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Early 2000s F250 7.3L - good truck?

27K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  DaveP.  
#1 ·
Hi,



I'll preface this by saying I'm new to trucks in general, let alone diesel engines. I have plenty of experience with high compression, high horsepower, and forced induction cars, but diesel trucks are new to me :)



I'm looking for a used, reliable Ford truck. 95% will be used for daily driving, city and highway commutes. In the future sometime I would like to purchase a boat (dreams), so would like it to be able to tow up to 10k lbs without being a total dog.



Had been looking at F150 4x4s, but seems they fall on their face when pulling any more than 6k lbs. There's a chance i'll never end up with a boat, but if I ever do, or if I want to rent a trailer and go camping, I'd like a truck that has the ability to tow it without having to worry about the engine or transmission.



I've heard from friends that the early 2000s 7.3L F250s are unstoppable/unkillable. I've also heard the early 2000s 6.0L diesels have injector problems and to stay away from them.



I realize there are always bad stories, about any car/truck in the world, but I really want to minimize my risk and get a good, solid, tried and true platform. I take care of vehicles I own, but trying to avoid buying a truck and having to put $5k into it over the next 1-2 years



Just looking for any advice, on the engine, as well as the trucks overall that these engines went into


Thanks in advance
 
#2 ·
find a 6.2 f250..... maintenance will be cheaper, and you will still have some towing power/newer truck (08-current)



have no idea what your budget is, and the newest 7.3l is pushing 14 years old.
expect some sensors and front-end work if its around 200k miles(mines is starting to be due, the lower ball-joints are going out).
4 gallons of oil every 5k miles


the 6.0
$3000 worth of work to make it reliable
blue spring mod, head studs, EGR Delete, and head gaskets
injectors every 50k-75k miles or so(7.3l are good for 300k miles)
better trans. 5 speed vs 4 speed
4(6.0) heads bolts vs 6(7.3l) per cylinder clamping force


with all that said, i bought mine a little over 3 years ago with 116k miles on it, i have 202k on it now and daily drive mine and couldn't be happier after owning v6 f150 and a 5.4 f150 in the past,


99 f150 ECSB vs 02 f250 CCLB daily driving
towing (obviously)
turning radius SUCKS
Parking Garages are fun
you find your self backing into parking spaces more since its easier than pulling straight into, need 2 spaces if you pull straight into a parking space just to line it up into one
width, expect more door dings, nothing you can do about it besides parking at the end of the lot

highway
range
i have set my truck up to go 1800 miles without fueling, wouldn't want to do it on a gas f150 due to gasoline being more explosive compared to diesel.
ride
f150 is smoother, if you are getting a CCLB and have alot of short concrete section of road, expect a bounce. mine drive smoother on dirt roads than paved...
 
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#3 ·
Last summer I purchased my 2000 F-350 CCSB Lariat, for just under $9,000. At the time, it had 248k miles on it, but I had a buddy of mine who works on them for his profession take a look at it with me. He liked it, so I came home with it. Here's a pic of when it came home:

Image


A truck of this vintage and with those miles will certainly have things that need attention. This site is a great source of information; I've searched and found more answers than I ever needed.

Some say the 7.3 is a 500k mile motor, while I've heard of some far surpassing that number even. There are things that can go wrong, injectors failing or leaking, sensors tripping out, but for the most part, from what I've heard and read, the 7.3 is an incredibly awesome engine. The auto trans either has or will have issues, that's something to keep in mind if you go auto. Regular maintenance is a must! So far I've been changing my oil every 3k miles. I may send a sample in to Blackstone at some point, but I figure regular changes at the recommended interval won't hurt (except my wallet).

Things I would recommend looking at:
* Check the compression using the oil cap. Take it off and set it upside down on top of the fill tube. If it gets blown off, that's bad. If it rattles off, that's good.
* I would check the state of the coolant. Green coolant needs Supplemental Coolant Additives, or SCA's apparently. Other coolant may not if it's gold? I'm sure someone has better info on this. If it's green, you can get some test strips from NAPA or Amazon which will tell you the concentration; it should be within limits. Low or no SCA's can cause pitting of the cylinder walls apparently.
* Check the air filter and inlet tubing to the turbo. Make sure there is no K&N filter in the stock box, and make sure there is no dust in the tubing. Oil film is fine. Also, check the turbo wheel for play and wear.
* Check the valley for oil, and see if there are leaks near the rear of the engine. Could be O-rings on the turbo pedestal, or EBPV plunger in the pedestal.
* Possibly a good bargaining move: check the function of the ESOF (Electronic Shift On The Fly) 4 wheel drive if present, with the A/C on. If the air gets diverted to the defroster, there is a vacuum issue somewhere in the system. It can be fixed, or worked around, but you might get the price to drop.

