Going to look at an 1989 F-250 - What to look out for?


Sevensecondsuv

Sevensecondsuv

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So I've been searching around lately for a full size truck to haul / pull stuff with. I finally found one that I think is worth looking at. It's a 1989 F-250 3/4 ton with the 4.9L (300) straight six and the ZF 5 speed manual tranny. It runs great.

This truck has 350,000 miles on it. The engine was rebuilt at 290,000 miles. The rear end and clutch have also been replaced "recently". The tranny is original but the seller states that it works just fine with no grinding / whining / noise / etc.

What do I need to look out for on these? Anybody know of any specific problems these truck had?
 
I had an '89 F250. Loved it. It was a diesel with dual tanks.

The problemns I had were:

It would start and then stall if it had been sitting on flat ground for a long time, or was parked uphill. Park it down hill, and no problems. The fuel was bleeding backj in to the tank because the plastic extension on the pickup tube had broke off. It contained a 1-way valve that keeps the fuel from flowing back in to the tank.

Also, my fuel guage would bounce like crazy, bat that is usually a ground wire. Could also be the sending unit though.
 
Typical rust issues, ( rear wheelwells, front fenders, core supports, cab corners and rockers aroung seat belt area). If its a F250 it has TTB which in an f250 usually the front springs seem to sag an it will then wear front tires. Another common problem is the rear shackles and hangers rusting off. PLus you will still want to check for the normal things on a used car like, leaks, worn out parts and broken things etc.
 
Just found out it has a full floater 10.25 sterling rear axle with 4.56 gears and L/S!!!! Combine that sweet 300 torque with the granny first gear, 4.56 rear end, and stock size tires and I think I'll have my self a real tow beast. Going to look at it tomorrow....
 
Let us know what you find.
 
Sevensecondsuv said:
Just found out it has a full floater 10.25 sterling rear axle with 4.56 gears and L/S!!!! Combine that sweet 300 torque with the granny first gear, 4.56 rear end, and stock size tires and I think I'll have my self a real tow beast. Going to look at it tomorrow....
Click to expand...

If it has 4.56 gears they were put in being thats not a factory option in that truck.
 
Well I didn't buy it. It did have 4.56 gears and the thing was an absolute tank. But the cab was so rusty it was beyond the point of repair - I would have had to swap a different cab onto it. That was a little more work than I was looking for. What irks me is that the seller told me the cab was solid, and only needed a little repair on the rockers. So the search continues....
 
Too bad, man. I'm a huge fan of the 300c.i. I-6! Owned a '93 F150 that had it and it was great! In a truck, I'd rather have that than a 302c.i. Anyways, it was a sad day when I sold it to my cousin:sad:, but I found a good deal on an early Powerstroke, so it had to go to make room for bigger and better.
 
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