I am looking at replacing my 94 TIDI with this because the IDI is cursed with bad luck....its currently in the shop because of an accident.....

I went over today and gave this rig a once over:

1997 F350 XLT 4x4 CC 7.3 5sp for $8,900. 150,000 miles.

Before Startup:
Upon visual inspection the only things I noticed before I started it was oil residue on the top of the engine under the turbo, the battery connections all had slight corrosion on the terminals and the coolant reservoir was on the low side.

Startup:
The rig had not been started in a few days at least. The temperature outside was -1F. I cycled the glowplugs twice and the rig started up and after a few seconds it settled on the high idle. The heater/defroster works fine and warmed up the rig in a hurry.

Warmup:
While I was letting it idle I noticed the engine was vibrating alot but it smoothed out after it warmed up. (It understand diesels dont like cold but is that NORMAL?) At this point I saw a little red coolant drip and red spot in the snow . It was dripping off the oil pan and looked to be coming from up around the rear of the engine.

Short Drive:
I pulled the rig around to the front of the shop to have the mechanic look at it. Went in to 4x4 easily and shifted through the first few gears without issue!!! While it was parked by the shop it was still leaking coolant. Total it looked to be about a coffee cup of fluid that had leaked out.

What are the possible issues? I am thinking leaky hose or cracked head. How much would a cracked head cost? What other issues could be related to the coolant leak?

Otherwise the only htings wrong with the truck is that the back seat middle seat belt is cut and the drivers side rear window switch is inoperative. The window was operating fromt he drivers seat but not the switch in the rear seat.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Thad

 

diesel do vibrate it just varies on the engine. and that red fluid must be tranny fluid leaking its the only red fluid i can think of for a truck, especially near the rear of the engine. and for your coolant leak just thoroughly check all your hoses, clamps, plugs and maybe your thermostat gasket. other wise it sounds like a decent truck, but i would go a lot lower on the price if i were you JMO.

 

I think I would keep looking for that much dough. I think the seller is a bit optimistic in the pricing.

 

The truck is at a dealer. The red fluid is coolant since the truck is a manual. Which makes me believe that the head is cracked.

The NADA is $11K and KBB is $9,300 for this rig. Pricing isnt that bad but I would definately haggle on the price.

Remember this is one of the best rig ever made.....7.3 with a 5 speed....just want to make sure it doesnt have a cracked block.

Thad

 

I would offer them 7K and they will try to sell it for more. Eventually, after seeing it listed in the local paper for weeks on end they will bend just to sell the beast. I think you will enjoy the PSD! I would point out EVERY crack, dent and loose front end part (they don't know, grab the front end parts and point out the looseness). Welcome aboard!

 

Huh??!?!? The manuals take the same coolant as the automatics, and since OBS aren't supposed to take extended life coolant, it should be green. Red fluid is ATF, which is in the tranny, the transfer case and the power steering.

 

Yeah, I know manuals and auto use the same coolant!

My point was that it is NOT tranny fluid since it is a manual transmission (yes I know that the transfercase and powersteering fluid is red....). But since I have never run a ZF5 I didnt realize it can use ATF. My phraseology was confusing. And thanks for pointing that out.......

The only reason I mentioned that it might be coolant is because I was unsure whether or not the 97's used red coolant.

Now that I know its not a cracked head.....what could cause this leak? I would go over and take a picture but we are in a blizzard warning and the snow is drifting pretty deep. Might go back on Monday.

Thanks
Thad

 

Actually, the ZF5 MUST (not "can") take SYNTHETIC ATF. As for the leak, it's odd for it to be where it is. If it were the tranny or the Tcase, I'd expect it to be further back. If it were power steering, I'd expect it to be further forward. It could still be P/S, though, and just coursing backward before it drips. Just keep looking; see if there's anything wet on the bottom of the tranny (esp. the drain and fill plugs), look around the P/S pump, the lines and the steering box. The return line for the P/S is this long trombone-ish looking pipe that clips to the front axle; this acts as a "cooler". It's prone to rusting out.

 

When I did a search on here there were others saying you can run different things in the trans. Granted they may be wrong but thats what I found. Again I have 0 experince with the ZF5 just trying to gain knowledge.

The drip/leak was coming from the front passenger side of the transmission housing. Again it was snowy and below zero when I was looking at the rig so I was less through than I normally would have been.

I give those areas a look either tomorrow or Monday.

Thanks!!!
Thad

 

the "red coolant leak from the rear of the motor" sounds like a fuel leak and off road diesel to me. I would sump the filter and look at the color of the fuel before driving or buying. here in Arizona it is a $10,000.00 fine plus any back taxes for all the off road fuel you have burned. it is the driver who gets the fine. and it is also charged as federal tax evasion for not paying the federal road tax.

 

p.s. if it does have the orange coolant in it I would run from it. that garbage is corrosive and doesn't need to be in an engine that already has a problem with cavication.

 

Hadn't even thought about fuel. Although, I dont remember smelling any sulfur or anything like that.

I pumped off road diesel for a living in Florida for awhile and it always smelled like sulfur. I dont recall any sulfur smell when I was under th truck......has off road diesel changed along with regualr ULSD?

Thanks
Thad

 

It's gonna vary from state to state, but generally, nowadays the only difference is the taxation and the dye. Geez, I think heli is onto something. Look for red kool-aid in the engine valley.

And yeah, the only red coolant I know of is Dex-Cool, a demon-spawn of Generous Motors, inflicted on their cars and trucks in the '90s.

 

Nice.....seems like its probably ATF with a possibility of off road diesel (I hope not!!!). Wont know for sure until Monday. They arent open until then and its snowing and blowing so bad here in Bismarck, that they have closed a ton of roads.....I am just staying inside for now!!!

Thad