Just got another bullnose F-150, 1986 with the 5.0 EFI.

Pulled the dipstick and was low on oil and was low on coolant. The owner said it had been sitting two to three years but he had only owned it two months. He said the only things he did was clean the inside and out. The battery was bad but we brought our own and it fired up after priming it a few times, was low on fuel so it cut off.

Upper radiator hose was replaced along with the ac system at some point. He had it parked at his friend's house, lived with his aunt but was moving to VA.

I am just afraid that if I fill the radiator, the antifreeze will run back out the oil like the last truck we bought.

 

Wow that looks really nice.

 

^^what he said^^


That is always the chance we take when we buy something new to us.
Before you put coolant in it to top it off pressure test the cooling system.
If it holds PSI then I would call it good till it heats up as the heat could make a crack expand and start to leak.


But if you don't see anything that should not be where is it in the oil or coolant I would say its good.
Dave ----

 

Well, I guess you can just sit it in the yard and look at it if you are too afraid to put the anti-freeze in it.

Probably just a minor leak somewhere.

 

Great looking truck!

 

Since you don't know the history (coolant mixture (color means nothing)), I would top it off with water, check for leaks, fix leaks.

Note the operating temperatures. If the temperatures indicate high or low, I would replace the thermostat.

If you don't have any leaks, drain the coolant, refill with the proper winter coolant mixture. (now you have a verifiable coolant baseline)

Enjoy your truck........

 

Not too bad for $600, seems to be holding coolant an oil separate. Had to drill the locking gas cap off. One tank full of 4-year-old gas, the other is bone dry. We took a battery with us and surprised the owner because he never heard it run but only until it ran out in 30 secs. Air cleaner had a rats nest in it. It's running off a milk jug right now. Probably needs a new fuel filter.

Will make a how-to on the gas cap removal. Has original literature in but damage from a small tree falling on it, nothing that can't be pulled out.

 

Heck of a truck for 600! Dig the cap, also. I like running a cap in winter with all of my emergeny snow stuff (chains, chainsaw, gravel, shovels) because my neighbors get stuck on our hill or we get treed in 4-5 times a year.

 

Beautiful truck! What a buy at $600.

 

Had a rats nest in the air filter and looked like a landfill behind the seat. Ordered quite a few parts today. New drums, wheel cylinders with all the hardware and a master cylinder along with two new sending units.

 

Let me echo what everyone else is saying, beautiful truck for 600$. A good box is worth that alone. The body looks great and you have the hard to find trim package. I hope the truck turns out to be great after your repairs.

 

How are you going to clean the tank out? A new one is fairly cheap. These also like to rust on top where they sit against the frame crossmember. A good clean fuel system makes a very reliable truck.

 

How am I going to clean it? psssh, the redneck way of course.
Most likely will just buy a new rear tank from advance.

 

Smart move. Here lately I have been using Advance alot. A guy got me on to this deal they have. You do a search on the internet for Advance coupons. You can usually find 20% off ones, sometimes 30% if you are spending a lot of money. And I am a member of their speed perks program. The trick is to order your parts online and pay with a credit card, but click that you will pick them up at the store. You can't beat the prices with at least 20% off and the speed perks added onto it also.

If they do not have the parts in stock at the store, the coupon will not work but it does work if you get the parts delivered to your house. I just did that on a new tank I bought for my ranger. The store had a painted tank in stock, but online you could get the tin coated tank. I ordered the tin coated one and the ups guy brought it a couple of days later, and I got 20% off plus $5 dollars off speed perks.

 

If you make separate orders you can beat the maximum savings of $50 on 30% off codes. Ordered $300 worth of parts for $200 today, can't beat it. Plus the employee discount but it doesn't work with online orders.