The wife and i are getting ready to trade in her Gas f250 for a diesel.I found a 2000 crew cab 4x4 7.3 automatic lariat package with 80,000 miles its a local trade.Really clean truck inside and out.The leather shows hardly any wear.Motor fires right up with no block heater and its close to o degrees here in michigan.But once we get it i would keep it plugged in.I have a couple of questions.Is there anyway to check if the ac is working in winter time?Also is there a way to look at the id tag on the drivers door and tell what gear ratio it has i know on rangers you can but this is a totally different truck.Gear ratio is kinda important to me since i have a 30ft travel trailer and enclosed race trailer.Also is there anything anyone can think of that i should look for before buying this i am taking to my friends shop and having him look the underside over.Thanks oh by the way i will probably do the deal today or tomorrow so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

you need to contact the previous owner and ask a few questions, has it ever been wrecked, has it ever been in for any kind of repairs- warranty or other, are they the original owner, what did they haul with it, does it have any mods on it, how often was it serviced, what kind of oil did they use, have they ever mistakingly put gasoline in it, why did they trade it in, ect... the dealer should give you that info, BUI i never trust car salemen. look in the glovebox for the paperwork, sometimes they leave papers in there with that info on it.
this should tell you alot about the trk. the a/c is hard to check when it's that cold, but a tech can put it in a warm shop and with gages on the system, can run some test for you.

 

As far as the gear ratio goes, i believe all auto psd's come with a 3.73 ratio. I think that info is on the door jam sticker, but you can always climb under the truck and look at the metal tag that's bolted to the differental, with a diff cover bolt.

 

The axle type is recorded on the door sticker.
Do a VIN number search on CARFAX.COM for accident records - don't trust the previous owner.

Copied and pasted from here:

http://www.fordtrucks.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=139080

Axle Type
31 — 3.73 non-limited slip, F-250/Excursion
C1 — 3.73 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
32 — 4.10 non-limited slip, F-250
C2 — 4.10 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
33 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-250
C3 — 4.30 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
36 — 4.56 non-limited slip, F-250
C6 — 4.56 limited slip, F-250
41 — 3.73 non-limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
D1 — 3.73 limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
42 — 4.10 non-limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
D2 — 4.10 limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
43 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
D3 — 4.30 limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
46 — 4.56 non-limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
D6 — 4.56 limited slip, F-350 (single rear wheels)
61 — 3.73 non-limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
F1 — 3.73 limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
62 — 4.10 non-limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
F2 — 4.10 limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
63 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
66 — 4.56 non-limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
F6 — 4.56 limited slip, F-350 (dual rear wheels)
81 — 3.73 non-limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
E1 — 3.73 limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
82 — 4.10 non-limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
E2 — 4.10 limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
83 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
E3 — 4.30 limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
86 — 4.56 non-limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
E6 — 4.56 limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
88 — 4.88 non-limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
EW — 4.88 limited slip, F-350 Chassis Cab, narrow frame (dual rear wheels)
G3 — 4.30 limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
73 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
78 — 4.88 non-limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
G8 — 4.88 limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
75 — 5.38 non-limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
G5 — 5.38 limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
GW — 4.10 limited slip, F-450 Chassis Cab
98 — 4.88 non-limited slip, F-550 Chassis Cab
K8 — 4.88 limited slip, F-550 Chassis Cab
95 — 5.38 non-limited slip, F-550 Chassis Cab
K5 — 5.38 limited slip, F-550 Chassis Cab
KW — 4.10 limited slip, F-550 Chassis Cab

 

Also it might be better for you to find a truck from out of state in your area. Some place like Utah, Nevada, Texas, etc. that doesn't have snowy winters and the road crews put salt on the roads. I am fortunate to live in an area where that is not an issue and cars last for at least 20 years without rusting anything. I know it's a hassle for you but it would be FAR better in the long run to find one from out west, do the research, pay to have it professionally checked out and then fly to the area and drive it home. It will be in like new condition compared to the salted used vehicles that you are considering in you area.

 

Well im really good with vehicles since i work in a bodyshop and i can look at certail things and tell usually if its been wrecked.Bodylines,paint match and so many more things.As for the lady who traded it in she bought it because it was a cool truck too have.(woman love trucks now a days).I also asked her about maintance records she has them all and told me she would give me a copy if i would like them.She always took it to the dealer to service.She only hauled a small trailer with it.So somethings i can believe and some i cant.As for a truck out of state i dont think that is a good idea i see so many vehicles come into michigan from down south and they seem to rust out alot faster and worst then the ones that just stay in the deep cold here...lol but anyways.The pinch welds are good at the bottoms of the doors and tailgate.There are some small scratches that where touched up and look bad but i can fix that.I think they are giving me a warranty with it.Not sure i will find out today.Thanks

 

Ahh, ok! It's easy to tell if you know where to look.
Sounds like an OK truck to buy.

 

The PSD engine has a 100,000 mi. waranty. Have the vehicle check mechanicaly at an independant shop of your choice, were you can watch. I don't think an aftermarket waranty that you pay for is worth the money. JMO.

 

go to steve Baz's site for what to look at when buying a psd

http://pages.prodigy.net/stevebaz/_i...az/index3.html

TONS of useful information!!!

 

Oh, I forgot... when you go to his site scroll down about 1/4 of the way down the page to the section titled

"buying used power stroke diesels"

again his site is great, its based mostly on the earlier PSD, but a lot of it applies to the newer ones as well... I saved it in my favorites!

 

Mech2161, I'm not trying to split frog hairs, but it is 100k or 5 years, a buddy of mine has a 2000 model manufactured in 11/99, and even though he bought it new from the stealer in 2/2000 he is out of warranty. He took it to the stealer last week to get a few thing (noises) checked out and they stuck it to him HARD!

OUT OF WARRANTY

 

I have a 99 7.3 liter powerstroke and the engine has NEVER<NEVER conked out on my.My odeometer is now at 221,000.