Aloha from hawaii. I have my eye on a 94 f-350 4x4, 351motor 160k miles on it. With the automatic trans. Single cab. I have yet to see the truck in person but plan on looking at and buying it this week. Is there any thing in particular with this model I should concerned with? Recalls or major repairs needed after so many miles? Or must have options I should make sure it has? Like dana 60 front axle? Thanks for your input. I look forward to being another Ford owner, and being part of this great community.
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aloha! looking to buy another ford
- Thread starterhades300zxdrivesford
- Start date
- Moderator
- #2
Welcome to FTF 
Someone will be along to answer your questions. Sounds like a great truck!
Someone will be along to answer your questions. Sounds like a great truck!
Skandocious
Post Whores Make Me Sick
Welcome! Sounds like you've picked a really nice truck. Things to check for on this particular truck:
- An automatic trans for that year should be the E4OD, and while it's not a bad transmission, some of them can start to develop issues around the 150-200k mile range. That said, many guys have run them for a LOT longer without issues. I've got ~130k on mine with no major failures.
- The 351w motor is considered to be a pretty robust and trouble-free engine in this vintage of truck. That said, the truck is 20 years old so unless the owner has been very good about maintaining the little things, you can expect to see minor issues like corroded electrical wires/sensors, cracking coolant and vacuum lines, etc. Most of these types of issues will manifest with symptoms like loss of power, checkin engine lights, leaking fluids, etc. These are things that are relatively easy to watch for as long as you've got keen eyes and ears when you drive it. Make sure to drive it for at least 30-40 minutes to make sure you get the oil fully warmed up and then pay VERY close attention to the sound and feeling of the motor as it revs through the gears. But again, pretty stout motors so major internal failures are relatively uncommon, though not out of the question.
- Speaking of leaks... The rear main seal is a real common issue on these trucks. Generally it won't fail completely but it'll drip slowly and make a mess on your driveway over time. Duck your head under the truck and see if the transmission bellhousing (where the trans meets the motor) is wet with oil. A slow rear main seal leak will generally not cause any functional problems, just makes a mess and it's relatively hard to fix if you feel so inclined.
- You mentioned the Dana 60 front axle-- yes this truck should have one if it's an F350. Duck your head under the front-end and confirm it's a straight axle (no twin-traction beam). If you've got a keen eye you might spot the axle tag and read more info on there.
- If the truck has two fuel tanks (a switch on the dash next to the headlight switch) check that they both work. It's not super uncommon for the fuel pumps to start failing around this many miles. Again not a huge issue to fix but if one doesn't work it's more bargaining power for you.
- The steering components are a maintenance item on any car, but on big trucks like this depending on usage they can go out relatively often. With the truck started but in park, rock the steering wheel back and forth to feel for slop in the tie rod ends. These trucks are notorious for having a bit of steering slop even on brand new tie rods so don't be concerned if it's got some, but if it's there make sure it tracks good and straight when you're driving down the road. Ball joints are the other big one, and these are harder to replace so you really want them to be in decent shape. If you've got the ability to the jack up the front tires, a good test for ball joints is to put a 2x4 under the tire then LIFT on the lever-arm and feel for up-and-down movement in the wheel; it should be TIGHT. If there's any movement you might have bad or soon-to-be-bad balljoints. If you can't jack it up, another decent test is to see how well the steering returns back to center on it's own after you complete a turn. If you have to help the steering wheel back to straight then the ball joints are probably going out.
- In general, time is rubber's worst enemy, so check as many rubber components as you can for cracking. Prime suspects: suspension bushings such as the rear leaf spring bushings (EDIT: Just remembered this is heavy duty so you've also got leaf springs up front-- check those too), body isolators (attaching the cab to the frame), coolant hoses (don't forget the heater lines going into the firewall on the passenger side), and even tires depending on their age.
If I think of more I'll post back up. And again, welcome!
- An automatic trans for that year should be the E4OD, and while it's not a bad transmission, some of them can start to develop issues around the 150-200k mile range. That said, many guys have run them for a LOT longer without issues. I've got ~130k on mine with no major failures.
- The 351w motor is considered to be a pretty robust and trouble-free engine in this vintage of truck. That said, the truck is 20 years old so unless the owner has been very good about maintaining the little things, you can expect to see minor issues like corroded electrical wires/sensors, cracking coolant and vacuum lines, etc. Most of these types of issues will manifest with symptoms like loss of power, checkin engine lights, leaking fluids, etc. These are things that are relatively easy to watch for as long as you've got keen eyes and ears when you drive it. Make sure to drive it for at least 30-40 minutes to make sure you get the oil fully warmed up and then pay VERY close attention to the sound and feeling of the motor as it revs through the gears. But again, pretty stout motors so major internal failures are relatively uncommon, though not out of the question.
- Speaking of leaks... The rear main seal is a real common issue on these trucks. Generally it won't fail completely but it'll drip slowly and make a mess on your driveway over time. Duck your head under the truck and see if the transmission bellhousing (where the trans meets the motor) is wet with oil. A slow rear main seal leak will generally not cause any functional problems, just makes a mess and it's relatively hard to fix if you feel so inclined.
- You mentioned the Dana 60 front axle-- yes this truck should have one if it's an F350. Duck your head under the front-end and confirm it's a straight axle (no twin-traction beam). If you've got a keen eye you might spot the axle tag and read more info on there.
