Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Finally Took The Plunge

I got my first diesel and first 4x4 pickup recently. Found an 01 Ford F-250 Superduty Supercab longbed, automatic with manual hubs and shift lever on the floor (not shift on the fly or electronic). Truck has only 62K on it with a new transmission under factory warranty (3 yrs/100K). Has brand new Michelin tires. Truck looks almost brand new condition. I have all the service records and it looks like it was never chiped or modified in any way. Transmission being replaced made me wonder but the paperwork said they found metal in the pan when they went to flush the transmission so they just replaced it with a factory new one.

I have been lurking and reading about all of the various manufactures and what to look for and avoid, I sure hope I have made a wise choice.

Wish me luck with this purchase because my wife won't support me getting another one for a very long time.

Any words of advice or wisdom and even constructive critism will be greatly appreciated.

Dave

other then price of deisel i think you did good.A huge plus is manual transfer case and hubs.Ialso like the ford powerpoint deisel better then the cummins although they do suck the fuel

GOOD FIND ENJOY

You have the 7.3 diesel which in my opinion is one of the best engines ever put in a Ford. If you tow a heavy load, the price of diesel isn't so bad considering you will improve mpg over towing with a gas engine. You may want to check out some of the web sites about diesel engines (google diesel garage). I recommend that you purchased an additive for lubrication since your older engine is not designed to run on ULSD. Standyne (possible typo) makes an additive called lubricity which will increase the lubrication. The older fuel had a lot more sulfer which helped with lubrication. The new ULSD is supposed to receive additives from the vendor but not all ULSD has the additives. You want know until it is to late.

Also, the guys who have the 99-01 Fords that I work with all say that the weakest link for these models years was the transmission (both manuel and auto).

I just wanted to say Thank You for the advice from everybody that responded. I will do the research suggested as well as purchase the additive, especially for when I am towing something.

Dave

best truck I ever had was an 01 F350 crew cab with the 7.3

fuel will cost more per gallon but on a long haul towing your mpg will be so much better than gas that you will probably get by cheaper than a gas truck making the same trip pulling the same load

Great pick for a used truck in my opinion. Especially with a new tranny thrown in. Great format, long bed supercrew, all manual 4wd, one of the best looking trucks on the road in my opinion.

One thing I remember reading is that the injectors work off of oil pressure and that the condition of the oil plays a major part in making the injectors work properly. Might consider a few quick oil changes to flush out the engine and injectors, or do some research on your own. A few people that have run 7.3s say they like to add a quart of TCW-3 two stroke oil per fillup and that it really quiets the engine down.

There is an increased interest in performance parts for the 7.3.

You might want to check out the Powerstroke Forum to get some ideas. The link is for tbear99's benefit. I'm fairly happy with my Cummins, although ti doesn't run like this one....
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/kill-stories/59568-twin-turbo-dodge.html

Thanks again for the additional comments. I am feeling better everyday about my decision on this truck. Had a spray in bedliner installed today and going to put my 5th wheel hitch back in very soon.

I am going to check out the powerstroke link mentioned. Every little bit of information is helpful.

Daveyreka

You need to get a spare CPS (cam position sensor) and put it in the glovebox.

Its not a matter of if the CPS will fail,its when. Its a common issue for the 7.3 trucks.

My mom has had 3 CPS replaced on her '97,and my brother had 2 replaced on his '99. When the CPS fails,the truck dies and most of the time won't re-start.

Between my moms truck and my brothers,3 of the 5 times the truck died they were being driven down the freeway. My mom had her 5th wheel behind her the first time.

Its easy to replace,if I remember right,all it takes is a 10mm socket and ratchet.

Mossy,

Thanks for the heads up. I already have that problem covered just in case. I understand that a recall took place recently and if the CPS is gray in color, then it has been replaced. I am not going to take any chances even with the new CPS installed. Better safe than sorry.

Dave

Must be your Mexican and German co-workers.