I have been doing a lot of searching about the 94 f250 I just purchased. This site came up a lot so I decided to go ahead and join this forum.
My 94 is a little bit of a project truck. I got a really good deal on it knowing it would need some work to make it a good truck. However, it turned out to be a lot better than what I was expecting. It has 255K miles on it but the engine does not smoke and it pulls like a freight train. It has the 5 speed manual trans and 4 wheel drive.
I picked it up yesterday and drove it 500 miles home from Oregon to Northern California. So I got real familiar with it.
The things that I know I am going to have to do immediately are:
1) It has what I think to be the dual mass flywheel blues. The idle seems a little rough at times and when the idle is rough I hear this insane rattling sound. If I tap the throttle the noise goes away. I also noticed the sound changing as I engaged and disengaged the clutch. In searching around this seems to be that the dual mass flywheel springs are just about shot. I am wondering if it is cheaper to just put in a new dual mass flywheel or do the single mass conversion.
2) The front end is loose (way to much play in the steering wheel). So I am thinking new ball joints, tie rod ends and maybe even a rebuilt steering box.
3) it is leaking some engine oil. I have not spent the time to find out where but it was leaving a puddle every time I parked it. On the trip home I had to add a quart but I am pretty positive that it is only leaking it and not burning it since it does not smoke.
4) I am not even sure if this is really a problem but it has manual locking hubs. When I picked it up they were locked(did not realize in the beginning that they were). When I was driving it I immediately found that it had a nasty vibration up around 70 mph. Pondering the possibilities the first 200 miles(and forced to keep it around 65 to avoid the vibration) I got out checked the hubs and that is when I found they were in the locked position. I switched them to free and bingo no more vibration. I am kind of on the fence as to if this is just expected behavior or not.
So kind of a long introduction but hello everyone this seems like a very useful site.
Going with a new DMFW (and clutch to go with it) is a lot more expensive than switching over to a SMFW kit. You'll get some gear rollover noise at slow speeds, but the pedal effort is much less on the SMFW kits (I'll take the pedal pressure over the extra noise). If you plan to mod the truck for power (injectors & chip, etc), you may want to go with something like a SouthBend Con-OFE for a bit more holding power.
Along with checking the front end parts, also check the steering shaft where the pieces join together (it sometime loosens up and can be re-staked).
Most of the time, when these things burn oil you'll never know it as it will be pumped into the fuel system if the injector o-rings are bad. Keep good tabs on the oil as it can go fast (I burned 8 quarts in 150 miles when injector o-rings failed!). Other known places for oil leaks on early OBS trucks are the flywheel inspection cover rubbing a hole in the oil pan, the dipstick tube to oil pan joint, and the High Pressure Oil Rail End Plugs on the ends of each head. Also check the valley of the engine to make sure there isn't fuel or oil puddling in the valley.
I'd rather have the manual hubs over the problematic auto hubs (which can leave you stranded ... my 97 was switched to manual hubs for that reason). I know mine doesn't really appreciate going 70 with hubs locked in, but it doesn't really vibrate too much ... more noisy than anything.
Going with a new DMFW (and clutch to go with it) is a lot more expensive than switching over to a SMFW kit. You'll get some gear rollover noise at slow speeds, but the pedal effort is much less on the SMFW kits (I'll take the pedal pressure over the extra noise). If you plan to mod the truck for power (injectors & chip, etc), you may want to go with something like a SouthBend Con-OFE for a bit more holding power.
Along with checking the front end parts, also check the steering shaft where the pieces join together (it sometime loosens up and can be re-staked).
Most of the time, when these things burn oil you'll never know it as it will be pumped into the fuel system if the injector o-rings are bad. Keep good tabs on the oil as it can go fast (I burned 8 quarts in 150 miles when injector o-rings failed!). Other known places for oil leaks on early OBS trucks are the flywheel inspection cover rubbing a hole in the oil pan, the dipstick tube to oil pan joint, and the High Pressure Oil Rail End Plugs on the ends of each head. Also check the valley of the engine to make sure there isn't fuel or oil puddling in the valley.
I'd rather have the manual hubs over the problematic auto hubs (which can leave you stranded ... my 97 was switched to manual hubs for that reason). I know mine doesn't really appreciate going 70 with hubs locked in, but it doesn't really vibrate too much ... more noisy than anything.
Cheers!
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for the information. I have been searching and I think that I am going to go with the conversion. It is not for the potential future horsepower as much as the cost savings. It looks like a stock flywheel by itself is about 1k. The conversion from LUK is 595 and that includes the flywheel and pressure plate. I actually agree that I would prefer more pedal pressure as opposed to more noise but I am going to have to do the $ trade off at this point.
That is a good reference point about the hubs on your truck. I was talking with a friend of mine and he was saying that possibly the front drive shaft is not balanced. I have not verified his claims but he said with the front hubs locked the drive shaft spins too. I am going to address this last since it does not present a hurdle to every day driving.
Welcome to the forum! I'm another bay area guy. As far as the clutch goes I can only advise from what I've read. The single mass flywheel will be more durable but your tranny will be noisy. Replacing the dual mass is expensive but is friendlier noise wise until it dies again.The vibration with the hubs locked could be the driveshaft. On all new to me trucks I have the shafts balanced and new u joints installed. There is a real good shop in Pittsburg Ca. Do not go to the shop in San Leandro. I made that mistake once. Make sure they put new a boot on the shaft and grease the splines. Use good synthetics in the tranny, transfer case and the front and rear end. I use Redline myself and it's readily available in our area ( they are in Benicia ). Use a gasket on the rear end and Gasgacinch sealer. It will never leak. Make sure your vents aren't clogged also. Need a hand PM me.
I put the ConOFE clutch in, with its solid flywheel, and it hasn't been excessively noisy. There's only been a couple of times that I've noticed gear rollover; I usually don't rev it up in neutral.
I get a tad of gear noise at a steady speed in 5th gear, but I've had that since the truck was new. (I intend on putting some sound deadening material on the cab floor under the carpet next spring to get it even quieter)
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'94 F250 supercab 4x4, original owner, 4.10LS, DIY elec fuel, Tymar air intake, Adrenaline HPOP, Beans tunes on 4 position VA chip, VDO gauges (boost,pyro, outside temp), Ford digital AIC, DPPI downpipe, gutted EBPV and turbo pedestal mod, Con OFE clutch, add-a-leafs front and rear, Monroe Reflex shocks, Milemarker 449SS hubs, towing 25' Mallard travel trailer
Welcome to the forum! I'm another bay area guy. As far as the clutch goes I can only advise from what I've read. The single mass flywheel will be more durable but your tranny will be noisy. Replacing the dual mass is expensive but is friendlier noise wise until it dies again.The vibration with the hubs locked could be the driveshaft. On all new to me trucks I have the shafts balanced and new u joints installed. There is a real good shop in Pittsburg Ca. Do not go to the shop in San Leandro. I made that mistake once. Make sure they put new a boot on the shaft and grease the splines. Use good synthetics in the tranny, transfer case and the front and rear end. I use Redline myself and it's readily available in our area ( they are in Benicia ). Use a gasket on the rear end and Gasgacinch sealer. It will never leak. Make sure your vents aren't clogged also. Need a hand PM me.
Hi Pete,
We are actually pretty close to each other. I live in Moraga. Thanks for the advice on the drive shaft shop. I was planning on rebuilding the drive shafts (new u joints) and balancing the front shaft as a not so distant future project (maybe next month). I have been pricing out all of the suspension and steering rebuild stuff today.
The shocks look completely shot. The play in the steering box is excessive. The ball joints and tie rods have seen their better days. So I am going to just do a total rebuild of everything. All new bushings and hard parts as well as the shocks. I am thinking of going with Rancho shocks. I am curious if you or anyone else has any preferences in this area and personal experiences.
I think I will just buy all ford factory stuff for the rest of the suspension. It all looks stock and it lasted 255K miles so I dont think you can ask for more than that. I used the autozone web site to get a ball park idea. If the steering box from ford is to expensive I might use the autozone rebuilt unit for 150 bucks.
This is also why I am going to use the single mass flywheel kit as a stop gap measure. It looks like all the suspension and steering parts are going to set me back about 600 plus the dual mass just the flywheel alone is 1k so I will defer to the clutch, pressure plate and flywheel kit at 600. If the noise is excessive I can always sell the used kit and go back to dual mass later. For now its more about just making the truck functional again.
This will make for a lot of weekend projects. Once I get it all done I am thinking of running it down some scenic trails ... no rock crawling for me and my long wheel base but I do like to do some 4 wheeling. If you are interested in finding some trails let me know. My daughter has been complaining that I have not taken her 4 wheeling since she was little.
I put the ConOFE clutch in, with its solid flywheel, and it hasn't been excessively noisy. There's only been a couple of times that I've noticed gear rollover; I usually don't rev it up in neutral.
I get a tad of gear noise at a steady speed in 5th gear, but I've had that since the truck was new. (I intend on putting some sound deadening material on the cab floor under the carpet next spring to get it even quieter)
That is one of the better conversion reviews I have read. Where did you buy that and how much did it set you back?
