I found a truck for sale that seems like a really good deal. 2011 F-450 Crew. Pictures look very nice. The best is they are asking $11,500 at a Chrysler dealer. (NJ truck not a Texas flood truck.) The bad: It has 300,000 miles. How is life on these are they getting 500,000 like said they would. Is it even worth going to look at one with that many miles.

I wasn't really searching for a truck but my 2000 7.3 F250 doesn't appreciate some of the loads that I need it too.

 

David, I don't know much about the 6.7L but if you don't "need" a new truck you could always take that $11,500 and put it into your 7.3L for a refresh. As I'm sure you know, the opinion of the 7.3L is pretty high. The 6.0L, 6.4L and 6.7L can't hold a candle to the 7.3L. Of course it's not an IDI, but...

 

Yes I am familiar with your love for the 7.3 (as i share it) but I would like those extra horses for towing. I was running last night not too far from my 20,000# GCWR Class 7 Registration in PA and some of the hills even on the highway were pretty rough. Some of them pulled me down to 45 in a 65 requiring multiple downshifts (ZF6). Besides the extra Horse power the truck is showing its age most of it before my ownership. The drivers seat is quite broken down and causes me to sit uneven. Needs all new weather stripping. Has a small up pipe leak, new locking hubs, most likely will need all new injectors soon, all leaf springs are getting weak. A/c quit, as well as all of the other little pesky things on an old truck.

Also I am looking to get into doing some hot shotting on nights and weekends and I don't know if my truck is cut out for it if nothing else because I can't get it licenced here in PA for anything over 20,000 Combination.

In your opinion what is the max weight that the 7.3 can handle in hilly county without slowing down for small to mediums hills. Not to go to far with the 7.3 information. I will start a separate thread in that forum to discuss it.


P.S. I would really like to get a crew cab instead of my extended for future car seats and such.

 

With 300K on the clock. I would worry about previous owners maint of vehicle.
What is the max you would tow? Max % mountain driving climb? These questions would affect what you need. We went from out 6.0 to the 6.7 and a huge difference in tow power. I can go thru the mountains towing our rig at max speed limits without a problem. Our 15 is rated at 26k towing fifth wheel.

 

Well at this point I don't have a CDL so in PA I am limited to 26,000 gross combination. But at some point I would like to get a CDL. I have done some really dumb stuff with my 250 like probably 20,000 behind it over some big mountains. I don't expect it to climb a 30% grade at 80 but it would be nice on the small ups and downs (the ones you normally don't even notice) not to loose speed.

 

We travel I75 and I think they are 6 to 7% grades for a long stretch

 

The mountains in PA are not that bad so you so should be able to get away with a SRW F350 or a DRW F350 as well. Mine is rated for over 22K 5th wheel or gooseneck.


Look for some of those as well.


I would probably dip down to just inside the Maryland line if I were you. Less, much less salt and rust issues as compared to a PA/NJ truck.

 

Granted we don't have mountains like Colorado but I grew up at the base (literally the first house) of the 7 mountains grade between State College and Lewistown on 322. One of the steepest grades I have seen on main truck route. And there is a sharp turn at the bottom. One of the heaviest loads I have ever hauled was down that mountain. Also when my trailer brakes decided to stop functioning....I was very glad I had a manual lol

 

All that being said this post was not to determine what truck I need it was to find out if that truck is really as good of a deal as it seems or if it asking for trouble with that many miles. It seams to be at least 6,000 too cheap. I have no concern that a 7.3 can go 500,000 without needing a rebuild with proper maintenance. But what mileage are guys seeing on these 6.7s. I have heard th horror story of blown engines under 75,000 but i assume that is a rarity.

 

I think the 6.7 trucks are still new enough that anything over 300,000 miles even on a 2011 would probably be still less than 10% of the 6.7s out there on the road. So it is tough to gauge how they are all doing. That said, there are a few people I have seen on the forums with at least close to that many miles and saying they have had very few issues. With an adjusted average miles now of about 18k per year, most are probably closer to the 120,000 to the 150,000 for that age.

The price does indeed seem waaay to cheap. So that's gotta make you think there is indeed something wrong with it, or maybe the dealer just wants to off-load it, some dealers just do not like milers on their lot.

