So i found a 1996 F250 4X4 5spd with 190K miles. I'm going to go check it out tomorrow. They are asking $4500 for it. They said it is clean on the outside and 95% on the inside due to a small tare in the seat. It's an extended cab 2 door lifted about 4" with new tires. I'll be brand new to the diesel life. With the basic info I was given and posted here, is that a round about good deal? They also said that the 4x4 works fine.

How reliable is the engines for this year? I know there are two different engines, so i'll look for which one it is tomorrow when i go to look at it.

I hear two stories on the miles... a few say that's high, but then some say that's just breaking it in.

All together, I'd like to know what to look for, listen for, and what would rule out the truck from being a good buy/truck.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!
Mike

And that's the truck in the pics...

 

The 7.3 has a long life span

 

anyone around East Texas (Marshall or Tyler preferably) that might have some time to help a newb check this truck out this Monday or Tuesday?

 

The 7.3 was the only diesel available in 96 good engine

 

from what I looked up, there is two versions of the 7.3. One being the Powerstroke and the other is the indirect injection which i think were both still being installed in the 96. Are both still reliable and decently upgradeable? I know there's extensive info on them on this site, but i am just trying to get some quick info before i go check on the truck...

 

I believe the '96 was only the PowerStroke. The old IDI was back in the '94 or so era....
They are a great engine! If it's been cared for it will run twice that easily! From the initial looks, that one has been cared for. If so, that is around a fair price. Nothing wrong with trying to get if for less though; worse they can do is say no! (Check nada.com and you will be surprised to see how much it is still worth!)

Easiest way to get a good idea of the condition of the engine is to see how much blow by it has. You want to catch it cold (First start of the day and it is better if it is cold outside too!) On the left side valve cover there is a 3/4" rubber tube coming up to the air intake hose that runs between the air filter housing and the turbo inlet. This is the crankcase breather tube that lets blow by from the pistons escape the crankcase and go into the turbo to be burned in running the engine. You want to disconnect the hose so you can 'see' how much comes out of the small hose from the valve cover when the engine is started for the first time of the day. If it is next to nothing then you have a great engine (Most likely. There are other problems but this is a great quick check you can perform.) My boys has over 300,k and on a cold start in 35F weather there was no noticeable blow by at all!! Hope this helps!
Other things you can look for is the condition of the bed and rest of the body. If all is tight and there is no broken parts (Like the sides of the bed being broken loose from the floor) then hopefully it hasn't been abused badly. Part of this check can be to look for 'power' parts that have been added to the truck (Larger exhaust, aftermarket air cleaner, chips and power adders, and the like). Finding these doesn't mean it is a bad truck, just means you should look real close to make sure it hasn't been harmed by abuse.
Another quick easy check they may allow you to do is to take it and run a tank of fuel through it. If you do drive it as easy as you can. Keep it on the freeway around 65 mph. While there make sure the odometer is correctly keeping track of the miles you travel. After 100 or 200 miles fill it back up and check the mileage. (Be careful to fill it before and after this trip until you get fuel standing in the fill pipe at the same place both times. This will aide in making your calculations more accurate.) My boys has 4.10 gears and can get 18 mpg doing this. My FIL has an '01 and I have seen it get 21 mpg on the freeway like this. If this one gets good mileage like this, this is just another indication of it being in great shape.

Good luck with your decision! From the looks of it I think you have found a great truck!
Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

1994 was ast year of IDI then the stroker came out and was then intercooled in 99

 

Thanks for all the info! There's so much on this site I get overwhelmed. haha Hope the truck ends up being as nice as it looks. Been wanting a diesel dor a loooong time. Just couldn't afford to pay the tags back in California.... I s'pose thats all the questions i have at the moment. Sure there will be plenty to come when I finally get a truck!

 

Just saw your post. Where is the truck located? I'm about an hour north of Tyler on Lake Fork, if you would like me to go with you to look at it.
From what I can see in the pictures it looks like it's been taken care of. I've had a couple of 7.3s in the past for work trucks.. both IDI and Powerstrokes and both were great trucks overall. Let me know how to get in touch with you if you would like me to take a look at it with you.
Jim

 

I haven't posted ten times, so I couldn't send ya a pm... However, the truck is over in Marshall. I was going to call the guy tomorrow to try and see it, if it's still available. If you had the time, I'd appreciate the experienced eye!