Diesel Guys I need help. (powerstroke)
 

I just got a job out here, and they have a 97ish F250 with the 7.3L Powerstroke. They are sending it to auction and I was thinking about picking it up for real cheap, as a DD for now until I save up to get a car. The thing smokes real bad on start up, and I read That it may be bad glow plugs. How expensive and how Hard are glow plugs to replace, Also any ideas on what else it could be if you dont think its the glow plugs?

Bump Somone help me out I want this truck.

glows plugs are a pretty common thing on diesel's especially older ones like a 97, they shouldnt be hard to get, and are not hard to replace. im not sure on price though. And what kinda smoke is coming out if it black and not a ton of it that pretty normal, just unburnt diesel.

Like what R Rambo said what color is the smoke?

smoke and diesel goes hand and hand.. glow plugs arent a big deal either. sounds like a cool truck

glow plugs usually dont cause smoke however. Each application is different but in most cases glow plugs are used for cold start/start coniditions.

edit: didnt read that the problem is during startup, could be glows.

Diesels like to smoke at start up. Exspecially if there wa ever any tuning done. I used to drive a 99 Excursion with a 7.3. Tuned with a hypertech handheld it hated cold starts and smoked like a bear but ran great.

How many miles on her? The 7.3s are good motors. Probably just needs a good going over and cleaning.

new ones are better, but with older diesel's they never wanna start on a cold morning no matter what lol

which ford diesel is it that had all the recalls? i know its not this one as it was fairly recent.

The 6.0. It still gets a ton of recalls.

If it's a '97, it should be a pretty solid motor. That's the last year of the old bodystyle trucks, before they brought out the Superduty. My dad had a '97 F-350 with the 7.3 in it and a Banks powerpack, and it was incredibly reliable.

The only issue he ever really had with the engine was with the cam sensor. In the 7.3, they crap out intermittently. It's a good idea to carry a spare.

Keep an eye on the transmission, too, if it's an auto. Weakest point in the driveline. My dad went through 2 transmissions before getting rid of the '97 for his '06 F-350.

its a 97 250 with the 7.3 The smoke is white and only on start up, I know diesels smoke black when you get on them a little and it does, but it smokes white bad when you first start it in the morning. After its been warmed up and you restart it, it doesnt smoke unless it sits for awhile. its only got a 171k on it or 117K idk which one it was ill check in the morning.

Sounds like a pretty good deal. I have a friend with a 95 f350 dually and its a beast. Take care of them and they last forever.

Fixed it for ya.:mrgreen:

Let the truck go to auction and buy something with a Cummins, No glow plug bull, no fussin'. Crank/start/drive, no matter what the temps. Smoke is normal on any diesel, Ford/IH PowerStrokes smoke more than normal due to them taking an eternity to fire. Lots of wasted fuel. It is also a 'light duty' diesel, designed for the light duty Ford/IH truck line-up. Cummins is straight up industrial, some of the engines just happen to end up in trucks.

If the price is cheap enough I say pick it up.

I grabed a 96 f350 with a 7.3L and a 5 speed for 500 bucks, its got 250k miles. It also smokes a little bit on start up if I let it sit for awhile but after it warms up its fine.

All the diesel trucks at my work are the same way.

if its cheap enough, i say buy it. sounds like it would be a solid truck.

honestly renn i say just buy a cheap honda/whatever you want, cause you KNOW how to work on them. if the truck gives you problems youll have to resort to the forums. which is nice but if you have real problems i know you know your way around a 4 cylinder...

haha I wouldnt disagree with that at all. anyone else notice the suggestive (some more than others) titles of the 3 major diesel motors. duramax, cummins, powerstroke :lol:

Yes, and like the sticker says.... I would rather be Cummin' than Strokin'

amen.

turtle would be so upset if your big ass got a diesel truck

The glow plugs on a 97 are under the valve covers and typically guys also replace the injector wiring harness since your already there. The valve cover gaskets are reuseable. It is typical for that year to smoke for about 3 min on a start up, but the smoke has nothing to do with glow plugs. The smoke should clear up. If its auto make sure the over drive light doesnt blink, that could mean a bad cam sensor or a trans problem. Cam sensors are common and cheap. If its a manuel make sure it goes into gear easy. They have a 2 peice flywheel that often goes bad and is expensive to replace. I have a 96 F-350 Powerstroke with banks stiger plus kit w/ 24psi boost. It rolls pretty good for a 6500 lb vehicle.

its a manual, it runs good and goes into gear easily. The truck used to be the owners, and I think he said its chipped or programmed, cause he used to drive it, he said he could tell me all about it, so Ill ask him next time I see him. hopefully I can get it for cheap.

alright update FML the KBB on a 97 250 with 171k is still 6k and thats prob what hes gonna want for it, Im not gonna pay 6k for a beater truck. I was thinking more along the lines of 3k. I know its a solid truck and all just didnt know they held value that well.

6k is nothing compared to what it cost new, however that is still a good value for a truck of that age...but diesels aernt event broken in at 250k!!!!

It's a Ford. The rest of the truck was toast at 20k.:mrgreen: