Ok, it's been awhile since I have been on this forum.

I hung out in the 73-79 Forum for awhile and currently have an 89 F350 with a 7.3L IDI. I was thinking about selling the 89 and picking up a 1997 F350 Crew Cab Powerstroke, but I just found a 1995 that is also a pretty nice truck. I am willing to spend the money on either because the 97 is a much nicer truck and very well appointed. The only thing it is missing is power mirrors...

The 97 is an XLT with power locks, power windows, automatic transmission, 40-20-40 bench and is in very good shape. White with tan interior.

The 95 is an XL with Manual Windows, manual locks and a ZF5 transmission.
This one is pretty clean. Dark metallic green with grey interior.
Not as nice as the 97, but still in acceptable shape.

For me, the manual and auto have pros and cons, kind of a wash in that department. Both trucks are in the 260k-280k as far as miles go. More of my concern is with the 95 vs. 97 Powerstroke engine itself. I had a 97 a few years back and loved it, how will the 95 compare.

From what I have read, the 95 has a different HPOP design and the 97 has thicker cylinder walls in the engine. I am sure there are a host of differences between the two, but are there any major differences in the longevity and reliability of the two years of engines?

Now, I have not seen, nor driven either trucks, as I am at a remote job site for another couple weeks. I have spoken to both owners and seen some pics and videos.

Thanks in advance

 

So I found out about the HPOP difference from a buddy who did the 7.3 swap on his 96 bronco. The donor truck was a 95 f250. The guy he bought it from had thr wrong HPOP on there so it had issues because of that, as well as others.

HPOP is the main difference I know about. Other I know about is the power difference. It basically keeps going up every year, 97 being rated at the highest. This I think is purely tuning, so with a chip, it wouldn't matter, but don't quote me on that. With 97's, you always want to check to see if it has the fuel pulsation device in the center of the engine behind the fuel pump. If it is missing that, double check the vin and even the PCM to see if it has split shot injectors.

I have read on here that the ZF5's in 95's are different than the 96's and 97's but I'm not too sure. I think overall, they are essentially identical though, and having a powerstroke is better than not having a powerstroke. A lot of people seem to favor the 96 and 97's, and myself personally, I see more 97's for sale than any other year here in Phoenix. 95 is probably the 2nd most common year.

I'm without a doubt a ZF5 fan over the autos. Granted, I prefer manual in everything, but in these trucks especially. Your personal preference may vary.

If you decide to go with the 95 that has the ZF5, you may want to budget soon after or now before buying it, a new clutch setup. That dual mass swtup first of all makes pushing the pedal way harder and fatigues you quickly. A single mass flywheel (SMF) setup basically cuts the force to push the clutch pedal in half, and you remove the danger of destroying your transmission if it fails as opposed to the dual mass.

Check all the normal things recommended on here as well. If you have pictures, we always love to see those too.

 

95vs96 differeces.pdf\


PDF on some differences

 

Great information, thanks guys.

So far, communication wise and openness, the owner of the 95 is being more cooperative. Not any real good pics because where he is at, it is dark most of the time. We only have a few hours of daylight up here in the north right now (but gaining every day...)

On the 97, the guy has not given me any of the new information I have requested, nor sent me any of the pics I have requested. His pics on his ad are a bit blurry. None the less, I know how it is getting busy and stuff.

Since I am not home to go look at the rigs for another couple weeks, I like to get pics and have conversations with the owners to feel them out and kind of get an idea of how things might go.

The 1997:


The 1995: