Will be a Powerstroke owner tommorow.

[jon6.0]

So I have decided to buy a diesel for hauling purposes and the better mileage than a gas truck. My F150 5.4 averages 12-13(it's a company truck and I floor it everywhere and cruise at 90). I am looking at either a '01 F350 Supercab dually automatic 2wd with 139K miles for $14,000 or a '02 F350 Crew Cab Dually automatic 4x4 for $18,000. I would rather have a manual transmission if I can find one, but may get an auto.

Question #1:

What do I need to be on the lookout for when I check them out?

Question #2:

How can I tell if the automatic transmission is good or ready to poop itself?

Question #3:

How many miles are these motors good for if taken care of?

Thanks.

[jblagg]

I look at the interior if he took care of the inside than he probably took care of the motor
Trans see how it feels when it shift under load like on take off. shouldnt skip or miss should almost jump into next gear and take it smooth.
I bought mine last year w/ 75k from the original owner and it is awesome. have had no problems atall.
2003 7.3 psd 4 inch turbo back w/ muff delete, 5 inch intake throttle response adjuster

[jphelzer]

Check out this info, it's great! What to look for when buying a USED 99-03 PSD

The 7.3s can last 300-400K easily if maintained, For trannies, only way I know is to check for signs of slippage and check the fluid for black color or burned smell...

[Performance Oil Products]

First off welcome to the ORG.

You are looking at trucks that have the 7.3 powerstroke in them. This diesel is one if not the best engine ever manufactured. It is vertually industructable, and will run IF maintaned for 500 600K without problems.

I would see if you can get some maintance records of some sort, check all of the fluids. One way to tell if the engine is worn is to warm it to operating temp and the remove the oil filler cap. There will be a little smoke coming out, but anything more than a ciggarett would put off maybe a too much.

I will usually take the lid off of the intake and hold my hand over the opening where the air flows to the turbo. At idle it should suck your hand towards it. Good suction means good motor.

Pull the tranny dipstick, make sure the fluid is bright red and doesn't smell burnt. Pay attention to the shifting when you test drive it and look for any slipping. Be aware these truck are awesome and will run for a long time but like all of them they do have a weak link and that link is the 4r100 tranny, so really pay close attention to the shifting when you drive them.

If you take your time and not rush through inspection you can get either truck and run it for a very long time.

My 2000 has 216K on it and runs better than when I brought it home and gets about 17MPG.

Hope this helps

[ABOBB]

Welcome to Powerstroke.org

[jon6.0]

Thanks for the info guys. I actually found that what to look for thread after I posted this one.

[uhpilot]

Can't help you much with those years but........

Welcome Aboard !!!!!!!!!!!

[Jeff_Northon]

Have the transmission serviced before you buy. Perhaps the seller will split the cost. Take it to a transmission shop you trust and get their opinion. The guy I go to just raised his rate to $79.00. YMMV.

[stump0331]

[NoSpark]

welcome to the forum