2000 F350 Questions

[snowninja]

hi new to the forum here have learned alot by just reading and am looking to purchase my first psd. i test drove a 2000 350 7.3 with 85k miles today and have some questions being my first real test drive. i want to know if these things are normal and what i can expect to deal with if i buy this truck or if i should just pass on it. bear with me if these questions seem mundane as i have only owned gasoline vehicles.

So here are the details. I asked the dealer to start the engine as i watched the exhaust, a blue/white smoke came out and lasted for about 10 seconds then went clear. cold day and don't think it had been run in the last few hours. is this normal? after about a minute i went back to the exhaust and heard what sounded like a vacuum cleaner this lasted a few minutes. was that the turbo?? service engine light is on but dealer didn't scan it so doesn't know what is wrong i can have it scanned for $80 at my shop. also on the turbo exhaust (sorry don't know the exact terminology) there was oil coming out of the gasket and a bunch of oil pooled on top of the manifold right in front of the turbo housing. what to make of that? also looked like oil seeping around the oil pan. guessing normal for a vehicle like this.. i noticed 2 radiators 1 of which smaller in front of the larger one assuming that is the tranny cooler? no mods or chips that i could see orignal air filter box looked to be in good shape and fairly clean. one last thing the metal on the turbo was all gold i read somewhere this means it has been driven hard? is that the case? shifting was fine between gears no clunks or hesitation.. what else should i be looking at. is this a go or a pass? i don't want to dump a bunch of money into it off the bat. oh the asking price is $20k which per blue book (kbb and nada) is about $2-2.5k high.

thanks for any input!! looking forward to being a psd owner!

[BIGBLACKEXCURSION]

usually any smoke other than black (which you hardly see with a stock vehicle) isnt normal.
hope that helps maybe someone else will chime in. does it have any modifications done to it. Intake exhaust. probably no chip. you said it was a dealer car. or like a used car dealer.

[kevinj1]

The vacuum cleaner sound is the exhaust back pressure valve. it helps the engine warm up

[DieselDeaf]

Sounds like it has some issues for having under 100K on the truck. I'd be weary of the low mileage myself, not sure I'd pay the premium for the low miles if it has oil leaks and a SES light on. The turbo color doesn't mean a thing to me, the gold is the clearcoat getting cooked off and is completely normal. It is a 4x4 I assume?

[woodnthings8]

Oil leaks in the valley are not that uncommon, they can usually be fixed with o-rings and a little time. Often times the intercooler boots seep oil and that creates an oily mess however it usually does not puddle up. Turbo orings, back pressure actuator, & hpop is the common oil leak generators on the 7.3.

The turbos are a gold color from the factory so I dont think that is an issue.

The smoke at start-up is something to watch after it has been run and you start again. White smoke is unburnt fuel and the blue is oil obviously. It could be like you said and just had not been run in a while.

20k is far too much for a y2k IMO. That truck should not be any more than 12-15k, I haven't booked it out but that seems high.

You need to have the ses light looked at before buying, to me any dealer selling a vehicle with a ses light is not one to buy from.

[klhansen]

Originally Posted by woodnthings8

You need to have the ses light looked at before buying, to me any dealer selling a vehicle with a ses light is not one to buy from.

I'LL SECOND THAT!

An SES light could be something minor or wind up costing you a lot of money to make right.

On that basis alone, I'd walk. There are more trucks out there, and more reputable dealers.

[catch&release]

Originally Posted by woodnthings8

to me any dealer selling a vehicle with a ses light is not one to buy from.

I'll third that. Walk away.

[PowerstrokeConverters]

wow,20 g's for that!!!!!!!!!!??????????

I was thinking that mine was worth 20k.......now I will rethink that if I decide to sell it next year.

Walk away, too many red flags already.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by snowninja

i want to know if these things are normal and what i can expect to deal with if i buy this truck or if i should just pass on it.

If you like the truck and can get the price down to something reasonable, then I would check it out more before I decided.

I asked the dealer to start the engine as i watched the exhaust, a blue/white smoke came out and lasted for about 10 seconds then went clear. cold day and don't think it had been run in the last few hours. is this normal?

Nothing to worry about.

after about a minute i went back to the exhaust and heard what sounded like a vacuum cleaner this lasted a few minutes. was that the turbo??

