another truck popped up on craigslist an '87 6.9 Diesel f250 with ext cab... talking to guy and it runs fine... needs glow plugs but starts right up with some starter fluid.
so how hard are the glow plugs?... i'm sure it'd be slow but whatever... would be a great time for doing a veggie conversion me thinks :)
anything on these beasts to look out for?
Don't know about that one, but glow plugs on a MB Diesel 220D are very easy to get to. However, they were not cheap. Also, you had to have the right resistance heavy gauge wire between them, and they were all in series, so if one failed, the whole string wouldn't light, like an old Christmas tree light string.
they are $10 a pop for ac delco stuff... looked a bit online and seems they are easy enough to get to... looking into it a bit more... but figured somone here would have played with these beasts
super easy, right on top of engine. Controllers go bad a fair bit too. The snazzy solution is adapting a GM 6.5 controller, the easy solution is a manual switch.
ok so other then the glow plug bits... is there anything of serious concern to look for on these beasts ('87 f250 diesel)
:)
I seem to recall Diesels of that era needing a fuel pump at about 150K miles. After that's been fixed, they go double that till the next one is needed. Again, that's just "the word on the street" and not from personal experience.
I would be concerned buying a diesel that's been started on ether if it was not designed for it. It may be an old farmers tale, but diesel engines definitely seem to become addicted to starting on ether if it gets used to start it a lot.
I know that attempting to start a diesel on ether with WORKING glows can result in a pretty spectacular Kaboom.
Before buying this truck, meter across the glows and to the block and check for continuity. If there is continuity, check for power on both sides of the glow plug relay when they should come on. Does the WAIT TO START light come on? Do you hear the click of a big relay when the key is turned on, and then 10-60 seconds after the key is on but before the engine is cranked? If you can, jump the glows to run with a set of jumper cables, then try to start the truck and see how it goes. Starting on ether can often mask expensive low compression issues that make a vehicle hard to start. Check for blowby out of the crankcase when the engine is up to operating temp.
In sunny Florida, I am amazed the truck even needs glow plugs to start. My 6.5 Diesel in my Chevy and my Cummins in my Ram start fine in the summer without the glow plugs/grid heaters.
10 minutes of careful evaluation can save big bucks in repairs.
I have a friend looking to get rid of his 91 Turbodiesel F150 in Dothan, AL if your interested. He's looking for ~$2000ish.
I started several on ether for years with no problem, they seem to be pretty hardy. When you do the glow plugs it will probably need the harness and controler too. I fixed one and it was stolen two weeks later. All the rest I kept using ether.
dansxr2 wrote:I have a friend looking to get rid of his 91 Turbodiesel F150 in Dothan, AL if your interested. He's looking for ~$2000ish.
F150 Turbodiesel? Are you sure it's not a 250? I didn't think Ford put the diesel in the 150. I thought the only company that made a diesel, half-ton truck was GM in the 90's with the 6.5TD in the 1500.
That being said, 150's are comfortable trucks compared to the bigger ones, and a 150 TD would be great.
Fords of that vintage are known for melting the relays and the wiring for the glow plugs. The glow plugs themselves rarely go bad. It more likely the wiring ins toast. Last one i did for a freind was $350 for the harness.
