Hello all, I am new to this Diesel thing. I am currently looking at a 97 f250 PSD. The truck is very clean. The tranny coolant smells good and the oil looks like honey. The stick doesn't appear to have be sanded clean. The one question I have is the starting thing. How long should it crank before it fires when its say 30-40 deg out side. I have started/drove it one time, and when i did it took about maybe 5-7 seconds to fire. The batteries look to be cheap auto zone ones with some corrosion on them. So im just wondering the diff between bad batt and bad glow plugs. Truck has 200k on it. Thank you very much

 

Welcome to our Diesel Forum

Check on these with the seller

Some things to check

PCM MODS chips or IDM mods, FPR Shim Last time CPS was changed. Any codes flashing?
and then
Turbo:
You might take the air tube off the back of the air filter and look inside of it. If there is dirt dust in there, that's not good, Check the turbo fins dusted / sand blasted look or bent. Dont cut your self they should be sharp. A little oily look is normal since the valve cover breather route to the inlet (unless it has the canister reroute vent mod). Also, check the shaft outside of the fins for any signs of damage.
Airbox:
Check the two bolts holding down the air filter down. Over time those dont seal well and let air in. Suggest doing the 6637 intake mod asap..

Tranny:
If you buy a truck with an auto tranny, finding out if it’’s been maintained is essential, as the E4OD is an expensive transmission. Also, (if <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_8_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif">auto</NOBR>) seeing if the truck has an auxiliary transmission cooler thats larger than 3 of your hands. Make sure that the trans fluid has no dark collor at ALL, shoulf be nice and red, Ask when the fitler was last changed.

Rear Gear Ratio:
4:10 will pull better, get slightly lower mpg’s and run a higher RPM compared to 3:55.

Coolant:
Ask the previous owner about the coolant – have they been adding FW16 or DCA4 to keep a proper SCA level? It is very important for stopping cavitation. You can get test strips to check the SCA level from NAPA, International, or <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_10_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Ford</NOBR>. I would test the current condition while looking over the truck, the SCA level should be between 1.5 and 3.0. Also, see if it has a block heater (it was an option on 97′’s). Also look directly behind the vacuum pump and locate the oil cooler, check the outter heads for signs of leaking oil. Run the truck until it get hot drain some to the water from the cooler and let it settle, check for oil flaoting on top later on. If oil is found thats bad and an you have to locate the source, we can help.

Front end:
Jack up the fron end and Check for wear or loose tierods, or have an alignment shop check out the ball joints and steering linkage (tie rod ends). If they are shot, it is $$$ (all four tie rods are around $400 just for parts, ball joint labor is 2x.

Oil:
The questions to ask are how often the oil was changed (at least every 5,000) and what kind of oil they used. An oil analysis could tell you if there might be an engine problem or not. Get it checked at Blackstone Laboratories

Aftermarket stuff:
Seeing if the truck has got an aftermarket downpipe and cat delete would be nice, a chip, or gauges (pyrometer, trans temp, etc.). Ask about any added items and who installed them.

Glow Plugs/Relay:
Find out if the glow plugs are in good working condition as well as the relay. Ask if either has been changed and when. You can check the glow plug resistance through the valve cover connector if needed and the relay should have power to both large terminals on top when the key is turned on, and one of the terminals should go out before ~2 minutes.

CPS Failures:
Cam position Sensor. They can leave you stranded anywhere anytime intermittedly. Finding out if it has been replaced (maybe more then once) might be a good idea to buy one for the glove box. You never know when they”ll go out, so it is best to carry a spare. These can often be had for under 50 bucks

Injector o-rings:
The injector O-rings have been known to be a problem. The new o-ring sets have a pink middle seal. If the truck has an o-ring problem, one of the signs can be a discoloration of the <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_16_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif">fuel</NOBR> in the filter bowl. There is a drain on the passenger side front of the filter bowl at 7:00 clock for draining water/diesel (the filter is also the water separator) and you can catch some of the drained fuel in a jar allow to sit and check for water and trash.

Leaks and Drips:
You can check the valley between the heads of the <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_17_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen; FONT-FAMILY: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif">V8</NOBR> for moisture and/or fluid. It should be dry not wet. Most leaks will run through this valley and down the back of the motor dripping off by the tranny/engine coupling. Behinf the fuel bowl locate the heat sheild that is over the LPOP and pull it off inspect the hoses for wear and cracks.

VIN number:
If you take the VIN to any dealer, they can tell you when it was built, when it went into service, and some of the work that might have been done on it. You can also run prospective VIN’’s through Carfax.com to see the title history.
or VIN Number Decoder offer to you by Ford Trucks Enthusiasts | www.ford-trucks.com

 

I think all he forgot was to tell you to kick the tires.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.