2000 F350 7.3 diesel- Turkey day question?
Looking at buying a different tow vehicle. 2000 F350 4 door, two wheel drive, manual trans, 110,000 miles. Looks really nicely kept.
What should I look out for before I buy it? What problem areas, any major negatives? Any maintenance items I should plan on? Any thoughts on value? Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
I have a 1999 Ford XLT F-250 7.3 liter diesel (500 ft-lb torque) 2 wheel drive, 6 speed manual, super cab, short box. I love this truck !!! I put in a 70 gallon Transfer Flow tank which is great for long tows. It now has ~ 195,000 miles. I have only put on a new water pump, shocks, brake pads & tires - I think that is exceptional! It has been a very reliable work horse. I towed a 10,000 pound tag race car trailer for many years (over the Siskiyou's from WA to CA many times) & it worked great. I love the 6 speed manual, great spread of gears, with granny low & good overdrive. I just did a 1,400 mile trip to CA & got just over 20 mpg (not towing). Very comfortable to drive. RE: 2 wheel drive - for highway towing that is just fine & you aren't dragging around over 500 pounds of 4x4 dead weight. (I since have bought a 2008 F-450 to tow a 40' gooseneck, & it is 2 wheel drive also. If you need 4x4, that is different...). I have chained up once with each truck, no biggy. Just my experience, but I have heard a lot of good things about this package. As always, do your due dilligence & inspect everything carefully & look over the maintenance records. I certainly have had great luck with this truck. Good Luck !!! Mel
Just make sure that the oil pan in not badly rusted!
Thanks ... Jay Novak
313-445-4047
On my 54th year as an SCCA member
with a special thanks to every SCCA worker (NONE OF US WOULD RACE WITHOUT THE WORKERS)
Good trucks for the money. I've had an F250 7.3 and now have a. F350 7.3 crew cab longed dually manual trans. Very reliable. Get on the Powerstroke Forum for great advice for common repairs. I keep a spare CPS, fuel filter in the truck. CPS can fail and it's an ex fix. One fill up of bad fuel on the road and another ez fix. Get a good programmer and set on tow when needed. An EGT is helpful if towing in the hills, etc. Great trucks !!!9
"An analog man living in a digital world"
Rust is the greatest enemy of this truck, not flawed mechanicals. Even if it needs a turbo it is fairly cheap, but a bit of a pain to get to. Injectors are expensive and a bit of labor, but not often needed. Would recommend adding an EGT sensor and a turbo timer. Forums and online vendors have plenty of suggestions for mods, but few are truly needed. Only drawback I can think of is mine was LOUD at highway speeds . . . and the rear skitters about without weight in the back. Value? Ford truck forums are probably the best indicator, but a good one that's rust free with such low miles is probably $7-8K in this rather crazy truck market. Still decent for what you get compared to newer models.Originally Posted by Agamble5
Buy mine all ready to go. All it needs is fuel.
https://www.apexspeed.com/forums/sho...0-Towing-Dream
I had a 2000 Dually just like this one except 4 x 4. Loved it and drove it for plenty of years with little drama. I would echo what Jay suggested and have a good look at the oil pan. I did have to replace mine and it required them to lift the cab off the chassis so a little labour costly. I also did a transmission mid life but that was a 4x4. I had the tranny flushed every two years and made sure we kept up with oil changes and a periodic coolant flush. I sold the truck to a friend a few years ago who just sent me a pic of a transfer case split in two.........it went into 4x4 Low going 60mph all on its own...........well over 400K miles on it.
Brian.
Couple other things to look at. The ball joints tend to wear out, can see if they have been replaced with greasable ones. Check for coolant fllter, or if water pump has been replaced due to seal leak. Ask if the injector harness inside the valve cover has ever come loose, or has the Motorcraft retaining clips added to it. Great engine, just a bit loud especially cold.
Scott
LOL, all this has been done on mine!
A late comment on this thread...
Stay far away from the 2008 and later F250 turbo-diesels. They do seen to be reasonably reliable, but are the worst vehicle I have ever worked on in my life. I work on a fleet of 100 vehicles, and they are the worst. We recently went to gasoline only pickups, but it will take about 10 years to use up the remaining diesels. Try doing an alternator, water pump, egr coolers, steering box, etc. I wonder how many Ford dealer mechanics commit suicide after stuck with working on these POS'?
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