Hello!
I have been lurking around this forum the last few weeks trying to research all of the problems I have with this 1990 Ford F350 7.3 IDI-NA with 105k miles on it. I used a lot from previous posts, and I actually got the old girl to fire up and run pretty good yesterday!
I have a few things I think I want to get done before taking this truck on such a big trip, especially in the winter. Heading back to the Midwest from Carolina's for the rest of the crap I decided I needed to keep.
I’d like to get some more opinions on what the community thinks I should look into, get serviced if I can’t do it myself, before such a trip. I plan on driving it a few hundred miles on some weekend day just to road test it for the longer haul.
Things that I have done so far:
Things I would like to do/fix:
This leads me to the root of my question. What else would you look into/fix/check on a truck that has been sitting for a year, with a relatively unknown history, before a 1200 mile move? Do you have any opinions on the problems/things I would like to fix above?
Thanks in advance, I know that there is a lot to unpack here, I just really would like to not wrench on the side of the road, in the winter, during a pandemic, with most of what I own!
I have been lurking around this forum the last few weeks trying to research all of the problems I have with this 1990 Ford F350 7.3 IDI-NA with 105k miles on it. I used a lot from previous posts, and I actually got the old girl to fire up and run pretty good yesterday!
I have a few things I think I want to get done before taking this truck on such a big trip, especially in the winter. Heading back to the Midwest from Carolina's for the rest of the crap I decided I needed to keep.
I’d like to get some more opinions on what the community thinks I should look into, get serviced if I can’t do it myself, before such a trip. I plan on driving it a few hundred miles on some weekend day just to road test it for the longer haul.
Things that I have done so far:
- Replaced Mechanical Fuel Pump
- Replaced fuel return lines, caps, o-rings. (Only rubber I did not replace is from back of barbed union joint to wherever that line goes back to my tank/tank selector valve)
Things I would like to do/fix:
- Truck still just cranks and cranks in the morning. So I am either getting air in the system still, or it needs heat. Will fire right up and immediately idle with the smallest shot of ether.
- Install newer style fuel filter - FRAM PS8132 arrived from the postman yesterday (suspected air leak here too)
- Speedometer - Needle is dropped to the bottom, and does not work. No idea if it’s disconnected at cluster/transfer case/transmission end or gears are broken. Transmission shifts pretty fine though and the dash/cluster/steering column totally looks like its been messed with.
- Fix the 2 inch or so play in the steering box.
- Glow plug system - Relay gets power to right posts on key-on position, but nothing happens after that… can’t even get signal to the WTS light cable. I have one GP that is dead/doesn’t light up test light. However, I don’t have the tool to get two of the GP’s out to replace them due to the hard lines running over top of them. Don’t even think a skinny 1/4” drive extension would fit well enough.
- I might bypass glow plug system for now and just heat the whole block with a Lower Hose Heater/Pump for coolant system. Thoughts? I don’t want to mess with dropping the starter to put in a factory style block heater in that freeze plug spot. Don’t trust myself enough, and seems like a LOT more work for something I don’t really need in my new location. I can handle having a easily accessible and noticeable coolant leak.
- Get brakes looked at. The pedal is a little squishy, but gets firm after a few pumps. I have not worked on a Dually before, and have no idea about the drum brake scenario back there. Might be squishy due to leaky vacuum booster? Not sure if that is used on this truck, but there is certainly a vacuum pump doing something. I have to get new tires all around anyway, figured the shop that does that can at least look at my brakes for all the profit 7 tires will get them… lol.
- Might flush the cooling system when/if I put in that in-line heater. A buddy of mine recommended flushing and switching from green coolant with SCA to the red style? Says all the semis, buses, etc he see’s use this stuff instead. Thoughts?
This leads me to the root of my question. What else would you look into/fix/check on a truck that has been sitting for a year, with a relatively unknown history, before a 1200 mile move? Do you have any opinions on the problems/things I would like to fix above?
Thanks in advance, I know that there is a lot to unpack here, I just really would like to not wrench on the side of the road, in the winter, during a pandemic, with most of what I own!