For the year and mileage, I would check the known stuff. Some 2011's had turbo troubles, so start there. Does it look like the intake has been off, can you see any signs of a replacement? And if it has been replaced, I would actually take that as not a bad thing, but just a good to know.

Another item to look at is the DEF and DPF system. Does the truck still have one, or has it been "deleted?" You're probably going to need to crawl under it, but look at the DPF canister for signs of extreme wear or cracked bolts where it connects from the engine manifold. Some trucks with mileage and wear are having trouble there, and others, have had that system removed all together.

 

Thank you so much for the information. I have followed the 6.7 from a curiosity standpoint but have no knowledge of where it has issues. (mostly because I figured it would be 10 years before i could afford one lol) The dealer stated that the only problem was a bad Heater core but that is pretty minor unless there is something I don't know. Actually if i as a dealer and had a truck that "only needed a heater core" I would spent the 200 dollars to put it in just to say "no known issues" The dealer did say that they cant get financing through any of the banks that they typically work with because they "won't finance any vehicle over 100,000 miles" (kind of a crazy standard but that is their decision)

Any more insights would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

No clue if this helps or not, but I believe ford tested the engines for a minimum of 250k I am not sure of the B10 or B50 life cycle for this engine. But if i remember correctly they tested it to have a b10 and b50 life cycle better than the 7.3. I want to say the 7.3 was only tested to 200k.

 

Here is the B10 for the lower rated (330hp) 6.7 in the heavier trucks.

Pretty good actually!

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...e_B10_Life.pdf

 

I'm gonna be the devil's advocate here since nobody else will...

Don't do it. Nobody in their right mind would pay over $11,000 cash (all they had, mind you) for a truck that is all used up. Like you said, they won't do a loan for it so you're gonna have to pay it all out of your pocket. Right off the bat you're gonna need to do some repairs and maintenance just to make sure it's reliable. The transmission will need serviced at every 150,000 miles and unless they've done it already (you need paperwork) then you're gonna have to foot the bill yourself. Like the other guys said, Ford only tested these engines to over 250k. That means you're gonna have to take apart the engine and refresh it too (hone the cylinders, replace bearings, etc) just to make sure you have a reliable vehicle. There's also the transfer case that needs fluids changed every 60k miles, and the fuel filters too. Bottom line, maybe I'm a little OCD on knowing the condition of my vehicle, but you gotta know where your vehicle stands.

Here's the real ugly truth, though... The 6.7L diesel commands an $8000 premium over the gas 6.2L. Do yourself a favor and buy a gasser for $3,000 (if you can find it) and use the other money to rebuild the engine and transmission (plus whatever other repairs it might need being over 6 years old. Then you'll have a good, reliable tow vehicle with a little change left in your pocket.

 

I actually saw this truck online as well. It is cheap. 300k is a lot of miles, but its not necessarily "used up."

The 7.3L is a good motor but in reality it is nowhere near as good an engine as the 6.7L. It makes a fraction of the power and torque and is very noisy. The 6.7L is a smooth operator and well built. Early 2011 diesels had problems with 2-piece valves failing, and 2011-2012 diesels...maybe through 2014...all had potential turbo ceramic bearing failures. But some of these early diesels have clocked very high mileages with few issues. As long as the engine had reasonably frequent oil changes, it may well still be in good shape.

Check emissions equipment. The EGR cooler on top of the right-side valve cover; DPF and SCR underneath. If it has been deleted it will not pass inspection in states that test; otherwise deleting is actually better for the engine's longevity and fuel economy. Conversely, if all emissions equipment was intact but it needed a new DPF, SCR, or EGR...deleting could be a way to save a lot of money and gain those benefits as well. Keep in mind the maintenance schedule of the DPF is cleaning at 120k and replacing at 240k. I'm guessing most will run past that point, but that is the schedule.

Transmission would be my main concern...especially if this truck was used for heavy hauling. The 6R140 in this truck is a very stout transmission, but 300k is a lot of miles especially pulling. As someone mentioned, the "dual media" filter and all the fluid should be changed every 150k miles.

The rest of the truck should be essentially fine. NJ doesn't see as much snow as we do, but the truck has probably seen salt. Check the frame, suspension, brake lines, etc. Expect a lot of minor things to likely need work.

Good luck!