Been looking for a Ford F-Series for a few months. Mostly looking at the older ones ('70s and early '80s) becasue I like the way they look. Never even considered a 6 cylinder engine. So I'm on ebay and a '89 F250 pops up with a 4.9L 300 6 cylinder (link below). Now, the biggest item I need to tow is a 2000-3000 lb pop-up camper. How reliable/long lasting/powerful are these engines? The repaint scares me because I don't know what's underneath, but it seems pretty cheap. Any thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1989-Ford-F-250-XL-Standard-Cab-Pickup-2-Door-4-9L-/281088984398?_trksid=p2050601.m2372&_trkparms=aid=111000&algo=REC.CURRENT&ao=1&asc=207&meid=6908832453579424895&pid=100085&prg=1112&rk=1&sd=281088984398&&clkid=6908833205886245353&_qi=RTM1303752&forcev4exp=true

 

The 300 is undoubtedly one of the most loved I6 engines. They're pretty bullet proof, and very torquey at low rpms. The F250 you linked will have the stronger ZF5 transmission, which is great for towing.

This truck would have no issues at all towing your pop up, however the repaint raises other issues. The bubbling that is shown on the rear wheel arches tells me that it was previously rusted, and the rust is coming back. If the rest of the truck is good (frame, floors, etc), and the rust on the bed wouldn't bother you, I'd say go for it.

 

well if you buy it you just might never need another motor again, they are just that good. i myself have seen one go 600 and some thousand miles so take that what you will. also if all you tow is the pop up camper, a newer generation 9 obs f150 would do just fine though if you need a manual trans the m50d is a little on the light duty side

 

Wow. Thanks Bob, and Blue. Very good endorsements on that engine and drive train. I sent the seller an e-mail asking him about the rust issue and how extensive it was before the re-paint. He was honest in showing the bubbling paint in the pictures, so hopefully he will be just as honest with this questions. Having said that, on the scale of what is important when purchasing a vehicle, the rust is minor compared to the drive train.

 

no problem, dont feel bad my 92 had rust on the rear wheel wells at 60 thousand and it was a sunday truck that was stored. even today it only has 112 thousand on it, tried replacing the rusted areas and they rusted out again right away

 

There's plenty to read about the 4.9 (also known by it's English displacement as the "300"). It's origins go back to 1964 and many believe it is the most reliable engine Ford ever built. If you were looking at '70's and '80's trucks, you certainly should have come across it there as well.

I see that you're in Michigan so I understand why you might be looking elsewhere for a truck. But you're headed in the wrong direction - you need to head SOUTH, not EAST! I would bet there's a bunch of filler in those rear wheel arches and perhaps elsewhere.

 

Believe me, there are many threads in other sub-forums (mostly in the '73-'79 and the '80-'86 F100 and larger) where I have inquired about rust-free trucks in Georgia, Cali, Arizona, Oregon, etc. I just happened to see this one on e-bay during my seemingly never-ending search!!

 

I've seen that thing on ebay a while ago as well!

I like it. That fender rust is a Ford thing of this generation. I've seen southern trucks with absolutely mint clean bodies, with rotted out fender archs! It's a horrible design and holds mud, dirt, salt and moisture.



Another thing I noticed, it looks like it's got original cab corners, you can tell by a small lip where the rocker ends and meets the corner right at the edge of the door.

And I can't speak for mileage, cause both my 300's are still under 100k miles, but i've seen/heard of many 300's making it passed 300k miles with little to no work.


One thing to be aware of though, DO NOT overheat a 300, because of it's long head, they warp easy, and can blow the head gasket if they warp.


But keep clean oil in it, and don't rev it over 3500RPM, and it'll live for ever!


And as others have said, that 300 will have a ZF5 transmission, witch is the heavy duty 5 speed. Usually 300 powered F250's are Light Dutys, but this one I noticed has the deep dish hubcaps in the back, telling me it has the full floating Sterling axle, witch makes it a HD F250, with the ZF5.


If you do get that truck, you sir, have a bullet proof driveline!

The EFI 300 is this gen. makes 160HP @ 3800RPM? and 270ft Torque at 2000RPM.



And heres a close up pic to that cab corner lip i'm talking about, if you can get him to post pics of it up close, that will confirm. If the corners haven't rotted out yet, chances are, the rest of the cab is in great shape!

 

Do you think this truck could've been flooded in hurricane Sandy? I'm wondering why it's so cheap. If you look at the ad, it has a lot of new parts - brakes, shocks, universal joints, ball joints, muffler, tailpipe, tow hitch, and paint. And it's location (Mastic, NY) in right on the south side of Long Island, where Hurricane Sandy hit.

 

That is very possible.

Those parts he replaced are all parts that go bad when they sit in water for a while.


He better have flushed out the tranny, and axles to!

 

any thing is possible i believe there is a way to check but you should tear down or look into the interior air vents for water or mold or signs of water, also my gandfather has found out that if you get water in the rear diff. the fluid will be a milky whiteish color for the rest of its life, even if you heat it up to dry it out. that one got swapped real fast

 

it's a 24 yr old 6 cyl gas truck that has a less than desirable body style (according to most) so it's not going to hold a lot of resale value.replacement parts don't add to resale,only maintain what resale value is.
that said,the 300 is a great engine.the only gas engine i would run in an f-series of the era personally due to economy,longevity and performance.it's the clear all around winner compared to all the v8 options imho.she'll do anything a 460 powered pickup can,just slower is all.which was always fine by me considering it got about twice the fuel economy while doing it.they are also well known to last upwards of 3-5 times as long as the v8 options.the 300 6 cyl ford engine is legendary.if i didn't go diesel with my recent truck,i would have stuck with the 300 as i did in past trucks.

 

That's a nice looking truck, in pretty good shape (the rust doesn't look too bad or hard to fix), and as mentioned before, that drivetrain will last forever. You sir, have found a truck that I would purchase if I were in the market - I would just want a 92-96 version.

 

Go for it - for durability, that drivetrain is as close as you will get to a "sure thing." I've had the 4.9L in two different F-150's; both were around 200k with no problems when I sold them. I would take another one in a heartbeat over the 5.8L in my '96. I've never owned a truck with the ZF5, but it is very well-regarded and would be my choice as well.

 

Wow, only 82K miles! I drove my 1990 str8 6 to 170K before I sold it, and the engine didn't burn a drop of oil. I loved that engine, good torque down low and good top speed as well. Looks like the seller took care of the truck.