1999 F250SD CC, Diesel

pocisk

I'm thinking about buying a 1999 F250SD Crew Cab wit Lariat package, 4x4, automatic and 100,000 miles on it.
The asking price is 19,950.
What do you think. I have only seen pictures of the truck and it seems to be in a perfect condition.

When i go there what should I look for?
Any specific tips on buying a diesel truck.
It's my first time.
Thanks a lot.

pocisk

Give me some advice, guys.
I'm supposed to go test it on Saurday.
Thanks.

mullins87

Do you know if it is an early '99 or a '99.5? It does make a difference. Each one has its good and bad points. I have a '99 and think it's great, but there are others out there that swear the early '99 model is junk. Proper maintenance is paramount on a diesel, especially with an auto. Diesels are bad about chewing through torque convertors due to their high torque engines, we're talking about 500ftlbs!!! Make sure that tranny has had its fluid changed at least every 30k miles. Ask if SCA levels have been maintained in the cooling system. The SCA's are coolant additives designed for diesel engines and their specific coolant needs. The SCA's in this case are referred to as "FW-15" in the owners manual. "FW-15" has been replaced with "FW-16", just in case you need to know. Ask what kind of oil has been used in it. Regular automotive oil won't cut it in a diesel. You have to use oil rated for diesel engines. Look for signs of a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch. If it has had one, ask what the truck pulled. A heavy trailer could mean a new tranny in the not-to-distant future.

I know I am leaving out a ton of stuff to look for. Just use common sense and really look it over. If something just doesn't look right about it, ask. The price is not too bad if the truck is near perfect and has been maintained religiously.

pocisk

Thanks a lot. A lot of very helpfull points. like I said, it's my first diesel and I want to collect as much info as possible.
Thanks again.

pocisk

Instead of the truck I was talking abut I bought a 2000 XLT CC with 4X4 and a PSD. It has 99800 miles on it and the friend of mine who is a mechanic said it was a better truck for the money. I paid 19,950.

 On the way back from Memphise to Chicago I only calculated 13mpg. All highway driving, avarage 70mph. It seems low, doesn't it?

 I did some maintenance work on it today and I already have questions.
 I cleaned the K&N air filter, changed and drained the fuel filter and was going to change the oil but got stuck.
 I went to buy Shell Rotella oil like you guys suggested but I didn't find it.
 I found some Mobil and other brands oils but they did not list exactly what the owner's manual calls for: API Service category CG-4/SH. Does it have to list the exact thing?
 
 I would really appreciate all the income guys.
 THANKS A LOT.

wpalkowski

Congrats on the new truck. As far as Shell Rotella try Walmart - I've always seen there it in the gallon jugs in stores all across the country. One of the diesel regulars will chime in here with the oil specs. I believe that the rating means it's suitable for engines that ingnite their fuel charge with compression vs. a spark for a gasser. Not positive, but think you can use the diesel rated oil in a gaser, but not the other way around. As far as I know, the Powerstroke diesel uses oil pressure to operate the fuel injectors in addition to normal lubrication, I wouldn't want to mess around with an inferior grade oil for fear of messing up something crucial.
   I know diesels vary on mileage, my buddy with same year as you gets similar mileage with his Powerstroke loaded or unloaded. Since it's a new truck to you, check out 4x4 drive train, could be that front hubs are locked without 4x4 being engaged - that could lower your mileage a bit as a few other parts of drivetrain may be spinning when they don't need to be.

mullins87

Don't ever use automotive oil in your PSD. You might use it in a pinch though. I've got a '99 SC DRW PSD and I get around 18 empty, which includes city, highway and interstate driving at 75 mph. I do know each diesel engine is its own beast and mileage does vary widely between seemingly identical vehicles. I use Rotella-T, which is available at WalMart. They also carry Mobil Delvac, I believe that is the Mobil brand. I don't know what the API service ratings stand for, but I do know diesel ratings are the C? and not the S? ratings, those are for the gassers. If the oil does not list the CG-4, don't use it.

I'm with Walt on the mileage and 4x4. It's possible the hubs are engaged. There is a big difference between carrying a given mass and rotating it.

If you went from Memphis to Chicago, you passed right by me in Western Kentucky.

pocisk

Thanks a lot guys. all info is very appreciated.
I will check the hubs and as far as the oil, I found shell Rotella at Walmart just like you suggested.
If there is anything you'd like to add, please feel free as I am new to diesel trucks and need help to take a good care of it.

mullins87

Well, here's some more just off the top of my head: Don't fire her up and take off hammer down like a person may do in a gasser. That 15W-40 oil can get thick in cold weather and you want to make darn sure oil is making it to the turbo before that thing gets spinning too fast. That doesn't mean idle until the motor is at operating temp., just give it a few seconds for everything to settle in before taking off. I usually use that time to get everything situated. Depending on the weather, if it's hot outside I may only allow 10-15 seconds on a warm engine. However, on a really cold day with a stone cold engine, I may allow a few minutes. I plug mine in below freezing, that will make things much easier the next morning. Although I have talked with owners who never plug their's in and don't have any problems with cold weather starts. I won't necessarily wait until the temp. hand starts up before I take off, but I DO limit my right foot considerably until the gauge reads at least 1/3 way up to its normal position.

