I've been looking at a 1985 F350 lately with a 6.9L diesel and manual tranny and I have a few questions of what to look for, but first off the main question.

The dealer says it has a bad transmission, I went to look at it after hours and the clutch pedal is to the floor and wont move. The dealer says they haven't even looked at it but says it has 'internal transmission problems'. Could this just be a simple fix such as a slave cylinder or clutch or would it be major such as rebuilding/replacing the transmission? What are some things that go wrong with these transmissions? Also, the shift pattern is gone from the shifter so I couldn't tell if it was a 4 or 5 speed or what type of transmission it is. What manual transmission were offered with the 6.9L? The ZF? How much would one of those cost to replace such as from a junkyard?

Also what are other things I should look for that could be common problems? It isnt that rusty at all and looks to be an ex-farm truck. Has a brake controller and 5th wheel hitch in the bed so looks like it's pulled some heavy loads. This is just going to be a second, back road beater truck for me so I don't mind if its worn out a little. It has 2 new batteries and a fairly new alternator so I should be good with the charging system. What should I look for with the engine?

Sorry for all the questions this truck has just really sparked my interest to be a fun project truck other than screwing up my nice(r) F150!! Plus I love the look of regular cab duallys! Thanks

 

I went to www.car-part.com and plugged in your truck, and it shows you should have a Warner T19 4 speed. Unfortunately I looked in Illinois and nothing came up. I chose all areas, and the prices varied from around $1000 down to $150.

 

T-19's were common, no 5 speeds until 87. The T-19's are pretty tough trannies, sounds more like a hydraulic problem than an actual trans problem. It is possible that the master or slave is bad, or it is possible to have clutch issues, but the clutch kit can be had from Northern Auto Parts for about $120. Another thing to look at is where the master mounts to the firewall, there were some problems with the mounting breaking, so it is possible that it broke through. If so, it will take a bit to fix, but not impossible by any means. Ford offers a repair kit that would help considerably. All in all, these are pretty reliable setups generally.

 

Nice looking truck, I also like the look of a reg. cab dually. I have one but w/o the bed.

I like dually beds, but the flatbed comes in handy sometimes.

 

Ok thanks guys. I am still deciding on whether to get the truck or not but I will keep in touch!