I've had a potential deal fall in my lap, and may be picking up a second diesel truck.  The truck is a 2002 Ford F350 4x4 four-door, with the 7.3L diesel and 6-spd manual transmission.  Mileage is pretty high at 248k, but for the price the truck is being offered to me, its kind of hard for me to pass.  Body wise, the truck is in pretty good shape.  It has a dent to the driver's side front fended just forward of the door, but that's about it.  It has a gooseneck hitch in the bed, and was used to pull a 22' trailer to haul portable buildings.  Interior is leather, and has some tears, but overall is in decent shape.  All the windows work, and power seats are working.

The truck has been sitting for several months, and hasn't been cranked or run in at least 3 or 4 months.  Batteries are from 9/2010, and were both dead.  We attempted jumping the batteries with a small V6 truck, but it simply didn't have enough amps to crank over the 7.3L. It would turn over just a little bit, very slowly, but not enough (or long enough) to fire.   I'm heading back over Saturday morning with a couple batteries and 200a cranking charger, and hopefully get the truck running.

I know injectors are an issue in this truck, but what else should I be aware of?  I also know that the 6-spd manual transmission is almost bulletproof, but any common issues with this particular trans?  It has an aftermarket boost gauge and what I assume is a pyrometer mounted in the A-pillar, but I am not sure if its been modded in any other way.  Any other suggestions or recommendations?  I

King ranch or lariat? You mentioned leather

I'd love to have one just like it as long as it was single rear wheels.

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Cps on those things was an issue if I remember correctly .  Get some new batteries, that should do the trick.

I believe its a Lariat model, but I can't remember for sure.

There aren't any King Ranch models with a 7.3. That was an option starting in '03, and only available with the 6.Oh No.


And OP, 248k on that motor is just barely broken in. Don't do anything dumb like try to torch the pistons with an insane tune, and remember to change your fuel /oil filters, and it will last forever. Good job finding one with the manual and leather, I was looking for one like that too but could never find anything reasonable. Everyone wants stupid money for the 7.3s

Its still a very nice interior

Does it have factory locking hubs? If so, make sure they aren't too stiff to lock/unlock

I've got a '99, CPS isn't a big deal. 10mm socket and five minutes, it's a ten buck part.



Front end joints, ball joints, alignment, front tires, etc. Biggest issue with these. Also drop a coolant filter kit into it, if it doesn't have it you might have to do a water pump. Not a big deal. Change oil, use good filters.

Make sure to check oil as well, injectors need oil to fire.  Watch exhaust and look for any smoke.

CPS was recalled if it was taken in and replaced it won't be an issue the recall was issued in about 08 if I remember right.

I believe the 02s had PMR (powder metal rods) rods which can be an issue if you plan major tuning like a larger turbo.

I had a 99 and never had any issues with injectors that was a 6.0l issue. I did have to replace the front ball joints though the factory ones never made it past 100k

I wouldnt worry about the injectors in that truck at that mileage.  They are pretty loud but have a long service life.  #8 cylinder injector cackle is common but there is a replacement injector that functions well at a lower pressure(?) to quiet it down.  I myself installed a higher PSI fuel pressure regulator to increase the life of my injectors and have not had any problems with them for 408,000 miles.  

Rusted oil pans are common in the 7.3s and replacement requires jacking the cab and pulling the motor.  This is about a $2200 job, so I would inspect that carefully before committing to the truck.  Speaking of oil pans, its not unheard of for someone to find a dislodged piston cooling jet smiling at them when they pull the drain plug to change their oil, inspiring the owner to sell the truck quickly before they melt a piston.  Not something I would lose sleep over but this can happen.  

These 7.3s are desirable trucks and if the thing has been reasonably taken care of you should be very happy.

Let me guess:  They're sacrificing it for 11500.

Check the coolant. Those engines needed an anti-cavitation additive, run without it for too long and it'll eat a hole through the cylinders. You should be able to get the test strips at Napa. There's a chance it may have been changed out to a new extended-life coolant that doesn't need maintenance.

Manual hubs, same style that's on my '07 F550.




Considerably lower...

Never heard of the rusted oil pan issues, I'll have to check it out.

