[affordable001]

So i just recently put down a deposit on a 2000 F-350 with the 7.3 . Any suggestions for what to look for as far as problems? I test drove with not a one. it has a 6 speed manual trany which i hear is bullet proof and i know the 7.3 is also a stellar motor.Truck didnt appear to be leaking anything, however the power steering sounded alittle whiney any advice is appreciated...

 

[RT]

Congratulations - the weakest link on our series of PSDs is the automatic transmission - you just bypassed that altogether. The main thing to keep your baby going is maintenance. What kind of coolant is in the truck? If it is green - flush it out. You can go with a maintenance free ELC coolant like Rotella ELC or the Ford Gold and check your SCA levels a few times a year. Cavitation is what you are trying to prevent.

As far as the whine, you can try flushing the power steering with Mobil 1 ATF - might help - might not. If not, the pump is pretty easy to swap. It drives the power assist (hydroboost) on the brakes, so it pulls double duty. If you are going to be towing, you need an exhaust gas temperature gauge. A DP-Tuner will make it a lot more fun to drive. The Ford Severe Duty air intake system is a good upgrade. Really - just about everything except the pyrometer are fun upgrades. The motor should be good for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Here are a few links:

Ford Super Duty Power Steering Flush | Superdutypsd.com

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f67/coolant-sca-additives-203599/

Welcome to guzzle's Ford PSD Web Pages

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

I own a similarly setup truck. I love it! The 6 speed is a lot of fun when you start adding power, and really allows u to get some good mileage.

 

[affordable001]

RT

thanks for the tips, when you say maintenance free coolant what exactly do you mean? the fluid is is green so I will have to change that. Also a friend who has a 7.3 says to switch to synthetic for the winter, he says it will start better any thoughts on that?

 

[bobby5385]

i think you should just run regular gas in it. then it will start better.

 

[RT]

i think you should just run regular gas in it. then it will start better.

Gee, bobby - you think regular gas will make his diesel start better? Hmm. Let me think about that for a second - no.

affordable001- cavitation is an issue on diesel engines - you can do some research but basically the coolants have additives that help prevent it. The green requires frequent checking with test strips, additives, and frequent changes. Ford Gold requires less checking and less frequent additives, but has some issues with gelling and clogging oil coolers, especially on the 6.0 engines. There are several International approved extended life coolants (Such as Cat ELC, Rotella ELC, Delo ELC and others - read that post I linked above) that can run for hundreds of thousands of miles between changes and don't have the issues that the green and gold do. I run Shell Rotella ELC in my truck.

Your buddy is referencing the 5W40 synthetic motor oil - it will help it start easier in ultra cold climates (remember - that's relative to where I'm at - ultra cold to me is below 50°...) Unless you regularly see freezing conditions - don't worry about it. Some guys run 15W40 during summer and 5W40 during winter. I run 15W40 year round. For the two or three days it plunges below 50°, I could plug it in if I thought about it..

 

[bobby5385]

Gee, bobby - you think regular gas will make his diesel start better? Hmm. Let me think about that for a second - no.

affordable001- cavitation is an issue on diesel engines - you can do some research but basically the coolants have additives that help prevent it. The green requires frequent checking with test strips, additives, and frequent changes. Ford Gold requires less checking and less frequent additives, but has some issues with gelling and clogging oil coolers, especially on the 6.0 engines. There are several International approved extended life coolants (Such as Cat ELC, Rotella ELC, Delo ELC and others - read that post I linked above) that can run for hundreds of thousands of miles between changes and don't have the issues that the green and gold do. I run Shell Rotella ELC in my truck.

Your buddy is referencing the 5W40 synthetic motor oil - it will help it start easier in ultra cold climates (remember - that's relative to where I'm at - ultra cold to me is below 50°...) Unless you regularly see freezing conditions - don't worry about it. Some guys run 15W40 during summer and 5W40 during winter. I run 15W40 year round. For the two or three days it plunges below 50°, I could plug it in if I thought about it..

I was just busting his stones. this is my buddy.

 

[RT]

I was just busting his stones. this is my buddy.

Thank God! I thought we had another member that was going to start suggesting to everyone their spark plugs were loose. Sarcasm is hard to pick up on the forum sometimes - I should know.

Glad your buddy's getting a similar truck - now you have someone local to swap war stories with.

 

[tinman13kup]

Well, sooner or later you'll get gas in it and then you will find out. Gas don't work.:lol: . All I can say is if you are going to run a chip or do any mods, get gauges first. Its also a good idea to find a way to diagnose troublecodes. Many people here have autoenginuity to do that. Also, if im remembering right, that truck has the weak clutch fork. Over time it will crack and eventually break, leaving you without a clutch. The part is cheap enough, but means pulling the trans.

 

[affordable001]

Hello again guys. So i picked up my truck today. She ran pretty good till I got her home. It appears that im leaking quite a bit of brake fluid from the back left caliper area. Any ideas? I also have abour half my e brake is this related? ALSO when i parked it down hill to unload some stuff i noticed a 6 inch puddle of clean oil. It happened one other time and now hasent done it since. I crawled underneeth but cant seem to see where its comming from. Possible right side of the engine? Pls help..

