Have a few new toys I have to keep hidden!!! LOL

[JD Seller]

I am not a Ford person. The first car I personally owned was a Ford 1969 Galaxy 500 convertible. Dad had a Ford F150 with a 302 automatic at the same time. They both where terrible vehicles. The car would not start hot. So if you drove it to town you had better need to do something for more than an hour or it would not restart. Spent a lot of money and time an no one could make it start hot. Dad's pickup would plug up the valve drains so bad that you could not even see the rocker arms for the crud covering them. Then it would leak the oil out on to the manifolds. It did not even have 60K on it when the motor would barely run.

So I have owned Dodge or Chevy since then and mostly Chevy.

Around the first of December a friend called me about his pickup truck. It is a 2000 F350 crew cab dually, 4x4, 7.3 diesel, automatic trans. It has about 130K on it for miles. IT will barely pull itself on level ground. HE wanted me to look at it for him. He had replaced the turbo and a dealer installed all new injectors. I told him I did not know anything about it but he brought it out. I looked it over and I think the inter cooler is plugged up with oil from the bad turbo. HE was done with spending any more money on it. So we got in a trading deal on an old tractor he wanted. Long story short I now own a Ford F350 dually. I have about $4000 in it. I hope it has nothing major wrong with it. If it does I will part it out.

Friday a fellow that is kind of a the neighborhood "hired hand" came out to see me. He is a nice fellow with a lunatic wife that keeps him broke all of the time. He is not the smartest out of the blocks but will give you a good days work at anything he can do. He had a problem he needed some "help' on. His 1990 Ford Ranger pickup had reverse go out of it. It is a 2.9 V-6 motor with an automatic transmission. He does not have the money to repair it. He wanted to borrow $400 so he could go buy a Chevy S-10 he had found. He had some of the money but not all of it. His Ford ranger is an extended cab one with a pretty good body for its age. It is 2wd. So long story short I gave him $400 for it. That got him enought to get him the S-10.

The Ranger starts and runs great and the interior in in fairly good shape. The bed is super straight with zero rust. The left cab corner has a small rust hole but the right is solid. Heck the AC still works on it.

So now I have two "FORD" projects setting here. LOL The wife is teasing me about starting a "JUNK" yard as I now have 3-4 pickups that I have to get running.

The F350 might be a good trailer pulling truck if I can figure out the low power and white smoke issue. The long wheel base and dual rear wheels would ride nice on the road.

The Ranger may be a fixer upper. I think a good running small pickup should be worth $1000-1500. I am wondering what a used automatic would be for one of these??? I am guessing $250-300, used cash and carry. Then some labor for a trans change. Some cheap tires and then either sell it or just keep it for a cheap parts/farm shuttle truck. If your dirty and need to go to town for parts, jump in. Need to go to the farm/field and bring back some equipment an just leave it there until you can get help to go pick it up. If some one does something to it your not out much.

So here I am "collecting" pickups. LOL

IF the repairs on either one get too expensive I will just part the diesel out. The engine and drive line will bring what I have in it as cores. The Ranger will bring what I have in it as scrap at the metal yard.

I do have them parked out of view from the road. The local Ford guys would really rag on me about having TWO Fords on the place. LOL

 

[dcarp]

Seems like you are going to find out why they are called Fix Or Repair Daily. LOL

 

[Anonymous-0]

I used to keep a coulpel a old junkers around for just that but i found the few miles i drove them dident off set all the extra ins.
but them ol pickups are handy and can save on the newer one
The last few years i use just 4 weelers around the farm.. 8) 8)
stay warm

 

[Ken-Pa]

Hi Mr Ford man . I had bought a brand new 1971 F100 nack in late 71 . It was special ordered by a gent that passed away the day it came into the dealers . It was a sweet truck with the XLT package (option), cab lights (option) , bed cargo light (option), & Am/FM stereo . It had the 360 v8 but it had a 3 spd of the column which I couldn't understand the guys objective when he ordered it that way . That truck was worthless around town , but when I'd get oput on the highway , it would get out & scat . So I learned it had the high range gears in the rearend . If I'd try hauling a load of hay , dirt or manure , it was a sick dog power wise . Some yrs later I had spotted a 1970 F100 sitting in a patch of weeds . Located the owner about it & he said the 6 cyl engine blew up But i could take what i wanted before he scrapped it out . So I took the rearend out & home . Then I switched out the gears into my 1971 . What a difference that made . All kinds of scat around town , hauling loads & on the highway it would do what I needed to go & be legal .Heck , I could even lay some black on the streets . Later on I even switched out the 2 barrel carb/manifold for a 4 barrel set up . What started as a dog that couldn't get out of the way of traffic into one mean mosheen . Goood luck Mr Fordman & god bless , Ken

 

[Anonymous-0]

Good on you. Your wife sounds like a good sport. As you well know, such projects can be wonderful therapy. Is your shop back at the house you moved out of not too long ago?

And on a different note, have you worked on that, I believe it was a 5030, project lately?

