Epic Road Trip with 1990 7.3 IDI - Some questions about maintenance on the road.

[seacoats]

Me and my partner are the proud new owners of a diesel F-250 4x4. After months of talking about it, the circumstances finally lined up for us to buy a truck and a camper as well as quit our jobs. We've remodeled the inside of the camper along with fabricating new tie downs at a friends shop. The previous owner had used bedrail tie downs which did not seem secure enough for our liking. After some maintenance to the truck and all of the camper remodeling, we've set off on the road. We'll be driving down the west coast visiting several of the national parks and doing a lot of rock climbing and hiking. Once we hit the border we're parking the truck and continuing on foot south of the border.

Since buying the truck i've done an oil change(the old oil was the color and consistency of black paint), fuel filter change, replaced all of the belts(tensioning the belts on these beasts is kind of a pain in the ass, i can see the benefits of switching to a serpentine belt), topped off the power steering(it seems to have a small leak), and last but not least tested the coolant for SCAs(it didn't have any, so i added two pints of the DCAs from the Cummins dealer, i'll be testing the levels again in the morning). I plan on flushing the radiator and putting new coolant in it when we return, but there wasn't time to do it before leaving. Is there any other preventative maintenance that should be done to the truck? We're not in a hurry and i brought basic tools with me. I'm carrying a gallon of oil, some PS fluid, and the old belts for spares. What other parts/fluids would be good to pick up and carry along with us? Any particular things to keep an eye on? Truck has ~180k miles and after the fuel filter and oil change, it seems to be running nicely. What should we take into account when parking the truck while we're in Mexico? Is it enough to ask a friend to drive it around the block once a week, or would it be better to prep it for storage? (what does that even mean) We'll likely be gone for 2+ months south of the border.

When i start it in the mornings, the battery light comes on before starting and the voltage gauge clicks and moves between 9 and 11 volts while waiting for the glow plugs to heat. Yesterday and today, the voltage gauge stayed around 9 volts before starting and it struggled a bit to start. We were running an inverter for most of the day while we were driving, but i can't imagine that this would have prevented the batteries from charging. I imagine that it's the batteries that are dying, since their stickers indicate that they're ~10 years old. Will the just suddenly fail or will it get progressively harder and harder to start?

Also, the temp gauge hasn't ever moved as far as i can tell. Is there a way to test this? Is it possible that it just hasn't gotten hot enough to register? We've put close to 1000 miles on it in the past week or so...

Thanks!
Sea

PS What's the fuel tank size on these? I did some searching and found something saying 19g front and 17g rear, but it seems like i've got a 20g front and maybe 15 in the rear? Does that sound right?

 

[idiabuse]

if you park the truck and wont need the batteries you can remove the ground cables and charge them with a solar charger, super cheap.

good deal you added the SCA in the coolant!

Dont let anyone touch the truck sounds like your are the best guy for the job.

Have fun in mexico and see if you can score some Fast and furious weapons cheap!


Javier

 

[whiteboyslo]

Not cheap, but I'd replace those batteries for peace of mind if I were you. Cheapest place I know of is Costco, without ordering online that is.

Any local parts store should be able to check both the batteries and the charging system for free in just a couple of minutes, which'd let you know if you only had a battery issue versus a charging issue. But even if they say the batteries are good, I'd still replace them. You'd be amazed how fast the truck will crank over with two strong batteries and a fully functioning GP system.

You may want to bring some extra lengths of diesel-rated fuel hose with you in various diameters, but if nothing is leaking now then you're probably fine. Other than that, maybe some coolant?

Don't trust the OE temp gauge for anything. You may have a bad sensor, but even if it was working, it won't tell you much. There is a second sensor that will set off a CEL if the truck gets too too hot. So long as you don't see that one, you're fine. Think about an aftermarket gauge in the future, though.

As for tank size, I do not have my Owner's manual in front of me, but I do know that all trucks got the same size rear tank. Shortbeds got smaller front tanks than longbeds. None of them are in the 20s, though, i think. I want to say longbeds are 18 gallons front, 16 rear, or something like that. A popular mod is to get a tank from a Bronco to replace the rear unit since it has a much higher capacity. Personally, I don't go through enough fuel fast enough to need the extra, but with all your freeway driving, maybe it's something to look into.

Mike

PS - oil in a diesel turns super black super fast. Probably nothing to worry about there.

 

[Mulochico]

I have a 1990 4X4 longbed supercab. Front tank is 20, rear is 19 according to the manual (and my experience). If you are only getting 15 on the rear, you probably have the showerhead (on the end of the fuel pickup) missing. This will allow you to only use 3/4 of the fuel in the tank. Leaving about 4-5 gallons left.

 

[OLDBULL8]

Check the front and rear diff's for fluid, if low add some 80-140 synthetic, check the tranny fluid level HOT and in park if it's a E4OD plus the level in the transfer case. Running an inverter of any size will really suck on the batteries, alternator can hardly keep up with it. Sounds like your GP system is working just fine, they also will drain the batteries if the batteries are marginal. Make sure your truck is in a very secure place when you leave for Mexico, them Mex's like to steal pickups. Good luck on hiking in Mexico, that could be a very dangerous place.

Edit: Only real way to check batteries is with a hydrometer, specific gravity of each cell before charging them, after they set for awhile.

