Any 1999 F-250 owners?

stanford

14-15 mpg sounds a bit low, unless he's towing. I have a '93 F350 with the regular diesel (less efficient then today's powerstrokes) and average 16mpg city/highway unloaded. I'd heard 18-20 combined averages with the powerstrokes before the 1999 model year (unloaded).

Brutus

My folks have a 97 PSD 2wd dually with the 4.10 and say they get about 17 mpg unloaded and around 12 towing a 35 foot fifth wheel.

mikef150

After 8 weeks and 5 days it finally arrived!! My F250 XLT regular cab PSD 3.73 came in exactly as ordered...absolutely awesome....the power is incredible....i had never taken one for a test drive until it came in...After waiting, i am definitely impressesd and can say it's well worth the wait!....thanks to all for your imput along the way...would have posted earlier today, but have been playing with the new toy!
--MikeF150

KCRam

Mike,

congrats and good luck - maybe you should change that screen name though

chadw1

I ordered a cc f-250 two weeks ago. I would like to know of some companies that offer accessories for the '99 models. ( at good prices, I hope). The custom shops in town, according to their prices, are very proud of their products.

chadw1

JB,
THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. IT SEEMED TO BE A GOOD SITE IF ONLY IT WORKED. I WILL CHECKING IT OUT OFTEN TO SEE IF THEY HAVE FIXED THEIR PROBLEM.
AGAIN THANKS. CW

P.S. IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY OTHER PLACES I HAVE AN OPEN EAR.

jim2

I was looking at 5th wheel trailers this weekend and was told by the dealer not to buy a 4x4 Ford Superduty because they won't fit under a 5th wheel. I checked with two other 5th wheel dealers and they said the same thing.

Dodge 4x4's are also very high but none of the 5th wheel dealers said the dodge has a problem working.

I would like to hear from anyone with a '99 4x4 Superduty who has been able to fit under a 5th wheel. Are some modifications needed or not?

I'm going to email Fleetwood and see if there is an industry standard for pickup bed height to fit under a 5th wheel. Will let you know if I get any additional information.

Airwolf

So, I've decided to purchase an F-250 XLT Supercab LWB v10 4x4. With the goodies, it invoices at $27,506, and I figure with 3% holdback and 5% profit, it should come to 27,889. I thought 28,000 was fair (no taxes, etc.) but they want 28,400.
Has anyone else gotten closer than $400 difference in invoice and what the dealer wants?
BTW, I know that Isbell Ford will do it for $99 under. I factored the cost of airfare, fuel, time, and mileage (1700 miles) and thought a dealer would have to come down to $28,000 to balance out Isbell. So far, the dealer is $400 over the difference.
Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Ryan

Brutus

Jim2,

I believe you might have to do some modifications. There is something that will lower the rear of the Superduty and there is also something you can do to the springs of the trailer to raise it up. A good source of info can be found at www.happycampers.com. They have a chat area. You can scroll through previous responses to see if they have already discussed the issue and/or you can post your own questions. I've found that site to be very helpful with my camper purchasing decision. I found out about the site from people on this site.

kirkpama

Airwolf,

I bought an F250 XLT Supercab, LWB, V10, 4x4, Offroad pkg, keyless entry, dual pwr mirrors, captains chairs, 6way pwr drivers seat, trailer towing pkg, 265/75 tires and spare, passenger air bag, 5 speed, privacy glass,CD & Cassette, Trailer hitch, & Sliding rear window. It invoiced for $26,100 and they sold it to me for $26,600. The holdback is built into the invoice so you should not allow for it. They usually sell for $49 over invoice, but on the 99's they want $500 over invoice. I bought it from Turnpike Ford in Marmet WV.

