Hi all,
I just picked up a early '99 F350 long bed CC SRW w/ 250k miles on it. The truck is mainly used to haul a 2600# cab over while towing a 24' Bayliner w/ ~750 - 1000lbs tongue weight. My overall objective is to keep this truck indefinitely. I will probably only put about 5-10k per year on it and I want to keep it running forever, like +20 years. HP & performance aren't really my thing. Just want to make sure it is reliable and runs well.
The guy I bought it off of said he had the oil changed about 3k ago with Rotella syn. The oil on the stick is black as all get out, so first thing is to get all fluids changed so I know what I have. Tranny fluid did not smell burnt though.
The truck came with pillar gauges, 4" turbo back exhaust and a Diablo Predator tuner. The stock air filter was wasted so I yanked that out and put in a 6637 Donaldson with 4" exhaust piping for an intake right away. The turbo housing had a little grime but nothing major. I haven't pulled the turbo to inspect the blades, but this thing was manufactured on 3/99, so it should have the 'wicked wheel' anyway, right?
So hauling, I noticed going into hills if I walk the turbo up into 11-18 lbs of boost it sounds like I am getting some kind of flutter or surge out of the turbo. When I jam it into +20 lbs boost it sounds fine and I can't hear anything. It is just when I am walking it up slowly between 11-18 that it starts making some noise, like a flutter / surge or bearing going out. Could this be dusted or surge? This is all with the diablo in towing mode. I need to take it back out in stock mode and compare to see if it does the same thing. Pretty sure I am going to just sell the Diablo and get a DP tuner.
With the auto tranny, I am thinking about getting the 6.0 cooler upgrade straight away. The previous owner had the tranny rebuilt about 80k miles ago and I would like to make it last as long as I can. I live up here in Alaska though and it really doesn't seem to get much hotter than 195*, so I am not sure if this mod is worth it to me.
The guy also said he had the front end rebuilt a few years ago, but i notice a slight vibration when turning left at highway speed. Not real bad but noticeable.
Also looking at getting airbags for the rear and perhaps new shocks all the way around since I am bumping right close to maxing out recommended weight.
I know that is a lot to read through, sorry if it is jumbled. I am just looking for what you guys recommend focusing on fixing and modding first and why? I have driven diesel for a long time, I had a 6.0 but was terrified to do anything to it because of all the issues and sold it right when the warranty ran out. So far loving this truck, it is great to drive and purrs right along. I was getting 16.5 mountain driving with the camper on, which is already better than my old 6.0 with just a topper!
Any advice appreciated.
I just picked up a early '99 F350 long bed CC SRW w/ 250k miles on it. The truck is mainly used to haul a 2600# cab over while towing a 24' Bayliner w/ ~750 - 1000lbs tongue weight. My overall objective is to keep this truck indefinitely. I will probably only put about 5-10k per year on it and I want to keep it running forever, like +20 years. HP & performance aren't really my thing. Just want to make sure it is reliable and runs well.
The guy I bought it off of said he had the oil changed about 3k ago with Rotella syn. The oil on the stick is black as all get out, so first thing is to get all fluids changed so I know what I have. Tranny fluid did not smell burnt though.
The truck came with pillar gauges, 4" turbo back exhaust and a Diablo Predator tuner. The stock air filter was wasted so I yanked that out and put in a 6637 Donaldson with 4" exhaust piping for an intake right away. The turbo housing had a little grime but nothing major. I haven't pulled the turbo to inspect the blades, but this thing was manufactured on 3/99, so it should have the 'wicked wheel' anyway, right?
So hauling, I noticed going into hills if I walk the turbo up into 11-18 lbs of boost it sounds like I am getting some kind of flutter or surge out of the turbo. When I jam it into +20 lbs boost it sounds fine and I can't hear anything. It is just when I am walking it up slowly between 11-18 that it starts making some noise, like a flutter / surge or bearing going out. Could this be dusted or surge? This is all with the diablo in towing mode. I need to take it back out in stock mode and compare to see if it does the same thing. Pretty sure I am going to just sell the Diablo and get a DP tuner.
With the auto tranny, I am thinking about getting the 6.0 cooler upgrade straight away. The previous owner had the tranny rebuilt about 80k miles ago and I would like to make it last as long as I can. I live up here in Alaska though and it really doesn't seem to get much hotter than 195*, so I am not sure if this mod is worth it to me.
The guy also said he had the front end rebuilt a few years ago, but i notice a slight vibration when turning left at highway speed. Not real bad but noticeable.
Also looking at getting airbags for the rear and perhaps new shocks all the way around since I am bumping right close to maxing out recommended weight.
I know that is a lot to read through, sorry if it is jumbled. I am just looking for what you guys recommend focusing on fixing and modding first and why? I have driven diesel for a long time, I had a 6.0 but was terrified to do anything to it because of all the issues and sold it right when the warranty ran out. So far loving this truck, it is great to drive and purrs right along. I was getting 16.5 mountain driving with the camper on, which is already better than my old 6.0 with just a topper!
Any advice appreciated.