New F350

[BC4Lyphe]

Hi everyone I just joined this forum to try and learn as much as I can about my new truck. Any tips, tricks or info is greatly appreciated.

I have a truck that I know very little about. Unfortunately its 5400 miles away and I wont be able to check specifics on the truck. My brother will be sending me pictures when he picks it up so I have to wait until that happens to get more info. What I do know is from the door sticker: VIN 2FTJW36M9RCA13544. WB:168" TYP-GVW: W361 BODY: G6D TRANS: E AXLE: C5 SPRINGS: T F. It says 9/93.

I gather it's the E4OD tranny? Is there a way to tell from the VIN if it's turbo or N/A? Also if it's 4x4 or dual tank? I know its a crew cab long bed.

The guy said the following:
Front wheel bearing wore thru and I'd need a new hub
PO converted it to run on WVO
Back two cylinders were completely full of water. Wouldnt turn at all
He put a new starter in

Not exactly sure which side or if he meant it chewed the the bearing race or the actual hub. If it is 4x4 does that mean it has the manual locking hubs? Does this truck have the D60 front and Sterling 10.25 rear axles?

What is involved with the "WVO conversion" Is it just new lines and filters? Usually 1 tank is WVO and 1 regular diesel correct?

He said the rods are fine since the starter never had the chance to wind up before hydrolocking. I guess thats good? Will the rings be toast? If I pull the glowplugs and get the water out then spray it down with WD40/diesel/motor oil and crank the motor by hand for a while will that be good enough? Then pressure test all 8 to see if theyre consistent?


I have a little experience with a very rough shape '88 IDI, Banks turbo, ZF5 speed single cab. In the spring I plan on working on this crew cab and getting it ready to tow 6000lbs 5400 miles. I read a few things about disc rear conversions. It seems a lot of problems are getting parts so there would be a parking brake. In the '88 we just use a line-lock so if I had a bracket machined to fit the axle tab and used the same 4 piston caliper and rotor as the front would that work?

 

[LCAM-01XA]

5400 miles, where the heck are you finding that distance in the US, Miami to Fairbanks?

Transmission is E4OD indeed.

C5 axle code means rear axle (99% chance it's Sterling) has single wheels (not dually) and 4.10 gears and there's a factory limited slip differential in it. Obviously if it's a 4x4 truck the front axle (D60 since it's a F350 we're talking about) will also have 4.10 gears, but likely just open differential unless some previous owner changed that. Manual or auto hubs idk, all 4x4 1-tons I've personally seen have had manual hubs, but there are some members here who have auto hubs as well. If it's indeed a 4x4 then I seriously doubt that bearing damaged the actual wheel hub, those bearings are huge and can take lots of abuse. Not so much if it's a 2wd truck, there I can see the outer bearing (quite small) possibly managing to damage the hub, but since it's a SRW truck the wheel hub would actually be part of the brake rotor which is stupid cheap and comes with new races pressed in already.

Personally I would not trust a line-lock setup as a parking brake. If you want rear discs grab a rear axle and wheels off a newer truck and swap the whole thing, your front and rear wheels will have different bolt patterns but on the flip side you have an axle that has all the right parts and nothing rigged and/or haphazardly slapped together. Oh, and the front calipers are actually 2-piston design, and to do what you suggested you'll need calipers off a '95-'97 F250HD or F350 cause the earlier ones weren't quite a bolt-on affair.

I've never ever seen an IDI truck with a pickup bed that didn't have the dual tanks, so most likely you got them as well - should be around 19 gallons each.

That's all I got, I play with drivelines more than engines so someone else will be your adviser on the hydrolock and WMO topics.

 

[kc0stp]

Based on the VIN its a 4wd version so youll have the D60 (lucky) should have dual tanks unless someone removed one of them for some oddball reason.

Personally I would not trust a line-lock setup as a parking brake. If you want rear discs grab a rear axle and wheels off a newer truck and swap the whole thing, your front and rear wheels will have different bolt patterns but on the flip side you have an axle that has all the right parts and nothing rigged and/or haphazardly slapped together. Oh, and the front calipers are actually 2-piston design, and to do what you suggested you'll need calipers off a '95-'97 F250HD or F350 cause the earlier ones weren't quite a bolt-on affair.

Easier answer is to find the rear axle out of a 99-0? E-series as it has rear disks brakes but the same bolt pattern as our trucks and somewhere I had found a breakdown of what all changed when but for the life of me I cant find it atm

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Easier answer is to find the rear axle out of a 99-0? E-series as it has rear disks brakes but the same bolt pattern as our trucks and somewhere I had found a breakdown of what all changed when but for the life of me I cant find it atm

Weren't the E-series axle different width tho? Or was it same overall width as pickup axles, but spring perches needed moving? I know older E-series have the spring perch width different from same year F-series, dunno how new ones are set up tho... Sure wold be nice if the early-2000 van axles are direct bolt-on under our trucks, but I kinda doubt we'd be so lucky

Btw which character in the VIN says 2wd or 4x4?

