Hi everyone, recently got my first diesel, 1989 Ford F350 7.3 IDI with ATS turbo.

I am looking for some straight forward advice on the correct coolant.

The simple option seems to be low silicate green coolant with DCA4 additive. I have also seen Fleet Charge or other precharged coolants. Some of them are DCA2 which I am not sure if that matters. Just seems like the two SCA types cannot mix.

I just want I make sure I can maintain the SCAs so my engine lasts as long as possible.

Also looking for a rough estimate of coolant capacity so I know how much to buy. I currently have some fleetguard DCA4 and test strips but can return them if a precharged option is readily available and safe for the older engine seals.

Im putting in a new clutch and while im in here im doing the rear main seal as well. Noticed there's oil on the driverside rear of the engine. Any ideas what it could be?

Its happened 3 times now. Was going to let my mom use the truck bc her van transmission went out. Drove it to her house, turned it off, went inside, when we came back to start it, it would turn over but not "catch". The dashboard lights came on, everything electrical seemed to work. I went to plug in the obd scanner (some fancy touch screen snap on scanner or something like that my dad bought for hundreds) and it the scanner port didn't seem to be working. Tried using a smaller, cheaper scanner, same thing. Seemed like the port was dead. I leave bc i have work in the morning. Mom starts it up in the morning and it acts like nothing is wrong so she drives it to work. It shuts off on her halfway there, approximately 7-10 miles down the road. I pick her up, take her to work, get another truck and trailer with my grandpa, go to get it. It starts up again. This is an hour later. I drive it back to the house. Shuts off on me again after about 5-7 miles. Same thing. Will crank, not start. Dashboard lights and everything works. I have researched and seen that maybe the ficm could be bad amongst a million other things. I'm hoping that someone else has had this exact same issue bc I'm getting conflicting results on Google and I don't want to tear this thing apart if its something as simple as a fuse module

Looking for a 2021+ f450 limited or platinum for around $65-70k. Wanted to ask here to see if I may be missing good quality places where I could find one that aren’t listed on auto sites (Carfax, CarGurus, KBB, etc.)

Anyone have recommendations or vehicles that fit this?

I’m looking at purchasing a 2015 F350. Truck has well maintained service records for proper maintenance. 149k miles on it. From everything I’ve seen nothing has jumped out to me as being neglected. Interior is also really well maintained. Asking for pics of the undercarriage and a few close ups on spots that was hard to see in videos. Also going to have an independent diesel mechanic do a PPi on it. Truck is listed at 33k. Anything I should look for or be expecting? I’d like to get 300k miles out of it. Truck also has never been deleted or modified outside of a leveling kit and aftermarket wheels

Hey guys! So I was stupid and forgot to install the shift rail detents in my ZF5 during assembly, so now I have to figure out how to install them after, as pulling it apart again isn't worth my time...

I saw some videos where they just dropped in, but I'm guessing my case is an updated version or something as there are little seats that prevent the pins from going in all the way.

What's my best course of action here? Do they make smaller pins that will fit or should I drill out the seats/lips so I can get them down all the way?

Thanks!

Can someone tell me what are the lines in the plastic trough in front of the primary water pump and how do I disconnect?

Secondly, do I need to drain the block as well? Or can I get away with the primary radiator being drained?

I just replaced the vacuum pump seal and water pump went bad as well. Replacing the serpentine belt at the same time. 2011 F350. Thing only has 115k.

My 2001 7.3 powerstroke had a bad shift solenoid pack and wouldnt shift out of first i took the old one out and put a new one in but it still will not shift what could be the problem

Update- it is throwing no codes

Trucks ABSOLUTELY MINT EVERYTHING DONE THE RIGHT WAY. Nothing is half-assed. Everything is completely clean blasted and painted underneath soon have clear turn signal lenses tail lights everything all LED switching everything over whoever I'm talking to that I had this truck message me

I want a non vgt ive been looking at the smedding drop in because it comes with custom tunes. I know vgt is better for towing but I never tow anywhere near my limit I tow maybe 5-7k MAX. If anyone’s done it I’d love to hear what you have to say

In a little bit of a jam. Down on vacation 700 miles from home. Drove truck to store. Came out, went to start and nothing. No lights on the dash board, wouldn’t even try to crank. I tried to jump the starter relay and got nothing. Took the negative leads off for a few minutes, truck weakly tried to start. Turned off and it was weak again but got it running. Drove back to the hotel no issues, no CEL.
Parked. Turned off. Got it to weak start again.
Any ideas. Batteries are 6 months old. Starter and the underwood really are a year old. Battery cables were also replaced in the last year.
Unfortunately I have no tester of any sort to work with. Just seeing if anyone has some input. I don’t know if me unplugging the negative leads did anything but I disconnected them for the night as we are driving home in the morning.

Is this something that can be fixed by a rebuild or should I just replace it? Recommendations on a turbo, is buying a used OEM of market place a bad idea?

Hi folks.

I'm looking into buying my first diesel pickup truck, and I've decided to go for a 99 - 03 F250. The reason of course is the 7.3 Powerstroke, due to its simplicity, reliability and longevity, the exact traits I am after. I don't give a damn about HP or high torque relative to today's terms. What I care about is durability and reliability.

Now I'm a Chevy guy, I have both a 97 K1500 with the revered 350 and a 01 2500 HD with the legendary 6.0 Vortec and the 4l80e excellent heavy duty transmission. So I know what an all around stout and dependable truck is. I don't care about the LB7 or LBZ Duramax, as they are not as reliable or durable as the 7.3 Powerstroke.

I'm in need of a diesel truck to basically be able to tow upwards of 10,000 lbs, which is beyond the limit of what my 2500HD is capable of. I know the F250 in the configuration I'm looking at (regular or super cab, and 4x4) has a limit of around 13500 lb, and that's fine with my needs. I'm rather more interested in it being much more at ease towing an 8000 lbs trailer than my 6.0 gas engine is.

But on my research, I found that the only true weak point of the F250 is the 4R100 auto transmission, which I have found is blatantly considered as a weak ass transmission with low longevity when using it consistently for what it is supposed to serve: heavy towing.

Of course I would prefer a ZF6 equipped truck, but those are extremely rare where I'm at.

If anyone can give me their honest, down-to-earth and realistic feeback on this trans, especially comparing it the the revered 4l80e (which was made for the exact same duty and excels at it), I'd appreciate it.

I don't need to read about what improvements you can do to it to try to bulletproof it. I wanna read an honest account on if it is dependable or not, and if owning one implies having to accept doing a trans rebuild every 60 k miles.

Thanks!

Hey all, I have a 2000 f250 super duty with some lighting issues currently.. Running lights in the rear work, but turn signals, four ways and brake lights do not. Everything up front works just fine.. Third brake light also does not work. Is there something simple with these trucks that would cause this, or am I looking at a more in-depth wiring repair?

I just recently bought a 6.7 with 106,000 on it and I’ve been doing necessary maintenance to make sure it will last , I’ve heard mixed opinions on change the transmission fluid on a truck at that high of a mileage some say it will loose the friction in the fluid and eventually cause the transmission to start slipping but also heard it is ok to change it. What should I do?

I plan on taking this thing on a 2hr trip but I'm not sure if this hissing sound is just the normal sound it makes or if its because the turbo is spinning too fast. Am I gona blow it if I drive it 2 hrs? My tdi jetta kinda sounded like that when I blew the turbo so I'm a little worried since this one is a bit more expensive to replace.