Hi everyone, I am looking at a 2005 F250 EXT Cab XLT 7.3 PS AUTO and I was wondering if there are any known problems, issues, things to look out for or general advice please?
My last few F Trucks have been 70's model F100's so fairly new to the F250 and the Power Stroke Diesel, as you would imagine not keen to buy someone else's problems:-).

Cheers,

Pat

 

Welcome Pat!

Jump onto the US forum here: 1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Note: The Aussie 2005 = the US 2003 7.3. Towards the end of 2003 the USA dropped the 7.3 and went to the 6 liter. The 7.3 production was moved to Brazil and continued there. Ford Australia imported the Brazilian trucks and released them here as RHD until 2006. There are also a fair few personal imports of US trucks too, with RHD conversions of various qualities depending on the firm doing the converting.

There is a huge body of knowledge and following of the 1999-2003 7.3 in the US. Read through the US forum, search & learn. The documented 'weakest link' is the 4R100 auto transmission which itself can be replaced with bullet-proof US customs made jobs.

Many of the trucks are getting miles on them now, members of this forum have in some instances inherited problems from the PO (Previous Owner).

Read up on the transmission, HPOP (high pressure oil pump), plus the usual stuff with any used vehicle, verify service details, get someone to scan the computer and check what the codes are - some can be safely ignored, others can't.

Post questions as you go.

Probably the best advice I've learnt is buy the best example that you can find - a problem avoided is a problem solved.

Also for me, by far the F250 has been the most rewarding vehicle that I've owned. I've met a great bunch of guys and learnt a lot of stuff, not just about F250's. If you can afford to have the truck off the road if issues do arise, there is nothing that can't be fixed at a reasonable cost, most of the time by avoiding 'stealerships' (Ford Dealerships) - although I did buy a transmission gasket & filter at one.
Every other service item on my truck has been sourced directly from US suppliers (e.g. RiffRaff Diesel) or from NON-genuine parts - e.g. Baldwin filters.

The most recent horror story was someone was quoted $6000 from a Ford dealership for an F250 alternator. You can buy a heavy duty alternator from the states for $275 + freight (how quick do you need it?).

Consequently, a lot of Aussie F250 owners who do NOT take an interest in their vehicles can get screwed pretty badly, and this seems to happen to US owners in the states as well.

If you're prepared to learn about the vehicle and chase solutions, go ahead and start looking.

On the otherhand, if knowing about what you've driving is way down on your priority list, IMO you would most likely suffer less stress & aggravation by walking away now.

 

Hi Simon, thanks for theresponse and the great feedback. I have done a lot of research on the US forumetc and I am a bit of a car nut, so the F truck is pretty attractive. The one Iam looking at is a mechanically standard low mileage two owner truck with fullbooks and service history as well as a lot of extras i.e. bar work andsuspension. I will keep you in the loop if it turns out ok:-)

Cheers,

Pat

 

Hi Pat, could be a match made in heaven there! There are plenty of mods you can do relatively cheaply that liven these vehicle up and make them fun to own. If the base truck is solid, there'll be no stopping you. Good luck and post pics!

 

Great post. Yep, I'm a newbie to the world of 'F' Trucks.

This is the vehicle I'm after:

2005 Ford F250 RN XLT

Or, this one:

2004 Ford F250 RN XLT

So, other than what has been already said, what would be the wish list of upgrades? I'm looking at the vehicle I purchase as a long term 'keeper'. Not so much of the 4x4 stuff (had enough of it in the army), just a solid car for the missus to use as a daily drive to work, and for me throwing S##t in the back when I'm doing the home handyman 'stuff'.

 

The white one would be my pic. The PO had the sense to put a cold air intake on her which would suggest he had a fair idea on how to look after these trucks. The only sus part I would be aware of would be the trans. Check all fluid condition, check the oil filler cap for blow by. The powerstroke is a noisy engine but listen for anything that sounds excessive. See if you can start it when cold. Look for any blue/white smoke on start up. As for mods - the list is bound less. get the truck first and then we can help you spend ya money

 

Cheers CDU, yep, the white one is the pick, well IMHO.

When I get back to Melbourne (weekend) I'm going to check it out, hopefully wont be sold.

 

Yeah the white one looks the goods
Looks like the PO was prepared to spend a bit money on her

Cheers,
Patchy

 

The grey one also looks pretty tidy, note NO electric trailer brake controller - so potentially no heavy towing. Conversly the white example has the brake controller and looks to have had a CB fitted into the overhead console (I have the same console) the RH flap is missing from the console. Note that the 'leather seats' are likely to be leather covers over the standard seats. Agree the cold-air intake of the white one is good, but a really close examination and test drive of both would propably be required to help make the best choice.

