Sort of "Inheriting" a Ford F350 Dually, need some things to look for

[enRo]

A little background story. With the recent passing of my great uncle, his daughter (my cousin) inherited his pride and joy; a 1990 Ford F350 XLT Supercab Dually w/a 7.3L Diesel. He bought it brand new in late '89. A few years afterwards, he moved to Florida, so it's pretty much a Florida vehicle. Well, about 11 years ago, he suffered a major stroke and was unable to drive the truck anymore. So, it sat at his home in Florida for 7 years until a couple years ago, when it was driven up here to NJ by family. That's because he was moved to a nursing home locally, so family can be close with him. So basically, it sat for nearly 11 years straight. And since his passing, my cousin gets choked up everytime she gets home because the truck that he loved so much was sitting there, rotting away. So she tells my mother she plans on selling it. I loved the truck so much when I was a kid that I decided to jump in and say I'll buy it to keep it in the family.

When I saw it for the first time in years, which was last night, I was shocked. The last time I saw it prior to last night was before my uncle suffered his stroke (since he always flew to visit from FL) and it was IMMACULATE. Now it really needs some TLC. There's some surface rust on the hood, the driver fender needs to be replaced, a small spot on the top corner of the driver side cab is completely rotten through with rust, and one of the dually flares needs some minor fiberglass repair. Other than cosmetic work, it's mechanically sound. It was maintained my my cousin's husband, like new battery, alternator, fluid change, and other general maintenece. But since I'm not a Ford Truck guy, I was wondering if anybody has specific areas to look for on the truck that's known to have problems (i.e frame rot etc etc). There's no doubt that I'm buying the truck, it's a matter of knowing where the problems usually exist before I start driving it around town after the amount of time it's been sitting. Thanks in advance.

[sweetbmxrider]

check the radiator support and such, especially by the battery. check the gas tank(s) for any wetness. the weatherstripping around the door should be pressed on a body lip that tends to rot away. check the cab floor. the bushings on the door hinges usually go bad and cause the doors to sag. the corner of the cab where the door closes against likes to rot away. the bumper supports and ends of the frame rails can rot pretty good. never really noticed too much else on the frame though and my truck was used for hauling boats out of salt water, so it got it bad! i believe the fenders are metal too.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fd/t.aspx

[enRo]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

check the radiator support and such, especially by the battery. check the gas tank(s) for any wetness. the weatherstripping around the door should be pressed on a body lip that tends to rot away. check the cab floor. the bushings on the door hinges usually go bad and cause the doors to sag. the corner of the cab where the door closes against likes to rot away. the bumper supports and ends of the frame rails can rot pretty good. never really noticed too much else on the frame though and my truck was used for hauling boats out of salt water, so it got it bad! i believe the fenders are metal too.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fd/t.aspx

Good piece of info, thanks! Forgot to mention the passenger door is sagging. Also it's got two fuel tanks, and the only known issue with one of the tanks is that you have to pump diesel into it very slowly or else the pump trigger clicks off.

[sweetbmxrider]

ya i believe the tanks have metal skid plates under them, at least the front does. great place for water to collect! as for the slow pumping,

Article No.
94-14-11

07/13/94

FUEL SYSTEM - DIFFICULT OR SLOW FILLING FUEL TANKS - F-SERIES CHASSIS CAB VEHICLES
LIGHT TRUCK:
1987-94 F-250, F-350

This TSB is being republished in its entirety to correct a misprint in this article.
ISSUE:
Some trucks may experience a difficult or slow fuel fill rate. This may occur because of misassembled fuel fill pipes or the current fill pipe does not handle large nozzles and high flow rates available at larger fuel stations and truck stops.

ACTION:
Replace fuel fill pipes. In diesel applications, the external vent hose replaces the internal vent hose and the fill hose is larger. In gasoline applications, pre-assembled hoses prevent misassembly and the hoses are larger.

possibility there. i think the vent may be clogged though not allowing the vapors to release so its kicking the nozzle off.

another fuel related tsb

Recall 01I008000: Fuel Pump Check Valve Defect
Notes

This is not a safety defect in accordance with the Safety Act. However, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency.

Vehicle Description: 1990-1993 Ford F-Series vehicles equipped with dual fuel tanks and 4.9, 5.0,5.8, or 7.5 liter gasoline fueled engines. Some vehicles can experience a cross tank fuel flow condition due to a damaged check valve in the fuel pump/sender assembly. Fuel may be supplied from one tank and some or all of the unused fuel may be returned to the other tank.

Should this occur, the capacity of the receiving tank may be exceeded and fuel may overflow from the filler cap.

Ford is extending the warranty for potential fuel cross-flow to 12 years of service or 150,000 miles from the vehicle's warranty start date, whichever occurs first. This cover will automatically transfer to subsequent owners at no charge. If a vehicle already has more than 150,000 miles, this voerage will last until December 31, 2001. If the vehicle is experiencing a fuel cross-flow condition, dealers will repair the condition free of charge. Ford has decided to conduct an Extended Coverage Program to extend the warranty coverage for potential fuel cross flow problems. Owners can contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332, concerning this program.

there are also a ton of tsb's on the trans. the e40d doesn't seem to hold up well. check the frame for cracks though, they have a tsb for around the rear shock mount. also, check the frame rivets, see if any seem loose or shifted. had to replace some on a 90 ranger with bolts, its a tsb. inspect the brake and fuel metal lines thoroughly, any car that has sat for awhile will definitely see a brake line going sooner or later.