I would try adjusting the gear lash in the steering box first. Mine was like that when I picked it up and I just jacked up the front end and loosened the jam nut and backed it off a few turns then using a 5/16" allen socket with a swivel and 3' extension I tightened the screw gently until I felt pressure then gave it an 1/8 to 1/4 turn more and tightened the jam nut back down. It is like a new box again. More importantly it was FREE. I had about a quarter turn in the wheel before and only about an inch after.
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97 F-350,4X4, CC, LWB, PSD, 251k, K&N, 10K MOD
Congrats. Your front end sounds like the front end of my 95 F250 Powerstroke. I haven't screwed with it yet. It now has 340,000 and just started puffing a little blue smoke on a cold take off. Oh well. Bound to happen eventually.....
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95 F250 7.3 Stock flatbed. 5 spd manual 330K.
I got the clutch kit from Beans, it was a tad over $900 I think.
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'94 F250 supercab 4x4, original owner, 4.10LS, DIY elec fuel, Tymar air intake, Adrenaline HPOP, Beans tunes on 4 position VA chip, VDO gauges (boost,pyro, outside temp), Ford digital AIC, DPPI downpipe, gutted EBPV and turbo pedestal mod, Con OFE clutch, add-a-leafs front and rear, Monroe Reflex shocks, Milemarker 449SS hubs, towing 25' Mallard travel trailer
Larry if your going to go through the whole thing you may want to look into a dana 60 conversion. Had I known then what I know now that is what I should have done. Do it once and be done forever. Ditching the dana 50 altogether will save you allot of headaches. But if you don't Walt's auto service in Danville (near Costco) is the place to go for the alignment after your repairs. Also if your looking for springs in the future U.S. spring in Oakland is the place to go. As far as shocks I have Rancho 5000s on mine. Bilstein is really a good choice too.
I would try adjusting the gear lash in the steering box first. Mine was like that when I picked it up and I just jacked up the front end and loosened the jam nut and backed it off a few turns then using a 5/16" allen socket with a swivel and 3' extension I tightened the screw gently until I felt pressure then gave it an 1/8 to 1/4 turn more and tightened the jam nut back down. It is like a new box again. More importantly it was FREE. I had about a quarter turn in the wheel before and only about an inch after.
That is great information. I will definitely try that first!
Larry if your going to go through the whole thing you may want to look into a dana 60 conversion. Had I known then what I know now that is what I should have done. Do it once and be done forever. Ditching the dana 50 altogether will save you allot of headaches. But if you don't Walt's auto service in Danville (near Costco) is the place to go for the alignment after your repairs. Also if your looking for springs in the future U.S. spring in Oakland is the place to go. As far as shocks I have Rancho 5000s on mine. Bilstein is really a good choice too.
I had been kicking around that idea. I guess the king pin dana 60's will last practically forever. The parts are pretty cheap though. The ball joints and tie rod ends are only about 200 bucks. If I could find a good dana 60 front end complete at a reasonable price I would consider the swap but it looks like buying that in unknown condition would cost north of 500. If I was buying an unknown I would want to have it rebuilt (I dont have the tools to rebuild an axle). So throw on another 1200 plus if your going that far you have got to throw in an ox or arb locker.... That slippery slope winds up around 3k or so ...
I hope I am not giving the idea that I am a cheap skate. I just don't want the mrs to get to angry with me.
I will take that reference on Walt's auto service. I had been wondering where to take it for an alignment after I rebuild all of the steering.
Are the Dana 50's that bad? Just deferring back to this one has been there for 255K miles ... I know the straight axle has some benefits but I don't plan on lifting it at all. It is plenty tall already. It makes my jeep cherokee look like a low rider
I got the clutch kit from Beans, it was a tad over $900 I think.
Now you have me on the fence Bill. Your review sounds very tempting. I have heard that the LUK kit has a bit of excessive chatter as well as noise. I would pay 300 more for no clutch chatter and less noise.
I forgot to mention that after you do the adjustment take it out for a test drive ana make several turns at intersections to verify that the wheel returns back to center(straight) on its own. If it doesn't jack it back up and loosen the jamb nut and turn the screw with the allen socket counter clockwise about an 1/8th turn and tighten jamb nut and test drive again and repeat procedure until truck returns to center on its own. You probably won't get every bit of play out depending on how long it was like it is now but it will be seriously improved.
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97 F-350,4X4, CC, LWB, PSD, 251k, K&N, 10K MOD
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