Thinking about buying 90's 250 or 350 2 wheel drive 7.3 dsl/auto for towing. Any info on expected mileage with and without trailer in tow? Towing a 21' toyhauler. How about reliability and what to look for when buying used? Thanks

 

The 4x2 tends to get much better mileage than 4x4. My parents tow a 12K fifth wheel with their F350 dually 4x2 and get about 13 when towing. I've heard some guys mention that they get 23-24 MPG when empty. I think you can expect 20 MPG when empty with a 4x2.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I have a 2001 f250 7.3L psd and haul a 30ft 5th wheel . Gross combined weight 18,900 lbs. I have the 3.73 rearend,4R100, HYPERTECH PPIII, 60 hp, 100 lb/ft tork increase. When running the roads empty I always get 19-21 mpg, at 70 plus mph. When towing I usually get 13-14 mpg. Of course on steep grades this will vary. We went out west last June and went out thru Missouri,Arkansas,Okahoma,Texas to New Mexico then on up thru Colorado,Nebraska and back into Indiana to Kentucky. Absolutely no problems. The truck had 52500 on it when we did the trip, it now has 89500 on it. So far it has cost me 100 dollars out of pocket, other than oil,filters,etc. for normal maintenence.
I wish you Good Luck with your endeavor. We love ours and if it doesn't start running a whole lot worse than it does now, I'll have a hard time trading it. We are considering a 2005, 6.0L, 4wd, torqueshift auto, long bed, F250 PSD. It has been and still is a great truck, engine combo.

Bill in KY

 

You will want to watch what you are getting ... somewhere around 94 Ford changed over to the power stroke which is different than the factory turbo diesel. The "turbo" diesel will have the injection on the top of the engine behind the oil fill cap and will have high pressure fuel lines going to each cylinder. Good luck on your move up to oil burners.

 

Sounds like you are happy with your setup. Thanks for your reply

 

agreder:
94 1/2 was the first year of the powerstroke. This engine is the same 7.3 block but with a new injection system, heads and turbocharger. The differences between the powerstroke and the previous engines can not be understated. The old engine has cavitation problems on engines untreated with coolant additive. The old engine had injector pump issues. The old engine was slow. The 94 "turbo diesel" might seem similar on paper, but you will be much happier with a powerstroke. Quite simply, it is only of my favorite engines every manufactured and when towing a load, there is no better pickup truck motor.

That said- With 5 trucks, all 4x4s, we have never returned better than 18MPG empty. Loaded we get from 9-12- depending on weight and wind. The Cummins will return better fuel mileage. But we prefer the powerstroke.

Look for maintenance records. In my opinion these engines are vulnerable to three things- dirty oil, dirty fuel, and hard operation when cold. If taken care of, they are bombproof. But the injection system is very precise and demands clean oil and fuel. Look for a conscientious seller- Make sure pre '97 trucks have the updated glow plug relay. There is also an updated air box on early models. Pull the air cleaner and look for evidence of leaks. You will see the signs if someone reinstalled it improperly.

If looking at 5sp trucks, make sure the trans has been run with synthetic oil- and the overdrive is weak so try to find one that has not been lugged in 5th. Auto trans should be inspected for signs of heat.

While service records are most important- I look for used trucks that have not been worked- All things being equal, that means less wear and tear.

Ideally, I'd buy a '96 or '97. I don't know anything about 2 wheel drive truck front ends- but if you end up with a 4x4- go with the 350 just to get the Dana 60 front axle. The rest of the truck is the same and you get a much better front end. The front end on a 4X4 250 is junk.

And just like any other used vehicle- check for accident damage. You don't want a truck that has been straightened- These drivelines take a lot of torque and it is not worth the risk and cost associated with a bent truck- no matter how cheap you got it.

-Mike

 

To mschultz, bilder12, hodgekuter, johnsdiesel--thanks for all the info. This probably won't be a daily driver, just for towing. Will probably look for '96 and newer to maybe '99 or '00. Any large difference between those years that might be problem areas?

Thanks again

 

This topic came up recently and actually the 7.3 PSD engine block is not the same as the old 7.3 IDI.