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School me on late model 7.3L diesels

1K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  the_white_shadow 
#1 ·
Link to the CL ad: Ford F-350 King Ranch FX4 Off-Road

I am thinking about going to check out an '01 Ford F-350 king ranch 4x4 automatic, dually with 92k miles on it tomorrow and want to know what I should look out for.

Its appears to have a leveling kit but diesnt say it in the and a set of BFG ATs on it. Otherwise it appears to me stock. No exhaust or anything.

The seats are faded so it tells me they didnt take care of them very well, but hopefully I could bring them back to life with some conditioner.

Has a chip in it which scares me a little bit, but the truck only has 92k miles on it.

Has a 5th wheel hitch and an aftermarket alarm and alpine stereo.

He wants 14k for it. Not sure if this is a good price or not.

Any opinions? Anything I should check out for sure while I am there? I plan to hook up my 32' gooseneck and haul my 4k lb crawler on it most of the time. used on the weekends only as I have a car to DD back and forth to work.

Thanks for the advice.

--Alex
 
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#2 ·
See how it cold starts. Pull oil cap and see what kind of blow by it has or doesn't have. Check trans fluid color. Those automatics are known to go out around that mile marker.. especially with a tune. Other than that I don't know of much that hoes wrong with this year Ford.
 
#5 ·
The tuner wouldn't worry me much, lots of diesels are tuned but being priced $2k under book is kind of a red flag. I used N.a.d.a for the book price, I've found they are usually closer to regional prices
 
#8 ·
Also check for oil leaks in the valley and down the back of the motor. Now that we are about 6 years into ULSD the o-rings on the turbo pedestal, HPOP and fuel filter bowl seem to be going. I know I have had to replace all of mine in the last year, likewise for my cousins 01 and my dads 97.
 
#9 ·
I drove an 01 ford 350 crew cab long bed 4x4 back in the day and it had the stock auto trans that lasted until 270k miles before it started shifting funny. Shifting from rev to drive when backing out of a parked spot the trans would just feel like it was slipping until a few back and forth shifts and then it would catch and go. Mainly used it to haul tools and pull a gooseneck full of glass out to job sites on occasion.

Went through a few power steering pumps and front wheel unit bearings but other than that just normal maintenance. Overall it was a good truck in my opinion.
 
#11 ·
I've had mine since 2001 it's a 99 with 150,000. I've had a 60 horse chip in it and for the last 3 years a Bully Dog that stays on tow haul all the time. The trans has never given me a hint of trouble. I just replace all the glow plugs 4 were bad. I still started even on the coldest days the last few months as long as I plugged it in. I do have a 4" exhaust a turbo twister muffler and just put an aftermarket compressor blade in. If you really wanted to know about the turbo I'd take a inspection mirror and enough tools to remove the intake tubes running to it. Take a look at the blades it will tell you weather or no the air cleaner has been kept up with. There was a recall on the crank position sensor you could ask if it's been done. If the sensor goes it will just stop running like you shut the key off. Most of the time after it cools it will restart. In my opinion if you want a good tow rig for 1/4 the price of a new one buy it. And I not even a Ford person.

Good Luck.
 
#12 ·
[QUOTE
Any opinions? Anything I should check out for sure while I am there? I plan to hook up my 32' gooseneck and haul my 4k lb crawler on it most of the time. used on the weekends only as I have a car to DD back and forth to work.

Thanks for the advice.

--Alex[/QUOTE]

Just so you know you won't like it without a chip of some kind.
 
#13 ·
I bought mine in 2006 with 86k, its a 2000 2wd 6spd extcab . Edge chip made all the difference, now has 203k, all stock turbo, 4" open exhaust... Over time changed, 2 crank position sensors, 1 waterpump, 2 sets of hpop orings, 1 clutch, 1 set of bearings in the rearend, 1 drive shaft carrier bearing, 1 alt, pulled the shim out of the A/C clutch, replaced the A/C clutch elec plug, and that's it!
Love that truck, pulls great, good mileage
 
#14 ·
Ford.... ewwwwww
 
#15 ·
Im not very far from East Bernard, so let me know if you want someone to go with you to check it out. I've had 5 of these trucks, so I've learned pretty much what to look for. Overall they're tanks with some parts that fail here and there. At 92k, I cant think of much that would give you any issues for a long time. Maybe the unit bearings, but since it doesnt have big tires, they're probably fine.

If that truck is an '03 then it has powdered metal rods, which if you're not into making big power, nothing to worry about. Depending on the chip, it might be good it might not. Personally I run a DP tuner with 120hp tune 99% of the time, even when towing. The only other chip I would run is from Diesel Innovations here in Houston. The owner David knows how to build and tune the Powerstrokes as good as or better than most.

A 32ft gooseneck with only 4k lbs on it, will tow like a dream behind that truck. I yank around a 30ft'er with a bobcat or backhoe on it and I've got a single rear wheel truck and it doesnt give me any issues.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the help and advice guys. Waited the weekend because I thought I was going back offshore again and it looks like the guy sold it.

I guess I am going to sink a few $k in my '92 12V.

It needs some work and an injector pump rebuild. Oh and a paint job, but the Getrag is fully rebuilt and actually drives pretty smooth.

 
#18 ·
Its is. I needs alot of small things and I plan on throwing a few upgrades at it. basically a little fuel here and turn of the screw there. Just something to cruise around and pull my crawler with. Main thing now is the injection pump. Leaks diesel.

Anyone recommed a place in the houston area to work on this beast? John (Ramman), you work on diesels? I dont have time or the knowledge for the engine side of things. I can fix everything else wrong with it. Needs new brakes, some electrical, shocks, maybe a new set of coils up front, TLC here and there, etc.
 
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