life expectacy of 97 12v 2500

[jmitchell]

how many miles can i put on before i need an overhaul its at 292,000 now. mostly highway but what is the max? tanks

 

[DieselBurps]

how many miles can i put on before i need an overhaul its at 292,000 now. mostly highway but what is the max? tanks

I'd wait until the engine needs it - eventually the compression will drop and you'll lose power. These engines have gone much, much further than what yours is at now. There are many incidents of these engines hitting 1,000,000 miles - and I've seen documented cases of > 800,000 working miles (towing heavy things) and still counting. If your miles are all highway miles, it increases the odds of you joining that 1,000,000 mile club. Keep the oil clean! My wife's '93 has 278k miles on it and still starts easier than a new Ford.

At your level of mileage, some people are just beginning to bomb their trucks. Odds are you have a lot more miles to go before you have to worry about anything with the engine. You may want to check the rest of the truck out - ball joints, tie rods, steering - everything else will wear out faster than the engine.

 

[holtzer1]

i personally seen one that came into the dealer i worked at, i had to put a power steering pump on it....it had over 1 million miles. it spent its entire life since the day it went off the lot hauling horse trailers and horses coast to coast

 

[jmitchell]

wow i never would have guessed it would go that long. but im afaid im going to start bombing the hell out of it soon im going with 4" strait back, not sure about what fuel plate to go with and i want some injectors. any sugestions on fuel plate and injectors would be greatly appresiated. tanks for the in put

 

[rubberfish]

300k for mileage is nothing. You've got lots left.
As for a plate and injectors? That depends on
what you use the truck for most of the time.

 

[gumper]

My truck has 345,000 miles, and it's done most everything. Hundreds of trips to the dump, hauling a 11,000 lb trailer, driving 30 miles over a steep pass every day for years, drag racing and so much more. I just started cranking it up in March, and I run the best oil I can find to help extend it's life a bit. I've personally seen 12V's with over 700,000 miles that only had to change minor things (except one tranny), and that's damn good for any pickup. I've only had to change a water pump. Best trucks ever made man.