Didn't want to post just yet

[payableondeath6]

Well I've been a member here for a little over a year...despite not having a diesel Just been doing my homework and a lot of drooling Just last week my F150 finally gave up the ghost and hydrolocked on me, rather than putting money into it just to still be unhappy with it's towing capacity the wife and I were able to find an IDI listed on Craigslist in our price range So we went and put money down on it for the guy to hold it for us and we'll be picking it up when the check for my F150 gets here (was going to part it out but I was fortunate enough to find someone to buy the whole thing). I didn't want to post up here til I actually had the truck, but I had a couple questions and was wondering if you guys could help out

So here's the CL ad and a couple pics...I'll add my questions below:

1989 Ford F350 Diesel pickup - $2000

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Date: 2007-05-18, 11:51AM EDT


For Sale: 1989 Ford F350 XLT duallie extended cab 2WD pickup. 7.3L NA diesel, 5 Spd, 10.25” sterling full float, 4.11 open. 119K miles.

PS, PB, ABS, Dual tanks, AC, Cruise, PW, PDL, AM/FM Cassette, sliding rear window, elec trailer brake controller, rubber bed mat.

In last 2K miles: batteries, injectors, lift pump, alternator, regulator, AF, FF, belts, LOF, stainless 4” exhaust. Has many other newish parts: radiator, t-stat, fan, clutch, all brakes, wiper motor, speedo gear, synthetic gear oil, fan motor & switch, steering shaft, ball joints, tires.

Starts right up everytime, even in the cold, runs strong. Great for towing or hauling. Has dual tanks, good candidate for Veggie conversion. Truck is ugly, rust in cab corners and bed seams, rebuilt salvage title. Only mechanical problem is leaky power steering. Driveable, just has to be topped up every few days. Other minor issues: pass power window stopped going down, AC has stopped blowing cold, it has worked previously when recharged, but I am out of Freon, Cruise is inop, ABS light is on. Did I mention it’s ugly?

More pics online at http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/fj40jim

Asking $2000 OBO. I've only put a few thousand miles on the truck in the last year, so I don't use it enough to keep it around. With fuel prices going up, somebody else can probably make better use of a economical Diesel truck.

In 1997- 1998? the truck got a brand new radiator, fan clutch & fan blade, T-stat, coolant and 2 bottles of SCA. Since that time, I dump a jug (pint?) of the diesel SCA in the radiator every year. It comes in a carquest bottle, but the label says it meets ford standard #yada-yada.

Rear brakes got new shoes, hardware, p-brake cables. Drums were good, so reinstalled. Rear wheel bearings were pulled & inspected, but were OK, so were reinstalled w/ a new seal & lube

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So obviously she's ugly as sin Got her for less than he was asking, not much b/c diesel is so much cheaper than gas here now (40-50 cents/gal) but still less

Couple questions I had:
1) I usually always do all my own maintenance/repairs on all our vehicles (even occasionally others too), so I've become accustomed to buying a Chiltons/Haynes manual for every vehicle I buy and using it extensively. What's a good book/cd (prefer book) to have for my truck? I realize these books are usually priceless in the money they save you but price is also an issue for me, so keep that in mind as well.

2) I searched around for any clues to the power steering fluid leak and couldn't find anything that sounded similar to what my truck has It doesn't leak under pressure anymore than w/o pressure, just a slow leak. I don't know exactly where it's leaking from but the previous owner suspects the steering line that runs on the frame crossmember as it's the lowest point and looks like fluid around that area (need to clean it off when i get it and see if that is in fact the spot). Any ideas? Also, the steering doesn't seem very tight, least not as tight as my other newer cars...doesn't seem to have any play or at least very little (haven't had someone turn the wheel while I look), just the wheel turns very easily...very easily. Previous owner listed some steering components he replaced in the ad but I've also heard you guys talk about the "rag joint" which is an unfamiliar term to me

3) The ABS light stays on, brakes feel firm and fine and the previous owner says they've nearly all been replaced...after a little searching seems like the sensor goes out on the rear, sound about right to everyone?

4) Obviously she has a little rust The hood and fender are good metal just had been primered and never painted, but the rear cab corners and some spots on the bed sides near the top are rusted through. I have a little experience with welding and the wife is going to get me an el'cheapo MIG for my birthday in a couple weeks (for welding patch panels on our horse trailer), how hard would it be for a beginner to weld on patch panels if I bought them from somewhere like LMC? Doesn't have to be professional job but I'd like to get the rust cut out/stopped and repaint it to be decent looking. She'll probably either get the "$50 Paint Job" (google it if you haven't heard of it, pretty cool) or just a rattle can job...either one being in flat black probably

5) First mod will be an EGT gauge (pyro), any links to good prices on the gauge, probe, and some way of mounting it? Do I want a clamp on probe or?

