New to forum and powerstrokes

[BIG1RED9]

Hi All,

I am considering the buying of a 2000 F350 crew cab 4x4 powerstroke that has 317k on it. From what I know its a bit rough and the mpg is a lot lower than should be (about 12 at 55mph) check engine light is on. I would be helping out a friend if I buy it, but have no idea what I am in for to get it 100% mechanically correct, nor what I should really expect in terms of mpg. In the past I have worked on our MB diesels and most likely would be doing much if not all the work on this myself. No idea if I should head down this road. Any experience or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

BR

[7.34ever]

Welcome to the .ORG brotha!

You are definitely looking at the best rig Ford ever made as far as I'm concerned. That is quite a few miles but it'll go more. I'd say the mpg you suggested is standard. Get as much history on the truck as you can.

Does it run smooth? Smoke at all? Maybe you should have it checked out to make sure the check light means nothing major. Obviously the price could make the decision for you too. Good luck man

[JEL]

I don't think 12mpg on the highway is right, unless you're pulling something really heavy. The CEL could be one of many things, see if Autozone or one of those places will pull the codes, then post them here and you can get some resolution. That 2000 7.3 will run for a lot more miles than 317k if you keep it cared for, I agree that it's the best truck Ford has ever made.

BTW, I am a HUGE fan of those older MB diesels myself, as far as I am concerned that 617 is the best diesel engine ever made, and the rest of the car is equally great. I've nursed a lot of them back to health after years and years of neglect, they always come back to life really nicely and keep on chugging for many more miles.

[jasons 7.3 powerstroke]

well welcome to the forum. as far as mileage yeah thats a little low but it is a 4x4 crew cab.. as far as longetivity man these engine will run a LONG time, my buddy has an 01 excursion with 595k on it and runs just as good as my 99 f250 w/ only 142k. yeah i would look into check engine light and see whats going on with that could also be related to low mpg?

as far as condition and price i would buy for the right price. i mean these are the most sought after engines and hard to come by. just make sure was maintained due to these are heui engines and maintaince to oil is one of the most important things on these or will cost you BIG money.

[Jake]

Id like to add, don't get the check engine light looked at by auto zone or any place like that. The scanners they have don't work on our trucks. I have proven this. I had an ICP sensor go out, their scanner said it was the map sensor, if it picked up anything at all. You need to hook it up to an Auto Engenuity or a Snap on Modis or something like that in order to really see what is going on. MPG sounds low, which could be from low gears, like if it has 4.10's, or possibly low compression from a worn out engine, or even just a bad sensor.

[BIG1RED9]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies.

I decided to move forward and get the truck and get things straightened out.

I had codes pulled from a shop with a snap-on scanner, it had a miss in #8 and a glow plug issue (actual codes on a paper in the truck if helpfully). They cleared them and said to drive it and see what happened.

I started and drove the truck during the day, having stopped and restarted it a number of times. No engine light.

Took it to get the smog test (in CA) which checks the OBD-II, looks for mods and smoke. It passed and for the balance of the day no light.

In the morning, as soon as it started - engine service soon light back on.

Drove in total about 60 miles with 50 of that highway. 20 of those with about 3000 lbs in the back, going from sea level to about 3,000 feet. I was easy on the pedal keeping it at 55 to 60mph and trying to not have it lug which it feels like it does in overdrive. About 10mpg. Never a sign of black smoke.

Another thing I noted, is that when cold and 70 degrees outside, there is no power. I can't imagine that new it ran like this. How would a salesman demo a truck like this in the cold by saying "... need to let it warm up for 15 mins...".

Any recommendations as to how to proceed will be appreciated. I think I need to own a scanner and have read about an older chip scanner that will do the job. If that is the best option, please let me know what type. If not, what will be good to have to stay on top of this. Also a service / shop manual... who's?

Thank you for the help!!!
BR

[Jake]

It may be the beginning signs of injector failure if it showed a miss on #8. However with the gray CPS sometimes there is a random code thrown during a CCT that isn't really true.

[BIG1RED9]

Originally Posted by Jake

It may be the beginning signs of injector failure if it showed a miss on #8. However with the gray CPS sometimes there is a random code thrown during a CCT that isn't really true.

I had read about a couple of things in addition the the CPS. Know where I can get a black part?

No idea if these issues would throw codes, but I read it would impact performance and mileage. 1. Donut gasket to seal the up-pipes into the y-collector. 2. EBPS having soot plugging things up.


Thank you,
BR

[Ryan Rønning]

Welcome to the ORG!

[ToMang07]