 

[kc0stp]

No idea on the vin I just copied it into this http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/vindecoder.php basically all it tells you is year, body, 2wd or 4wd and engine though

As far as the axles I think (its been a while since I researched) that first generation of Superduty vans (99-03 maybe..) have a 95% bolt up Dana 60 disc brake for our truck, think the park brake cables are about all that's different but like I said its been a while so double check all this before you go hunting.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Oh, that's some good info on the van axles. Too bad a Dana 60 will be a bit undersized for me cause I got training wheels, think I'd need whatever axle went under the big box or bus bodies instead... Now watch, those will turn out to have narrower frames than regular van bodies, kinda like cab-chassis vs. pickup-bed frames. And you know what that means for axle fitment

 

[rob93]

http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

Put your vin in here, it will give you all the options the truck came with

 

[TronDD]

Back two cylinders were completely full of water. Wouldnt turn at all

Water or coolant? Cavitation could have penetrated the cylinders.

Did you buy this truck sight unseen? The owner let a wheel bearing go until it damaged other things. Hydrolocked the motor but "the starter didn't wind up" so that's ok? Sounds like this truck was not cared for and the guy doesn't know much about it.

I'd say, at best, you're going to need a new motor or to rebuild this one, at worst, who knows what else is about to let go.

Tim.

 

[warhog]

5400 miles, where the heck are you finding that distance in the US, Miami to Fairbanks?

pretty sure miami to the outskirts of washington state isn't even that fair lol

 

[icanfixall]

Water in the back cylinders... Well that can happen when the cowl seal leaks rain water on top of the air fitler housong asd it leaks into the intake. But both cylinders.. Not likely. Now just how did this person know both cylinders are full of water. Then the next question needing answers to is how long has these cylinders had water in them and at what part of the piston stroke are these cylinders. If they are at top dead center you wont have much rust. But who knows where the rust is. You will likely need to bore the engine or simpley replace it. Really not going to know much by what the seller has told you. Remember he is selling something. Most sellers will not tell you all there is to know. As for the bearing issue up front.. Can't comment on that because too little information given in the first post bout it.

 

[BC4Lyphe]

Seller is selling it to me for $0. The PO brought it in with the water,bearing, and I'm sure some other things but apparently it has just sat in the shop for 1.5 years and he needs it gone.

Why dont you trust the line lock? About 6 times a season I've backed half way down a boat ramp with a 12,000 boat behind me in the 5 speed and it held fine. Is the valve body itself suspect or the lines?

Going from Alaska to Maine with some stops along the way.

Again this is just what the guy said. I can't fully trust what he said because he was in the middle of a million projects and I'm sure couldve got one truck mixed up with another and so on and so on.

Does this motor have cylinder sleeves I could just pop 2 new sleeve/piston setups in if it indeed needed them? If its not sleeved how does it get cavitation? I understand the 7.3 is basically a bored out 6.9?

 

[kc0stp]

Oh, that's some good info on the van axles. Too bad a Dana 60 will be a bit undersized for me cause I got training wheels, think I'd need whatever axle went under the big box or bus bodies instead... Now watch, those will turn out to have narrower frames than regular van bodies, kinda like cab-chassis vs. pickup-bed frames. And you know what that means for axle fitment

99% of the buses are E450s (and a royal PITA to work on) but Ill be honest and admit I have no idea what they used for a dually axle I normally just ask the parts guy for the replacement parts that and Im pretty sure its the van version of a cab and chaises but once again never had cause to measure.

 

[icanfixall]

Usually we don't recommend boreing out a 7.3 because the cylinders are cast too thin. Making them bigger increases the cavitation issue. Most all diesels cavitate some but the 6.9 can handle it better because the cylinders are thicker. The 7.3 is not a bored out 6.9. Its a completely differant block. It does share most of the internal parts from the 6.9. So you can buy a rod, crank, cam or oil pump and use them in both engines. The 7.3 heads will fit on the 6.9 too but you need to machine the head bolt holes in the 6.9 heads to fit them to the 7.3. If that engine has sat for 1.5 years then the cylinders with water in them are ruined. These engines do not have replaceable sleeves but. We do bore out the cylinders and install replacement sleeves. Done right it works well Done wrong and the block is ruined. Plan your trip and ask for help along the way too. Many members will try to help you out on such a trip.

 

[BC4Lyphe]

In Kodiak the parking brakes always get rusted closed which is why we use the line lock. I agree weeks on end wouldn't be the best.

Another question. Is there any way to tell by the VIN if its an XLT or XL? Also which seats are in it?