Time to retire the 7.3 OBS?
I've had this 1997 F250 diesel for over 15 years and in that time, it has left me stranded just 3 times. Once a dozen or so years ago when the fuel bowl heater shorted and took out the ECS fuse with ...
Forum Discussion
ctrout wrote:
....This was a very hard decision.....I decided that it's best to let this one go. The front suspension was in need of quite a bit of work. The AC was not working, interior is pretty tired, windshield is broken, tires are getting thin, and brakes are probably due soon.
In the meantime, I bought a 2006 5.9 Cummins in exceptional condition yesterday. It has brand new tires, AC blows cold, interior is in excellent condition, body is excellent with no dents and great paint, all glass is good, 103,700 miles on the clock.
These are always tough decisions, but in the end I think you went the right way. I'm all for keeping old things running rather than buying new(er) if I can help it. In situations like your truck, there comes a point where you have to find your point of diminishing returns. If you aren't able to do the work yourself, all the repairs your truck needed would add up quickly.
Even though you upgraded about 10 model years, the truck you bought is still 14 years old. When I buy a used vehicle I like to do the following so I know I'm starting off with a 'fresh' vehicle:
1) Coolant flush and fill
2) Transmission: drain, replace filters, band adjustment, refill. DO NOT POWER FLUSH!!!!!
3) Filters: air and fuel
4) Oil Change with filter
5) Axles: drain and refill with quality gear lube.
6) Brake Fluid: Flush the brake lines with fresh DOT3 fluid.
If you can't do this work yourself it will cost a decent amount but I bet you can find an independent shop that will do this for a fair price. I like to do all of this stuff because I don't assume the previous owner maintained it properly. At 100K miles your truck is right at the mileage (and beyond in years) when all of these service items are needed anyway. None of this will guarantee is problem free, but it's definitely a good insurance policy so you can be confident the routine stuff is all covered.
There is one small common issue in the front axle you'll want to have inspected. The right side CV Joint (u-joint) will go bad over time and will click or clunk. It's not an expensive fix and won't leave you stranded, but you just need to watch it and make sure it's all good. Just ask the shop to look it over when you have the the above preventative maintenance work done.
KJ
