@@DonziGT230 so far mine is real easy to work on ive done preventive maintenance replaced a few things that didnt need to be but everything so far has been easy
Replacing injectors are a pain. If the oil pan rusts out, God help you. You have to lift the entire engine out. Personal experience! 7.3 is a damn reliable motor though.
Still one of the best diesel pickups ever made. Repairs costs and no emmisions is always better than the payments, repair costs, and emissions systems of new.
At least this guy is honest! I have been in the auto repair industry for almost 50 years, and I too have made many mistakes! The thing about mistakes is laugh at them and learn from them!
2001, F250, 7.3, 542k miles. Learning as I go as a non-mechanic. I've replaced most everything on this truck over the years. Worst thing I encountered were the Ball Joints, but I had no help, and that's a job I wouldn't do again without a helper! I'm 72 y/o, that almost killed me ! In the past 6 months, replaced the HOPO, IPR, fuel bowl, Injectors, complete wiring harness and more stuff. This truck will probably out live me. Every time my spouse complains, I just ask her if she wants me to spend my retirement on a new truck ?? :)
Man ain’t that the truth! A new truck these days….. forget about it. We need to start a huge 7.3 Club, nationwide, we can video chat and help with each others questions, share parts info, help others out that live near each other labor and smarts for labor and smarts!!!
Ive owned a f150 for 29 years in the rust belt , anti sieze is your best friend when it comes repairs. Zerks are second, if you cant grease it ,it will fail. Always remember if one side crappy, the other side will be too. Good knuckle busting fun.
Those front springs are scary. I bought my 7.3 Excursion with over 400k miles for under $4k and I'm still loving it, one of the best vehicle purchases I've made.
@@M_A_R_I_N_E785 I was searching craigslist for "ford 7.3." when I ran into it. I had previously been searching for an F-250 or 350, but that search is a pain. I needed a cheap vehicle that could tow my 13k lb. boat and I've wanted a 7.3 PS for a long time so that's where I put my searching.
@@M_A_R_I_N_E785They're everywhere, it just depends on where you live. There's a ton out here in Colorado, especially the western part. I see a new 7.3 Excursion for sale every other day it feels like.
Yup! I had to redo my whole suspension, coil springs and leaf springs, pitman arm and inner and outer tie rods, ball joints, bearings, wheel hubs, calipers and pads, shocks, steering stabilizer, transmission accumulator body spring repair, with new transmission pan gasket and fluid, diff fluid change with a new diff seal and cover, fuel tank straps and lines, fuel lines under the hood, fuel pump, fuel filter housing, 2 new batteries, so many sensors around the motor, boost couplers, boost selinoid, wastegate actuator, starter, carrier bearing, drive shaft u-joints, and so much more. Crazy thing is, it all really needed to be done before safe driving! I also did it all from Oreillys, except the springs and fluids! Oh, and Harbor Freight became my best friend! LOL The one thing I would recommend is if you are changing the tranny fluid use the Motorcraft from ford. you can get the 17 quarts for a around $150 and it truly is best for your tanny. The great thing about this truck is that everything is really pretty easy to work on. It's a great vehicle for people to learn to wrench. Great truck brother!
Dude i would replace those front leaf spring s before they break. There is rust building up in between the springs that may cause them to break while your driving 😮
I get the TH-cam drama for views, but you got to take it down a notch. It’s all basic maintenance for any 20+ year old vehicle. And being in salty New England, that’s a great rig. Your still putting out some good videos! 👍🏻
2002 here. 575,000 miles. Original motor but new injectors and HPOP. Third transmission but it hauled 18,000 lbs around most of its life, Texas, Montana Colorado and everywhere inbetween. I removed the leaf springs and did a coil over conversion a couple years ago. If i knew the difference in ride wouldve never bought a new truck.
I like how the first statement says his issues have "NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ENGINE". I have an 02 F350 with the 7.3 but no issues like him, mine has 94,000 mi. Mines the 6 speed manual, i hate automatics.
Brother please blow it all back apart and replace those front leafs! If you’re going to work that truck like you want too for your safety and everyone on the highway with you please replace those leafs we’d all love to watch you rip it all apart and deal with some of the frame rust while you’re in there! Also throw some hubs too! While you’re in there
Sounds like the long story of my 1993 F250 7.3. I’ve replaced my whole power steering system, wheel bearings, both calipers, master cylinder, oil cooler reseal, clutch, & abt to do u-joints soon. Vacuum pump, complete low side fuel system overhaul, new injectors, & probably bushings next.
With your steering problems, replace all your rubber gromets in all your steering tie rods and connections. Replace the pitman arm and check your steering box o the end of your steering column. If it is loose get a good after marked heavy duty steering box. Your truck is a heavy duty and needs this. My son had to do all of these things on his 2001 Dodge 1 ton dually, Cummins powered 4X4. It just turned over 500K miles this past January. We do all our own work except for alignments. My Dodge is a 3/4 T Cummins powered 4X4 of the same year as his but with only 235K miles. No power chips or soup-ups. Just clean air, fuel and oil and they last seemingly forever.
I recently did the u joints on both sides of my 04 6.0 f350, they were making a clacking noise when going on a uneven terrain. The snap rings and the caps were so rusty and stuck that i dropped them off at a friend's shop who has a big press. New seals and thrust washers also installed. A new steering box is the next thing and also nice shocks
Reminds me of my 1999 F250 7.3 only no dad and some good mechanics and lots of dough spent to get the truck steering right and still occasionally getting towed. But it’s been 18 years driving this old truck, I’m not ready to junk it yet.
when your seatbelt light and dinger is going off press the seatbelt button it will shut it up until you turn off the truck .. at least it does in mine... unless the electric switch is bad or unhooked under the seat .. or not getting power
I live in the rust belt, something i learned early on, use fluid film on your frame and undercarriage. I spray everything in the spring and in the fall just before winter. Zero rust ever and when you need to work on it the bolts come right off.😮
Back in 2002 I think it was I walked into a local Ford dealer here in North Texas to buy an F250 7.3L pickup and they had a back lot full of them, all the same truck, all were 4 door, 2WD short bed XLT trucks with the 7.3L engine with automatics. They all listed for $36K window stickers and were all $6k off, all I had to do was pick my color I wanted. I picked the blue with tan interior like you have, man I loved that truck so much but we built a new house and it would not fit in the garage by like 2 inches too long so I traded it in on an Excursion with the 7.3 but ended up selling it a couple years later. About 6 years ago I wasn't even looking but came across a 2003 F250 Lariat, long bed 2WD extended cab with 84k miles on it and snagged it for $13.5K and have loved it ever since. I pull a 36ft 5th wheel with it. Its crazy what a great deal those trucks were back then. My truck now has 125k on it. I don't daily drive it. Its has all original paint in great shape (white) but I've replaced all the badges with 2005 -2008 as I like the look better and they are blacked out, put the 2015ish mirrors on it as well as tail lights with the reverse lights on top and they bulge out more as well as a raptor grill and blacked out side steps, tinted the windows, alarm, touchscreen with back up camera. Its a great truck. It has coil springs on the front but still drives like a school bus to me, no slop just a beast of a truck to drive. I also put on spin on filters for the transmission and fuel by Driven Diesel, it has air bags on the rear, a 6 position chip and I replaced the factory filter with a cold air intake setup. I had to pull the tank and do the harpoon mod and install a new pickup foot sender unit which was fun but worth it, also had to replace the cables for the rear doors which also was a beast of a job. The steering linkage was also replaced a while back. Other then that the truck has been super reliable.
Bought my 7.3 10 years ago and it's 28 now and it's still running like a new truck. This is the longest I have ever had a used vehicle and no plans of getting rid of it
The reason it would jolt is because the front shaft would rotate just enough that when you turned the steering wheel you would be fighting that seized u joint and then the front shaft would spin a little again to a spot where it was fine
For those front Axel snap-rings - Get a Knipex Snap-ring pliers. I had the same issues getting them off. Once I got a Knipex it took 5 seconds. The are strong and have the correct tips that don't fail.
Well mine is sitting at 484k miles. Those problems you have are just normal tear and wear problems. When I bought my truck i took care of all my front suspension and replaced all the tear and wear easy to replace parts. Haven’t had a single issue what so ever, make sure you keep a crank position sensor in your glove box also a serpentine pulley and belt trust me 😉 btw truck coming along nice
First car I did any mechanical work on was a 1973 Ford Pinto. Even back then Ford was clueless about standardization of bolts and nuts. I remember replacing the oil pump and some bolts/nuts were ASE and some metric. I also recall driving to a parts store to get some special tool too
Steering issue is due to negative caster, very common with these trucks leads to the "death wobble." All you need are adjustable upper ball joint bushings to bring it back into alignment.
I was running down interstate 75 at about 70 mph in my old YJ wrangler and the castle nut came off my pitman arm and lost steering. Luckily my jeep was headed out of a curve at that time and was headed straight for the gaurd rail. Hit said gaurd rail with my tires and it spun me looking at oncoming traffic. It was 4am though so not much traffic. I sped across the hwy and locked on the breaks. Got some tie wire hooked up to the pitman arm and continued to work.