Not the turbo. Normal with a cold engine. It's part of the cold ambient package (CAP) programming in the main computer (PCM) - designed to add a bit of load to the engine to help it warm up faster. The mechanical part is a butterfly (exhaust back pressure valve or EBPV) in the exhaust system that closes when the engine is cold, and thus the sound of the vacuum cleaner as the exhaust gas squeezes past the restriction. Normal when the engine oil temp (EOT) is less than about 120° F and the intake air temp (IAT) is below about 45° F.

service engine light is on but dealer didn't scan it so doesn't know what is wrong i can have it scanned for $80 at my shop.

That's the biggie. But no reason to assume the truck is a dog. If you like the truck and can get the price down to something reasonable (less than $15,000) then find a good shop with a scanner that can read all PowerStroke diesel codes, and a tech that is experienced in diagnosing what those codes mean. Cheap scanners won't do the job. You need the same diagnostic system the Ford dealer uses, or at least a $2,000 NGS scanner with Ford diesel software, or a laptop computer with AutoEnginuity or similar software installed. Then clear the codes and drive the truck they way you would normally drive it, including dragging a heavy trailer if that's your scthick. Then check the codes again. Any decent Ford diesel tech should be able to tell you approximately how much it will cost to fix the cause of the code(s).

also on the turbo exhaust (sorry don't know the exact terminology) there was oil coming out of the gasket ...

If you mean the intercooler tube going from the turbo to the intercooler, then that's normal. The stock crankcase ventilation system dumps into that tube, and often oil builds up inside the tube, then when you pedal to the metal with high turbo boost, the oil film is squeezed out of the rubber connecting boot and makes an ugly mess.

i noticed 2 radiators 1 of which smaller in front of the larger one assuming that is the tranny cooler?

Look closer and you should see at least 5 heat exchangers:
1] radiator
2] intercooler (probably the one you're talking about)
3] AC condenser
4] oil-to-air tranny cooler
5] power steering/hydroboost cooler

is this a go or a pass?

Depends on the results of the diagnostic scans. It may be a keeper if the only codes are fifteen cent fixers.

oh the asking price is $20k which per blue book (kbb and nada) is about $2-2.5k high.

Low-mileage 7.3Ls in like-new trucks are in very short supply and very high demand. It's worth what a willing buyer is willing to pay for it, and there are probably some out that might be willing to pay $20k for that truck. But unless it is a Lariat trim with all the goodies, including 4x4, and dually with 6 new Michelin XPS tires, as well as a comprehensive maintenance history, I wouldn't pay more than about U.S. $15,000 for it.

[snowninja]

wow i can't believe the response, thank you! this truck is on an overpriced used car lot and they are willing to let vehicles sit along time until sold at their asking price, i've seen some sit 4-5 months. someone will eventually come along and see the truck (4x4 xlt crew long bed 7.3 with 85k) and buy it at or close to their price.

i agree with you all on the SES light and smokey, great info on scanning codes. the oil from the turbo is coming from the boot to the intercooler, yes. the other issue i didn't mention before is they have humongous mickey thompsons on it which are cupped and worn so unevenly when i drove it i didn't dare go over 55mph because it was all over the road. they said will swap with some other tires/wheels on the lot. i'll likely keep looking unless they are willing drop the price, and put new tires on it before another test drive. if they agree to that then i'll have it code scanned. otherwise, i'll just keep looking.. thanks!

[catch&release]

Originally Posted by snowninja

the other issue i didn't mention before is they have humongous mickey thompsons on it

Then I would definitely walk away. I always assume that the truck has been abused when I see those. Maybe not, but I won't put my money into something like that. Plenty of other trucks out there.

[bryanpickle]

I just bought, today, the 2000 F350 in my sig. I paid $18000 for it. It is the cleanest used vehicle I have seen. He even had all the service records from when it was new. High book for it was $18100 and he was asking $18300. It was right in my price range and I was willing to pay high blue book for such an immaculate vehicle. If you be patient you'll find what you're looking for for a good price.

[snowninja]

i talked to them yesterday and asked to call me when they have different tires on it but decided today to keep looking. came across an '02 - same specs, 4x4 long bed crew cab +lariat with 113k on it for $17,900 per blue book looks like about $2k under retail (assumes excellent cond.), according to the engine comp pics, looks better already. if it's still there on saturday i'll go down and drive it since it's 100 miles away.. tough to find them here, been looking for several months..

thanks again and bryan - congrats on your find low mileage like that is almost unheard of in these 7.3's!

[woodnthings8]

Well if you find a rig and want to check it out. I live on the "wet side" too, so PM me and if you want I can hook up my AE to check it out for you. I can also keep an eye out for you locally for good trucks.