Give the turbo time to cool down before you shut her off. The turbo can easily get to 1,000 degrees during an interstate run or while towing. I have several miles of two-lane roads between my house and the interstate, so I can slow down and let it cool down while I am driving. Then the 3/4 mile drive down my street at 30 mph helps even more, plus it takes at least a minute from the time I let the engine go to idle as I am coasting to the drive to the time I actually park it in the garage, then I let it idle while I am unbuckling the seat belt, setting the parking brake, etc..... If you shut her down with a hot turbo, the heat will cook the oil that is in the turbo bearings, that ain't good. I don't know, just WAG'ing by ear, but that turbo sounds as if it might be doing over 50k rpm's at full throttle. Turbo bearings are very sensitive.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS use a truck stop that sells A LOT of fuel everyday. Clean, fresh fuel is paramount to a diesel engine. Diesel fuel will absorb water and grow algae if left alone in the right conditions, such as in a c-store tank that doesn't sell much diesel. My personal recommendation, take it if you want to, use a fuel additive year round. My personal choice is Stanadyne Performance Formula in the winter, as it contains an anti-gelling additive, and Performance Formula Jr. for the rest of the year where cold temps. and gelling are not expected. My biggest reason for using both year 'round is the added lubricity. Diesel fuel, from what I've read, gets its lubricating properties from sulfur. The EPA and other tree huggers have successfully taken almost all of the sulfur out of diesel fuel. I've been told what the parts per million concentration of sulfur used to be compared to now, but I can't remember those numbers. I do believe less than 10% of the sulfur remains. You don't have to use the additives, just my $.02.

As a side note: I recently found out first hand what water in the fuel will do to the injectors. I was out on a job and getting low on fuel. Not wanting to take the time to drive 30 minutes to one of my usual fuel stops, I pulled into a c-store. Why, well because it was CONVENIENT. Boy what a mistake!!!!! Less than 25 miles after filling up, my "Water in Fuel" light came on. I drained the water seperator and went on my way. I drove approximately 150 more miles that day and drained the seperator three more times. I drained that tank that night, replaced the fuel filter and filled with known good fuel. The next day my truck started missing out like a gasser with a dead spark plug. Two bad injectors and $900 dollars later my truck is acting as if another injector is going bad. Water, dirt and air will kill an injector quicker than anything else. FRESH, CLEAN AND WATER FREE FUEL.

In general, keep up with the maintenance. Don't let anything go over just because you don't want to mess with it right now. Don't try to drive it like a sports car. It may be fast by diesel standards, but it ain't no Corvette. I see others drive them that way, but when mine hits 300k miles and is still going strong, theirs will have long been in the salvage yard.

If anyone else can think of something I missed, probably enough to fill the Library of Congress, please chime in. And by the way; Welcome to the club.

wpalkowski

How about extended idle at low rpms? Automatic Idle Control? Wet Stacking? Take it away Mullins.....

pocisk

Thanks a lot Mullins. A lot of very useful information. I've been doing most of what you are talking about except waiting to shot her off.
Will have to start doing it.
I like to drive fast but in this truck I'll have to get used to lower speeds. My wife says it's too loud, and I don't want to create whirl in the fuel tank.
There is a truck stop about 20 min. from my house so I guess that will be the place to get my diesel.
Thanks a lot again and I will stay in touch.

mullins87

I know you've seen the big rigs idling at the truck stops, and all night for that matter, don't do it with your truck. You can get an AIC, auxillary idle controller, for your truck. It's a device that will put the engine into a fast idle if the truck is going to be sitting for an extended period. You also would need one if you have any PTO devices attached to the truck. I don't have one and don't see the need for my situation.

I've been told the cylinder temp. needs to stay above 275 degrees in order to completely burn the fuel charge. When a diesel is idling, the cylinder temp. tends to fall below that threshold. When this happens, the fuel does not completely burn and wet stacking sets in. Now, I have never personally inspected a cylinder that has been "wet stacked" so I can't say with certainty what it is. The same very experienced mechanic that explained the cylinder temp. threshold to me said wet stacking is caused by the carbon in the fuel clinging to the "relatively cold" piston, cylinder walls, valves and head surfaces. The magazine "Progressive Farmer" did an article some time back on the question: Let it idle or shut it off? They used data from large corps. such as UPS and FEDEX and found that the fuel usage in an idling truck cost more over the life of that vehicle than what starter replacements cost!

In a nutshell, when mine is cold, I'll let it idle up to 10-15 minutes as the factory PCM will kick the idle up automatically. When the engine is already fairly warm or hot, I'll shut it off unless I'm coming back in less than 2 or 3 minutes.

pocisk

Is anybody familiar with HyperMax Engineering products? Turbo chargers, exhaust systems, chips, etc. for PSD. I just found out that they are located right by my work.
I will go check them out but wanted to hear from you guys first.

So far my first Ford Diesel truck is awesome. I've had it for two weeks and have put around 1000 miles on it.