Powerstroke question....

[flyingcow]

Looking for a ford 3/4 ton, crew with powerstroke. Older, maybe like a 1998 or up a few yrs. When did Ford start having problems with the "new line of powerstokes?

i'm leaning to find something from the south, hopefully something that hasn't seen a winter. Not tied into a certain year, just clean and reliable. i've looked on autotrader, craigs list, any other good sites?

 

[Diamondpilot]

The only years of Powerstrokes I would stay away from are the 2003 and early build 2004. But in reality they should all be fine by now some 7 or 8 years later. The early 6.0's were a problem child but the 05 though 07 were rock solid as any other diesels out there. The make great power and have good economy.

As far as older you cant go wrong with the Powerstroke 7.3L. There was a non Powerstroke 7.3L and a 6.9L that came before it.

As for after the 6.0L in 2007 they introduced the Twin Turbo 6.4 and now the 6.7L.

All motors were built by International Harvester until Ford took over production in 2011 with the 6.7L

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

ditto what DP said.

about 89-93.5 was a NA 7.3 diesel, 93.5-94.5 was a turbo 7.3 diesel, from then till about 2003.5 was the 7.3psd, and then from then the 6.0psd.

I drive a 04 f250 6.0 for work and it's been a great truck.

a while back I got a 99 f450 7.3psd for pulling a GN trailer out of state and long distance to fetch old tractors to refurbish.. I liked it so much that when my well used and worn out dodge half ton gave up it's front axle a few weeks ago, that I found a 99 f350 with 7.3psd to replace it with. the 7.3 isn't a speed demon ( 6.0 is very peppy... ) but it gets you there and is pretty darn tough and bullet proof. as a side benefit it sounds like a piece of heavy equipment when you start it up..

soundguy

 

[Highbeam]

The powerstroke 7.3 was introduced in the mid 90s and ran until 2003 with a big body style change in 99. You want a "late" 99 on up to a 2003 with the 7.3, the best year is a 2000 for a couple of subtle reasons.

The 6.0 liter engine came out in late 2003 and was/is a dud. Major issues and not worth the risk. Sure, some later 6 liter engines were fine but the majority have been extremely costly to keep running. When they do run, they run great with good power. When they fail, it is very expensive to fix, as in many thousands of dollars. 6.0 diesel trucks can be had for very cheap due to their extremely poor track record.

You really can't beat the ford truck quality from the 99 model year on up in supertduty trucks.

In all of my years reading about the 6.0s on various forums, diamondpilot is about the only guy that has been happy with his 6.0. I trust him and believe that he has a combination of very good luck, excellent maintenance, and he properly uses his truck in such a way to keep that 6.0 happy.

Oh and one more thing. Don't get a 3/4 ton. Get the one ton non-dually. This will give you an additional 1000 lbs of legal cargo capacity with no negative effects.

I bought my 2000 Crew cab F350 diesel from a craigslist ad that a small dealership had posted. Searchtempest.com allows you to search craigslist ads across the country.

 

[RoyJackson]

I looked at an F350 6.0L diesel a few years ago...a 2005, IIRC. It was a nice truck, but the horror stories about the engine problems scared me off.
However, if the later versions were as good as Diamondpilot maintains, you can get a good truck at a good price (due to the poor reputation).
Just do some research on this engine first...and confirm what Diamondpilot writes.

 

[Soundguy]

The powerstroke 7.3 was introduced in the mid 90s and ran until 2003 with a big body style change in 99. You want a "late" 99 on up to a 2003 with the 7.3, the best year is a 2000 for a couple of subtle reasons.

my 99 f350 is a 12/98 and it has the 'new' body style, not the previous more boxy one with different fender and door parts.

soundguy

 

[JESSE1]

There was not a '98 model. The new '99 SuperDuty came out in January '98. I had ordered an F-350 dually in the fall of '97 and took delivery in early February '98.

 

[Soundguy]

i didn't say there was a 98 model.. I said the build date / door sticker on my 99 titled f350 is 12/98


soundguy

 

[5030]

My 97 is alive and well and Soundgy, you are right on with the observation that when you start it, it sounds like heavy equipment......:laughing:

Just turned 91 thousand actual miles.

Almost time to put it to bed for the winter, along with the Caddy.

 

[trailbuilder]

I am happy with my 2002 7.3 F350 Dually. I mainly work it pulling at GVW or plowing with a Boss V with the Extension wings. I am really afraid to buy a new truck because of the prices....and no long proven track record.

 

[JESSE1]

i didn't say there was a 98 model.. I said the build date / door sticker on my 99 titled f350 is 12/98


soundguy

I know you said it was a '99. A lot of people don't realize Ford didn't build a '98.

 

[Highbeam]

The super duty body style appeared for the 99 model year. There is an early and a late 99 model. The changes are to the engine and involve a better turbo, intake system, and bigger injectors for the late 99 and on. The early 99 lacks these improvements and is lower on HP plus aftermarket parts are not as available for the early 99.