When I bought mine I had to replace the steering gear box, the front rotors and calipers, all 4 shocks, the starter died 4 weeks in, the valve covers were leaking like a civ and technically I still need a new steering kit because the sway bar and tie rods rattle when I go down the road a bit. But they still work so I haven't yet. All that money is still less that a truck payment and my 2022 Silverado took thousands of dollars for DEF sensor issues. 100% Traded up by trading down.
One thing I’ve noticed from having these old Fords, my brother had the 7.3 as well in a 99, had all kinds of mods, had the wheel spacers and different tires and whatnot, he had these same issues. I have a 95 f150 with the 5.0. I haven’t modified it any farther than cutting my exhaust off, never had any of these issues.
I've had AAA for a few years now. Have yet to use it. Picked up a 7.3 F250 recently.. I have a feeling this truck will be the first thing I use it for. Thanks for all the 7.3 content. Been good seeing potential issues, ways to deal with them, what things may need removed to get to other things.
Had a 7.3 2003 200k miles for around a year and 3 months. All stock no issues. Most of the issues start from being altered from original (how it was meant to be) don’t be scared!
Wow I guess I'm not alone I to put dust shield on backwards & I had a knew Hub bearing job was all happy had put all four H - B bolts & than snapped snapped what I did
My Dually, F350 does not have those calipers and they appear to be aftermarket so I think I would get rid of 7:28 those and get what you’re supposed to have. That’s a nice truck. It just really wasn’t maintained by a truck guy. Also, you shouldn’t have had to undo the caliper to open it up.
I just had a question, why is your abs light on? The whine you where experience is from improper bleeding of your box, its also nececcary to jack up the wheels in the air while bleeding and also run the wheel back and forth a million times before starting
Battery cables get corrosion from the inside and create a lot of resistance and it gets worse in the winter. And another thing spacer mess with the suspension specially wheel bearings
Man U got a great Dad! New England Mechanic Neighbor is freaking Awesome! Nice truck man, don’t let the repairs bother you, they will go like another 200k!!!! I was thinking while deleting the entire factory fuel system…. It is time for us in the 99.5-2003 7.3 world to look at these trucks a different way. Just look at it as you need to restore the truck when you get it but it’s going to last a lifetime. They are just getting old but I will not trade mine for any vehicle! Just wanted to reassure you that almost everything you have done to yours in the video I have done as well plus some other modz😊. Keep going man, I don’t even know how old this video is but I just seen it. I will say this: All 4 Riff Raff Banjo Bolts, 4 Way Fuel, complete fuel system delete, EBPV butterfly valve crap GONE! Air Dog II 5 G, Adjusted the waste gate to open at 23 psi! The truck got snappy like a 6.0! Hooked up the camper for a test run. Up hill on the interstate, 70 mph, was at 15 psi boost and EGTs never peak 1050. The truck was hitting 1200 degrees and I would have to back out to cool things down.
1st- the body on that thing is very well kept. 2nd my 2002 if amazing all the repairs I do are way cheaper than buying a new one for the same price as a trailer house lmao.
I have a 2000 Ford F350 4wd powerstroke diesel I've had all those issues plus some other my truck turned into a plow truck calipers and brakes have been replaced several times over the years I don't mess with the brake pads I think the brake issues got worse when it sits so much the easiest thing I've ever replaced was the locking hubs
Hope you compensated your mechanic neighbor; reality out there, look at all the money I paid for these good parts, but I am to cheap to pay the mechanic to help me
There is something about driving a truck that you work on yourself you feel more connected to it than you would driving a brand new one that you barely touch other than putting fuel in the tank.
I'm thinking on buying a 1999 excursion 7.3 4x4 with 266 on the clock how do you like yours steering seems ok new shocks but weird if ya hit a pot hole.
Oh my, look at those front springs.....I was worried about my 1976 original springs......not any more. Did you add chafing protection to the new power steering line?
I have a 2002 F-350 crew cab dually 7.3. 240,000, never had the problem you got. But no modifications either. All factory except cold air intake, 5" straight pipe. You need a better maintenance program .
Great video. I wish I could get the list of deleted cuss words so I can compare yours and your dads to mine. I do my own wrenching too and I think I have expressed them all over the years. Gotta love the big hammers and long cheater bars.
Pause it a 1:56... Holy Shit look at the rust jacking going on between those front leaf springs!! Those babies are SHOT!. I would not recommend driving the truck with those springs any farther.
I'm still looking for one of these either 250 or 350, exactly how this one is styled with the cabin/bed size. They're impossible to find for a price that makes sense.