 

I'm a diesel fitter by trade, although off the tools (management jobbie now), so I'll be checking them both out (same dealership) using generic inspection 'stuff', only because I'm not up to speed on the 7.3 Powerstroke engine. Or, 'F' Series.

 

Here would be my checklist.
Given you are a diesel fitter by trade, you are probably aware of the usual things to look for.

Service records on a 7.3 are essential. They are very strong engines that last a long time, but the HEUI injection system demands regular oil/filter changes. A lot of customers treated it like an 80's landcruiser, and oil got changed when they could be bothered, not when they needed it (and then they wondered why their very expensive injectors went south).

Look for oil/coolant leaks - the rear main seal is probably leaking on both these trucks, no big deal... just expect it to mark its territory... but you will want to check for leaks around the High Pressure Oil Pump (directly below the fuel bowl) - check for coolant leaks around the water pump (only $200 part, but a day in labour)

Check for exhaust leaks around the up-pipes (bit of black soot will begin to appear pre-turbo)

Check how long it takes to fire up (again, with the age, glow plugs/glow plug relay may be on the way out, the later is very cheap/easy to fix, the former a little less so)

Transmission (as mentioned) is the weak spot on these vehicles, and with a 4R100, its "when" not "if". The other guys gave you a good idea of things to look for if its on the way out. You can get transmission rebuilt in the states (and made "bulletproof") for around US 4k however.

Front end - ball joints and the drag links. If either truck hasn't had the ball joints replaced by now, they will need it. You will also want to check the play in the drag links (expect quite a bit!). It it pulls left - pretty easy fix (just needs the caster adjusted on the front left)

The other stuff is electrical - mostly body electrical. Check the window and mirrors work fine. No ABS light etc.

Also, the handbrake on them is a POS.

Final item is front springs, check the codes on them (there will be a code stamped underneath in the format AxA... ideally they will be ADA). The vehicles sent here earlier on were given US spec springs in the front... which doesn't bode well with adding bullbars, snorkels, and winches like we do. If they are ABA's, or ACA's... expect a bit of sag.


Apart from all that, they are very tough trucks. You have a great community here which will help you solve any problems, and good group of vendors that will ship you parts when needed (at substantially cheaper prices)

best of luck I believe all the 7.3's sold by FoA had their 7.3's manufactured in Brazil. At least all the ones were while I was there.

The good thing about this is that meant that they all got forged rods (not the cast ones that the later 7.3 variants got in the states).

 

My F250 has 140,000 kms on it, 2005 model, the left ball joints were done by the seller after a pre-puchase check. One year later I had to do the right hand side. No biggie.

The other thing I found as per Adrian's post above, the front leaf springs had sagged about 1.5" in the first 6 years of life, due to the enoumous weight of the 7.3 sitting over the top of them I expect.

The steering and handling were not very good, I just put it down to it being an F250. I ended up buying a +2.5 " add-a-leaf kit from the US which came with spring packs, drop radius rod mount etc. You just add the leaf packs onto the stock 2 leaf suspension. What I got was a complete transformation: +4" over the sagged height, better ride, better steering - all because of the improved suspension travel.
Again, not a biggie, fairly cheap and easy to do.

The indicator to look for to determine if the truck has sagged front suspension is look at the front sway bar ends. If they are pointing down towards the road the front end is sagged.

The truck might check out really well but have a few rattles in the front end and ride choppy because of the limited suspension travel of a sagged front end - but don't consign it to the waste bucket because of these issues. They are the cheap easy fixes.

 

Well isn't this crazy
I had mine parked on a bit of an angle over the weekend.Noticed the front left wheel was up close the inner guard
Put on level ground and about an inch difference from left to right
After reading your post SSSimon yep she is sagging
Looks like i'll be doing the same thing
Never to old to learn anything

Cheers,
Patchy

 

This is the kit I used to cure front end sag:

TCS: 2.5" 00-04 Ford F250/F350 Super Duty (Diesel) Leveling Lift Kit

I used a US based freight forwarded to get them delivered - shipping was about the same cost as the kit!

 

It's probably is sagging on once side more than the other (I am guessing the drivers side...), but still, before measuring jump up and down on the bullbar/front bumper to ensure that the lean isn't because you were just parked on an angle.
Also, the amount of fuel you have in the tank will really impact it too.

All that said, you will notice a big difference in fitting a good leveling kit and a set of Bilstein 5100's, particularly given it looks like you have a bull bar.