93 F250 7.3 Good Buy?
 

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and was hoping people here can share their knowledge with me.

So my friend and I are looking for a cheap truck to build so we can take it off-roading and I found this truck on craigslist but I am not sure if it's a good buy. Since I am a noob when it comes to diesels, I am not sure what to look for when I go see the truck. What's attracting me is the price, 4x4, and the reliability of the 7.3. Here is the what the post says,


Ford DIESEL F250 XLT 4X4 1993 - $900
7.3L IDI Diesel
Automatic
DMI Kwik Cush'n II Bumper
5th wheel hitch
Tires good
PW, PL, Power lumbar seats
Sony CD stereo
A/C cold
Everything works
4wd fine
Has the normal rust for a '93
*Transmission went into limp-home mode and will need repaired.


I'm going to get it towed to a junk yard so I can swap the transmission out. So my question is, is this a good deal? Is there anything sketchy about this truck? What should I look for when I go see it? Anything to watch out for visually, noises, feel? Lastly, would you take the risk and go for this truck? Thanks in advance!

Pat

Make sure it's stone cold when you go to see it so you will know how it starts, and check the antifreeze to make sure it isn't low, check the oil for signs of antifreeze

Thank you for your response. Checking it while it's cold shouldn't be a problem here. This may sound stupid but how do I check the oil for antifreeze?

If the coolant has a black or dark brown color in it, also oil will float on the coolant, so it should be easily noticeable

Thank you! I will go check for that later this week

anything other than a full radiator in these trucks is a red flag in my book. Make sure the glowplugs WTS light is on for around 10-15 seconds for a COLD start. I would also look for fuel in the valley pan below the intake just under the Injector pump, could be the olive bushings needed being replaced, mine has the 24 year old bushing on it still and took two days to get it removed, but is an easy task, if it's leaking fuel from the IP, could be time for a replacement, look for cans of starting fluid or ether, these are a no-no. Once the truck has gone quite a distance, and it's been shutdown for 30 minutes does it show long cranking? Would mean it's time for a new pump which would make the truck cheaper. Last thing I can think of is do both tanks work if you have them, and are they usable below 1/4 tank, common issue is they dry out and break off. Also how do they windshield wipers work?

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how many miles are on the truck, didn't see it on the post?

So far Dortiz ... you have this one covered ..

Oh man.... are all these common problems? If they're not as reliable as i heard then i might just go with a different truck. and the truck has 160,000 miles.

read my thread I posted, will outline what to look for, by all means these are EXTREMELY reliable trucks, if you maintain it. I've put over $3000 in mine so far because the last owner just destroyed this thing and didn't take care of it :td: but if I could find another one for the right price with a great body (and the body style I like 92 ^) then I would jump on it.

That is what I'm scared of. I made $1500 shoveling snow so that's all i have to play with for the truck. But with the towing fee and the transmission from the junkyard, there's no money left for major problems. Does yours start well in the cold? I'm in the Chicago suburbs and we hit -15 two nights ago.