I need to trade my ranger in for a 3/4 ton truck. I been thinking about a 1997 F-250 diesel. 97 gets me into ODB-II diagnostics and into about what I want to spend. My buddy the electrical contractor says Ford built its own diesel from scratch and they are not as good as Dodge/Cummins.
I don’t expect to drive this truck but maybe 6000 miles a year. This is supposed to be a work truck, not a fashion statement. I expect to tow heavy trailers.
I like the idea of a diesel for better fuel economy, torque, and they are supposed to last last longer than gas engines. The ones I have been in are noisey. The gas engines are cheaper.
Any pearls of wisdom out there?
Big Macs – 99 cents
Replies
you best search Ford, OBD...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Hows the Fummins treatin ya anyway, oh grumbly one?
I'll throw this in here too. BFGs might be good rubber but even E rated suxxxx when trailering. 40K and done as done gets. I moved up. Michy 19.5's H load. Mo gooder.Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
I wish I had done it years ago..
MPG is up..
operating costs down..
power is up..
down time is way down..
parts are less..
mechanics are simplier..
got cold weather starts...
grumpiness way down...
life is much better...
now all I gotta do is move 12' of snow for the next 6 miles so I can get to a road that may or not be open...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
You don't need a truck...
you need some kind of tunneling machine
ya know, that could be kind of cool. A whole maze of tunnels running all over the place. Just surface evey once in a while to get your bearings. <G>
i have a 2004 Ford F350 crew cab, diesel 6.0, auto, shift on the fly 4WD, single rear wheel short bed, 47K, not a scratch, that i would be willing to part with. its an XLT model with cloth interior, seats six comfortably, back up alarm sensor in bumper, camper package suspension (sway bars), FX4 factory (rancho shocks) suspension, rear slider, tinted windows, etc etc etc, $46,000 truck!
i would take $28,000 for it in a heartbeat, and even deliver it for a ride home (bus ticket)
but if it were a decent truck i would keep it, and there is no way i would advise anyone to buy a 6.0 diesel from ford. some of them are ok, but most have quirks and some are real problems. mine has been to dealer for repairs 6 times, they fix it, it runs great, and then acts up again unpredictably, hopefully now its finally fixed, it is warranteed for 100,000 mi.
when it is right, incredible mileage18-20 mixed driving, incredible power, just high maintenance, not what i want in a work truck. there are bargains to be had for someone with the time and patience to deal with the quirks.
just a almost a one lane track that you do not want to deviate from...
the tunnel idea would be cool...
at the rate we're going with the snow do ya think 30 feet before winter sets in???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
We have friends in northern NY that get a lot of snow- 20' + isn't unusual
we don't visit them much in the winter
Ford Diesels are Navistar/International Designed, and are not known for being unreliable as long as properly maintaied.
If you like it go for it. If you got a mechanic u trust, like, know ask them.
Full size trucks are like ice cream, if you know what you like its easy to pick a flavor that works.
Yes. A 97 is the first gen of the powerstroke (an International T444E) 7.3l turbo diesel. Not a bad engine. Actually, anymore with the 6.0 and now the brand new 6.4, the 7.3's are holding value because so few people want to keep the 6 liter.
The cummins is a great engine but not so sold on what they put it in. But. Everyone has their ups and downs.
You might define heavy trailer. And then go check the GCWR of the truck you're thinking of getting. Theres a train of thought that says well if I can put 3 tons in the bed and it doesnt break, then I'm good. But you're not. If you exceed the GCWR you run the risk, at least, of a multitude of woes. Breaking parts is just one of them.
In those years, for trailering, a manual tranny seems to have held up better than the autos.
Diesels, for the weight, are a more efficient engine design and tend to last longer, but they are a different animal, and a lot of peoples motivation used to be that diesel was always cheaper than gas which isnt the case anymore. Add to it the ULSD garbage they're pumping now and the additives you'll have to buy and you kind of get put back in to the "NEED" category pretty quick. If you want one, you better need one.
If you've never owned a diesel, fair warning, everything is bigger, heavier, and more expensive. You'll never walk out of a shop for just a hundred bucks unless all you did is an oil change. The 7.3 takes almost 4 gallons of oil.
Before you buy it, check out everything you can. Maintenance records, pull the boot off the turbo and make sure thats not dusted, check the fluids, filter, etc. Be wary of oil leaks. Some are a bugger to fix. There's a high pressure oil pump at the top front of the engine. Historically, leaks from there run through the V and drip out at the bell housing, as would a rear main leak. Neither is a cheap fix.
However, a 7.3 thats been taken care of, several hundred thousand miles can be had out of it. Durability wise, it beats pretty much everything thats out there now. The Cummins will outrun you but you'll outlast him.
The noise goes with the territory and you get used to it after 10 minutes. Then you get warped and start looking for ways to make it louder.
Or if ya wanna get crazy with it,:
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
The Cummins will outrun you but you'll outlast him.
dream on..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Edited 1/1/2007 10:41 pm by IMERC
You wanna make it louder, swap out the stock engine for a Detroit. Got guys running skidders and old backhoes around here that you can hear for miles. Might not fit under the hood though.
