be fine for another 150k. Transmissions are a toss up really. Some last 100k some go 300k, as a city truck I don't imagine they did heavy towing with it. As long as the fluid is not burnt you should be in good shape. My excursion has 285k on it, original trans. Oh I just noticed you posted it's a 2000 so you do have a trans cooler in the rad as well as an aux cooler. A big upgrade especially if your towing is a 6.0 trans cooler. Not sure how E series mounted though.

 

Not sure if you saw this at the top of the forum. Here's a link to a buyer FAQ:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...questions.html

 

Welcome to FTE

Some of the main things to check are the blowby and fluids. The easiest way to check blowby is to remove the oil fill cap and turn it over and see if it blows off or not. Here's an example.


It's not uncommon to see a little smoke, especially at operating temperature. What you want to make sure of is that the pressure isn't too high.

You'll want to look at the fluids to make sure they don't smell or look burnt. Also take a good look at the coolant. Any oil means the oil cooler will need new Orings, any fuel will point to a cracked injector cup. If they let you pull the fuel filter, it would be nice to see how bad it is, and if there is sign of oil, it likely will need new injector Orings.

Also look here. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...questions.html

 

great ! no i did not see the link at the top of the forum ! Thanks!

Yes it does have a trans cooler.. Fluids seemed a little dirty but didnt seem burnt
ill check for the blow-by.. is this issue an easy fix or walk away ?

 

Excessive blowby is not an easy fix - usually means that the rings are shot.

 

Also where is the fuel filter ? Is it clear and can I see if its dirty before removing it spilling fuel all over myself and the guys driveway ? haha

 

my girl will blow a watermelon off of the fill tube yet has zero issues. I don't believe that blow by test one bit, too fallible imo. Can it lead you in a direction? Sure. Is that final? Hell no!

Op, just make sure it has the F in front of 350 and a bed, preferably 8', and you'll be good to go!

 

When it is up too temp take off the oil full cap, depending on ambient air temp you should have only whispy light smoke coming out. Put your hand over the fill neck, if you feel a slight vacuum pressure pulling your hand tight, your good. If you feel pressure trying to force your hand away then walk. My 7.3 has 285k on it and I have only light whispy smoke but depending on air temp it could be slightly more with a slight vacuum pulling my hand down slightly. I wouldn't worry about blowby with a 150k or a 300k stock maintained motor.

 

Easy chief, too much blow by isn't catastrophic, but it's not a good thing, and requires a rebuild to fix. Also, he wants an "E" in front of 350 and doesn't want an 8'bed.

To the OP, the fuel filter is under the hood, directly behind the plastic cover that says Powerstroke I think. It's the big round cap in the bottom of this pic, partially covered with a rag.



There's a lot missing in that pic, so don't freak out lol

 

i am not a fan of vans at all, just razzing the OP on that behalf.

Yeah my truck is old and has a lot more miles than many others on this forum, I'm guessing the rings are a bit worn. I've done that blow by test a few times (just now even of which I'll post the vid) and sometimes she'll blow the cap right off and other times it'll sit there just fine without any movement whatsoever, like just now, but her performance is always the same, strong and reliable. She does blow smoke too, when I get on her it's a mix of white/blue-ish and black, not straight thick black, so I'm sure her rings are a bit toasty.

I'm not worried about a rebuild until the motor seizes up, which pretty much means never.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is you can't call a motor bad simply because a golf ball or oil cap blows off the fill tube. My motor is just fine. Worn in and used, but still going strong.

She'll outlast the Energizer Bunny.

 

I've looked at over a hundred trucks in the last 4 years, and I've seen some with less than 200k that literally flipped the cap off, and I've seen some with over 300k that you couldn't see anything. It's all about how it was driven and how it was maintained.

To TCR, I'm curious how you haven't blown out any seals with that much positive crank case pressure... Unless of course you were exaggerating a little

 

Hey i would love a F in front of that 350!!! but the E is the right price !
$1500 I figure I cant go wrong it it makes it to my house ! Plus it will keep my tools dry and secure!
Body is a little ruff but not to bad ... some minor rust on the bottom solid frame and motor ran good from what I could tell..
little bit of oil on bottom of motor but nothin was dripping... so thats a start.