Hi everyone,

I have a chance to buy a 2000 7.3 4x4 270K miles. It belonged to my Aunt. Mostly freeway miles, no pulling trailers, just hauling some hay in the bed for her horse. Only thing done to it, was replace the turbos. Never been wrecked. She will let me have it for 1K. All stock.

My plans are to keep the truck and eventually rebuild engine if need be. I just want to keep it stock. Or, minor upgrades, nothiing crazy. I'm not HP hungry. Great for people who are, I'm not judgmental.

My question is, is it worth buying, as far as getting parts like to keep it running or is it to old? I've started reading on this site and I have hours of reading to do. I'm not here to ask every question I need, I'm willing to read and try to learn.

But the main question I'm asking without doing much reading is? Is the truck to old to rebuild and keep running? (I understand the future is hard to predict) I'm not pulling anything huge with it. In the neighborhood of 1K-5Klbs max. Or I should say a 20ft lite travel trailer.

Hope the read wasn't that long and I appreciate everyone's responses
Thanks,
Randydan

 

I plan to keep my 1999 until I can no longer service it practically and cost effectively. I know that day will come, but I dont think it's approaching too soon.

 

What a deal. Change all the fluids, and get a code reader, and see what you got. Keep it as stock as possible.

 

Answer to your questions is...absolutely yes, buy it. These are some of the most popular trucks and most supported in every way

 

I just want to say thanks to everyone who replied. All of your responses gave me confidence in my decision, thanks. I'm going to pull the trigger on buying the truck. Since the 2 turbos are new, I'll do a boost and upper pipe leak test then change all fluids. I'm sure I will find something or something soon will happen, but I'm expecting it.

Thanks for having a great site.

 

Yes....7.3 is a great engine
the transmission at the time was a bit weak, but easily upgraded

 

You mean the ONE turbo, right?

 

I say go for it, it is a great engine, and it sounds like it has been well taken care of.

Mine is stock at 185k miles, and was running just fine when I bought it.

changing the oil to 5w40 Full Synthetic made a huge difference in how much easier it starts in cold Wx below 40*...

it was stubborn without Block Heat, and idled rough for a while.

the new oil change fixed that, it starts at 20*F now and settles into a smooth idle.

I have added a few things, none of them were to "fix a problem",
just to make me "feel better"

 

These trucks were built to pull, so don't be afraid of that. At 270K miles, it might need some refreshing and updating, but nothing serious by the sounds of it.

My 2000 7.3L has 266,000 (I think...) and we use the truck to haul our 5th wheel all over the country.

Based on your description, if you don't buy the truck, let us know and a high number of people here would jump on that deal in a moments notice.

 

Yes, just one, thanks for the correction.

 

Pikachu-
Yes, just one. Thanks for the correction.

Sorry to post it twice, I don't really participate in forums, I just read. So bare with me while I make replying mistakes until I learn some of the tricks.

Thanks again

 

They always ran delo 400 and later T4 Rotella dino oil in it.

I run Rotella Dino/Syn in all my diesels that have turbos. And naturally aspirated (non-turbo) Rotella T4 Dino oil.

If I start using a full synthetic now with 270K miles, is there a chance I could start having more oil leaks? I'm just asking, that is what I've heard. And, I don't want to get the oil argument going, believe me.

I farm, so I have around 13 diesel engines in equipment. In my equipment what I start out with in terms of oil is what I stay with. Dino vs Syn. Depends on what the manual recommends.

I'm not trying to start anything here, I'm just asking,

Thanks everyone.

 

Thanks again to everyone,

So, I'm going to buy the truck this week, and get started with the fluid changes, and start driving to see what comes up. I will post some pictures later this week. I'll post every so often of what I've done and plan to do. Just little things, and maintenance. I appreciate all the info I have received from all of you and I'm taking it all in. You have a great site with a great bunch people, thanks again.

Randy

 

Yes sounds like a great deal. Glad you’re snatching it up.

Oil choice is up to you. The 7.3 uses high pressure oil (~3000psi) to actuate the injectors. So you want something that is good against shear and foaming. Folks run all different brands. Tractor Supply and Costco are a couple of the popular cheaper brands.

Personally I run the rotella T6 5w-40. It’s on the Ford approved list. I like synthetic oils and the 5w helps during cold starts.

In your shoes, I’d be considering what other types are already used around the farm so you don’t need to stock multiple oils.

I swapped dad’s 320k 7.3 over to T6 with no issues. He sold it about a year later though.

If you will be using in a cold climate, then the synthetic 5w-40 will make it happier during cold starts. They say the synthetic oil will help tired injectors a bit too.

Not trying to talk you into synthetic, just throwing out some reasons why it might make sense. Down side it costs more and these trucks hold 4 gallons.

No need to apologize about your double post. Stick around and watch all the silly things we do!

Congrats and post up some photos when you get a chance.

edit: you posted about future photos while I was typing. See I told ya I’d do something silly!

 

another T6 5w40 user,
and I can vouch for improved Cold Starting