[Mark42]

A Ford 350 rides like a rock. A very heavy duty vehicle, suitable for towing large loads. But for an around town ride, its going to be a pain. Hard to park, big, poor visibility of cars because it is so high, and very nasty ride. Plus it sucks fuel. Look for 10-11 mpg.

Sell it to someone with a big camper or boat that needs a low mileage, if not rough looking, tow vehicle.

Bottom line is it is still a 20 year old truck, and even with low mileage, is still 20 years old. Best off cleaning it up and selling it. And as fuel prices rise yet again, its going to be a hard sell.

JMO

[enRo]

Originally Posted by Mark42

A Ford 350 rides like a rock. A very heavy duty vehicle, suitable for towing large loads. But for an around town ride, its going to be a pain. Hard to park, big, poor visibility of cars because it is so high, and very nasty ride. Plus it sucks fuel. Look for 10-11 mpg.

Sell it to someone with a big camper or boat that needs a low mileage, if not rough looking, tow vehicle.

Bottom line is it is still a 20 year old truck, and even with low mileage, is still 20 years old. Best off cleaning it up and selling it. And as fuel prices rise yet again, its going to be a hard sell.

JMO

If I wanted to ask for opinions on what I should be doing with the truck itself, I would have asked... but I didn't. I specifically asked what areas to look for before I start DRIVING it because I have a use for it. That's why this thread is in the General Tech forum

I drive big rigs for a living. So don't preach that this truck is too big to drive around town

[SteveR]

If it has dual tanks, make sure the switch and valve work, they tend to break.

If it's been sitting, check to see if there is any water in the tanks.

Check the glow plugs. It's an IDI motor so if any one of the glow plugs are bad it'll be a bitch to start.

Check the fuel lines and all rubber components in the fuel system as the truck was built before they started putting methanol in diesel fuel and it will break down the rubber parts of the fuel system that are not B100 compliant.

If it's an automatic, see how it drives. The C-6 they used in those trucks tend to wear out. It's a bit hard to find a good one used as Ford used a unique case that was only used on the 6.9 and early 7.3L diesel motors. Also think about a deep sump trans pan. I hear these C-6s get real hot when hauling anything.

Look to see if the front end is sagging at all. The 7.3 is a very heavy motor and the front leafs sag over time.

I think the F-350 had the wishbone front suspension in it (my F-250 does). If so, check the tie rods. If it doesn't have a steering stabilizer, you can get one cheap.

Check the latching mechanisms in the tailgate, they tend to rust and lock the tailgate shut.

Look into getting a Walbro fuel pre-heater/water separator. It'll make starting on a cold day much easier. You can mount it to the firewall on the passenger side I think.

There should be two batteries. Make sure they're both high CCA. These motors are a bit of a bitch to start in very cold weather.

[V]

i had a 90 or 91 f350 diesel dually(rack body dump) and the thing was great for work, mine had the 5 speed manual though. the dual tank hoses especially with the dump body were tricky to fill, but would go fast if you got the angle just right. A 84 f350 dually mason dump i also had(7.3 as well but 4spd manual) was just as reliable for the most part. The 84 started to rust at the cab corners and the floor and even after the injection pump was having issues (wouldnt start cold) we kept running it by starting it with ether in the beginning of the day(yea i know... a no-no lol) but then it would fire right up when warm. We never had any real issues with either. The rad went on the 90/91 in 2003 but thats all i could think of, and yes, they should all have dual batteries.

[enRo]

Thanks for the tips guys. I plan on picking it up sometime this weekend or the beginning of next week.

Originally Posted by SteveR

If it has dual tanks, make sure the switch and valve work, they tend to break.

Valve works. Thats the first thing I asked when she said it has dual tanks... because my other cousin has dual tanks in his F250 and the valve has been broke like forever

Originally Posted by SteveR

If it's been sitting, check to see if there is any water in the tanks.

I neglected to mention my cousin lives on a horsefarm in Stillwater, and for the past 2 months theyve been using the truck to get around the farm. I was told they filled both tanks once in that time. If there's water, what should I use to rid of it?

Originally Posted by SteveR

Check the glow plugs. It's an IDI motor so if any one of the glow plugs are bad it'll be a bitch to start.

Glow plugs were replaced when they drove the truck up from FL. It started right up when I went to look at it.

Originally Posted by SteveR

Check the fuel lines and all rubber components in the fuel system as the truck was built before they started putting methanol in diesel fuel and it will break down the rubber parts of the fuel system that are not B100 compliant.

Good to know, thanks.

Originally Posted by SteveR

If it's an automatic, see how it drives. The C-6 they used in those trucks tend to wear out. It's a bit hard to find a good one used as Ford used a unique case that was only used on the 6.9 and early 7.3L diesel motors. Also think about a deep sump trans pan. I hear these C-6s get real hot when hauling anything.

Drives rather well. My dad has a E350 w/a 7.3L diesel, and the truck shifts and drives better than my dads, which is a 95.

Originally Posted by SteveR

Check the latching mechanisms in the tailgate, they tend to rust and lock the tailgate shut.

It works. I opened it up to take a look at the condition of the 5th wheel.

Originally Posted by SteveR

There should be two batteries. Make sure they're both high CCA. These motors are a bit of a bitch to start in very cold weather.

Batteries were replaced with new high cranking amp ones. Alternator was replaced as well.