7.3 PSD High Miles Question

[Okie Guy]

Ok I need some help from you ford owners. I have been toying with the idea of selling the Monty and getting a bigger better newer model. My better half found a pontoon boat(we have been looking for one for over a year). We now have almost decided to get the boat and forget trading up for another year. I have been thinking about getting an older(1999-2000) 7.3 power stroke to pull Monty. This would leave us the Chevy to pull the party barge. With this said I really don't want to spend a ton of money on a pickup I will be using about 1 time a month over the summer to pull the Monty less than 200 miles 1-way. I have a buddy with a 1999 PSD which looks like new and has never pulled anything. He doesn't want much for it but the miles have me concerned...220,000 miles. He hasn't had problems and I know diesel engines are supposed to last a long time, but how long? Would you trust a vehicle like this and if you would how much would you offer him?

TIA
Phil

[Bob Pasternak]

I wouldn't buy it if it had over a hundred thousand on it, but then I'm a Cummins person.

[LonnieB]

Hey Okie,
I had a '97 F350 SRW that worked it's butt off the whole time I had it. When I sold it there were 237,000 miles on the odometer. It had been through 3 transmissions, and 2 wrecks that both required frame straightening. Never had an engine problem other than glow plugs, and the guy I sold it to is still driving it today. On the other hand, we had in our construction company, a '99 F250 that had to have a new engine at 187,000 miles, an '02 F250 that had a new one at 142,000, and an '04 with a new engine at 180,000 miles. These three trucks were driven by people other than me though, and were most likely abused, so it's probably not fair to use them for comparison purposes.
As far as the '99 in question, sounds like it has been well cared for and would probably serve you well. It's always a gamble when you buy a used vehicle, but if you trust the seller, and the price is right, the odds are considerably more favorable. Go with your gut feeling.

[Hemlockusa]

I will have to side with LONNIE

[Cat320]

IMHO, too many miles for a used truck, regardless of make/model.

[illapah]

I drive a school travel bus (made by MCI) with over 750 thousand miles on it and it is still hauling kids to events.

[stiles watson]

I don't have used or new vehicle phobia. Before I picked up my Ford, used with 45,000 miles, I saw this construction guy driving a beat up Ford several years older than mine, but with a 7.3 PSD engine. I asked him how many miles were on his truck. His answer was 350,000 without any trouble except normal maintenance issues.

You should be able to buy it really cheap and get some service out of it. Once I bought a 12 year old Lincoln Towncar for $500, good body and motor, and drove it for a year including some really long trips. My only maintenance was to replace the mufflers. I sold it at the end of that year for $600. It was the most economical vehicle I ever owned.

[Wandering Star]

Drove a Ford 150 1985 flat top six for 270,000 miles with no major problems. Needed a bigger truck when we bought the Monty. Have the 7.3 power stroke for six years now with 167,000 Miles on it and expect to get a lot more out of it than the flat top. Truck has been excellent with the exception of the cam stroke relay. That problem has been addressed on this forum on how to purchase and do your own replacement.
If the truck was cared for and the price was right I wouldn't hesitate to buy.
Jon

[bsmeaton]

Phil,

Such a tough gamble. I would agree with Lonnie - it probably has a lot of life left in it. However, if it has any marginal problems, the 12,000 lb Montana will sure make them show up!

It's almost a "pay me now or pay me later" thing. You could easily spend some time on the side of the road with the hood up and your checkbook open. Towing is expensive, and a transmission alone cost me $4,000.

I personally think the truck is ready to retire for construction or a snowplow or something.

[illapah]

I tend to agree with those that state the optimum job for a real hi mileage vehicle is for around the farm or local only trips. that way you are not far from home if you are put to walking.

[tollmann]

IF you can buy it right and IF it has been properly maintained I wouldn't be afraid of the 99 PSD IF it is a late 99. Major changes were made part way through the 99 model year. Find out when it was built. My Ford dealer went through my 99 just before it ran out of warranty. He said my truck should be for another 200
thousand miles if I don't wreck it.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I had two 7.3s so I did a lot of research on them They are a great engine capable of very long life if they are maintained. One of the big things that can effect their life is making sure the coolant has been checked on a regular basis and the proper additive added in the right amount to protect the block from cavitation damage. Ford sent most of the earlier 7.3s out with not enough additive and I had to add to both of mine when they were new. You get dip strips for checking this from a diesel place because many Ford Techs don't even know about this. That is part of the trouble buying a truck with an engine made by another company.
Anyway, cavitation wear shows up in high mileage PSDs that were not checked for coolant additive. The additive wears out and has to be added every 50000 miles or so. You use a chart with the dip strips to stay within certain paremeters. Too much is no good either.
A lot of diesel engines are subject to cavitation block wear, some are not, and the incredible Cummins in the Dodge trucks is an engine not affected by cavitation, hence it's great long life reputation. Navistar V8s need to have the coolant monitered.
On a used truck it will be very hard to find out if the coolant has been maintained but you could check it. I used to pay about 3 bucks for a coolant test kit from a Navistar dealer.

[LonnieB]

Thanks for the info Don,

We have run the power strokes in the construction company ever since they came out in the Fords, 8 trucks so far, and nobody has ever mentioned that to us. It is something I will persue.

[Wrenchtraveller]

How to Protect your Diesel!
Supplemental Coolant Additives (SCA's) are important to ensure long diesel engine life. Their primary function is to protect the cylinder wall from cavitation erosion (pitting). Secondarily, they bolster the anti-corrosion additives in antifreeze. The purpose of SCA is to prevent cavitation erosion of the cylinder lines. The additive concentration should be checked every 4 months to assure that it is properly maintained. If the coolant system develops a leak that requires additional coolant to be added, the SCA concentration level should be checked and DCA-4 added as required to maintain the 1.5 to 3.0 units per gallon level.

Here is a paragragh from one of the many websites on diesel maintenance. The newer diesels do have a longer life coolant than the pre-2000 ones and I am not sure that the newer coolants are compatible with the older engines. I have heard arguments on both sides of this issue but one thing for sure, the Ford Navistar V8s are known to be prone to cavitation damage in high mileage engines that did not have regular coolant checks to keep the SCAs at the correct level.
DCA-4, mentioned in the paragraph above is a Fleetguard product. Ford sells the same thing at a higher price.
Also, a 4 month check is for a commercial rig that stacks up the miles fast. I think a yearly check would be good for most diesel pickups.

[Okie Guy]

Thanks for all the really great info guys. This is definately going to help me in my powerstroke search.

Phil