deisel guys, input on a 2000 f250

[quadrcr161]

after owning my GMC 1500 for a little over a yr im thinking of stepping up to a F250 like i wanted in the begining. i couldnt find a F250 in my price range and the way i wanted so i got my GMC. i like it but i just dont think it will pull like i want it to, so next monday im going to look at a 2000 F250 ex cab. it has 147,000 miles, 2wd and all stock. the back doors of the ex cab part open and has the 7.3 powerstroke. it also has cloth interior with a bench seat up front ( not big into that) but it does have power everything.


my questions is what should i look for and how does everyone like their F250?

[diesel-mech]

So what is your question?

The powerstroke seems to be a good engine, the trannies leave something to be desired. Keep your oil changed and fuel filter changed and you should be fine. The engine is designed to go about 400,000 miles before it dies. By your fuel filters from an Internaional dealership they will be cheaper than from a ford dealer.

[quadrcr161]

is there anything over all on the truck i should look for? wearing front ends? oil leaks? electrical problems? one thing that kept me from getting one last year was i have never owned or worked on one so something could go wrong and i wouldnt know. it would really only get driven unless it was going to the track or haul something, i have a little car i drive daily.
im just wondering how the general upkeep on them would be.

this is the truck
http://images.autotrader.com/images/2004/7/22/167/322/943192740.167322550.IM1.MAIN.240x180_A.240x160.jpg

[diesel-mech]

Its just like buying anything else...
Ask for maintainance records, don't go over 5,000 on an oil change. Check the brakes and all the fluids. check out the differential fluid. If you really want to know if it is in good condition do some oil samples. they cost about $12.00 a sample. that will tell you if it have any ecessive wear metals, high chrome, iron, copper, or aluminum would be a potential problem also look for high sodium and patassium will mean coolant in the oil (blown head gasket or cracked head) fuel in the oil will indicate a bad injector or blow injector o-rings. You may think this part is sick but take the radiator cap off and get a drop of antifreeze on your fingure. now taste it! NO JOKE!!! if it taste bitter it has fuel in it. If its sweet its fine. fuel in the coolant will indicate leaking injector sleeves in the head. this can be very expensive to repair. Check the fuel, if it looks black than an injector is leaking internally and you will have to replace all the injectors because its not possible to determine which injector is causing the problem. The huei injectors are very expensive. Have a dealer check the computer for codes. If it has injector actuation faults this is also a bad thing.

Hope this helps

[MY450R]

you should be fine they last forever (fords)
as far as the engine it'll prollt go more than 400,000 miles if its maintained properly
change your fuel filters(i believe it has two) regularly as well as the oil but thats a given
you'd probably want to grease the fittings every couple months
you can also get a power chip for it and it will haul balls
even stock that thing kicks ***** punch that throttle and your gone
ive been around diesels my whole life and can tell you that whatever you do dont run them out of fuel though i bet new ones have some kinda safety feature built in them so you dont have to prime it

[MY450R]

btw that truck looks like its been well taken care of

[quadrcr161]

that does help, where i work i can have oil test done pretty quickly, and free if we still have the bottles laying around. the owner of the lot used it this week to go to the Gulf and pull his boat home. that still worries me, either it could be running great and he needed to use it or he is just trashing it since he is getting rid of it.

[bulkdriverlp]

them are good trucks, but cost more to maintain than a gasser. oil changes are bout 60.00$ but if ya take care of them theyl last long time. you wont believe the power, you can pull just about anything. they pass real good too, mash it down and sing to the whistle of the turbo and ur gone!!! nice truck i say buy it!!!

[2001-400ex'er]

Those are really nice trucks. My dad has one and that thing can haul 4 fourwheelers with ease. Very powerful to, plus since it is a deisel it should get about 15 mpg, vs around 12 with a gas.