6) Lastly (for now ), any links to beginner stuff or a compliation of beginner IDI stuff? Talking about things like fuel additives (power service?), oil to use, etc, etc.

Whew...gotta take a big breath...thanks for all the help and replies...lurking around here for the last year or so has been fun but I'm glad I'm finally getting to enjoy those diesel fumes from the driver's seat now

 

[Agnem]

Very cool that you've finally gotten a truck, AND that you've been reading in advance all this time. Here's my answers to your numbered questions.

1) - The helm Ford shop manuals are as good as they get. Check Ebay. Any year from 87 to 91 will be a perfect match. There are about 4 books in a set, the most important of which are the body/chassis/electrical (all 1 book) and the Engine book. The other 2 are the emissions/diagnostics and Pre-delivery. The Haynes book is a good substitute, but contains errors. Can't comment on the Chiltons.

2) The steering wheels do turn real easy. Good hydraulics. Best bet on the leak is to get it all clean and see what develops. I had this problem on the 87' Bronco which shares the same system. It was bad grounds causing it.


3) There is a diagnostic proceedure where you short out this test wire, and the light blinks out a code - get the shop manual.

4) We all have this problem to some extent or another. I need a MIG welder too.

5) Check the forum FAQ for links to vendors.

6) Read all the tech articles.

 

[payableondeath6]

1) - The helm Ford shop manuals are as good as they get. Check Ebay. Any year from 87 to 91 will be a perfect match. There are about 4 books in a set, the most important of which are the body/chassis/electrical (all 1 book) and the Engine book. The other 2 are the emissions/diagnostics and Pre-delivery. The Haynes book is a good substitute, but contains errors. Can't comment on the Chiltons.

I'll check ebay, went to the Helm website and they're running about $100 for both...I'll also check out a Haynes and see if it looks worth the money.

2) The steering wheels do turn real easy. Good hydraulics. Best bet on the leak is to get it all clean and see what develops. I had this problem on the 87' Bronco which shares the same system. It was bad grounds causing it.

Well I guess that's good to know, didn't want to have to start replacing major steering components right off. I'll find that leak, may take a lot of cleaning and looking but I'll find it.

3) There is a diagnostic proceedure where you short out this test wire, and the light blinks out a code - get the shop manual.

Ok, that sounds easy enough.

4) We all have this problem to some extent or another. I need a MIG welder too.

First thing the wife said when we got back in the car after putting money down on it was "We're getting a paint job...right?" So I guess I'll take a couple practice shots, maybe a little more practice when I do the horse trailer (also not pretty), and then get the guts to do it on the truck (can't look any worse than a rust hole right ).

5) Check the forum FAQ for links to vendors.

I saw the links for replacement parts, I was more interested in somewhere to get an EGT gauge. If no one has a particular site they really like I can just run to Jegs and see what they've got.

6) Read all the tech articles.

Definitely done Lots of good stuff there.

 

[Agnem]

I thought we had links to places like DPS and MWFI

ISSPro seems to be the leading choice here, and my personal favorite.

 

[payableondeath6]

I thought we had links to places like DPS and MWFI

ISSPro seems to be the leading choice here, and my personal favorite.

Ah...thanks. Didn't see those if they were there. $125 sounds like a decent price for a pyrometer (never priced one, but sure don't want to overheat her)

 

[Diesel JD]

A pyrometer is always a good idea with a diesel. Go for drilling and tapping the exhaust pipe within 3" of the exhaust manifold. A safe maximum might be somewhere in the 1050-1200 range. You probably shouldn't see damaging exhaust temps until you turn up the fuel a bit. But its a real good find and the fact that it has had SCA maintenance is really really good. Low miles @119K miles, is also very good. I would use whatever oil the previous owner has used as long as its a diesel rated oil and the correct weight and grade for the climate. Personally I use Rotella, usually 15W-40, but have used the SAE30. Mobil 1, Castrol, Caterpillar, even synthetic oils are awesome.

