prostock85

Going to look at a 99 F-350 with the 7.3 and 170,000 miles on it Monday. What should I look for with this year truck? I've been told there is rust under the bed. I also know it has a bad brake line. Will not know what that means until I get there. Is there a "buyers guide" as to issues with these?

Thanks

seafordguy

Common Issues:

Rusty Oil Pans (Ford really **** the bed on this - not good with northern trucks). You can't get to the pan due to a cross member so you have to either pull the engine or some have been lucky enough to remove the turbo, unbolt the engine and raise the engine enough to get the old pan out and new in. Pain in the Ass either way.

Front End suspension parts are disposable - buy it with the intention of replacing most everything on the front end if he can't prove it has been done recently (hubs, ball joints, etc...)

CPS - Ford has never EVER seemed to get a good CPS in the truck - most people carry around a spare one and a 10MM socket.

Auto Transmissions seem to have much different lifespans. Some guys tow huge loads, take care of the trannies and get 300k out of them - usually without a wild program installed. I would say the average post on TDG or TDS about tranny issues is a guy with mileage in the 150 mark.

The other issue most have is that the truck lasts longer than they want to keep it.

OH - the 6 Speed Manual is a beast - people love it (including myself). If you're up for it grab one of those!!

Jpzaluski

Being a 99 truck, check to see if it's an early 99, or a late 99. The later trucks will have the Powerstroke badge on the door, the earlier trucks on the fender. The earlier trucks are a little more anemic (small intake tubing, etc) however, both are nearly bullet proof. Aside from the normal issues (checking for balljoint wear, etc) the issues are few and far between. As is most early diesel automatics, you should just begin putting away money for the one day inevitable trans failure. In these earlier trucks, it was more often than not that converter that takes out the trans, but either way. 7.3 ailments are generally limited to CPS (5 minute replacement, 10mm wrench, keep it in the glovebox) and the occasional under-valve-cover wiring harness. Aside from that, hammer down.

prostock85

Good points. Here is a link to the ad. I will only really use it as a tow vehicle. I put 3,700 miles on my Suburban in a year and a half.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/ctd/2445295923.html

bustedbrick

Look for oil leaks form the High Pressure Oil Pump (commonly referred to as HPOP). Get a flashlight, remove the two acorn nuts that hold on the badge on top of the engine, look down into the valley. If there is oil down there, its worth tracking down where its from. Common places are HPOP plugs and fittings, which are easy to fix GENERALLY without pulling the HPOP. Also the o-rings between the turbo and the pedestal and between the pedestal and the block get old and will leak. Also the high pressure oil lines that run from the HPOP to the heads are known to leak as well. Nearly all of these leaks will result in a V-valley full of oil.

Oil leaks on the bottom of the engine will LOOK like a rear main seal leak but most of the time, the leak is up top.

If it's a manual, it's about a $900 clutch job using a LUK clutch which is a good upgrade. About $400 worth of labor, $500 in parts or something like that.