2002 Ford Lariat F350 7.3L Diesel Dually 6 speed

Bullet proof rig, low miles and excellent transmission. You havnt bought it yet.

The problems started in mid 2003 with the introduction of the 6.0 engine. The 7.3 was a gem.

Buy it

I recently sold my 02 4x4 7.3/6 speed with the 74,000 miles in six hours for $20,000 and had three in line if the first person did not buy it which he did. The automatic transmission was the weak link in otherwise a great truck. You can trick a butterfly valve in the turbo into being a very good exhaust brake.

With the 6 speed a 02 is 275 HP (not 235 with auto) and I have a tuner that I never installed as it would pull really heavy loads...26K combined weight in OD on flat ground with 3.73 axles.

I never had an expensive repair but make sure the cruise works and all the windows work. Around that mileage the front end often needs ball joints...not that expensive but make sure they know to torque the bolts when replacing. Better hurry as it will be gone.

*This guy is the best on power stroke trucks. He almost got 800K out of his 7.3 shop truck...might have made it if he had not put nitrious on it.

I currently own an 02 F350 7.3L SRW with 76K miles. Bought it about 4 years ago when it had around 38K miles. The engine itself has been great with no issues...knock on wood. I have had lots of problems w/ brakes seizing (I think I finally got that fixed-steer clear of autozone calipers, had front end re-built, small fuel leak in the engine valley and just this week repaired an oil leak at the dipstick flange. Previous owner also didn't wash the underbody in the winter so it was badly rusted but I had a local body shop remove the rust and re-coat the underbody this past winter.

I have a 6.0 powerstroke trans cooler that I plan to install this summer which will help protect the weak link-the transmission which was mentioned above.

I love this truck and plan to keep it forever. Tows our 7500lb travel trailer like a dream. If the one your looking as it still available, I'd jump on it. You won't be disappointed.

I had a 2002 F250 with 7.3. That's a great used diesel truck at a great price IF it's in good condition. I would not wait long or it will be gone.

joelyn wrote:
Any info on the above truck would be appreciated.
was there any serious problems with the fords in that year with the 7.3L?

The only issues were crank position sensors. I believe the replacement sensors were improved and more reliable. I've read of guys just keeping a spare in the truck just in case it went out. Aside from that, the 7.3 is a long lasting, reliable rig.

KJ

Jump on it if you haven't already. As stated above, it won't last long if it's in as good a shape as described. The 6.0 and 6.4 engines were the ones with problems. The 7.3 is a good, hard-working diesel engine.

Rob

From a which trucks are good and which are not, like posted above, that combo you're looking at is regarded as one of the most venerable setups on the road today. Low miles, great shape= likely a good purchase.
But, like all vehicles, your due diligence is required when buying a 15 year old truck. It could be the best thing ever, or it may nickel and dime you to death. We cannot figure that out for you. For me looking at something like that truck, I'd want to see a good size list of parts that have been replaced in the more recent past, or I would assume I'd be throwing parts at it over the next few years. Cost of those parts is directly proportional to how handy you are and how lucky, lol.
your expectations can't be that since it's a good platform that you won't have to spend money on it like any other old truck. You just have a better assurance that the internals of the engine, trans and axles will be solid.

Good engine and not a lot of miles (if anything too few) but $14k is a bit high for a 15yr old truck.

As someone else suggested, check out all the ancilliary equipement (winows, heater fan, etc...) At this age, it's typically the misc minor issus that starts eating you up.