- If the truck has two fuel tanks (a switch on the dash next to the headlight switch) check that they both work. It's not super uncommon for the fuel pumps to start failing around this many miles. Again not a huge issue to fix but if one doesn't work it's more bargaining power for you.
- The steering components are a maintenance item on any car, but on big trucks like this depending on usage they can go out relatively often. With the truck started but in park, rock the steering wheel back and forth to feel for slop in the tie rod ends. These trucks are notorious for having a bit of steering slop even on brand new tie rods so don't be concerned if it's got some, but if it's there make sure it tracks good and straight when you're driving down the road. Ball joints are the other big one, and these are harder to replace so you really want them to be in decent shape. If you've got the ability to the jack up the front tires, a good test for ball joints is to put a 2x4 under the tire then LIFT on the lever-arm and feel for up-and-down movement in the wheel; it should be TIGHT. If there's any movement you might have bad or soon-to-be-bad balljoints. If you can't jack it up, another decent test is to see how well the steering returns back to center on it's own after you complete a turn. If you have to help the steering wheel back to straight then the ball joints are probably going out.
- In general, time is rubber's worst enemy, so check as many rubber components as you can for cracking. Prime suspects: suspension bushings such as the rear leaf spring bushings (EDIT: Just remembered this is heavy duty so you've also got leaf springs up front-- check those too), body isolators (attaching the cab to the frame), coolant hoses (don't forget the heater lines going into the firewall on the passenger side), and even tires depending on their age.
If I think of more I'll post back up. And again, welcome!
Last edited:
Skandocious
Post Whores Make Me Sick
Just thought of a couple more-- completely forgot about the 4x4 system. Obviously you should check functionality of the 4x4 system as best you can. There are 2 main components that need to function for 4x4 to work correctly: the transfer case and the hub lockouts.
- Hubs: If the truck has auto hubs, forget about them and replace them with manual ones-- just trust me on this one. If it's got manual hubs you can test them by locking them one at a time and asking the owner to drive the truck forward while you look at the axle shafts (don't get run over!). If there's no locker up front (I don't think they were offered from the factory) you should expect the locked hub/axle shaft to spin in the same direction as the tire; don't pay too much mind to the opposite axle shaft-- if it's unlocked it might spin in the same direction or the opposite direction depending on a few other factors that really don't matter here...
- Transfer case: If the truck has an electronic transfer case, put the truck into NEUTRAL (park will not work), hold the brake, and press the 4x4 button on the dash. If it's manual then follow the directions on the shifter-- I believe this involves pressing down on the lever before moving it into place but one of the guys with a manual shifter will have to speak up here as mine is electronic. In either case, you better see a 4x4 light on the dash-- my understanding is that this light is activated by a mechanical switch in the t-case so if you don't see the light you might not be engaged. Notwithstanding, step outside the truck and ask the owner to creep it forward again while you look underneath (don't get run over!). You should see the front driveshaft spinning at the same speed as the rear, and you should see 1 or both of the front axle shafts spinning as well. If you're doing all this on dry pavement I recommend doing this test with the hubs UNLOCKED-- it's generally a bad idea to have the t-case and hubs locked on dry pavement.
- Hubs: If the truck has auto hubs, forget about them and replace them with manual ones-- just trust me on this one. If it's got manual hubs you can test them by locking them one at a time and asking the owner to drive the truck forward while you look at the axle shafts (don't get run over!). If there's no locker up front (I don't think they were offered from the factory) you should expect the locked hub/axle shaft to spin in the same direction as the tire; don't pay too much mind to the opposite axle shaft-- if it's unlocked it might spin in the same direction or the opposite direction depending on a few other factors that really don't matter here...
- Transfer case: If the truck has an electronic transfer case, put the truck into NEUTRAL (park will not work), hold the brake, and press the 4x4 button on the dash. If it's manual then follow the directions on the shifter-- I believe this involves pressing down on the lever before moving it into place but one of the guys with a manual shifter will have to speak up here as mine is electronic. In either case, you better see a 4x4 light on the dash-- my understanding is that this light is activated by a mechanical switch in the t-case so if you don't see the light you might not be engaged. Notwithstanding, step outside the truck and ask the owner to creep it forward again while you look underneath (don't get run over!). You should see the front driveshaft spinning at the same speed as the rear, and you should see 1 or both of the front axle shafts spinning as well. If you're doing all this on dry pavement I recommend doing this test with the hubs UNLOCKED-- it's generally a bad idea to have the t-case and hubs locked on dry pavement.
Thank you so much at least now I feel more comfortable when I go too see it. Hopefully pics coming soon
The truck was really rusted, only one gas tank work and that one leaked if you fill it up, the interior was a mess, and the engine was covered in oil and grease and the transmission shifted in to drive really hard with a kick. And the guy is firm on $4500 so I sadly have to pass.
But on the plus side there are 2 other fords that are for sale
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/4597249225.html
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/4627888471.html
This one is probably out of my budget but who knows
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/4579454110.html
Any opinions on any of these models would be greatly appreciated.
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/4597249225.html
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/4627888471.html
This one is probably out of my budget but who knows
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/4579454110.html
Any opinions on any of these models would be greatly appreciated.
- Moderator
- #8
ack! crappy when you go to take a look and that's what you see. been there when I went to look at a F350 dually last year, was totally bummed.
@amkat yeah I was kind of pissed cause his add said slight rust on fenders. Should have said slight fender on rust. But hopefully the one of the 3 I'm looking at today works out.
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