Up until 2001 the engine uses strong forged rods. 2001 and later used a powdered metal rod that is prone to failure at higher HP levels. Also in about 2001 and later was a goofy diode in the transmission that made the trans die an early death. The 2002 and later did get much better headlights and a front air dam that I like.

Parts interchangability is exceptionally excellent from 99 on up through the very late models like even the 08s. That is amazing to me. I can swap tailgates, fenders, and seats with a truck 10 years older.

 

[JJZ 109]

For a time in the '97/'98 era, didn't Ford have 2 body styles while they were switching to the new Super Duty body? I can remember somewhere in that era they had the new body and the "legacy" 250 and 350's.
Perhaps it was in '99.

 

[High Compression]

I have a 96' F-Superduty with 325,xxx mi, 97' F-250 with 260,xxx mi, 2001' with 220,xxx mi, and a 02' with 210,xxx mi. All with 7.3L Powerstrokes. All with no problems. Change oil and filters. Use 20-50% Bio-Diesel and they all run perfect. 02' = 910 lb/ft TRQ, and 760 HP and 18-22 mpg. So I highly recommend a 7.3L. Run the other way from 6.0L even if it's free or go for the new 6.7L.:thumbsup:

 

[Peacock]

Also in about 2001 and later was a goofy diode in the transmission that made the trans die an early death.

The mechanical diode is only on early '01 trucks. It was a dumb idea that almost always meant a catastrophic trans failure.

 

[JESSE1]

For a time in the '97/'98 era, didn't Ford have 2 body styles while they were switching to the new Super Duty body? I can remember somewhere in that era they had the new body and the "legacy" 250 and 350's.
Perhaps it was in '99.

No. Ford made a '97 and came out with the '99 SuperDuty in January '98. They introduced a new '97 F-150 in late '96. They had a light duty F-250 in the that body style for a time. After they introduced the SuperDuty they had two separate body styles like they still do.

 

[catskinner]

I have a 04 6.0l 4X4 f250 crew cab. I have 135,000 miles and no problems at all. If you can find a 6.0l that has over 80,000 miles with a clean car fax you should be all right. The price is suppressed because of the history of the 6.0l. I have found that once they reach 80,000 the major faults have been found. A 03/04 6.0l will last longer if left stock, no chips or programers to up boost or cylinder pressure. Also regular oil changes are a must with this engine, along with coolant checks. It is not a cheap engine to maintain.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have a 04 6.0l 4X4 f250 crew cab. I have 135,000 miles and no problems at all. If you can find a 6.0l that has over 80,000 miles with a clean car fax you should be all right. The price is suppressed because of the history of the 6.0l. I have found that once they reach 80,000 the major faults have been found. A 03/04 6.0l will last longer if left stock, no chips or programers to up boost or cylinder pressure. Also regular oil changes are a must with this engine, along with coolant checks. It is not a cheap engine to maintain.

Yep, the 6.0L thing has gotten blown way out by the internet. I have 2, a 04 F-250 4x4 and a 06 F-350 SRW 4x4, not a single issue other than a bad fuel gauge/dash cluster in about the first 3,000 miles on the F-350.

Sound guy has a 04 F-250 on here also with no issue.

I have 25 or so customers with 6.0L and none have had any major issues. Some EGR and one Turbo and all these trucks work hard.

Chris

 

[PoorMansCat]

I would stay in the 7.3L era... while not perfect, it is a very durable engine that has proven to be able to work hard for hundreds of thousands of miles... We have one in the family with 350K+ on the clock.... has been driven by everybody, It used to be maintained very well, until it got semi-retired and passed 325K... now, its neglected/abused but will still start and run... She needs a pump and some injectors, but it will still get to town and back...
We have not been so lucky with ANYTHING that Ford has built since.... may not be everybodys experience, just ours.
As a side note, parts are readily available in the aftermarket for the 7.3L... my S.I.L. also has one and recently lost the glowplugs, cheap/simple fix... Also lost the IDM, got a performance upgraded one from Swamps Diesel WAY cheaper than the Ford house..
When shopping for a 7.3L truck, some things to pay attemtion to are cold start willingness, look for fuel leaks in the "V", Check to see if the fuel heater wire is disconnected from the fuel filter base... on the glowplugs, there is a simple v/m test that will determine if they need replacement or not.
Fuel leaks in the "V" arent really bad, jsut a couple hours of work to repair and may be used as a bargaining tool on price...
The fuel heater is a KNOWN source of electrical shorts that will disable the engine... having the heater wire unhooked is ok if you live in a mild climate...

 

[xtn]

My 03 6.0 turned 197,000 miles today. Just replaced one of the front unit bearings. That's the only service it's ever needed outside scheduled maintenance.