Any thoughts regarding a Ford this age with the 7.3 diesel engine with $186,000 miles? It is also 4x4. I’m just looking for a vehicle to tow our trailer to various parks in the Intermountain West. Weaknesses things to check for would be appreciated. Thanks!

Not sure about the Ford specifically, but many diesels need fuel injectors around the 200,000 mile mark. Not cheap either.

I am assuming 4wd?

The front end will need rebuilt most likely at that point of or in the near future.

Are you a mechanic or mechanically inclined?

If you pay say $12000. I would want at least $5000 in an account for repairs.

While a rig like that could go in excess of 350k or more, it is going to expensive to maintain and repair.

Depending on your tow requirements a 3/4 or 1 ton gas unit with under 100k might be a better choice in terms of cost and value.

I wouldn't be too afraid of that amount of miles on that engine, as they are known to be pretty bulletproof. The bigger issue is that the truck will start to fall apart around the drivetrain. Overall condition and maintenance records are key to making a good purchase.

If it’s been maintained and not a rust bucket, go for it. That’s one of the most reliable engines ever put in a pickup.

Great truck. I recently bought a 2000 f250 with thr 7.3 and 128k miles
I had to replace the ball joints and tie rod right off the bat.
Have your mechanic look it over as it will more than likely need some maintenance. The 7.3 is very reliable so you'll likely get a lot more life out of it.

That’s a great engine, the intercooler bumps up power significantly over the OBS Powerstroke and a programmer can get you up to 100 more horsepower. The 250 front suspensions tended to suffer from the weight of the Diesel engine. I’ve rebuilt the front ends on the OBS and it’s doable for a shade tree mechanic.

Cam position sensors tend to go out but it’s an easy fix, they used to be $20 or less.

The transmission is the weak point on those if it’s an auto. I’d plan for getting it rebuilt, even if it’s been done already. There are a couple places that provide heavy duty rebuilt transmissions for these, don’t waste your money at a local AAMCO or anyone who doesn’t have experience with these trucks. This guy used to provide a great rebuild: http://www.brianstruckshop.com/products_services

The mileage isn’t bad for those if it been maintained. Diesels are prone to cavitation if the cooling systems are not maintained and SCA monitored. I’d buy some of these and test it, cavitation can destroy a Diesel engine: https://www.riffraffdiesel.com...coolant-test-strips/

Clean air, clean oil and good coolant will help extend dieseL engine life and any three of those can shorten it. I’ve known people who ignored all three and the engine failed due to it.

I had a `97 F250 7.3L Powerstroke for 20 years, and it was pretty much a tank. I had to replace the water pump once and the batteries a couple of times. It had 285K miles on it when a friend borrowed it and wrecked it but was still going strong up to that point. I was pretty religious about the 3K mile oil changes.

Best motor available in a pickup. period. A well maintained one will go 500K or better. There wasn't much left of the truck when I sold my 1999 7.3 with 387K on it, but the kid who bought it put a lot of free labor into it and kept it going, its over 500K now and still running. The replacement one just ticked over to 300K but then got totaled like Expert308 but it never had an issues getting there. The problem is that at this point the motor is surrounded by a 20+yo truck. Things that I have learned in the half dozen I've owned ... As mentioned above keep a spare CPS in the truck it really is the only part prone to failure on the motor. you can change it with just a wrench and 5 minutes even in a blizzard on the side of the road. The transmissions last pretty well but as mrvmax mentions when you need one get one built by someone who knows. If this truck is on the original transmission you can sort of put that in the price, its coming. I never got over 200K on a tranny and that's with actual maintenance like fluid changes per the book. Yes an older one may not have had SCA per the book, and if I bought one I'd instantly change the coolant, but you don't actually hear of cavitation issues often so it may be a bit overplayed. Usually at this age the water pump and/or radiator has been swapped so its likely it has pretty current coolant. Front ends are a weakness and regular maintenance item. If it still has autohubs those are a problem area, but once its an issue you just change to manual ones and its fixed forever. The oil coolers have external corrosion and I would inspect that as when they go you have like 1.5 seconds to get the engine shut down before its toast. The glow plug system needs regular attention which isn't cheap to get reliable starts in very cold weather, but if you don't live where its cold that won't be an issue. That's all I can think of at the moment.

Thanks. I’ve got a bucket list of items to look at. It’s my neighbors SIL who is really decent individual (local LEO too). He bought it from a diesel mechanic so I’m thinking it has had decent care. I’ll report back what I find out.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
If it’s been maintained and not a rust bucket, go for it. That’s one of the most reliable engines ever put in a pickup.

THIS, they're great engines. You can run them on 50% drain oil in the fuel tank as long as it's not contaminated with no other modifications. They eat front ends, so have everything in the front end looked at.......other than that, good trucks.....and the engines will go 500k miles if taken care of.

I have a 2000 4x4 super cab with 238,000 miles on it. I have been fortunate that I have not had many issues with it. Regular oil. Changes with Shell Rotella T 15w40 conventional oil. All 15 quarts and a Motocraft filter from WalMart. So far, including the original from the factory, I'm on my 4th alternator, 5th set of batteries, 3rd water pump, 2nd set of ball joints, 2nd front wheel bearings, 2nd cam position sensor, 2nd clutch pressure plate, 2nd set of glow plugs, 3rd glow plug relay, 4th fuel filter, 3rd set of brake pads all around.

I may need to do injector o-rings as it's cranking longer and running rich at the moment. I have some bushings to do up front and a couple leaks that I need to find, fuel and oil. I have rust on body panels that should be addressed too.

The sticker price was $33,000 with the XLT trim and a few options. I have had it from new and have had a few issues with it resolved by the dealer while under warranty.

The fuel gelled while driving once. Towed to the shop and had a return line fuel heater installed from Ford. It uses the coolant to heat the returning fuel to the tank. The computer needed to be flashed once as it started rolling coal on its own.
The brake rotors warped before Ford updated the torque specs on the lug nuts. The clutch position sensor failed. The fuel tank opening was for a gasoline model as it wasn't able to be fueled at the rig pumps.

I really can't bitch about this truck as it really hasn't cost me a lot over the 20 years I've had it. I've definitely got my money's worth out of it.