Brutus

If you can get a Superduty for $500 over dealer invoice, you've done good. The trucks are in high demand right now and the supply is low. When that's the case, you can throw out any formulas you may normally use to factor in fair dealer profits. Your best bet is just to get several dealers involved in a bidding process against each other.

singer2

JB here---just caught msg. re: F250's & 5th wheelers!! I didn't get to check alternate site yet, however, immediately called 5th Dealer in Indiana---he stated that Ford realized that they made a mistake(from a marketing viewpoint) that in fact, their F250's 4x4's are too high to fit a 5th wheel underneath them. It was suggested that customers go to their trk. dlrs. and have them install the kit that lowers the rear axles to the complimentary level necessary for the 5th----at their expense!! Because Ford Marketing Dept. polled the 5th Wheel dealers and then realized that they needed to come up with a kit that would bring the vehicle back in line with the 5th wheeler----NOT the other way around!! Fortunately, some RV dealers were hip enough to realize the oncoming problem by incorporating an adjustable running gear in their '99 models, just in case the 5th wheel had to be elevated to a higher level----but not an unsafe level. I am visiting our dealer in about 30 min. to discuss alternatives---because we don't want to cancel our trk order. I'll keep you posted. JB

laverntonkin

I have 350 miles on my second '99 F250 SD. I picked it up on the 4th of July for $750 UNDER invoice at Patriot Ford in Beckly, WV. It's a supercab long bed XLT 4X4 with 7.3 diesel and auto. Invoice of $29,849 and I paid $29,099. I think the sticker was $34,165.

I have been pulling a 28' 5th wheel with the original truck without any problems. It's basically the same truck except it is a short bed. The only towing problem I had was having to mount the the hitch a little further back than I wanted because of where the frame brackets bolted.

The long bed will solve that problem - I can mount it a little bit forward. I couldn't do it with the sort bed for clearance reasons.

I am using a Reese 14K hitch that bolts through the bed to the frame.

retireeee

jim2, et all----purchased a f250 sdsc power stroke, auto, 4wd, etc. Installed a reese slide, 5ht wheel hitch, with a 27 ft. wilderness, by fleetwood 5th wheel trailer, and everything fit perfect. In the manuvering position the pin is over the axel and in the towing position the pin is several inch's in front of the axel. Gas milage on tank 1(not pulling 5th wheel) was 17.1 mpg and on tank 2 was 18.1 and tank 3 is 18.4 so far. Will be taking a trip soon with the 5th wheel and will update millege upon return. Pulled 5th wheel home from the dealer (12miles) and you hardly knew it was attached. This is a perfect truck for towing, or just going down the highway.

singer2

Not intended to turn site into a 5th discussion--just one final note--visited Ford Dlr. They were clueless regarding available kit to reduce the height of the shortbed. Sls.man is checking it out on 7/22. He feels that Ford Corp. should make good on the kit expense--I'll get that in writing!! Longbed is fine--but shortbed problem could be solved with PullRite Hitch!! I'll check with Chad at PullRite on bolt location. P.S. Enjoy your Ford PPS: Option cost on 235 to 265 tires----$390. No thanks!! JB. Extra---the only thing that kind of irked my wife and I was that the Dlr.ship new why we were buying the F250---to compliment the 5th-----
but they didn't say a word, not one, about the height---though the Main Office of Ford knew of the problem, proven by their own admission of having to poll the leading RV Mfgs. Point----do your homework!!!!!!

chadw1

Has anyone heard if Ford is going to offer the 5.4L with 260hp in the super duty like they are going to offer it in the 1999 f-150/250 trucks.

harold2

just bought a 1999 f250 4wd w/5.4l engine. truck has a harmonic vibration from 52 to 62 mph when under acceleration. anyone else had this problem?

also, what other warranty problems seem to be cropping up?

harold2

got another problem or two. motor lugs and sounds like its dieseling or knocking; also, the gas guage flops back and forth when low to "empty, then back to 1/4 full, then "empty" again. anyone else had this problem? also, are there any other chat rooms/web sites devoted to warranty issues and problems?

kirkpama

Harold,

My gas gauge will read incorrectly when the tank is not full. For example, if the tank is 3/4 full and I park facing downhill, then when I start the truck, the gauge will say it is at 1/2 full. If I park facing uphill, then it will say it is Full. It will not correct itself shortly after running on level ground. Most of my trips around town are not long enough for the gauge to adjust and give a correct reading. My guess is that placement of the sensor in the tank is in the back of the tank, but I don't know why it won't correct itself after a few minutes.

I have the V10, and it has never bogged down on me yet. I have hauled a couple of loads around 2500 lbs and it still had plenty of power.

