Kainoa
Registered User
Howdy. First of all I want to thank everyone in advance for any help you may render. I've done a lot of reading on this site prior to finding the truck I wanted, and was able to determine fairly well what kind of condition the vehicle I was purchasing was in. (Time will tell of course).
The truck I got is a 1993 F250 7.3 IDI with the factory turbo, manual transmission, 4x4. A few minor scrapes, but overall very straight. Mechanic owned, he was the ONLY guy that knew what SCA's were, and stated in the CL ad that he always used the correct coolant, as did the original owner, also a mechanic. So I drove 9 hours to get this rig in WA state from So Oregon. The only concern I had was the road spray they used on the road in WA state. Sure enough, there is slight corrosion on the undercarriage, but not too bad. I think this truck will still be on the road long after I'm gone I believe.
So here are my questions for the group.
#1 Owner told me not to set the handbrake, as it may stick, and I'd be on the ground prying it loose before I could get underway. He had the cable in the back seat, so when I got home I took the wheels off and replaced the cables... they didn't fit. I looked at the packaging.. made in China. Basically the springs inside the wheel housing were longer than what came off the truck. So I went to Napa, got a new set, and replaced them....same deal. Now I'm started to get frustrated, but I'm also getting better at getting the brake springs back on. I ordered the OEM cables for Crater Lake Ford yesterday, and they fit. (note to self...OEM only) Drove the truck to the car wash down the street, and the brakes are mushy. I was never in the cab during the R&R of any of the cables, and never pushed on the brakes. I had removed a connection that I thought was the cruise control, ( which quit on the long drive home, and naiver came on again), but no change when I hooked it back up. So... do I just bleed the brakes?... that simple I hope.... spent a lot of time under this thing the last couple of days...
#2 Cruise Control. I've purchased the de-activator switch, but when I went under the hood, no such switch exists on the master cylinder, either on the top or the bottom. Could there be another location for this switch? Like I said, there was one that was kinda like it mounted to the firewall, but I want to be sure before I start removing what could be crucial parts.
Oh yeah... I want to thank the crew for the glow-plug bypass instructions. I was a bit tentative about cutting wires, but like someone here said, any schmo could do it! I used to be a shade tree mechanic as a kid when he all had Volkswagen's, and made them into Baja bugs to hunt and surf in Mexico. So after being very certain to read, re-read, and checking and rechecking, I got 'er done. Looks pretty clean too, and got the 60amp push button, (no toggle) that works like a champ.
Wow, sorry for the long winded explanation. The reason I got this year/model was because I could wrench it myself, so I'll be doing a lot of digging through this site... incredible amount of info. I have a nice 2000 Tundra, and I bought an old six-pack cab-over to take to the beach with the boat. Well the Tundra will tow the boat (19" Duckworth/ 3K#), or carry the cab-over... but not both. Exceeds the GV axle rating. I even had bladders installed in the Tundra before I realized the shortcoming. So with the 3/4 ton, I should be good.
Holy sxxx, I need to learn to be more concise!
Thanks to this great group... I've learned a lot on here already... I think you should have a convention in Vegas!
Best....
Steve
The truck I got is a 1993 F250 7.3 IDI with the factory turbo, manual transmission, 4x4. A few minor scrapes, but overall very straight. Mechanic owned, he was the ONLY guy that knew what SCA's were, and stated in the CL ad that he always used the correct coolant, as did the original owner, also a mechanic. So I drove 9 hours to get this rig in WA state from So Oregon. The only concern I had was the road spray they used on the road in WA state. Sure enough, there is slight corrosion on the undercarriage, but not too bad. I think this truck will still be on the road long after I'm gone I believe.
So here are my questions for the group.
#1 Owner told me not to set the handbrake, as it may stick, and I'd be on the ground prying it loose before I could get underway. He had the cable in the back seat, so when I got home I took the wheels off and replaced the cables... they didn't fit. I looked at the packaging.. made in China. Basically the springs inside the wheel housing were longer than what came off the truck. So I went to Napa, got a new set, and replaced them....same deal. Now I'm started to get frustrated, but I'm also getting better at getting the brake springs back on. I ordered the OEM cables for Crater Lake Ford yesterday, and they fit. (note to self...OEM only) Drove the truck to the car wash down the street, and the brakes are mushy. I was never in the cab during the R&R of any of the cables, and never pushed on the brakes. I had removed a connection that I thought was the cruise control, ( which quit on the long drive home, and naiver came on again), but no change when I hooked it back up. So... do I just bleed the brakes?... that simple I hope.... spent a lot of time under this thing the last couple of days...
#2 Cruise Control. I've purchased the de-activator switch, but when I went under the hood, no such switch exists on the master cylinder, either on the top or the bottom. Could there be another location for this switch? Like I said, there was one that was kinda like it mounted to the firewall, but I want to be sure before I start removing what could be crucial parts.
Oh yeah... I want to thank the crew for the glow-plug bypass instructions. I was a bit tentative about cutting wires, but like someone here said, any schmo could do it! I used to be a shade tree mechanic as a kid when he all had Volkswagen's, and made them into Baja bugs to hunt and surf in Mexico. So after being very certain to read, re-read, and checking and rechecking, I got 'er done. Looks pretty clean too, and got the 60amp push button, (no toggle) that works like a champ.
Wow, sorry for the long winded explanation. The reason I got this year/model was because I could wrench it myself, so I'll be doing a lot of digging through this site... incredible amount of info. I have a nice 2000 Tundra, and I bought an old six-pack cab-over to take to the beach with the boat. Well the Tundra will tow the boat (19" Duckworth/ 3K#), or carry the cab-over... but not both. Exceeds the GV axle rating. I even had bladders installed in the Tundra before I realized the shortcoming. So with the 3/4 ton, I should be good.
Holy sxxx, I need to learn to be more concise!
Thanks to this great group... I've learned a lot on here already... I think you should have a convention in Vegas!
Best....
Steve
