pickemup truck

I looked at it earlier, planning on going back tomorrow to look at it. Is there any common problems with that year? It has a automatic but I didn't have a chance to see what engine it had. They are asking 1500. It also has dual fuel tanks.

infantry351

Sending units and check valves with the dual tanks. Common problems dont seem to be year exact, but hold true from 87-96. I have a extended cab long bed 4x4 with a 351 with a brand new block. And sometimes I want for power. I couldn't imagine if I had the 5.0. IMO I'd only drive this truck if it had a 352w or as I would rather the 4.9 i6 food for thought

pickemup truck

Is there any way to check the sending units and check valves without taking stuff apart? Might be a stupid question.

infantry351

No question is stupid my friend. Sending unit will give you a false fuel reading. And the check valves if faulty will send fuel from one tank to another. For example. For every full front tank of fuel my rig uses, it shifts a little less then a quarter to my rear not a real bad issue. Jus use a quarter of the rear then switch to the front. Both of these issues can only be fixed by replacing the pump I believe. Kinda hard to figure out if this is an issue by just test driving tho....

pickemup truck

Thanks this might be my first car. my step dad had a 93 f-350 diesel dually and the sending unit on one of the tanks must have been bad. Thanks.

dan2286

Rust. Look at front shock towers, rear spring shackles, fuel and brake lines, frame. It also depends if you are good at fixing stuff yourself. Stuff can be cheap parts wise but can get pretty expensive if you gotta pay labor.

fltdriver

Make sure to test the cruise control & horn, easy fix for $50 but will let you negotiate the price down. Also that the doors open easily from the inside, if it takes some pulling on the handle to get the mechanism to release the metal is probably cracked where the handle is mounted, nothing major but could cause you to go through door handles until you secure it. I usually take any vehicle I'm looking at through a car wash to check for leaks, the sellers are usually more than happy to split the cost with me. Bring a flashlight and crawl under the truck, I'll do this even with snow on the ground, check for any build up of crap around oil pan/transmission as it's a sign that something has been leaking, any spots eaten away by rust, any half assed repairs (I've found mufflers held with bailing wire, bumpers held up with C-clamps, dead animals decomposing). Most sellers make the outside/inside look as good as they can but not many worry about the undercarriage.

If your step dad has an F series it would definitely be in your best interest to bring him with, there is a lot of stuff that is so easy to see wrong with something if you are used to seeing it the correct way.

pickemup truck

The truck has rust, fenders are rusted through above the wheels on both sides. but a truck that age in Michigan will have rust. But there are a lot of parts for those trucks in my area and I can use the welding equipment in my school's auto shop so I'm willing to put some time into fixing a truck. About to go look at it again and possibly buy it. Thanks for all of your help.

infantry351

Where abouts in Michigan?

pickemup truck

The Metro Detroit area. I looked at the truck and the trans and brake lines were rusted very bad so that would have to be replaced. also the trans fluid smells burnt. new belt but might need a new belt tensioner. also it has a new water pump and hoses but there might be a coolant leak somewhere because there wasn't much coolant in the radiator. the lowest they would take is $1200 I will have to look at the prices for the parts and think about it. It has a 5.0 EFI in it.