 

[Rot Box]

Sounds like a good time

Batteries (in my experience anyway) always seem to fail at the most inopportune time. I would definitely plan on changing them out as soon as you can and don't go cheap on replacements--you get what you pay for. I wouldn't stress too much over maintenance these engines usually give a lot more than they take . When you get a chance you'll want to add an aftermarket coolant temp gauge as the factory piece is pretty much useless. You might consider replacing the engine oil cooler o-rings, injector return line o-rings and also replacing the fuel (lift) pump for safe measure as these items can cause some headaches when they fail.

Hope this helps enjoy the freedom and share some pics if you get a chance

 

[towcat]

welcome to the site.
there isn't much needed to do to a diesel if you are only gone for two months. top off your fuel tanks, disconnect your batteries and roll up your windows.
I just did a 6k/mi walkabout with my '92 F350 and had very little issues overall. most of the problems were created by the non-oem add-ons. I did pack enough spare parts to kill a bear though.

 

[GOOSE]

Welcome to OIlburners!! Another vote for quality batteries here. The expensive one that Sears offers are built by Odyssey, probably one of the best you can get. I'd try that if I had the chance. I would get the auto serviced and have the fluid sent out to be sampled. The oil cooler is always a good maintenance item on these, and I would probably take an extra vacuum pump, lift pump and alt for good measure.

2 months on foot in Meh-he-co, I wouldn't count on your truck giving you the biggest problems.

Have a great time, sounds like its been planned and thought about for a long time.

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. Leaving the truck sit for two months is no big deal. Just remove the battery leads to save whats in the batterys. Now having a set of 10 year old batterys is not a confortable thing. Surely they are getting very close to failing on you. My feelings are they should be replaced before they leave you stranded at the border when you want to leave for home. Walking for 2 months in mexico will be an adventure. One that with all the drug catrel issues I would not be doing. Way too many people being killed all the time. Last I heard was over 60,000 kiled in the last 5 years... Even one killed for drugs is one too much in my oppinnion. Best of luck on the trip in mexico too. Take pics because we like to live thru others pics...

 

[seacoats]

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[seacoats]

Wow. Thanks for all of the feedback. I didn't expect this much attention. Sorry for the delay in replying, have been off in the mountains out of range of cell/internet. Included a picture of Hank above. That's him parked somewhere on the 101 in central Oregon. Good to know that the nasty oil wasn't a sign of some major problem. Should have added that it's got a new transmission as of ~4k miles ago. Previous owner did it and had the receipts. I checked the fluid and it seemed to be ok... I'll assume that the wonky voltage gauge thing on starting is due to the dying battery and i'll replace those before getting stranded. When they fail will it be catastrophic or will starting just slowly get more difficult?

 

[GOOSE]

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Your link doesn't work for me

 

[franklin2]

Wow. Thanks for all of the feedback. I didn't expect this much attention. Sorry for the delay in replying, have been off in the mountains out of range of cell/internet. Included a picture of Hank above. That's him parked somewhere on the 101 in central Oregon. Good to know that the nasty oil wasn't a sign of some major problem. Should have added that it's got a new transmission as of ~4k miles ago. Previous owner did it and had the receipts. I checked the fluid and it seemed to be ok... I'll assume that the wonky voltage gauge thing on starting is due to the dying battery and i'll replace those before getting stranded. When they fail will it be catastrophic or will starting just slowly get more difficult?

If you pay close attention to the cranking speed over time, it's usually a slow death. But most people don't notice it, until one day it won't get the job done. The alternators on these trucks seem to be a little sluggish, and the voltage will be down until you run it awhile and let the alternator build the batteries back up. My volt gauge and the gauge on a similar truck point straight down in the middle when the alternator has caught the batteries up on charge.

The conversation in this thread has been centered mostly around the engine, but I bet you won't have any trouble with it, and if you have trouble it will be with the truck itself. Luckily, most parts are available from the local parts stores. Look over the brake lines, especially the one going to the rear about mid-way. They like to rust through and fail. Check the brakes front and rear. If you feel comfortable with the rear brakes being good, then glance at the backing plates at the rear. Anything wet looking will be oil or brake fluid, and that will need to be fixed.

Does it drive ok? Jack the truck up and check for play in the front wheels by grabbing them at noon and 6 o'clock and then 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. If you have a power steering fluid leak, definitely try to find it's source. I had the bottom seal of the steering box blow out on me during a 2 week, 2000 mile vacation, and had to get the box replaced by a garage in Florida.

 

[89greendiesel]

i think i would spend more time driving and just plain using the truck on a daily basis before setting out on a trip like this one. It would give me more peace of mind.


There were a few thing that were probably wrong with my truck when i bought it that i didn't find till 3 years later.....and not because i wasn't looking either. Just like there is no replacement for displacement, there is no replacement for time and experience with your truck.

Not trying to scare ya. Just a life lesson i learned a while back.

Hey, if it all goes to crap and you have a smartphone and reception....chances are pretty good that someone on here can help solve whatever problem you might have. Getting parts to you, if needed, might be a whole 'nother ballgame though.

 

[seacoats]

For starters, here's a link to a couple of photos. Hopefully imgur will work better than uploading then to the forum.

http://imgur.com/a/siiUm