Airwolf

Has anyone installed an aftermarket CD Player or upscale entertainment center in their 1999 F-250 dash? If so, what kind?

thanks,
Ryan

harold2

kirkpama

motor has plenty of power, it just has that rattling sound of detonation. knocking like with poor gas, you know?

anybody else out there hearing what i'm hearing?

also, did anyone ACTUALLY get a 3.73 ratio with limited slip on their v10, or did they all come with 4.30? how about with the v8 and limited slip? i was told 4.10 was the only combo...

kirkpama

I went with the 3.73 without limited slip because I don't pull a trailer and wanted slightly better gas mileage. I decided that if I needed better traction, I could use the shift on the fly.

stanford

There's plenty of space in the dash for just about all aftermarket CD players. I've removed my old system from my '93 in preperation of selling it -- the '99s seem to have an even deeper radio slot (larger face too, of course).

Speaker placement in the new trucks is slightly better, although rear speakers in the CC are still poorly placed. The extra space behind the CC back seat will be welcome, though. I've got a Kenwood PDC9000 with 4 a/d/s 325is mid/highs, 4 JL 10W1 subwoofers, and a McIntosh amplifier right now (all hidden). I'm going to get one of the (prob. Alpine) in dash LCD screen setups for the new truck, though. If it ever gets here...

Brutus

Initially, the 3.73 limited slip was an option on the F-350 SRW, but not the F-250. You get get the 3.73, but not with the L/S. Ford changed that and you can now get the 3.73 L/S with the F-250 SRW. The only way to get the L/S with the duallys is the 4.30.

checksix

Ford advises that the option is available, but
not until September. I didn't want to lose my place in line, so I'll go with the original order
and stay in South Texas all winter.

richflynn

Harold2,
No wty problems/issues at all. This is the first new vehicle that I've purchased that I couldn't nit pick about!

checksix,
I have ordered and received my F-250 SD with the 3.73 axle, limited slip. In California we had no other choice due to CARB.

all,
I just returned from the Pittsburgh, PA area. (Funeral) I rented a Hertz, Nissan Sentra. My F-250 SD is smoother and less noisy! It may have been their poor freeways but I was never so glad to get back into my F-250.

Rich

checksix

Rich:
Now I am really confused: Ford(salesman?) tells
me the production line will not start producing
this option until September.
Obviously, he is misinformed (or worse).

The dilema is :Who can you believe: a car salesman or a person who has already taken delivery of one? (HA)

I am going to confront him tomorrow. Since I have not received a VIN #, I may be able to slip the
change in. Thanks for the timely info.
What does CARB stand for?

FYI: I have lived in the Pittsburgh area most
of my life. We have a procedure here for the
construction of new freeways: When the road is
finished, they have to create artificial potholes
until they form naturally.

Airwolf

Although we don't have one yet in florida, carb is
California
Air
Resources
Board
The governing board that since the 60's has mandated cars meet stricter requirements than federal air standards allow. In fact, California was the first state to introduce air standards.

Cheers,
Ryan

harold2

took my short bed,extended cab, 4wd back to the dealer because of the harmonic vibration problem at 55mph. mechanic rode in the truck, acknowledged the vibration noise, said he would fix it. just got a call from the dealer, they say that all the trucks have that particular vibration, they don't know how to fix it therefor there must be nothing wrong. i find this answer unacceptable, especially when no one else on this page has experienced the same problem. does ANYONE else notice a vibration at 55 in their truck (4.10 ratio limited-slip v8)? please let me know, yes or no. looks like i'm entering the warranty service twilight zone.

richflynn

harold2,
On your vibration. I would ask the service manager to get the Ford factory representative involved. If the dealer refuses, contact Ford directly. (They have a toll free customer service number.)

I've posted this elsewhere but; According to my dealer the Ford quality team goes through three build phases.
1 - Prototype the vehicle itself. (Do the parts fit?)
2 - Prototype the assembly line. (Can the vehicle be assembled by the production line.)
3 - Final production test. (Were the problems in 1 & 2 fixed.)

Note that phase 3 may be included in the actual production run. i.e. It may not be separate.

Rich

checksix

Richflynn

you didn't say which engine you have. Is it the
Powerstroke or V-10 gas engine?

swanders

i finally got mine and wanted to share some info regarding questions i had while waiting for delilvery.

it took 15 weeks for delivery. i think it was well worth it. i got the lariat with everything and glad i did. truck performs like a dream. plenty of power. 2200 miles now and avg slightly over 12 mpg overall. esof works great with no problems. only complaint is the overhead monitor that registers temperature, mpg, miles to mty, etc., is awkward and hard to read. a little thing i can live with. this is a truck!

laverntonkin

Great news on your truck and the esof. Dealer bought mine back Monday. It was one of the first ones out so maybe that had something to do with it. Who knows!!!! I am now driving one without esof and I love it. I have all of 750 miles on it.