[440exnacsracer]

well ill say this, we had two 7.3l's. my moms has NEVER had a part replaced except for oil filters, fuel filters and a k&n filter. NO problems at all. the other, which we just sold today had 210,000 miles, and was hardly ever driven without a trailer behind it. it had a few parts replaced, but nothing major. the blue oval on the front of the truck means everything:D

[brian-250]

go for it, just make sure the turbo's good in it.:grr: ;)

[diesel-mech]

Let it idle for about a minute before shutting it off. This will let you turbo slow down before you take its oil pressure away. (this is a big reason turbos fail!)

also if the owner of the truck only used it to pull a boat or other heavy loads it will be in better shape than a engine that never gets a load put on it. Being under a load keeps heat in the engine. This is good. If there isn't enough heat the pistons will polish the cylinders and the valve guilds will get polished too. This just plain wears the engine out. Also don't idle the engine for more than a couple minutes. It wears it out for the same reason. Diesels aren't made to idle, they aren't made to run air conditioning or heaters so the truck drivers can be comfortable. They are made to work and when they are not working they are wearing out. I don't care how many people say I am full of ****. If they tell you its ok to idle a diesel for extended periods of time than they are wrong!!! I'll leave it to you, Beleave who you want, people who don't really even understand diesel's (not a slam towards anyone on this forum) or a guy who works on nothing but diesel engines and has been very well trained to troubleshoot and anylize failures? I get guys who have been driving for 30 years who are set in thier ways. I've been wrenching on diesel's for 11 years now, I have to explain to them that they aren't running a sloppy old mechanical engine any more, modern diesel are very high performance and very technically advanced.

[quadrcr161]

good post, i knew to run it a few mins to cool the turbo and keep the oil from baking in the lines if it got too hot. if i get it should i invest in a turbo timer?

if they arent meant to idle, why do i always see the big rigs running all night?


what about block heaters? im in alabama and it gets cold here but not like up north, anything i need to do about winters?

[jonc623]

i live in indiana and have a 2001 powerstroke i usually just add a good fuel anti gel treatment to the fuel in the winter and let the glow plugs heat a couple of cycles in the winter and mine starts fine i do use the block heater when it gets below 20 and it helps

[bulkdriverlp]

i agree with diesel-mech, i drove semi for 167,000 miles, it was a 01 freightliner classic, 70 condo. most newer semis have a "qualcomm" computer in em so you can send and recieve messages from anyplace in the u.s.. like from the office to any truck on the road. when truck drivers park their truck they "set" the idle and temprature they want on the inside. the truck will start and turn off by its self!! in order to keep the temp you want. very seldom did the truck idle, the computer always bumped it up or it turned the motor off. as for block heaters, im from michigan and if it was less than 20 degrees out the truck wouldnt start. youd have to hook up battery charger to warm em up. and some block heaters are the "element" type once you start the truck with it plugged in the coolant passes across the hot element and itl blow. so we always unplug the truck first, then start it. we went thru 3 block heaters 160.00 a pop before we were told the "proper" way to do it. sometimes youl see a "perculator" type block heater that circulates the coolant andwarms it at the same time. just another type.

[diesel-mech]

okay first off truck drivers idle their trucks in the winter to keep their cabs warm and in the summer they run the ac to keep cool.that doesn't mean its good for the engine it wears it out and burns a lot of fuel.Most fleet drivers are cry babies!!! Fleet drivers could give a **** cause its not thier truck! Most owner operators will be smart enough to have a generator that powers a heater or ac. But if the truck doesn't have one I can tell you that they would like too, just ask them.
second thing,unless you live where it gets -20f your fuel won't gel.I've been a diesel mech for 11 yrs and never seen fuel gel. The worste thing I've seen is water will freeze in the fuel filters. If your truck dies on you for no reason in the winter its most likely your filters are freezen. I don't know why everyone is so afraid that their fuel is going to gel!!! also all fuel stations switch to winter fuel in october. It already has additives in it for cold weather. If you keep track of your mileage you'll notice it gets worse around october. thats the winter fuel.

block heaters are a good idea at 30f and below. I don't know the particulars on what type of block heaters are avalible for powerstrokes. Battery heaters and oil heaters help too. don't add a fuel heater. In my expeiriance it is best to keep the fuel system as simple as possible.

