(also posted in the other Diesel section- looking for all good input)

I am going to be keeping my eyes open for a used Ford Diesel truck over the next year (yeah, I'm in NO rush 8-) and am hoping for some advice on what truck and year to get.

Application: Towing '93 coupe mustang on standard open race trailer with racing supplies in the bed. Also must be acceptable daily driver. Since I do my own upgrades repairs on the 'stang, it should be easy to work on myself if possible. Would be nice to have four doors for long vacation trips, but that might require buying newer than I can afford.

I have heard a diesel well taken care of will last 200k+ miles, some 300k, so I am not concerned about 100k on the odometer generally.

What do you all recommend. I am looking to replace my '92 F150 automatic I-6 with something that can handle the hills.

Thoughts from those more experienced??

Thanks.

 

I have an '88 F250 with a 7.3 non turbo deisel with 193k on the clock. Its a 5 speed, four wheel drive and a standard cab with a long bed.

I pull a 3000 lb dirt race car on a standard open trailer with tools, tires and the like in the bed. So the load I'm hauling is pretty comparable to your 'stang.

My truck handles this load fine. Acceleration is decent and it cruises down the road just fine. With this load, even hills are not a problem. Regular driving (city and highway) it gets about 15mpg whether its towing or not. Now if I run empty down the highway on a longer trip, it has gotten up to 18mpg, which is pretty good for 6000 lb truck. I've had it a year and its been relatively problem free.

Now the down side. Hauling anything heavier than my race car, and the truck has a little trouble. I think its mainly because of the lack of turbo, but when I haul trucks of big cars (and I mean really big cars like a '72 Buick Electra), she has some trouble getting up to speed up hills and into a strong headwind.

So I guess my point is that an older, non Powerstroke is fine if you really only want to haul the Mustang. A heavier load will weigh you down a little more. As far as driving it every day, you should be fine. I don't drive mine every day b/c I have another car for that. I got kinda long winded, but I hope this helps you out.

 

Yeah, that helps out a lot. I like the prices of the older versions and if it will do what I need well enough, then why not? Saves more money for racing parts for the stang.

How is wear on the non-PSD's (how long can I expect one to last with decent maintenance?)

 

Try to get a turbo no matter what, cause they have more power. You could get a 1993 IDI turbo diesel to go with that 93 mustang. I would really lean towards the Powerstroke diesel engine (1994 1/2-2004) if you want fast easy horses and torque, cause they have computers in them. This way for about $100 to $350, Im not sure, you can get 110 horses and 200 ft-lbs. I dont think that pulling a little mustang would be hard, but I would still get a diesel for much better mpg while pulling and hauling.

 

Worked my 86 6.9 hard every day of it's life. Got 252,000 out of it, and it was still working every day when I pulled it for a reman motor. Was getting worried about reliability.(I have snow contracts and it has to go when it snows) Replaced it with a 7.3 turbo and now hooking up to 12,000 on a trailer is no problem.
Any of the diesels are going to tow what you want, the turbo's will just tow it better.

Personally I like the manual tranny for towing and hard work, the automatics are more for light duty/ocassional stuff. But that is just my opinion.

Another opinion is, if you are gonna tow with a turbo diesel, get a pyrometer installed. It could save you lots of dollars by avoiding melt down of a great power plant.

 

Great info guys. Thanks. I didn't realize they made PSD back into 1994. Good news. I like the idea of extra gauges and *knowing* how things are running instead of guessing and hoping.

Dave- what symptoms should I look for when checking out used trucks and trying to determine the condition of the engine?

 

I'd second the manual tranny if your doing "heavy work" Just check this site for all the auto problems/ questions. then look for 5 spd/clutch problems. IMO the manual is likly to give you fewer problems.

As for the engine, one of the best indicators about the engine cond. is to ask about the previous maintance. regular oil changes, and keeping the coolent SCA levels up are 2 good starting points. Beyond that you can check for blowby. If your serious about the truck for around $20 you can have an oil test done. That will tell you a lot about the engine cond.

Lastly the PSD's started in late 94 In mid 94 they had the 7.3I with a stock turbo and early 94 they had the 7.3 IDI with no turbo
(something good to know if your looking at a 94. when I was looking for mine I found a lot of 91 PSD's (they wern't psd))

 

Thanks for the notes on automatics. I'll do a search here and see what I can learn. My application won't involve *heavy* towing and at least at this time I am primarily interested in an fluid pumper. Good point about the oil test. I do those on my mustang with Amsoil commonly.