Glenn F.

 

[oldtanker]

OK JD, I think you should look into the intercooler think but also check out the cataleptic converter/s too. I know a guy that had one that did that. Ford installed a new turbo and tried a few other things. He was complaining about it in a café one day and a guy at another table told him to bring it to his muffler shop. As an experiment he removed the cat and put in a piece of pipe. Truck ran fine. New cat and the truck was back on the road.

Rick

 

[Rust Addict]

Can't have too many trucks, just not enough room to keep em.

 

[JD Seller]

Glenn: The long term project that I had started was a JD 4320. I have not touched it since last summer. Matter of fact the middle son is living at the farm. He and I packed everything back up so he had some room for some of his projects.

The house we live at now does not have a formal shop. There is an old hog barn that we use as a small shop/garage. It is not heated all of the time. This coming spring I plan on building a new shop for myself and an attached garage on the house.

The lack of a shop is not an issue right now as I just do not have much time for much shop work right now. I just putter around on some simple thing for now.

 

[larry@stinescorner]

speaking of fords,I have some memorys,probably 25 years ago,I was helping my dad get some firewood,I drove in with my chevy 2wd drove all around found some wood,cut it and loaded it,dad drove in with his ford,striaght to a level spot ,didnt drive all around like I did,and the Ford started spinning,still remember him saying,,,look at this f in Ford! Another time my brother had a brand new Ford p up at the time,and I had a Chevy,I did a lot of travling for work at the time,he asked me how much wieght I keep in the back of the chevy,I said nothing,,,He said his ford sucks in the snow ,he had to stop at a supply store and buy bags of gravel to put in the back so he would have traction! Two ford vs chevy memories I have. I will say when my dad passed away,my brother did keep his ford for a long time and it did run good,which was really great to see,because my nephews learned to drive with their pop pops truck,but,,,I just visited my brother at Christmas and he bought a new Chevy pickup so maybe the Ford pickup era is done around here!

 

[Haley]

JD,I am a Ford man but if the transmission in the Ranger is an A4LD overdrive you have probably the worst overdrive Ford ever built.They are VERY VERY light duty in my opinion and I have never seen one that didnt have problems at some point.The main problem was the center support for the overdrive drum.It was aluminum with a stub off the back for the overdrive drum to fit over with teflon sealing rings kind of like the back of a turbo 350 front pump.The aluminum grooves would wear and eat up the rings and drum.I have not messed with them since the mid 1990's when I worked at the local dealer so there may be better aftermarket parts to fix them now.I think you may have a hard time finding a "Good" one to replace yours with.They are fairly easy to rebuild and you may want to just fix the one you have.I forgot to add that this one should have five foward gears---First,second,third,converter lockup,and overdrive.

 

[Super Trucker]

Hmmmm... I wish I could run into those deals! I have a dually just like yours and if you decide to part out I'M INTERESTED . I know this will sound stupid but how is the engine oil and level? I seen way to many guy's that think oil just stay's there for ever, only to check and it takes 3qts to get on the stick and then another 2 to fill it. The other thing I would check is the High Pressure Oil Pump just in front of the fuel bowl. There is a test port to put a HIGH pressure gauge on and find it's condition. Has it had the cam sensor replaced under the factory recall? Just a couple of the easy things that come to mind and if you know CAT E,C 15 fuel systems they are the same set up.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

In the late '70s, I traded for a '68 ford f150; he said it had no brakes, but all they needed were adjusting. Anyway this truck would spin, on wet pavement, taking off from a stop if the wheels were not pointed straight ahead-I mean just letting the clutch out nice and easy=normal. Truck was ok-no rust to speak of, and ran ok, but getting almost stuck on a level road because it was raining was nuts. I never drove it off pavement; kinda useless!
Mark

 

[Traditional Farmer]

On the Diesel I"d first check the Cat converter,then the sensor at the air filter and no matter how clean the filter looks replace it.Also the engine may be carboned up from the turbo issue and those engines need to be run not lugged so he may have caused some of the problem.And then I"d put in two cans of Seafoam and a can of Marvel Mystery oil I"ve "cleaned" out a couple diesels with that mixture.

 

[JD Seller]

Haley: If I would go to rebuild it how would I get the torque converter flushed out??? I am sure that there is metal and crap in the system right now. How much would a repair kit/parts run on one of those transmissions???

I have only rebuilt two automatic transmissions in my life. Chevy turbo 400s. I have had plenty of power shifts apart in tractors so the mechanics would be kind of similar.

The youngest son took some auto repair classes at college before he found out he did not like the electronic part very well. He and I should be able to figure it out. That might be a good project for next summer.

 

[David G]

Those 7.3's are a great engine. I can see no reason why it could not be fixed if the correct person worked on it.

