first time diesel owner with a couple questions

[69oiler]

well if you want 4x4 i'd suggest an '86-94 f350 because of the dana 60 solid front axle. the f250 4x4s of that vintage have an ifs system that is tough and works well but i can be rough on tires. also, 85 and earlier f350 4x4 trucks had the ifs.

86 or 87 would be a safer buy due to the fact that the 6.9 from those years is less prone to cavitation than the 7.3 from later years, while also benefitting from upgrades over the earlier 6.9s

if you want an OD trans you will have to get an 87 or 88 or newer, the older ones had a direct drive top gear.

or you could go with a dodge cummins, that motor is a powerhouse but i think the ford chassis is better than the dodge.

i dunno about the GM diesels, they have a following of thier own but i don't think their diesels are in the same league as the ford and dodge

or if you wanna spend a little more i have a '99 PSD for sale..

 

[JourneymanD]

pay particular attention...

check the tech article section.... read the post toward the bottom of the list re buying your first IDI. also read the article about cavitation.

These two articles alone would have saved me tons of headache and a big pile of money. I bought an e350 w/ a 7.3 L and lost the engine to cavitation. If I had read these articles first instead of finding them when I went looking for info to fix my busted truck, I would have passed on this one and found a different one. all's well now that i was able to find a replacement engine, and knowing what to look for, I found a good used one. it will run great for a long time now, but I have more $$$ in it then I will ever get back out of it.

Check the bottom of the oil fill cap for signs of moisture or a milky white appearance. If the radiator cap looks like it has been bleeding off it may be a sign of combustion pressures in the cooling system from pinholes in the cylinders. this happened to mine. both of these can be a sign of cavitation. also, be sure that the coolant tests positive for coolant additives, and maybe the prior owner knew to take proper care of it, thus reducing the possibilities of the big "C".

also, listen to the engine run without the aircleaner on it. mine had an obvious sound of a leaky intake valve, but you could only hear it with the air cleaner off. it sounded fine with no noticable "bad" noises with the lid on the air cleaner.

good luck, and i hope you fare better then I did when I got deflowered to diesels.

Dylan

 

[acousticrawk]

right on. thanks. im starting to look at cummins. older cummins though. i liek the old square looking cummins.

 

[Pipeliner_86]

I have a 93' F350 crew cab 4x4, E4OD auto that I am fixing up for sale. It had rotted front fenders, and some rust on top of the rear wheel wells. I have already bought the new front fenders for it, and I plan to clean up the rears, and fiberglass the holes. The truck is red, xlt with front double bucket seats, grey cloth interior. The engine has 249,*** on the clock and runs nice. Started up on the coldest weeks we had this winter, without being plugged in, just glow plugs.

If you're interested in the truck in its current state, you can buy it for alot less than it would sell for after I clean it up and repaint. Let me know if this sounds like an option for you, if not no sweat, I'll keep working on it.

 

[acousticrawk]

sure man, im always interested. how much and can you email me some pics? [email protected]

what engien does it have? 7.3 turbo?

 

[Pipeliner_86]

7.3 non-turbo motor, and I'll email some pictures as soon as I can. I'll try to get some tonight when I get home from work.