Ford F350 questions

[OneWithWood]

Oakie, check out this site

www.thedieselstop.com

Very good site with a ton of info on the super duties.

I recently purchased a 2005 F-350 with a 6.0 powerstroke and auto tranny.  The auto tranny allows for the tow command module and shift on the fly 4x4.  The truck has been fantastic and has hauled everything I have hooked it up to  8).  Rides real nice too 

BTW, Ford uses International engines - not Cummins. 

[flip]

If ya's really serious spend the $60 and take it in and get the front end checked (bad about ball joints getting loose) Make sure the thing NEVER had a K&N filter on it, we've seen a bunch dusted out.  Take the inlet tube off the air cleaner and see if there is a light coating of dust/dirt on the inside of the tube.  Take the oil fill cap off with the engine running and see if it's puffing out the fill.  Other than that the price is waaaaay to high.  Realistic is around $10k, if the engine is dusted it's about a $4K truck.

Flip

[IMERC]

DON"T DO IT!!!!!

I have the Power Stroke.... sad engine....
'95 - '98 cold weather ignorant.
'99 fixes to the '95/98 series.

2000 thru 03 has fueling and sensor problems..

after 100K miles the trucks seriously loose their value.. VERY expensive to repair and not so easy to diagnose...

Chevy just seems to fall apart..

Go with the Dodge and follow the tranny recomendations...

Take a look at  http://www.thedieselstop.com/ look at what problems people have with thiers...

Ford is not intended for the mountains nor heavy work and the 'puter is only set to 7500' elevation... after that it's just a diesel...

[oakiemac]

Thanks for all the replys. I knew I would get a response from the Ford people.
I am going to look at the truck this week. I know it is over priced by 2-3K but the dealer said he is willing to deal. I just want to make sure that I'm not trading one set of problems for another. I'll let you all know how the inspection goes.

[Mike Rohkohl]

FWIW,
  I've got a 99' F350 Dually, 7.3PWRSTK, pulls a 53' gooseneck without any problems.
One problem to watch out for on a Ford 4x4 is whether it's an electric or manual shift to engage the 4x4. I honestly don't know whether Ford offered the electronic shift as early as 97' but they still have problems today with the electronic feature.
$13,000 does seem a bit high for a 97'.

Best regards.

[DoubleD]

Today I have seen in the city my first F 350 2 door cab with a Rhode Island plate. It is really big . Man you are lucky over there, here in Italy the gas cost almost $6 per gal :'( this explain why my car has a 1.0L engine :'(

[isassi]

Great thread, and I can't help but add my 2 cents  ;). I was a Dodge fan, and really wanted the Cummins. The older ones didn't seem to have the pulling power of the Fords and the older Chevy diesels didn't have anything going for them. But since I am cheap and diesels are high, I bought an '03 Dodge 2500 with the much talked about hemi. Now that was a bad choice. It got decent milage at 15 or so, pulled ok if I left the trailer empty or at home, and died when pulling more then 16,000. One day i was driving by my favorite dealer and said I had enough, time for a brand new Dodge diesel, and on the used lot, they had a '03 Chevy 1 ton Duramax with the Allison tranny. Long story short, left the hemi, took the Chevy, and haven't looked back. The duramax is an awsome engine, pulls like a dream. When I picked it up I was pulling a 25ft gooseneck flatbed with 21,000 on board, barely moving with the Dodge, and the Chevy took over and pulled down the interstate @ 70mph.  The fuel milage is impressive with 17 - 19 mpg pulling and local as an average. I still love Dodges, and I always will, but I love this truck. Very comfortable to ride in and quiet, without the noise of a Dodge. Only thing the still gets me is all the automatic stuff like lights and door locks.... :D

[Minnesota_boy]

One problem to watch out for on a Ford 4x4 is whether it's an electric or manual shift to engage the 4x4. I honestly don't know whether Ford offered the electronic shift as early as 97' but they still have problems today with the electronic feature.

My '94 F-150 has the electronic shift for the 4X4.  I don't know if that is true for the bigger trucks or not.

[ScottAR]

In the super duties, the XL trim level still gets a lever for the Tcase...  The XLT has to come with a button or dial or somthing...  Since I've grown to love my XL truck, I doubt I'll ever see a XLT inside...  My next ride will be a 450-550 or another Single tire 350 with an IH big brother...

[TexasTimbers]

I have '99 F350 Superduty Powerstroke Crew Cab that has around a quarter million miles on it and is just getting broke in good ;)
Doesn not use any appreciable oil between 4000mile changes. Only problem I ever had with it was the fuel seperator. $700ish repair. I can't complain and if I buy another it will be a Powerstroke.
With the chip set at the 65hp towing setting it has all the umph it needs, and is much quieter than those WAY_TOO_LOUD Cummins! ;)