Good luck!!

sselker

How about some feedback on the two types of mirrors available on the SD. I'm debating on which style to get....I wish one could adjust the length on the TT style and it won't matter to me. What's your options on the pedestrian slappers....

dmscms

Does the limited slip option offer much if one has 4 wheel drive? If so, what are some of the big advantages it offers in addition to the 4X4?

I am purchasing an F250 SD 4X4 because I launch and retrieve a sailboat that weighs 7000lbs. The part of the boat ramp that is under water is often very slippery and the rear wheels will spin while trying to pull the boat out of the water, especially without a 4X4. With the 4X4 the two front wheels give me the extra pull I need to get the two back tires out of the water and onto dry pavement. I am not planning to get the limited slip because I didn't think it would offer me much. What are your opinions?

richflynn

checksix,
I got the power stroke! (Third diesel.)

sselker,
I went with the TT mirrors, electric adjustable. They are a dream! The cost was something like $154. Over which I'm not sure. My dealer ordered my truck twice; once with and once w/o the electrics. He got them both!

There is one complaint with the electric TT mirrors. The blind spot mirrors aren't adjustable. There's nothing really wrong with that but my preference would be less truck in the right and less sky in the left. Go with the electric adjustable TT mirrors. You'll be glad after every trip to the car wash.

dmscms,
If it were me, I would go with the limited slip. It is only like $300. I know with my '92 F-250 going over Deadwood Summit in sleet and snow I was glad I had it. I was able to get out of the Oakhurst valley with ease. I've also been half on a very soft shoulder and pulled right out with the LS rear end.

You'll hear from some people that a LS will put into the ditch on slippery roads. That could be true BUT what they don't tell you is that you have to be doing something stupid too. If you are in a situation where only one wheel has traction. If you apply full throttle as you are driving out of this situation funny things can happen. With full throttle, one wheel is getting significantly more power than the other. To correct for this situation the driver has the front wheels turned into the direction of the power. When the other rear wheel gains traction two things happen. First the power to the wheel with the original traction is reduced which cause the front wheel steering angle to have more effect. Second the rear wheel that just gained traction starts pushing, also in the direction of the front wheel angle. So the vehicle has a tendency to go towards the side where the wheel had traction.

I did it once coming off of a gravel shoulder to see what would happen. I was doing maybe 25 MPH when both wheels got full traction. The truck jumped 3", maybe 6" to the left. I came to the conclusion that, yeah you could wind up in the ditch; but you'ld really have to try hard.

Rich

kirkpama

dmscms,

I would have went with the limited slip on my 250 if it was available. I hear that by Sept., it will be available. Shift on the fly can help in some cases if you don't have limited slip, but don't shift into 4x4 and stomp on the gas if you have a back wheel slipping. Give it the gas slowly, because it won't engauge the 4x4 instantly with SOF. I have had limited slip for the past 12 years and have NEVER had it to cause me any problems, not even the slightest. It has kept me going in a lot of situations that would have required me to lock in the hubs and go to 4x4 if I didn't have limited slip.

pworange

dmscms A 4X4 without limited slip is really a two wheel drive truck!!. In two wheel drive the rear wheel with the least resistance turns, therefore if you are on a slippery spot, ice, oil, gravel, the slime on a boat ramp etc. The wheel that is easiest to turn will. In four wheel drive the front axle does the same thing. Therefore in 4 wheel drive in slippery conditions you have one wheel on the front and one on the rear trying to provide traction. With limited slip the differential transfers drive to the wheel with the best traction, this constant transfering of traction is what makes limited slip a bit of a problem if you gun it on slippery roads. (But you really shouldn't gun it on slippery roads). In two wheel drive with limited slip you effectively have both rear wheels providing traction. In four wheel drive you have both rear and one front or effectively 3 wheel drive. They do make limited slip front axles but they are few and far between I think.

