Hey guys so im a ford guy from a ford family (gramps retired from ford after got out of the navy) I currently have a 99 7.3 BUT I need to downsize to a srw so I found a guy with a 99 2500 ext cab 8ft that wants to trade I drove it today and its just like my ford size and all (except duals) and im comfortable with that however its got ALOT of slack in the steering I was poking around and it appears to be the gearbox and maybe the tie-rod attached to pitman arm? is that the common thing to cause the Death Wobble from hell on these trucks? Also seems to have a coolant leak however I cant pinpoint where its coming from was not the reservoir and the end-tank on the rad seems to be okay but is there a common leak on these trucks like maybe bad rad cap? The trucks sitting around 230 been stock till around 220 now has a edge cts (The smaller touch screen of the two) rebuilt trans with larger pan and bigger cooler and a fass 150 GPH lift pump oh and a 4 or 5In dp to full 5 strait to the back, what else should I be looking for or suspect of? My first love of diesels came when I was 12 and my neighbor/boss bought an 01 and that's the truck that started it all (and why I ended up joining the seabee's as a construction mechanic!) so needless to say im stoked about this truck I just want to make sure shes not a heap! He mentioned its the engine from Mexico or something and its not the one that is prone too cracking? SOOOOO without further adue! fire away and let me know what you guys think and what some good mods would be to aid in some power as well as MAXIMUM reliability!
Thanks in advance!

 

check for a 53 stamped or cast into the block above the oil pan on the passenger or drivers side of the block around the center...

also check for signs of coolant leaking from the passenger side of the block above the freeze plugs but below the head behind the turbo.


coolant leak could also be the heater hoses or heater core...

mine had a leaky heater core...have the dash pulled out almost all the way, and my hvac box is 100% out of my truck so I can replace the heater core and evaporator core.

 

Cool thanks for the help! The 53 blocks are the bad ones?

 

Only some of the 53 blocks were bad.

Check your fuel pressure at the VP-44, there is a Schreader Valve there to attach a gauge too. You said there was a FASS on the truck, ask about the truck having the in-tank pump.

Make sure to use 2 stroke oil in the fuel, 128:1 or 1 ounce to 1 gallon, if you have a 36 gallon tank, put in 36 ounces. Or if you put in 16 gallons at a fill up, put in 16 ounces. Easy math....

The front end of these trucks are 'soft', the parts wear out quickly. I got 88k from the original parts and now I have about 20k on the MOOG parts, and still no problems. The front ends wear out due to the parts not being heavy enough to hold the engine weight(engineering problem).

Check and change out all the fluids when you get the truck, this way you know when they were changed.

If the truck is an auto, see what parts were replaced and when.

HTH.

 

Proably need new tie rods, and gear box not a huge deal if you can do all the labor your self. Not all 53 blocks are bad their were just a few bad molds out of many.. My auto has 253K on the original tranny and still going strong...

 

so I looked again and it did have a huge 53 just above the oil pan and with the POSSIBILTY of the block on top of a WAY less than steller body im kinda hessitant on this one there is a 2000 that came from SC that is rust free which here in MI is gold but thats only a RC SB sigh kinda sucks I was WAY stoked too... welp I suppose ill find a cash buyer on my stroker one day and maybe get myself a 12 or 24 ive seen a few vids on youtube of 24s with p100s maybe ill find a 24 with a bad fp for cheap and make one of them! welp for now to the few that have replied your help was VERY helpful in my case (sadly went away from the truck) but VERY much appreated! Thanks again!

 

Why dont ya just get a single rear wheel axel, new rims, and remove the spacers off the front of you truck. Then you wont have a dully. Maybe find a bed without the fender flares.. Just a though. Im not a huge fan of P1000 on a 24 valve. Is it cool. Yes it is, but most guys I know who have done this are constantly fighting issues. The vp44 is as good as any injection pump out their, its just like to be feed well from the lift pump. And the lift pump is what will kill the VP44.

 

yea... I could do that I suppose all id have to do is pull the tubs off my bed and get some mud flares to cover the minor cutout for the dual tubs.... I just liked the idea of havin a cummins... I do love my stroker and she runs out good for the tank that she is, I got it when I was shipped back home here and now my parking situation calls for a srw... converting to srw should free up some weight too... Idk we'll see

 

53 blocks aren't that bad...mine is a 53 block with 239k and putting down 576hp/1285tq @ the rears...

long as it ain't cracked just take it easy on the throttle and load till the engine reaches operating temp, then let her rip

and don't sled pull with it that stresses the hell out of a truck...lotta guys bend their frames doing sled pulls because that cummins just won't quit and produces ridiculous amounts of torque.

 

yea see thats the thing being my 2nd truck be it my stroker or the cummins its gonna be my reliable toy that I can do a sled pull on sat then just drive it up north for the weekend and i wouldnt want to risk the block like that...... Ill find one one day...