You can meet some of the smartest people ever in a truck stop!!! They will fill your head with so much crap its amazing. I don't care if they have 30 years experiance if they were an idiot for most of it. I like truck drivers, I think they are great people,I really do! But most of them have been educated by the CB and have never really learned the correct way to run and maintain a diesel.

[quadrcr161]

thanks for all the info, im trying to find out enough about one to comfortably own and care for it. if there is something i have left out please feel free to tell me some things i could do wrong. i have always enjoyed working on my own things, but i know crap about this. it seem that as long as i keep clean fuel in it, a few extra fuel filters and keep the oil changed i shouldnt have a problem. what if i descide to modify it like adding a banks 6-gun programer (a friend did they web site, prob still does) and add a cat back exhaust? in not wanting to do anything radical but i have an addiction to modifying things lol.

[diesel-mech]

The banks upgrade is a prodject that a shcool boy could do, Its really easy and makes the truck a lot of fun!!!

And diesels love straight pipes!!! screw the converter!!!!

[quadrcr161]

hmm, well then i will deff look into a banks set up, an f250 pulled up to work the other day sporting a 4-5 inch cat back and a polished 6inch tip with a boost gauge and another gauge in pods on the A-piller, the funny thing is that it was an older mans truck.
anything else i should looking into to make the truck more fun? :devil: but dosent put excessive wear on it? the thing about the banks system i like is i can detune it if i have to drive it daily.

edit: i am in alabama, i can run a straight 5 inch exhaust if i wanted to lol, im sure the turbo would spool up easy with that much of a free flow

[diesel-mech]

Having a huei fuel system means there isn't much you can do to tweek it. The computer programming controls about everything. I suggest running a boost and a fuel pressure gauge. they help alot in troubleshooting. Unlike the duromax the powerstroke was designed well. It can handle big power. The duromax is a time bomb waiting to explode!

Do the computer up grade. open up your exhaust system and you will love it. I'd say stop there. The more power you try to gain after that the more it will seem like work to drive it. Keep it fun!

Good luck

[quadrcr161]

thanks, i figuerd that would be all i had to do, although i like playing, i hate having to worry about every little thing on trips. i think the exhaust and the programer will make it one hell of a beast.

whats wrong with the duramax? ive got a friend with one who thinks its the best, but the price on those are just crazy though. i heard the cummings in the dodge are great but im not a big fan of dodge, i know the motor would prob last but im not sure about the rest of the truck.

[diesel-mech]

HEY, HEY, now:mad: :grr:

Don't go knocking my mopars!!!!!!!!! I'm a life long dodge man.:cool:


The duromax was engineered wrong. The block is not designed correctly for increased torque. Basically GM pushed it to its limits to compete with the powerstroke and cummins. They counted on the fact that most buyers don't plan on modifiing the engine, where as navistar and cummins built the engine for heavier trucks then cut it back for a pickup truck. GM built the duromax for a pickup then pushed it to its limits, they went as far as they could without compromising its reliability. People who try to sqeeze more power from them are flirting with dissaster

[quadrcr161]

oh ok, my friend with the duramax dosent plan on really modding his any, as as for the didge, i like someof their stuff, but we have had problems with some of the didge stuff we have had. whats funny is if i get this truck, it will be the 1st ford in our driveway in years.

[McG300ex]

buy a cummins they make more power than the pwerstrokes and u don't have to stick alot of cash to get em a hopped up

[TM426]

I had a 97 powerstoke with the banks kit (Turbo housing down pipe intercooler and straight piped.) That was a awsome truck and would buy another in a heart beat. The only thing I wish i did was put bigger injectors in it. I was moving so much air the thing bearly blew black smoke any more. For sure buy one they are way better then gas motors. :macho

[quadrcr161]

just got a call, the bank approved it and i should be picking it up this evening. test drove it yesterday, drives great, turns better then my gmc and is really clean. here is a few things it has,
white with the grey cloth interior,
cd player (glad i dont have to change it so soon)
power seat, power windows, power mirrors, remote locks
power steering (dosent everything have that?) AC, tow package
already set up for trailer brakes, alum wheels, spray in bedliner, we talked them down to $15,500. will get some pics once i get a new digi cam, mine died the other night.