pworange

As far as the TT mirrors. If your driving close enough to anybody or anything to hit the mirrors you should damn well be going pretty slow and carefully. If you do need to you can pull them back manually against the truck. But if I had to be driving in that tight of space all the time I'd be a nervous wreck.

jim2

Checksix: If you check the detailed description of 1999 F250 Super Duty Ford Pickups on this Edmonds site, you will find limited slip in 3.73 is only available with the diesel. I advise printing it out as you have to check part numbers to see what goes with what. Only certain engine, transmission and rear axle ratio combinations are available. As of today, when ordering a V10 you have to order the 4.30 to get limited slip. If you want 3.73 limited slip, you have to get the diesel. 3.73 without limited slip is available with the V10. Maybe this is changing in September.

Another example is the heavy duty automatic transmission on a Chevy pickup is only available with the 8600 GVWR 3/4 ton truck. Read the fine print on the options list and you should be able to find out what combinations are available.

I doubt if the salesmen pay much attention to these things unless they have been selling Ford trucks for quite a while. I'm afraid you will have to print out the options list and figure out on your own what you can and can't order. I wouldn't depend on a salesman, who might be wrong, with as long a wait as there is on these trucks.

checksix

You are right; the info on the Edmunds site
spells it out in three or more places:
No lim slip 3.73 with the 99S V-10 Engine.
When I did my research back in January,
Edmunds did not have any information published
on the 1999 SD's. I got my info from some other
net source, and It showed the L/s as available.

Today, I was told by the Ford dealer that it is
available next week. See my post on Topic#158
response#349.

Brutus

In a previous topic about the 3.73 limited slip for the F-250, I made reference to a Ford technical bulletin. Someone who works as a Ford engineer and participates in another website discussion area said that Ford released a bulletin saying that the 3.73 limited slip is now available for the F-250. He even made reference to the bulletin date. I believe it was in May. The 3.73 limited slip was always an option in the F-350 V-10 SRW. If you scroll back through this topic or possibly the Superduty delivery topic, you should find a lot of posts addressing the subject.

As far as a 4wd without limited slip being essentially a 2wd, that may be true on a technical point. I don't claim to have a lot of technical knowledge in that area. However, the difference would still be huge when it comes to traction in a 4wd over a 2wd, regardless of whether you have limited slip. It's the pull vs push argument. In 4wd, you have the front end pulling you up the steep inclines, in addition to getting some push from the rear. That makes a lot of difference on a slippery sloping surface, regardless of whether you have limited slip. Of course, having limited slip is better than not having it, but 4wd without it will still provide better traction on slippery slopes than a 2wd with it.

checksix

Brutus:
F-250 3.73 with Traction Loc 99-s V-10 Gas engine.
Since the news bulletin came out, you could
"ORDER" this option.
The problem is Ford isnt going to "PRODUCE" it
until Sept.

singer2

Last friday, I spoke with my dealership here in PA. She, without hesitation, indicated that the 3.73, V-10 with Ltd Slp is currently available. She gave NO indication that production on these specific units was being pushed back to Sept. No indication whatsoever. For what it's worth!!

JB

Airwolf

I have talked with three dealers here in Florida (Tally, Ft. Myers, Naples) and not a one of them are aware the 3.73 ltd slip is available with the V-10, F250. Is there a phone number at Ford someone can call and just ASK if the F250 V10 can get the 3.73 ltd slip?

Ryan

singer2

Just checked with my dealership and they stated that most other dealers are only checking their "source" code books. That procedure will not allow the option XC1 to coincide with V-10 engine, F250. If I hear any more this evening. I'll be sure to post. Thanks!!

JB

laverntonkin

Do you have the esof? My first '99 f250 had a vibration - with esof. Dealer ended up buying it back. I now have one without the esof and I haven't had any problems yet.

jim2

What does esof stand for?

kirkpama

Jim,

Electronic Shift On the Fly

Airwolf

JB,
Thanks for the info. If you hear anything else, please let me know. I guess that the source book is where most order from, so if I want the 3.73, where would I tell them to look?

Nolan1,
That is a beautiful paint job --- for about 5 months. If you look back in this echo (or the next F250 one) you'll see that Ford discontinued that paint for the same reason Dodge did last year: Extreme rapid fading, paint peeling, and poor overall longevity of the paint on the truck. If you have problems, make sure to have Ford repaint it under warranty.

Good luck,
Ryan