I first want to get the truck cranked and running, and see how it does.  It supposedly ran fine last time it was cranked, but I'll have to see.  I have no desire to run a tune, or do any mods...it would just be an extra truck in the yard to drive occasionally.

The ZF transmission and clutch can be issues. I've run through 2 clutches in 40K miles towing. The input shaft on the trans is not like the old school ones. It's basically the whole shaft front to back. The pilot bearings eat them up on these engines.

Expect $1700-$2000 when you go into it.

Also look close at the turbo base for oil leaks. The o-rings on the pedestal get hard from heat and go out.

That said, I'd buy another myself.

At 248k with known injector issues you might want to pull the glow plugs before you crank it.  My 01 is sitting in my barn yard with a hydrolocked cylinder.  Also, ball joints and front wheel hubs.  The oil pan is another known issue.  Mine is solid but doesn't look like it will be much longer.

Also, check the rear leaf springs.  If it was driven around a lot unloaded, chances are a couple are broken.  Lots of other little issues that would be hard to know about, crank position sensor, injector harness, etc.

Mine is going to sit how it is until I have time to scrap the body have the engine rebuilt and slap a van body on the chassis.

IIRC the auto was actually considered the stronger and more desirable of the two transmissions. I'm sure the price has gone up, but you used to could get an aftermarket BTS 4R100 auto for the 7.3 warrantied for up to 1,000hp.

I love my '03 7.3. Its been my daily driver for the past 10 years. Just put a new tranny in it (auto) at 212k miles. Im at 225k now. Other than that, it has required very minimal repairs besides the basics. CPS, ball joints, steering gear box, turbo up pipes, etc. Grab it if its a good price. They are hard to find now days without paying a premium.

Just to be curious, what's the point of pulling the glow plugs?

If one of the cylinders is full of oil the glow plug hole will give it somewhere to go when you crank it over.

Makes sense.  Are the plugs fairly easy to get to and remove?

Gotta pull the valve covers.  You'll need a 10mm deepwell socket and an extension.

If you can get a description of the "injection issues" it was having you might be able to not bother.  But I didn't think it would happen to mine either.

Probably not an option, I doubt the guy is going to let me start pulling valve covers!  The guy that owns the truck actually lives out of state, and the guy who has it now is basically a middleman mediating the sale.  Everything is legitimate, and there is a title, but its really all a moot point if I can't get it cranked & running.

Search the powerstroke forums for hydrolocked and you might be able to diagnose it another way.  You just don't want to crank it if there are fluids in the cylinder because it will at best break the starter gear and from there you're talking bent/cracked flywheel, rod, crank, etc.

I don't know how common it is, just that when injectors start leaking it becomes a real possibility.

I understand what you are saying, but based on the guy who has the truck now, the only realy issue with it is simply the dead batteries.  According to him, it has cranked and run fine, its just it has been sitting for several months and has discharged the batteries.  Now, if it won't crank even with good batteries, then I know there are other problems.

If you're lucky it's just the solenoids for the glow plugs and they're right on top of the motor. Quick fix.

I appreciate all the suggestions, but once again, I really have no reason to think its anything other than the dead batteries.  Sure, there may be a list of things potentially wrong with the truck, but until I can get enough amps to adequately spin the motor, its really irrelevant.  Of course, if it still won't crank, even with good batteries, then I can go from there...assuming I even buy the truck.  Not sure I want another project vehicle right now, but it may help with negotiating a price.

UV harness for injectors.  The plug that was incorporated into the valve cover gasket has an issue with the plug deteriorating and coming loose.  There are dome clips made but they don't really work.  I spent the 50 bucks and replaced the harness.  
Front hubs, ball joints need attention, that is one heavy front end.  
I had a 2001 f250 that had an issue with the transmission, sprag clutch to be specific.  Half way through the year they lightened the sprag to reduce rotating mass or something like that.  It thinned the clutch walls and that's where mine failed.  That was somewhere around 135000 miles.
Would still gave it if it weren't for that ditch.  Loved that truck, it was a beast.

