Hello everybody. I just bought a 1986 f250 4x4. It's an automatic. It runs and drives, but it needs a lot of work. I'm planning on fixing it up over the course of the next few years. For starters I would like to know the gear ratio in the diffs. What info do I need to find this out?

 

Look on the tag in the driver's side door jamb. There will be a axle code. Post it and we can look it up.

 

The door sticker says C5 under the axle heading.

 

4.10, limited slip, 6250lb rating Sterling axle.

 

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I will have plenty of power to haul firewood with. Now I need to decide what tires and exhaust to go with. Will a standard exhaust be good enough for what I'm using the truck for? What about tires? I don't want to lift the truck. What type and size of tire should I go with. This truck will be in the woods a lot.

 

Where are you?
Mud, rocks, loose loam, snow?
How much weight in firewood?
Percentage on/off road use?
Does tire noise bother you?
How many miles do you want to get out of a set of tires? (Realistically)

As for exhaust, again many questions.
Offroad clearance?
Longevity?
Sound?
Any emissions inspections in your location?
Federal land? (you'd need a BLM spark arrestor to be legit)

 

I am located in central Indiana. This truck will be my daily driver, but I only drive 15 miles a day. I will use it to pull a big 5000 lb chipper, and to haul firewood. I Don't know how much the wood ways, but it squats the truck a lot. The truck will be off road 20 to 30 percent of the time, and will be int the snow all winter. I have a very steep drive way and it's hard to get out in the winter. Tire noise doesn't bother me a whole lot especially when the majority of the time my top speed will be 35 mph on back roads.--- I'm 43 years old and a loud exhaust is not what im after, but if it gets me better performance than I'm ok with it. I don't want pipes hanging down where they will get caught in undergrowth and vines. There are no emission inspections in this area.--- Oh, back to the tires, I would like them to last a good long while. Is 5 years unreasonable?

 

I would go with the stock exhaust. The reasons are;

1. It's readily available and reasonably priced at any local parts store. They usually carry the Walker brand.

2..You can do it all yourself without a welder or special tools. Usually there is a flange at the cat converter, and if you start there and replace the whole system from there back, it's very easy. If you try to start somewhere else you might have a hard time getting the pipes apart, and that's where you might need some tools like a sawzall, chisel, etc.

3. The stock exhaust mounts way up high, where stumps and rocks will not damage it.


Your truck is going to squat, that's the way it's designed, it won't hurt it. They have progressive spring packs on these trucks. It sits high in the rearend on some thin upper leaves and this gives you a good ride for a empty truck. When you load it, these thin upper leaves come down and hit a thick flat one on the bottom, and this hauls the heavy loads. You can beef up the rear springs but you lose the soft ride when unloaded.

You use your truck exactly like I use mine, and I am partial to the BF Goodrich All-Terrains. I would go with the stock size or near the stock size unless you have aftermarket rims. These tires have very good tread wear, are aggressive, but not so much as to be too noisy on the pavement. They are a good all-around balance of performance, noise, and longevity.

 

Thank you for all that information, it's very useful. I started to work on the lights tonight. All headlights work and all running lights work. I have only one turn signal that works and it's drivers side rear, that's it. Flashers--rear drivers and front passenger and front driver. Checked all bulbs. There's something going on in the rear passenger side. There's no flasher, turn signal,or break light. I took my test light and could only get running light to power up over there. Should I start with the turn signal relay?

 

You do not have a turnsignal relay. You have a flasher and a brake pedal switch. Both of these go up into the steering column to the turnsignal switch. From there they go back the rear lights.

Do you have a wiring diagram? You can check the output of the turn switch with it in the center position, and holding the brake pedal down. If you have no output at the steering column, it's probably the turn switch. If you do have output, then it's probably a wiring problem back at the rear bumper area.

 

Ok this is new territory to me. I've never been into a steering column before. Can I check this without pulling the steering wheel? Now I do have one turn signal and one break light on the rear driver side.

 

The brake lights, turn signals and emergency flashers all use the same filament in the bulb and are fed by a single wire (on each side); the other filament is used by the brown-wire parking lamp circuit.

Might hold your foot on the brake and wiggle the turn signal switch and see if the errant light ever comes on or flashes.

 

Thank you I will try that tonight. Why is one side working though?

 

My *guess* is a worn-out turn signal switch - well, that's what we're looking for by wiggling the lever.

But there may be something else wrong, or something wrong with that switch that wiggling the lever doesn't reveal.

 

Here's a diagram. Your rear lights are on the right side of the diagram. See those two wires that say "to directional switch"? If you find those color wires coming out of the bottom of the steering column near the floor, get a testlight and poke them with the turnsignal lever in the center, and pushing on the brake pedal. Both should have power(brake lights on).