I've got an F450 with 7.3L PSD I can't remember what year it is but I believe it is the first year of production (late 95) and does not have the intercoolers that came on the later models.
You know of any good online places to go for hop-up, and general maint info?
Thanks,Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
put a 2nd generation Cummins straight rail in that with a NV4500...
you won't regret it..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Yeah ford-trucks.com has forums. Diesels are broken down by year so you can hang with a crowd that has your ride. Theres a lot of folks over there. You'll probably only find 2-300 folks who have done whatever you are considering that day. :-)Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
http://www.dieselstop.com
the other 2-300 people that RW was not talkin' about..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Wow all I can say is wow....those folks really really really really love their deisel ford trucks......dang its kinda scary actually...Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I've got a 96 F250 powerstroke. Seems like a good truck, although I've had it for just under a year (and only about 6000 miles). Engine is made by International/Navistar, like RW said, and it's a good engine. Cummins sound a little smoother to me, maybe because they're smaller (5.9 liters), and Cummins engines sound like they get a couple more mpg. However, you'll pay a few thousand dollars more for the same year/condition truck with a Dodge sticker rather than a Ford.
I would recommend staying away from the E40D, the auto transmission in Ford diesel trucks in the years you're looking at.
zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
However, you'll pay a few thousand dollars more for the same year/condition truck with a Dodge sticker rather than a Ford.
I wondered about whether a difference existed in the resale value of the two vehicles. I was going to research it on the web. One would have to say that the market gives a strong preference to the Dodge.
Dad was a Dodge fan. I've worked on his 1990 Ram 150. I was surprised at how old the technology seemed. My 92 ranger must be 5 years ahead in how things are designed. My how the paint fell off that Ram.Big Macs - 99 cents
I have had 4 Ford 7.3 liter diesels (3 turbos) in my company. Accumulated mileage for the 4 trucks was 1M. They were very reliable, hard working pulling loads, good fuel mileage (16 -20 mpg). We still have a 1999 F350 going strong at 200,000 miles.
Diesel resells, here in Texas where diesels are very popular, is good. I had a 1995 F350 turbo dually with 340,000 miles that we sold for $7,000.00 to a local hotshot driver who runs the truck everyday.
I would recommend a 1997 Ford diesel to anyone. If a 1997 has been cared for, 150,000 miles on a diesel is not too many miles to be of great value.
I have heard of lots of mechanical problems and poor mpg in the new Ford 6.0 liter diesels launched in 2003. Becasue of this info I recently bought a 2007 Dodge Cummins.
dafarmerdave,
Very hard to make a diesel pay for itself. I travel 50,000+ miles a year and keep a vehicle untill it dies and I couldn't offset the added cost of the diesel..
Maintinace on older trucks is problematic at best. Too many friends spend for maintinace what the payments on a new one would be.. An unexpected tranny failure or other serious issue and your operating cost for that year will exceed what a new one would have..
There are exceptions sure. some one does win the lottery, but there are a lot more who don't. if you intend to gamble this may not be the place to do so..
My boy has a 97 ford , A very nice truck, I had a 90 dodge cummings, The dodge was rougher to drive but way more powerfull, my boy has a big boat and we both agree the dodge would be better, It did have a fuel leak to be fair we will try again, We heard bad things about the auto tranny that he has but ok so far,He wants to put a chip or banks in it , i think he should get a newer dodge before he puts money in it, I went back to a 86 chevy 350 4wd carberator , I can do the repairs myself, no computer
I want to add that since you are not driving a whole heck of alot per year, it might take until after you are retired to work off the diffence in price and increased maintainance costs of the diesel to versus the fuel mileage of a gas engine.
If I were you I wouldn't overlook a similar truck (year, miles, equipment) with a Triton V8 or V10. If you haven't driven a F250 with the V10 you really should before you decide.
For example....
I didn't read all the posts... but my 2cents
if you just need a tow'n truck for 6k a year and don't want a junker or rusted out POS...
I don't know your budget but for under 5k you can find a nice F250 or F350 2wd my 2 cents is go older pre 1994 in't not going to be turbo but what you will get is an all mechanical 7.3 international bus engine it won't be fast and the mpg won't be great BUT it will run and run and run and pull anything you need pull'n you can find an XLT with power everything and they just don't seem to rag out... simple to fix and I'm guess'n you can find a deal for under 3k and under 100k miles keep it up and sell it in 3 years for about what you paid for it... i have a 1992 f350 power everything think it has maybe 160k i've had it maybe 7 years paid 6k for it then... sometime i drive it everyday... (hard to get out of the Lexus LX but...) but when i need to haul a tractor or bobcat then it's always ready...
just depends how much you want to invest in 6k a year...
like others have said the 5.9 cummins is a great engine... the old 12valve i happen to prefer over the 24valve... have one in my 36ft motorhome and it will run 90mph all day and get 12mpg... go figure... same as my lexus suv...
p
My work truck is a 97 Ford F350 diesel. 289,000 miles on it. Runs and pulls great. I tow a lot of weight with it. Highway and city. Never a big deal. Went through a tranny a little over a year ago. Not bad for the miles and abuse.
Binky Boodle Rocks the free world!
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