Hello everyone I am new to this website and just want to introduce myself. My name is Drew and I am a teenager looking for my first truck. I found a 1987 Ford F250 XLT Lariat 6.9 diesel w/ 200,000 miles on it. It says it has new starter and new glow plugs in it. It is an automatic as well. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice about these truck. Would this be a good starter truck? I am going to try to post pics of it so I hope it works.

 

Drew, that looks like a very nice truck. The wielded exhaust pipe will not hold for long though.

The bigest drawback you will find is the C6 transmission. Its very reliable, but it will limit your fuel economy and cruising speed. Depending on the grearing, you may not even be able to pass 75 MPH.

If you don't need to drive on the freeway(s) than this may not be a problem. From what I can see at a first glance, the truck has been fairly well cared for. Can't be sure from these pictures, but there seems to be an engine oil leak that is getting blown further back down the under side of the truck.

Are there any service records for it? coolant is the most important thing too look at.

 

Thanks for the info David. I have not talked to the owner yet, I've just gone to look at it and take pictures. If I were to take it for a test drive is there anything I should listen for at start-up/ driving?
Thanks for your help.

 

The first thing you want to do is pop the hood to make sure the engine is cold. Pull the oil filler lid off and look for any signs of vapor comming out, even after running for a few seconds there will be some vapor left and it could reveal if the truck has been started before you got there. If it was started ahead of time, the seller may have something to hide (like hard starting). Check the oil while your at it, if its at the bottom end of the safe zone, that is acceptable. Oil as black as death is to be expected.

Since this is a 6.9, the coolant is not as critical as with the later 7.3 (6.9 has thicker cylinder walls) though it is still important. But if you want to go the extra mile, get a coolant testing strip kit from a ford dealer, International dealer, or (in my case) NAPA. There are other sources as well. Make sure to get the type that is intended for diesels. Testing the coolant will tell you if the owner kept the right stuff in it. If he did, than chances are cavitation of the block is not a problem to worry about. But as I said earlier, its not as critical as of this were a 7.3L.

How well the truck starts cold will tell you a lot about condition of the injection system, glow plug system and maybe even the internals of the engine. If the owner starts the truck himself, pay close attention to what he is doing. The engine should fire by the first revolution without having to add any throttle. Look at the tailpipe when it fires. There should be one puff of black smoke, and then very little white smoke for a few minutes after until the tems start to come up. Any uneven smoke, black or blue puffing could indicate faulty injectors.

When driving it, the transmission should shift quick and firm without any soft shifting at high power. Find a hill if possible, and accellerate up the grade to see how the transmission behaves. While driving, keep an eye on the passenger mirror for the smoke. Once the truck is warm, there should be no smoke under most conditions. tromping the throttle should produce some black smoke, and some black is to be expected on hill climbing and hard acceleration. Blue or white smoke is not good.

Don't baby the truck, if there is a highway nearby, take it out there and put it through its paces. Again, if you need to cruise at higher speeds, this is the time to see how well it can perform.

When you get back from the drive, try and park it on a clean patch of road where fluid leaks will be easier to detect.

To be REALLY thorough crawl under the truck to look for signs of corrosion. Wheel wells, fenders, bottom of the cab corners, rear corners of the box, and the rear leaf spring shackles are the most common areas.

Other than that, just make sure you use all the features of the truck and make sure all the bells and wistles work. And since its top of the line, there are a few to check.

 

Truck looks good, interior looks good.
Dana 50 front axle is also a good thing.

Looks rather well maintained.

With diesel at 4.65 here now, I don't know what to say about it being a good first vehicle.

The truck will probably be great, but unless you have stuff to haul, it may be hard to justify the fuel cost.

 

Yeah diesel is getting pretty crazy but I work on a farm so it will be put to work. I need something bigger than the Ranger I drive now so I can pull trailers and stuff. I have also been looking at F150's too.
Thanks for the help guys.

 

If you are going to work it on a farm, get the diesel.

You will be happy in the end.

The only thing I see that you will be working on soon is the exhaust.
The rest looks good from the pictures.