I was able to go by and see the truck again this morning.  We again tried jumping the batteries, this time with two sets of cables from a 12v Cummins, but no luck.  Both batteries were showing 6-7 volts, so I pulled them and used two other batteries that I knew were good.  After cycling the glow plugs, it took a little while to get the truck to crank.  I didn't notice any smoke on start up, and it only had a couple seconds of rough idle.  Once I figured out the pattern of the 6spd manual trans, I drove the truck for about 15-20 minutes.  Clutch felt good, no squeals or chatter that I could tell, and trans up/down shifted into all gears without grinding.  Power wise, the motor was very strong.  It pulled very well up to 70 mph, and drove pretty good.  It seemed to pull better than my '07 F550 6.0L diesel, although my 550 probably outweighs it by 2k pounds or more.  One thing that surprised me, it was louder in cab than I expected, certainly as loud or louder than my F550 (which seems to have no interior sound deadening).  

After driving it for about 20mins, I switched it off and let it set for about 10 mins.  Once again, there was a little hesitation with the motor turning over, but it did fire back up after about 3-5 seconds of cranking.  I did find out after the fact when I pulled my batteries that one of the ground cables on the battery post came off, so it was cranking with one battery.  

Pros:
-Strong motor through the RPM range
-No obvious trans issues
-All power windows work
-Decent tires
-Gooseneck hitch
-winch wiring run to rear of truck for trailer winch
-Manual hubs turn easily, transfer case shifts easily

Cons:
-A/C not blowing cold (may need a recharge)
-No exhaust pipe after the muffler
-dent to driver's side front fender
-sluggish driver's power seat
-A pillar boost and EGT gauge not working

What else should I do to really give me a good idea of the truck?  Any other suggestions?  I'm going to charge the batteries tonight, and I'm going back to drive the truck again tomorrow.

Check the front tires for uneven wear.  If they're sloping or chopping the ball joints and possibly hubs are bad.  It's hard to see on some of them without getting your head down there and running your hand over the tire.  Smoke on start up?  White or black?  I would look at the oil pan for rust.  Other than that sounds like it's in pretty good shape.

CPS is an issue, and so it the fuel line rotting, but that is around the 250k mark.  CPS can go whenever.

Didn't notice any smoke on start up.

If it still has the original black CPS  DO NOT TAKE IT IN FOR THE RECALL!!!!!!!!!

The original BLACK factory CPS sensors are the best that were made and extremely desirable. A new old stock one can sell for $300 plus and even a used one can sell upwards of $75 to $100.

If you want you can get a replacement CPS for $20 at any autoparts store but none are as good as the original black.

I'm curious what the "injector issues" are then.

I had an '03 with a 7.3 and 6-speed.

That transmission is a ROYAL FUCKIN PITA to drive, and not worth the effort.  My only other manual is a 15-over FWIW...

Three clutches due to an oil leak, a diesel leak, and a pilot bearing and slave cylinder that shit the bed.  That truck broke me of ever having another manual unless it's an Eaton-Fuller with overdrive.  

The motor is fine, but has little power and will get shit for mileage with stock intake, exhaust, and smog junk.  The rubber in the fuel system doesn't like the ultra-low sulfur diesel and you'll have some fuel leaks.

Those engines are generally considered good for around 300K.  Contrary to popular derp, diesels do not last for-ev-er.

I absolutely love my old 7.3 in my 96 F-350.  I'm up over 290k with it right now.  I wouldn't hesitate pulling the trigger on that thing for $6-7k.  The engines aren't as powerful as some of the newer diesels but will pull anything you ask it to.  I woudln't have anything different.

Ya,  maybe the engine but don't forget there is a whole lot of other important things that are needed to make the truck go.

Two large diesel trucks?
Seems pointless to have two of them.

Bought a 02 F350  7.3 200K. Replaced steering box, front bearings and seals, deleted vacuum hubs and went manual.
Fluid and filters all around. Truck runs great, rides rough.

Buy it. Ford 7.3 PSD will always be worth something.

Well, took a friend who's a little more familiar with diesels to look at the truck again today.  I tried charging the batteries that were in the truck, but they're completely dead...never could get them above 6 volts or so, even after charging most of the day.  

My friend seemed to be fairly impressed with the truck, and couldn't tell anything obviously wrong or immediately concerning with the drivetrain. We didn't even bother with the old batteries today, and immediately hooked up the two extra batteries I brought.  Truck fired up almost immediately, with no hesitation.  We did stop and add diesel, and did notice a little "chatter" when I went to restart the truck.  Could be the starter, but truck immediately cranked after I hit the key again.

Oil was about a quart low, and looked nice and black on the dip stick.  

I was able to speak with the owner of the truck, and was told that all eight injectors were swapped out within the last several months.  He personally hasn't driven the truck in about two years, and cannot recall if the A/C was working at that time.  Basically, I have no idea if a simple recharge will remedy the issue, or if it will require compressor, etc.  Problem is, it could be a $50 fix, or possibly a $1k fix, depending on what all is wrong...and considering our summers routinely stay in the mid 90s, A/C is kind of necessary.  

I do agree with the poster above, running through the gears on the 6spd Ford transmission is a little PITA.  I have 3 other vehicles with manuals, one 6spd in two 5spds, and it seems like I was "hunting" gears while shifting in the Ford.  Not sure if its simply my unfamiliarity with the Ford manual trans or what, but it wasn't the easiest manual transmission to drive.  That being said, there was zero grinding through any of the gears, and no noise from the clutch.  

There are quite a few nickle-and-dime issues with the truck that will have to be addressed.  It needs two tires on the passenger side rear, but the other four are in very good shape.  Interior needs a few things.  Keyless entry has been lost, switch for the headlights has been broken off, no tailgate, driver's side front fender needs to be replaced (it was demolished by a tire blowout), tears on the seats, no A/C.  Driver's side vent beside the radio isn't working, door may be stuck closed inside.  Truck will definitely need an exhaust soon, at least a muffler and end pipe to the rear of the truck to quiet down the exhaust noise.  Any guesses on what an exhaust would cost for just the muffler and end pipe?   Also, truck has 4.10 gears, any guesses on what average MPGs will be?  I'm guessing around 14-15.  

As far as the price goes, gentleman wants $3800 for the truck and a 22' gooseneck trailer.  I believe I can get $1200-1500 for the trailer, maybe more, so that would get me into the truck for around $2500.  Seems like a pretty decent price, but I simply don't want to buy something I am going to have to immediately start working on.  I already have two Jeep projects that aren't finished!  ;)

For that kind of money I would buy it and use it FOR a Jeep project or two.  If I wasn't nearly finished with the FI 350 install in my wagoneer I would consider using my F250s drivetrain in it.

I'm still debating on buying the truck and trailer.  it would be nice to find out all the A/C needs is a recharge, as I already have the gauges and freon in the shop.  The other stuff wouldn't be too difficult of a fix, its just a matter of getting out there and spending the time.  Problem is, all my extra time is still tied up with the Jeeps right now, and I'm currently in the process of rebuilding a 4.0 for my CJ-7.

Still debating, I'm probably going to check with the local shop to make sure that the injectors were replaced.  Called the tag office, tag/title will run $700+ for the truck...Georgia now charges a one time valuation fee on vehicles when you transfer a title and buy a tag.  Makes a difference on how much I am willing to pay for the truck...

Holy shit.  I thought $200 in WI was ridiculous.

At that point, I'd pass.

That's a damn good price. Just had new aftermarket injectors installed in my 2001 at 285,000 miles for $3800. It include new glow plugs. I'd see if he will let you take it for a complete diagnostic and checkout. It may cost a couple of hundred but will find problems you will have to deal with. Should be easy to resell  fo a profit.

I would buy that right now!  I have a 1992 F350 four door, unfortunately with a 460.  Love the truck, hate the engine.   I'm a mechanic and really want a 7.3.

I'm really impressed with the powerstrokehelp.com dude.  Lots of youtube vids about the 7.3
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=powerstrokehelp+7.3







he is in buford, GA if that is close to you
 

I'm actually going to dispute the valuation, which I believe is too high for the truck.  I hope to get the tag cost cut in half, but that might be a little optimistic.  

I'm picking the truck up tomorrow, couldn't hardly pass on the price.  I don't need the truck, certainly don't need another project, but its simply too good of a deal not to pull the trigger.  I stopped by Advanced Auto this afternoon to check on batteries, and lucked in to two used Group 65 cranking batteries and a deep cycle marine battery for $120 total.  Now, I just need to get over there in the morning, load up the trailer, and head home.