 

[Mark-Ia]

Car-Part.com show a used one in Waterloo for $400.00

 

[Mark-Ia]

Should have said a used automatic trans. for the Ranger

 

[Josh in Pa]

JD,
What kind of shop are you planning to build? I am a young farmer, and currently use one bay of a machine shed, 12x30 with a propane torpedo heater and gravel floor. I am planning to build a dedicated shop, but am not sure about what construction methods to use. I like the simplicity of pole buildings, but worry about poles rotting in the future. The other option is footers and block to above grade. I am planning 32x40, with a 10x16 bumpout on the back to house a furnace and air compressor. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks,
Josh

 

[Haley]

Some of those converters came with a drain plug so flushing it would not be a problem.I dont know about now but several years ago you could buy a rebuilt lock up torque converter for around $100.The transmissin really is not hard at all to rebuild but the internals are so small that it can be frustrating trying to get down in the case to work with the clutch packs.Grab you one of those cheap trans rebuilding books off the net for it and it will help a lot.

 

[T in NE]

Couple runs of field tile should take care of any worries about the poles rotting off on a shop.

 

[T in NE]

If the engine is the only problem that powerjoke has, don't scrap it before trying to sell it whole. There's guys out there that would like a good body and powertrain to swap a good powerjoke or a Cummins into.

Plus, outside a mechanical Cummins, you can't bet the 7.3 for reliability.

 

[Sprint 6]

White smoke is caused by a cold fire situation. Could be a fueling issue, timing issue, or compression issue. I would think a plugged intercooler would cause a no start or black smoke. I would be hooking it to a scanner, I think you have a fueling issue. Possibly an ICP sensor or IPR problem. Cam sensors were also a problem on those, but they usually cause a no start.

 

[JD Seller]

Josh I am leaning toward a 40x80 metal framed building. I can buy it built for about the same as the materials on a pole building cost. I will have more in concrete but I usually go heavy there anyway.

 

[Dr. Walt]

dcarp:

LOL, how about Found On Road Dead.

Get a Chevy.

 

[Roy Suomi]

Look in the frame rail under drivers side and see if it has a fuel filter housing there.. Maybe someone has overlooked it... element might just need replacing..

 

[jimg.allentown]

haley: Things have changed over the years. An A4LD is a sturdy transmission IF it is rebuilt the right way. I drove my '93 Explorer for nearly 10 years on the same transmission that I rebuilty for it in 2004. A few tips:
1) End play is VERY important. Rear unit end play must be from .004" to .012" and NO MORE.
2) The seals on the rear of the center support are RUBBER - NOT TEFLON! With the rubber seals and correct end play, they will last indefinitely.
3) Clutch pack clearances are every bit as important as band adjustments.

The main reason that these units fail is too much end play in the rear unit. It allows the direct clutch drum to wobble and eat up the rubber seals. BTW, there is a reason that Ford used rubber seals instead of teflon or cast iron. The rubber seals simply last longer and will not damage the drum or center support. Also, keep in mind that up to 1988 they had smaller cooler lines that led to them running too hot and not having sufficient oil flow for cooling. That caused a lot of failures and gave the trans a bad name. No longer the case.

 

[jimg.allentown]

Very likely, there is not metal in the unit. The loss of reverse is caused by failure of the direct clutch in most cases. If this is the case, you can verify if by trying 3rd gear. If it flares into 3rd, the clutch has failed. It may not even go into 3rd or 4th. Otherwise, the rear band is for low/reverse. Check by testing for engine braking when the lever is in (1) position. No braking indicates a band failure (rare).

 

[Pops1532]

Try a U-pull yard if you decide to get a used trans. They periodically have a 1/2 price day.

Your dad's 302 gunked up because he used non-detergent oil, or a poor quality detergent oil. The 302 was an excellent engine although IMO under powered for a truck. I've had several 302's and the only problem I ever had was a timing gear shed it's teeth on one engine. Usually a 302 will still be running strong at 150-200K miles when the rest of the vehicle has rusted away.

 

[Pops1532]

Ken, What gear did your 71 have? My 1st truck was a 71 F250, 360, 3 on the tree. IIRC it had 3.73 gears. It pulled great. A few years later I had a 68 F250, 360, 4spd with granny 1st, and 4.10 gears. That thing could have pulled a freight train. Couldn't pass a gas station though.

Never got the 71 stuck, but the 68 would get stuck if they forecast rain. It was fine once I put narrower (stock size) tires on it.

 

[Pete in MD]

and the Ford folks will say "First On Race Day"

 

[Aaron Ford]

Ahhh the old Ford jokes! Having the last name Ford, I have never heard any! I bought a clapped out 97 Powerstroke and made 5 grand on it. There is a big market for the truck you have. 7-10K around here. I suspect you are right about the plugged intercooler as these trucks fuel off of boost. If it wasn't building any, then it wouldnt get any white smoke. One of the problems with these trucks is that when the air filter gets plugged it will suck the intake tube flat and draw all its air from the crankcase. This sucks up oil and deposits it in the intercooler. A little online research will pay huge dividends as everyone passes info back and forth on the forums.

Good Luck. You will love the truck.
Oh, and it was my first Ford. Last name and all!

Aaron