[updated:LAST EDITED ON 08-Jul-02 AT 05:52 PM (EST)]Hey I am currently looking at a 1990 F-250 ext cab 4x2 with a 7.3 Diesel and a 5 speed. My frist question is the trans code is C so which trans is that? My next question is what rear end dose it have the code is 34. The guy says that it has 178,000 on it and i find it hard to believe. The reasons that i don't think it has that many miles on it is the cluch pedal has about as much wear as my other truck that has 90,000 miles on it, You can read the id tag on the motor as clear as day, The cluch feels realy good. Other than being really very dusty the motor is very clean Hear are some of my questions, Its a texas truck, and a Diesel, which i have never looked at or test drove before being that i live in IL and never thought about a Diesel before. so i was wondering is this condition of motor and over all wear commen for trucks from texas and Diesels? I have only owned gas trucks from IL so im new to Diesels so any tips on looking at them and test driveing them would be a huge help? Thanks in advance Ryan

Something else i had a question about, there is a slight noise in the motor compartment. I talked to the guys frisnd about his truck so he wasn't really sure but he said he thought that it was knocking, but i thought that it was a lifter or something else in the compartment, and not knocking b/c there were no unnormal vibrations in the motor, but i could be wrong sence i don't have any experience with Diesels. also the belts seem to be really lose.

 

Loose/bad belts can cause knocking/ticking type noises, but I don't know how loud a knock you are hearing. If the clutch pedal pad isn't worn, the guy probably does a lot of shifting without using the clutch, which I am sure a lot of you do. Done correctly(no grinding), it has no ill effect on anything. He may have done a lot of freeway driving also.

Tim

 

That amount of mileage on a truck that age is considered low mileage.. if a diesel will start cleanly, does not shake the vehicle (excessively) and has no plumes of white smoke billowing out, it is worth considering. Listen to the engine, and if the clattering noise is uniform, there probably is nothing wrong with it. Diesels last for extraordinary lengths of time, and just tend to keep on going. About the clutch pedal. I have had 3 or 4 hundred thousand miles on Semis and only used the clutch to commence motion, and stop. Every semi I have sold has had an unused clutch pedal.. A word of warning though. Semi Trucks are non synchronized transmissions, that can 'float' the gear changes with impunity (I know this from experience) The transmission in Pick up trucks is a Synchronized transmission that can be damaged quite easily by 'floating' the gear changes. If you can get all of the gears, easily, securely and without noise, and the ratios stay in put (doesn't jump out of gear) you may not have a problem, but if it does make weird noises when changing gear, or jumps out of gear, especially when decelerating then you have a problem with the transmission, and a rebuild is in order.

The other problem encountered with the early 90's diesels is that they are considerably less powerful than the Powerstroke models.. If you have no large hills, and heavy load combos happening, it is livable. Banks do make a turbo kit for the early diesels, as do some other folk, but maybe you won't need it.

Wm
'96 F450 White with Grey interior Crew Cab. Banks Turbo, Intercooler and Exhaust,
Power pack Chip, shift kit, Auxiliary transmission, electronic enhanced transmission control,
16 forward and 4 reverse ratios. 340hp 660ft lb 4 wheel drive, 4.10 gears, 12,ooo# winch

 

What kind of excessive noise is the engine compartment making?? Is it only when u "get on it" that it makes this noise??? I know i had a 93 F250 and when i "got on it" the engine ran a lot louder than it should have and come to find out, i had 4 bad injectors that were barely letting any fuel thru. U might have them checked out, just my $.02.

Ken

1999 Ford F250 SD, SC, Lariat 4x4 Offroad
Black, Diamond Plate Husky Truck Box
GoodYear Wrangler MT/Rs 285/75R16