1999 powerstroke f350

[BIGdaddy]

Thoughts? good Motor? 147,000 miles

Auto, manual floor shift tcase

Anyone know what tranny and tcase this might have?

I've been told that the pre-6.0L, 99.5-02 7.3L's are good motors. True?

I'm also seeing lots of V10's out there. I have good information that these are quality motors as well. My uncle has an e350 sportsmobile and and gets around 15mpgs with zero issues.

Which one would you rock if buying a used rig? No heavy towing anticipated.

 

[SLO_F-250]

Im sure there are numerous threads on here about this subject. Also check out the diesel forums. I like powerstoke.org. Personally I would get the 7.3L no question. If you go 6.0L do your research as you'll have to drop some serious $$ into the motor to fix the stock problems to get a reliable truck.

I see you have 99.5-2002 7.3L on there. Don't be afraid of the "earlybirds" which have a build date before March 99. That is what mine is. 215k on the clock now and purring like a kitten. There are some minor differences than the later 7.3L's but nothing to worry about. Turbo is different, HPOP, U-Bolts, and hubs/rotors right off the bat, but it is all fully documented and easy to work with. From what I read the "gem" is a 99' manufactured after March 99 and before 00.

V10's are much cheaper but will drink gas and not last as long as the diesel.

7.3L is a great motor and is one of the best diesel motors built (not just my opinion). I would not hesitate to get one with 147k on the clock. I think I bought mine with about 140k on the clock 6 years ago. Only expensive thing I did on it was rebuild the front end at 205k. Bearings, axle seals, ball joints, tie rods, etc. I also elected to do everything at once rather than just a few times as things wear out. I only wanted to take the heavy girl apart once. Therefore it was more $$ at the time but well worth it.

So let the debate begin. haha :ylsmoke:

Here's what I "rock," details in my sig. Good Luck!

 

[redthies]

All the 7.3s are good motors. Yours would have the 4R100 trans. It is a decent auto trans, but like 95% of them, might need a rebuild at some point if it hasn't been done. Expect $2000 for a mostly stock rebuild and upwards of $5000 if you go for a serious hd trans.

'99 is the first year of the major re-do that is the superduty. I don't know if that worries you. My '97 has just shy of 300,000 miles on it, and it still runs great. Lots of power and 18 mpg empty. I know diesel is getting expensive, and cost of repairs on diesels is higher than gas engines, but if it is well maintained I would jump on it. 147k is very low mileage for a diesel of that age. You could expect a lot of years of use out of that truck.

The V10 engines had a habit of spitting spark plugs out of the head (sometimes right through the hood). Some of the Triton fans on here can fill you in on which years were more prone to it. Some people call this "Internet hype", but I know of two cases among my immediate circle of friends.

 

[cnynrat]

We have a '99 F350 with the 7.3l Powerstroke, pretty much like the one you are considering. It hasn't been a daily driver for us since late 2006, so we're only at about 105k miles. It's been a great truck overall, and I would not hesitate to buy one with 147k so long as it's been well maintained.

We've only had two issues with the truck. We had the cam position sensor fail twice. This was a fairly common problem, but Ford eventually caught on and redesigned the part and issued a recall. As far as I know this problem is resolved, and I'd expect the truck you are looking at has the new sensor already. We also replaced the torque converter at about 95k miles. Not unheard of to have torque convertor or transmission issues with this truck, particularly if you are doing much towing, or in our case hauling a relatively large camper. I think the transmission is the weak link in the drivetrain. I don't worry about the engine at all.

I know it used to be thought that you would have to replace the HEUI injectors sometime during the second 100k miles on these engines. I haven't followed the history on the '99s to see if that's turned out to be the case. If needed, it's a fairly costly repair, but well worth the investment if it gets you another 100-150k miles on the engine.

Here's a picture of ours with the camper loaded up parked in Winslow AZ across the street from it's older brother:

 

[Rot Box]

A friend of mine has over 300k on an early 99. VERY solid truck!