There might be more things that are slipping my mind at the moment. I do tow a large tent trailer, and we pack *everything* including a motorcycle for camping. How does it tow? Quite comfortably. On our last trip, the wind was terrible. This truck felt very solid on the road. My family loves the truck as well, and they feel safe in it. Not to mention we're getting better mileage than a gasser ;) It was pretty nice to see that we were pulling some of the grades faster than other vehicles that were not towing... My truck does have the huge tow mirrors as well; I've seen some that don't stick out as far, and also some that look more like car mirrors. These monstrosities really give a nice view while towing the trailer.

Here's a recent pic, last month loaded up and heading out.
Image


I found the camper shell for free. Although I don't care for the look of it, the shell is a very practical addition.

Good luck in your search!
Clay
 
#4 ·
I love my 2001 F250. Mine was purchased with 247,000 miles and needs nothing. Engine is as tight as can be. Drivetrain is tight as can be as well. Brakes feel new. AC is the coldest of any vehicle I own including a 2012. It got great ratings at cars.com and other places. The 7.3 is apparently a beast.

Image
 
#5 ·
I got my 2001 7.3 2wd truck 8 or so years ago (1St diesel) I tow a 20ft boat 2 to 3 times a week yearly all over Texas.Its a freaking. Work horse.find someone that knows diesels and take them with you when you look at it.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Being new to the diesel world, you will want to keep things simple for yourself and the 7.3 from 1999-2003 is as simple as it comes. You sound like a "hands on" person who may take some satisfaction from doing some maintenance and repair yourself and the 7.3 will be simple enough to allow you to do just that.

There are other brands as well. Dodge has the older 12 valve and 24 valve Cummins trucks that are pretty easy to work on. The problem with them is that the build quality of the truck itself is so poor that they are in a constant state of disrepair.

The GM line isn't too bad as long as you stay with the Duramax. Their older diesels (pre 2001) are problematic.

I've owned them all, and keep coming back to the Ford for its build quality, dependability and resale value.
Lastly, I wouldn't count out a 2003-2007 6.0 Powerstroke that has had the necessary improvements already done to it. The 6.0, after having necessary improvements is dependable and powerful at a reasonable price.
Good luck.
 
#7 ·
Great truck but dont think your just going to be able to drive it home and forget about it. These trucks are old now, they will need work, and that means money. Are you prepared for that? If you can do the work yourself you will save thousands of dollars easily.

These trucks need front end parts most of the time. Ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, etc.

I decided to buy a 2001 that did not run and just go through EVERYTHING right off the bat. It wont be my DD, so it will last the rest of my life if I treat it right.
 
#8 ·
Most of the "problem points" have been covered. One thing that hasn't been discussed is lifts, tunes, and previous commercial use. Many peeps like to lift them which is hard on suspension componets, and turn the wick up with a tune to the point the engine can be harmed if EGT's aren't closely monitored during routine use. Commercial usage racks up miles quickly by drivers that aren't paying for the maintainence. Beware of lifts, tunes, and commercial usage in a past life.

Consider the selling party when evaluating condition of a used vehicle. A unit on a local dealers lot he found at auction and is advertising on C/L probably isn't going to be as up to date on maintainence as one from a private party that the owner has had for years and is now selling for whatever reason.

Clean, not-rotted, not-lifted, not-tuned, never-wrecked, <150K miles, never used commercially, owned by 2 or less people since new and used for occasional use rather than a DD 7.3's are scarce, and difficult to find. I know they are out there because I own one. The difficulty in purchasing one of these more desirable trucks over a used-up truck that has issues on C/L is that they aren't for sale. And if they DO get put on the market, the seller knows what he has is desirable, and will be reflected in the asking price. The more you're able and willing to pay for the initial purchase, the better the truck with fewer latent problems you're going to get.

Do your research. Like any vehicle, there are "bad" 7.3's out there that are money pits. And there are trouble-free ones too. You just have to be knowledgeable enough to not fall for the former, and be patient enough to find one of the latter. Good Luck in your search.