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1995 Ford F 250 XLT Powerstroke 7.3

58K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  cumminsdieselfreak 
#1 ·
My son just bought a 1995 Ford F 250 XLT Powerstroke 7.3 diesel. What can you guys tell me about this model year? Pros and Cons, Good and Bad, all comments appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Pretty good trucks in my opinion. Used to drive a 96 CC dually. Loved that truck. Nothing ever happened to it and I wasn't into modding diesels then, so I really didn't learn any tips or tricks to pass along!
 
#3 ·
Haha You let your son by a ford, i mean i love fords and love cummins thats why i put one in mine just figured you would have made him stay with dodge. But yeah the Ford 7.3 is the best choice for a ford diesel(my opinion just like i believe the 12 valve is the best choice for cummins) but its dependable beyond belief they will take care of you as long as you take care of him. Glow plug relay usually go bad by now and probably a new set of glow plugs if they havent been changed.
 
#4 ·
That should be a pretty good truck, I like those old 7.3s. The first thing I would do is clean the fuel screen on the side of the fuel filter bowl, you would not believe how much crud gets caught in that thing. It is on the drivers side of the bowl, remove the two bolts and pull the sensor out, be careful because the screen is about the size of your thumbnail, I always used a magnet to pull it out, clean it off and put it back in. You won't believe how much better the truck will run. I still got some brand new valve cover gaskets and glow plugs and a bullydog chip in my garage for that model truck, if your interested.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I used to own a 97 Powerstroke, front axle, 3 transmissions, (2 manual), 4 vaccum pumps, starter, 3 altenators, a set of batterys, glow plug relay, :doh: :hehe: Blown hubs on the previous axle, Its a good truck to learn how to wrench on :hehe: But I seem to have luck that runs like that... I traded it in with only 186,000 on the clock. I sounded good, pulled decent, got terrible mileage, averaged about 12 loaded or unloaded hauling or not. But I was running the 4.10 gears. Check the rear brakes, mine it turns out were not adjusted correctly and hardly engaged for the 3 or 4 years I owned the truck :headbang: The Dana 50 TTB EATS tires alive if it is a 4x4 I highly recommend the dana 60 swap out of a F350 of the same year, it bolts right up, but you have to cut the pivot point out of the cross member, and weld in the track bar mount. I did the swap with 2 buddies on the AF base in Cheyenne WY in about 4 hours from drive in to drive out, the only thing I didnt do was wed in the bracket for the track bar.
 
#6 ·
I used to own a 97 Powerstroke, front axle, 3 transmissions, (2 manual), 4 vaccum pulps, starter, 3 altenators, a set of batterys, glow plug relay, :doh: :hehe: Blown hubs on the previous axle, Its a good truck to learn how to wrench on :hehe: But I seem to have luck that runs like that... I traded it in with only 186,000 on the clock. I sounded good, pulled decent, got terrible mileage, averaged about 12 loaded or unloaded hauling or not. But I was running the 4.10 gears. Check the rear brakes, mine it turns out were not adjusted correctly and hardly engaged for the 3 or 4 years I owned the truck :headbang:


I replaced alot of the same stuff on mine too, I agree a great truck to learn on.




Are you gonna make it to the dyno day in Amarillo in June?
 
#7 ·
And I got to where if I sat in the parking lot of a shop with a pulley press I could change that vaccum pump entirely in 15 mins :hehe:
 
#8 ·
OOOOOOOOH, If I'm not on a rig YES, Ive been dying to make a dyno day and have been working on ALL of them the past few months
 
#9 ·
Oh! I forgot to mention the notorious mystery fuel leak on the top of the motor, I took out a loan for school so my truck went to the dealer for that one fuel lift pump on the top rear of the motor, that was $1300, I enjoyed the heck out of that old Ford but was very happy to trade in that money pit, I did some aftermarket work too, Downpipe, cold air intake, custom stacks, headache rack, bench seat in bed, custom interior, brushguard, cablights. so If you ever have any questions about the truck even though this is a Cummins forum feel free to PM me or what ever!! I'd be more than happy to regurgitate the knowledge gained from my beloved "lola" :hehe:
 
#10 · (Edited)
First thinh i changed on my old 95 4x4 was the lift pump. Leaks out the weephole on the bottom side. New carter pump was $80 and took maybe 3 hours to change it.

94-98 psd are known for

-lift pump leaking
-fuel lines from lp to fuel bowl
-injector issues(from o rings going bad to electrically)
-gp's when they go bad they draw to much power and burn up all the under valve cover harness and vc gasket along with the pigtail connectors.
- gp relay
-cps sensor
all these parts are not really expensive except for injectors$$$$

Just not a great motor to work on. As there are a lot of hard to reach places.

Gp's are probably seized if they are original. I had 2 that were when i changed out my 8 along with the harness under the vc's. Once they are seized its a bugger cause work them too much they snap off and you have to then pull the head.

I never had to change the cps for some odd reason.
powerstroke.org is a good web board. I learned alot from the guys on there.

The 7.3l engine itself is a good motor, just has too many electrical doo dads to run it that fail and cost $$$ to replace and diagnose. Mine had 200K and didn't burn any oil but it did leak oil.(Then again i have yet to see a diesel that does not leak somewhere)
 
#11 ·
I forgot I had a mysterious oil leak as well that was fixed at the same time, that was an oring from the filter to somewhere in the block, I also replaced a few cam positions sensors and have a few other issues... Dang the more I look back on it the happier I am now!
 
#12 ·
i had a 94 and had the same problems. i also had to replace both fuel tanks due to the leaks they get around the bands. the light switches would go bad about every 15k the syncro's went bad in my zf5 speed. always kept a position sensor in the glove box. went through 2 turbos. and could never keep up with a slightly modded cummins of any kind. you best bet is to put a cummins in that truck. you can find a decent used p pumped 12valve for 15-2500 grind your own fuel plate (free) marine injectors if you like them some people dont, (200 used) you can get everything you need from cumminsford.com depending on your tranny for around 1000-1400 and never have to wory about the elec. bs that happens with a psd. i am working on putin a cummins in my 78 4wd f350 am looking for about 600 hp with an auto for a daily driver. its a lot of money at first but you will be happy with the outcome of it. they arent very common and if done right and have a few cosmetics done to the truck your son will turn heads everywhere by looks, sound and performance. the ford guys will be wondering why they are getting passed so easily!!!
 
#13 ·
Used to drive a Mint '97.. The only problem i ever had with it was the HPOP leaking a dime sized spot of oil after parking it... They recalled the 7.3's bought a year or so ago for the CPS(Cam Position Sensor).. If its a stock auto an he puts a programmer on it then the tranny will have a mind of its own... But other than that i had a good experience with mine! Sound killer straight piped! But their just not Common rail straight pipe loud!! :)
 
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