It wouldn't hurt to carry an extra CPS (crankshaft position sensor) in the glove box and look into replacing the stock selectable hubs with something stronger. Replacing the glow plugs (with IH/Ford only) would be a good preventative item as well.

With that mileage you have a lot of life left in the engine if it was cared for. The transmission health is anyones guess. If it has maintenance records that would be great. I would change the fluid/filter (no chemical flushes!) and consider adding an aftermarket temp gauge for peace of mind.

I don't think the V10 is a bad engine. I don't know much about them other than poor fuel mileage, decent power and the reality of stripped spark plug threads.

 

[Buliwyf]

The V10 engines had a habit of spitting spark plugs out of the head (sometimes right through the hood). Some of the Triton fans on here can fill you in on which years were more prone to it. Some people call this "Internet hype", but I know of two cases among my immediate circle of friends.

Some mechanics are idiots. Any deep aluminum head + idiot mechanic = internet stories like this. The 2v heads can be stripped by momo's that don't know how to turn a wrench. The 3v heads can have the plugs sieze in place. Any competant TECHNICIAN can fix either problem easy.

The 7.3L is a great engine. The 4r110 trans will need a rebuild eventually. Both the 7.3L and 4r110 are worth rebuilding (as needed) if the rest of the truck is in good shape. You're not really going to find a better type of truck.

 

[redthies]

Some mechanics are idiots. Any deep aluminum head + idiot mechanic = internet stories like this. The 2v heads can be stripped by momo's that don't know how to turn a wrench. The 3v heads can have the plugs sieze in place. Any competant TECHNICIAN can fix either problem easy.

The 7.3L is a great engine. The 4r110 trans will need a rebuild eventually. Both the 7.3L and 4r110 are worth rebuilding (as needed) if the rest of the truck is in good shape. You're not really going to find a better type of truck.

I had you in mind when I mentioned triton fans:elkgrin:
I have seen two lose plugs, one of which is a company 4x4 van looked after by the most competent and contentious mechanics I know. The guy is a freaking genius, and keeps our fleet of 80+ offroad abused rigs going day after day!

 

[Got Beer]

I am driving my second 7.3l truck. First 7.3l was 2002 I bought new and would have kept forever had some fool not totaled it in Mexico. Towed a ski boat or a travel trailer at full speed up the grades and I could keep the air conditioner running. I had a 2001 F250 with V-10; could not pass that one along soon enough. MPGs were beyond terrible and i could not get out of my own way whenever a trailer was connected. By trailer I mean a simple flat bed with 2 dirt bikes, bbq, and some firewood; could not maintain any speed up hills and even doggish on flats. Now driving a 2001 7.3l and back to happiness. Back to towing a travel trailer fully loaded and keeping pace up the grades. I bought this one with 171,000 and was not afraid (I did give it a good twice-over before purchase).

Go for the 7.3. Decent price. Find one not abused. it will be around for a long time.

 

[Buliwyf]

Sounds like a broken V10.

The ones in our Fleet tow allmost as well as the 7.3L diesels. You just need to actually step on the gas peddle. Heck we switched back to lesser 5.4L Fords and 6.0L gas Chevys to pull about 9,990 pounds. Sure we use full throttle alot, but that's never really hurt anything.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Thanks everyone for the info so far. I think I'm going to take the fam out to see one locally. Hopefully we'll be able to get some good seat time to see how we like it.

 

[jronwood]

I had a 2000 F-550 7.3 manual 2WD, now a 2002 F-350 4x4 7.3 auto CC/CC (w/19.5's) AND a 2000 F-550 4x4 V10 auto crane truck/flatbed/log bed.

I love each of the engines, V10 fires right up, use it locally, and for plowing my drive, grabbing logs (Hiab 035). The 350 is my "family/over the road delivery" truck. I REALLY like the 7.3, they dont start as easy in the cold, cold as a Cummins (have a 5.9 in a 2002 33K Freightliner). I am going to build a 550 four door 6 speed 4x4 home brew RV rig. I have not decided on the motor yet, might steal the 5.9 for it or a 7.3, V10 for me is only a regional rig.

GOOD trucks. Ironwood