 

[yARIC008]

Cool. That's impressively ugly She is diesel so that's what counts

About rust. The best thing i ever did was buy this sand blaster gun at harbor freight, it was about 20 bucks, and the sand crystal stuff was real cheap to. But basically just hook that up to an air compressor and blast the hell out of any rust until you can't see any anymore, works really well in crevices too. Then after you get it all off put some sort of paint over, a couple coats, and if you can, clear coat too, and it'll never rust again. It's the only way I've ever been able to effectively stop rust.

 

[payableondeath6]

A pyrometer is always a good idea with a diesel. Go for drilling and tapping the exhaust pipe within 3" of the exhaust manifold. A safe maximum might be somewhere in the 1050-1200 range. You probably shouldn't see damaging exhaust temps until you turn up the fuel a bit. But its a real good find and the fact that it has had SCA maintenance is really really good. Low miles @119K miles, is also very good. I would use whatever oil the previous owner has used as long as its a diesel rated oil and the correct weight and grade for the climate. Personally I use Rotella, usually 15W-40, but have used the SAE30. Mobil 1, Castrol, Caterpillar, even synthetic oils are awesome.

Just what I was thinking, looked like it had the small easily forgotten maintenance things done so it made me worry less about whether or not larger things were taken care of. My F150 had 206k miles on it, so this will be like new Going to change the oil and put a PSD filter on it as soon as I get it. Any particular PSD year for the filter? Figured I'd use Rotella just b/c I'd heard of it, but this is my first diesel so I'll likely spend a while standing dumbfounded in front of the diesel oil

Cool. That's impressively ugly She is diesel so that's what counts

About rust. The best thing i ever did was buy this sand blaster gun at harbor freight, it was about 20 bucks, and the sand crystal stuff was real cheap to. But basically just hook that up to an air compressor and blast the hell out of any rust until you can't see any anymore, works really well in crevices too. Then after you get it all off put some sort of paint over, a couple coats, and if you can, clear coat too, and it'll never rust again. It's the only way I've ever been able to effectively stop rust.

"impressively ugly" I like it. Thought about sand blasting, just don't have a garage or an air compressor...may use some families garage and let him keep the sand blaster for the use He's always real nice about letting me use whatever I need, and sand blasting would probably be easier than grinding the whole thing down

 

[yARIC008]

"impressively ugly" I like it. Thought about sand blasting, just don't have a garage or an air compressor...may use some families garage and let him keep the sand blaster for the use He's always real nice about letting me use whatever I need, and sand blasting would probably be easier than grinding the whole thing down

This was the one. Clean up isn't too bad, just vacuum up the stuff.

 

[Diesel JD]

You'll use FL1995 for your PSD filter. It works for 1994-97 PSD motors, maybe others.

 

[Rawpower]

FL1995's are also "designed" for '99 to at least '01, maybe newer...

On the Hayne's manual, don't bother... It is only $20 or $30 but its no help. It services all diesels from 87-97 I think? anyways, as Mel said, there are some errors. Any question I had that while rebuilding my engine was answered better on here or on TDS than in the Hayne's, or sometimes it wasn't even covered in Hayne's. The only thing good about it is the torque ratings, which are almost a shot in the dark when you go by dry torque.

 

[payableondeath6]

ah, thanks for the filter info and the link to the sandblaster...both should help immensely. can't wait for that check to come in so i can pay her off and pick her up

 

[payableondeath6]

Whew...in true dedicated newb fashion I did some background reading, almost done. I have lurked on the site before, but will be on it a little harder now that I've got one. So I started at the oldest IDI thread (#197) and worked my way up to thread (#97) reading all the interesting ones...lotsa good reads. Should be getting the check for my dead truck today or tomorrow and it sounds like the guy is legit so I'm hoping to pick her up this weekend.

Looks like the immediate purchases bill is up to $200 when I pick her up. ISSPRO EGT gauge with a pillar pod $140, oil/filter change (Rotella T 15w40, guessing price) $50, and prolly $10 in degreaser and quarters at the car wash to get the steering stuff cleaned up enough to find the leak. Can't wait

 

[flatlander]

You know you're only 3 or so hours from Rising Sun, which is where all the cool idi'ers will be in a couple weeks.

Of course all the strokers, d-max, and cummins guys think we're dorks but that's ok.

Oh, and I'll be screaming by on Friday going east on 30, so I'll honk near upper sandusky for you.

 

[trackspeeder]

You know you're only 3 or so hours from Rising Sun, which is where all the cool idi'ers will be in a couple weeks.

Of course all the strokers, d-max, and cummins guys think we're dorks but that's ok.

Oh, and I'll be screaming by on Friday going east on 30, so I'll honk near upper sandusky for you.

Not all strokers think that.