Having more problems w/the "new" 2002 F250 that I bought only a couple of months ago.

The batteries died a couple of days ago. Tried charging the primary and that worked a couple of times, but it just died again. Got it started once more and moved it out of the garage in case it had to be towed. Called AAA the other day and they had to jump both batteries to get it started.

Took it to a shop I trust and was told I had a bad alternator (not putting out enough amps) and one bad battery. So, I told the mechanic to replace both batteries (which were original) and the alternator.

This is on top of the truck dying on me twice on the freeway and once just before getting on the freeway due to a loose DP Tuner connection and a Viper alarm that wasn't working properly (locked me out and wouldn't allow me to disarm it with the remote, so I stopped using it). I'm hoping that the problem with the alarm may be connected to the battery problem and am going to test that after I pick up the truck in a few hours.

I got a "good" price on the truck, but, if it goes down on me again, I'm going have to dump it. I have no problem with "old" but "unreliable just doesn't cut it.

 

there's a certain reality you have to remember when buying a 7 year old truck. any truck or vehicle for that matter. you are coming right into the more serious maintenance phase of the truck right now. 7 years is a good run for batteries and an alternator. the best thing to do is find a nice shop like i have by my house that rebuilds alternators and starters and guarantees them for life. he will also bump up the output on the alternator for you for only a couple bucks more. but anyway in the super duty world this was nothing more than routine maintenance. the chip being loose doesnt really have anything to do with reliability since it is an aftermarket mod and if you just take it out the truck is fine. i guess what im trying to say is dont give up so easily. there will be little oil leaks and other little things go wrong with it but maintenance is key to reliabilty on these rigs. the more you take care of it the more it will take care of you. i dont know if you have ever owned a diesel before but get to know your truck, its habits and its likes and dislikes and familiarize yourself with how it works so you can work on it yourself to take care of the simple things and youll end up being very happy with a good truck and engine and youll know what you have since you will have done all the work yourself. there are some thing you will probably have to take it to a shop for but most of the stuff on these engines is easy to work on just might take a little time. good luck with the new truck and if you ever have problems just search or ask on here because the there is always someone on here who has already gone through it and can help you out.......

 

Yeah, I'm aware of this.

I'm just disgruntled because all of these "little" problems came w/in a couple months of buying my "new" F250. It's more annoying than anything else, especially since I've been relying on the truck to move stuff from my old house to my new house and warehouse and had to take time to fix the truck in the middle of my move.

I currently own 4 vehicles, including the F250 and have owned over 60 cars, trucks and motorcycles in my lifetime. So, I know that things have to be fixed from time to time, particularly for older vehicles, but there have been very few occasions where I actually had to call AAA to jump start or tow a vehicle of mine. In fact, I've been a member of AAA for over 40 years and my call to jump start the truck was the first time I've had to call them in over 20 years!

So, I'm use to having cars that start when called upon to do so and not die on the highway for any reason -- even if it's just a loose DP connection. We'll just have to see how it goes. I just put in another $650 to replace the alternator and batteries, so I have definitely have a reason to keep it a bit longer now, but if something else comes up in the near future, I may just trade-it in or sell it for a newer truck which is less likely to experience such problems.

End of rant.

 

yeah i know it can be frustrating. youll have more good times than bad ones though once you get her dialed in.

 

You're gonna dump it because of those problems? The loose DP-Tuner can be blamed on whomever did the install, and the battery and alt because the truck IS 7 years old, and you think that's too many problems?????

Wow....just wow. NONE of those problems even BEGIN to take that truck into the catagory of "unreliable" bro. Get real.

Lots of people have a lot more problems than that with BRAND NEW vehicle.

Maybe you need to rethink your expectations a bit.

Stewart

 

Wow! Doncha' think you payed just a wee bit much for those three items?

I do.

Pop

 

Probably, but I didn't have time to haggle and I live in San Francisco, where EVERYTHING costs too much.

FYI, the 2 Interstate batteries cost $226, the OEM alternator $230 and the labor (including complete electrical diagnostics that I asked for) cost $150 and the rest was 9.5% sales tax.

 

That's what I'm hoping for. Thanks!

 

Like I said, I have a history of owning very reliable vehicles. So, far, this hasn't been one of them.

