Newbie post here! I have an '87 6.9L 4 spd. manual F-250, I pulled a trailer with while on vacation 4 years ago.a friend has been kind enough to start it regularly and check batteries and then he made me aware of an awesome deal on a camper shell which i bought and am planning to mount. I have heard a lot about replacing fuel filters, checking return lines, checking for rot/growth in fuel tanks, replacing belts, hoses, glow points, and draining/flushing cooling system. The truck ran great while i used it and the odometer read 140k at the time i left it with my friend. here's my situation: I live overseas and have a great job but not much time to enjoy the damn thing(Once a year, Christmas vacation, California state beaches/parks for 3 weeks a year).I don't want to change anything engine-wise because its so dependable as is, i would definitely consider a 5 spd. trans and maybe converting to 4wd later on but also these are icing on the cake.i am satisfied with what a lot of people on some of these forums think of as a substandard, horsepower starved tuck.suits me great, thanks. My question (Finally! you're thinking) is how does one make one of these guys last forever?I remember one mechanic laughing and telling me "wow, never get rid of this truck, they are so basic and all mechanical"- While this is true, there must be some/few/many? issues with this engine.What should a end user owner be looking out for? Conversely, what do i NOT need to worry about? Thanks for help with such a broad topic question!! Bulltuno.

 

Always put Sta-bul in the fuel tank when not in use. It saved my rear a number of times. Used it once on a 1971 Winnebago that had sat for 6 years, it kinda started but smelled like I'd just varnished the whole motorhome. I put 3 bottles in the tank, ran it though the system, shut it down and let it sit for a week. The stuff cleaned out the whole system, I thought I was going to have to replace the gas tanks, replace or rebuilt the carburettor, replace the lines, but I drove it for years after that and I never had another problem with the fuel system.

 

Thanks so much katsbls! Had no idea the product existed. Will tell my friend to grab some and use it in the tank(s)! Bulltuno.