 

[RT]

You're truck is marking its territory. Like the big dog that it is.

Watch these videos - they will give you a pretty good visual of the common leak spots:

POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners

If you identify the source of the leak, here's a good place for replacement o-rings:

Replacement O-rings for Ford Diesel Engines

As for the brakes - don't wait around - pull the back brakes and get them fixed. These trucks are too heavy to be hurtling around at breakneck speeds with no brakes. If you've got fluid, make sure the rubber lines are intact - if they are you should probably rebuild the caliper or replace it. RockAuto and Tousley Ford have the best prices.

 

[Oneof6]

Hello again guys. So i picked up my truck today. She ran pretty good till I got her home. It appears that im leaking quite a bit of brake fluid from the back left caliper area. Any ideas? I also have abour half my e brake is this related? ALSO when i parked it down hill to unload some stuff i noticed a 6 inch puddle of clean oil. It happened one other time and now hasent done it since. I crawled underneeth but cant seem to see where its comming from. Possible right side of the engine? Pls help..

Welcome to the wonderful world of PSD maintenance. Don't expect one of these trucks to run long or well without a lot of care. Most posters here seem to either enjoy it or have resigned themselves that this is just the way it is. Fix your brakes right away. Get all your safety stuff in order right away. It really doesn't matter what you can accelerate or how smooth it runs if you can't stop. Engine oil leak out and down the right side, there is a shopping list for that, Could be HPOP o-rings, an o-ring in a head port, turbo o-rings and several other possibilities even a loose valve cover. It can look like a rear main seal but it is rarely that. Look up in the engine valley (sounds like a country song) that is where I would start. Anyway look forward to a enjoying your afternoons with wrench in hand for a while. Good luck, 106

 

[affordable001]

need more help!

First thank you to everyone who has been responding, I have a couple more quick questions. First, I had to slam on my brakes on the highway today because of some ******* but anyway when i reached my exit my clutch suddenly decided not to work. I made a quick call to my diesel mechanic friend who told me that the brake fluid doubles for my hydraulic clutch and i prob had some air in the lines. He said to pump the clutch and that seemed to work, any thoughts? Also what would make my powersteering not to work when im making slow downhill turns? It seems to be very hard to turn my wheel when im downhill in first gear. Thanks again guys! Over all truck is great!! Dealer fixed leaks and breaks...

 

[RT]

Tell you diesel mechanic to lay off of whatever he's smoking. :lol:

The power steering pump powers the power steering and the brake booster (hydroboost) but has NO connection to the clutch other than they're pretty close to each other under the hood. Can't explain why slamming the brakes would have affected your clutch. Pumping it would point to air in the lines - maybe the level in the reservoir was low enough that it sloshed forward and allowed air to get pumped in.

 

[tinman13kup]

Does the clutch seem to engage/disengage right at the floor? It might be a case of a bent clutchfork, which is pretty common on the 99/00 trucks. The fix was a reinforced fork in the 01 trucks, and that is what is used as a replacement. It's only $50, but you have to pull the tranny to do it.

 

[tinman13kup]

RT, I don't know about the sloshing thing. The tiny reservoir has a 12" line that connects it to the clutch master, so no amount of sloshing will get the air down there. Could have been a poor bleed job if someone had replaced the slave or master, but I would suspect a fork issue. Pumping the pedal helped me a little in the last days of mine.

 

[RT]

I was just trying to come up with anything that would have coincided with a hard braking maneuver. You got to admit, it was better than telling the guy his clutch was controlled by the power steering pump....

 

[tinman13kup]

Yeah, the power steering pump or brake reservoir having anything to do with a clutch is silly. I can't say I've EVER seen or heard of a brake reservoir feeding a clutch.

I agree with you though. A hard brake move having anything to do with the clutch is hard to figure, since they are 2 totally separate systems.

 

[DonWarkentin]

Also what would make my powersteering not to work when im making slow downhill turns? It seems to be very hard to turn my wheel when im downhill in first gear. Thanks again guys! .

Since the same pump does double duty for power steering and brakes, when you are going slowly and try to turn, and find that you have no power steering, it is usually because your foot is on the brake. Take your foot off the brake, and your power steering will work. These trucks can't do braking and power steering at the same time, and the brakes have priority.

 

[affordable001]

hey guys! Thanks again for all the advice, just getting all the little problems ironed out. My brake issue was rooted with the power steering pump leaking affecting my hydroboost. what a pain to diag. E brake still doesnt work but first gear and a block does the trick. Also had to change clutch master now she runs and shifts pretty good. I also just made the change to synthetic this week! I noticed i was a few quarts low and i dont seem to be leaking any oil anymore. i had an issue a few weeks ago where i was loosing power on teh highway and kicking blue smoke, am i leaking oil into my turbo ? after i changed the oil this stopped however. Would low oil levels cause hard starts loss of power and blue smoke?