Like I also said, after putting another $650 in the truck, I'm going to stick with it for awhile, BUT, if something else comes up that's going to cost me MORE money and aggravation, I'm definitely going to dump it for something else. It's just a truck. I don't get emotionally attached to any vehicle and I certainly don't believe in hanging onto something that's causing me problems.

As for reasonable expectations, the batteries were just bad timing (dying so soon after I bought it), but have you ever had your car or truck just DIE in the middle of the freeway with NO CLUE why it died? That's NEVER acceptable!

I just bought the truck w/the DP Tuner in it a couple of months ago and I didn't know that the DP Tuner switch was the problem until I happened to notice that the switch selector light was off when the ignition was turned on and turned lit back up when I jiggled it.

That was the ONLY reason I was able to get the truck started again. Someone even more clueless than we would have had to sit with the truck DEAD in the middle of the freeway and wait for the highway patrol and/or tow truck to get him off the roadway.

So, don't talk to me about rethinking my expectations. I expect a car or truck to start when I turn it on and to continue functioning in a normal way until I get to my destination. If it doesn't do that, it's not doing what I need it to do and if it continues to FAIL to do that, I'm going to dump it regardless of the age, make or model.

Ciao, baby!

 

First off, welcome to FTE, and congrats on getting the truck back up and running.

Regarding the cost issue, I'm thinking a $240, 200+ amp alternator from DB and two Optima Red Top batteries for $159 each from Sam's is about as much as you should really have needed to spend. I know, too, that sometimes time just isn't available to do things yourself... I've been in that situation and am learning slowly how to anticipate some of these maintenance items and do them proactively myself before I hit the failure point and find myself in a bind with time.

The DB components have excellent reputations and DB has demonstrated excellent customer service. The Red Top's have higher CCA's, are gel-type batteries, and will really turn that engine over.

http://www.db-starter-alternator.com/

Get ready for your starter to perhaps begin to show signs of weakening now that you've re-juiced the other startup components. I went with the DB Hi-Torque starter on mine earlier this eyar, and boy she really goes to town now.

Also, next time you run into that kind of trouble, chime in here and ask for our input and experience with similar issues. Someone's always around and everyone is always eager to help each other out, and we have learned where you can get excellent components at reasonable and sometimes low prices.

I have to also agree that your expectations might be a tad on the unrealistic side of reality. It's one thing to have a 7-year old vehicle start hitting the maintenance cycles in a rash, and once they are resolved, you regain the reliability again. Do some proactive replacements and you'll avoid most of these things. After all, you know they're going to fail, so head off the crisis by planning the replacement on your own schdedule instead of waiting for them to break.

Getting a 7-year old vehicle which has aftermarket upgrades like a DP-Tuner brings a whole additional set of potential issues to the plate, especially if you don;t know the vehicle and how it was treated or cared for when you bought it (perhaps you DID know those things). Either way, once aftermarket stuff is added, those items simply make the list of "potential maitnenance and repair costs or inconveniences" a little longer. Buyer beware.

 

Hey I'd hapilly take a truck with only bad batteries and an alternator. Those are real easy to take care of. There is a spot by me that rebuilds batteries for under $30 with a core and another spot that does alternators down the street for about $60. I could have done those two repairs for around $150.

 

You seem destined to restore ALMOST all of the reliability back into the truck, only to dump it to some really-lucky soul just prior to achieving it.

Maybe it will be one of our regulars on this forum, who has stuck it out long enough to know how to maintain these reliable work-horses.

Or, maybe you'll have the patience to stick around and learn what it takes to properly maintain one of these. At least you can then make an objective decision if it's worth your efforts.

We're here to help, if you're willing to be helped.

Ciao, back at ya'.

Pop

 

Wonder why we're still getting double posts. This WAS one of them before editing.

Pop

 

He's lucky, I bought mine with bad injectors. Imagine what he'd be saying if he were to find like me that they want $200+ for each injector to be reebuilt. Of course that's not including labor, probably 8hrs to do injectors. Luckily I was able to have a buddy rebuild all the injectors for me at the cost to do one.

It's an older truck and people or companies just use then until they start to show signs of wear then trade them in for new trucks.

 

Well I live in the Bay Area so I your going to get rid of it for free let me know