That’s more work than I’ve done on my 04 Jeep Cherokee with the iron head inline 4L 6cyl with full time 4WD since I purchased it new and have 245k miles on it now. Many new vehicles including jeeps are trash compared to how they used to be built. My buddy’s wife’s 2009 Jeep that’s never even been off road dropped a valve into the cylinder at 68k miles and destroyed the motor. I’m keeping my old stuff unless I hit the lottery and money doesn’t matter so I never have to fix anything.
I just replaced my axle seals, and I feel your pain on that dust shield. First i put it on backwards, then upside down. Soooo yeah. By the third time I was inventing curse words. lol
Those are all wear items over time for all vehicles but the wheel spacers excels the wear and than shock tower ate your hose You should have went ahead and done the other ball joints and u joint on other side also
Brakes regularly get up to 3 to 400°F. Medal of that hardness typically doesn’t start glowing until 8 to 900° so something getting up to 300° is like saying you had to use your brakes yeah monkey mine to say touch metal, but don’t do it, or at least if you’re going to make the Joe Pesci reference say that it was 14,000,000°
I'm sure you could get rebuild kits for those fancy calipers if you cared. Also your coolant needs to be topped off by the looks of it. I have a 7.3l as well. Your rims make me want to grab some late model rims for my truck.
Sorry for ur troubles guy ! What Comes to mind is ford ,fix or repair & replace Dayly 😮 ". Funny i was thinking about getting a f-350 after Ur video I'am going with the GMC 2500 Denali 😅
Any truck 20+years old will require extensive maintenance. Just wait until all those electronics on that fancy Denali go wacky and then the interior falls apart. A buddy of mine has both. He'll take his Ford any day.
Aside from the drive/steering issues....the biggest issue youve not addressed is the "rust jacking" going on in the front leaf springs. Look it up, itsva real desl issue. Look at the front springs "clamped" in place THEN look at the spacing inbetween the individual leafs.( closer to front and rear of said springs)Pretty dang scsry if you ask me.
Good thinking, buying a Ford Starter. O'Reilly's and Auto Zone's parts like that are rebuilds and not all that dependable. They claim a life-time warranty and will replace the part only about three times before say, "That's enough". They depend on people trading their vehicles off more often that I do. It's very little comfort to have to get under your car to replace the same part over and over again, even if it is a free replacement. If you plan on driving your vehicle a very long time spend that little extra and get a quality replacement part that will last several years, not just two or less.
The title of this video made me laugh. The trucks are pushing 30 years old. Everything. They need everything. At some point age negates the LeGeNdArY. Enjoyed the vid tho!
First off. Good video informative… It’s funny the first thing I was gonna say, is no wonder why it’s writing so bad. I’m surprised the leaf springs haven’t given out yet. They look like the laminated plywood…lol… 😂😂
I haven’t heard anything good about your Hydro assist on road vehicles they’re great for a rock crawlers but other than that they’re just not working out that well.
As a mechanic, this is the reason I bought one. Fairly reliable and easy to work on when it breaks.
Ive been told by several that the 6.7 power stroke is easier to work on than the 7.3
@@A-A-ron-aka-big-big7.3 is a pain to work on, just really damn time consuming
@@A-A-ron-aka-big-big Whoever said that is crazy.
@@DonziGT230 so far mine is real easy to work on ive done preventive maintenance replaced a few things that didnt need to be but everything so far has been easy
Replacing injectors are a pain. If the oil pan rusts out, God help you. You have to lift the entire engine out. Personal experience! 7.3 is a damn reliable motor though.
Still one of the best diesel pickups ever made. Repairs costs and no emmisions is always better than the payments, repair costs, and emissions systems of new.
Absolutely love my 2000 super duty 7.3
Can I ask u some questions about your truck...
Don't know about this guy but I love all 4 of my 7.3 trucks.
😂 agreed
At least this guy is honest! I have been in the auto repair industry for almost 50 years, and I too have made many mistakes! The thing about mistakes is laugh at them and learn from them!
those front leaf springs have really had it
They definitely need to be replaced.
@@Setboy6673I thought they were just custom bent 😂😂😂
And they're fairly inexpensive when shop around 😊
Got that right! Those things are NASTY! 😮
That is rust between those front leaf springs, you need new springs
2001, F250, 7.3, 542k miles. Learning as I go as a non-mechanic. I've replaced most everything on this truck over the years. Worst thing I encountered were the Ball Joints, but I had no help, and that's a job I wouldn't do again without a helper! I'm 72 y/o, that almost killed me ! In the past 6 months, replaced the HOPO, IPR, fuel bowl, Injectors, complete wiring harness and more stuff. This truck will probably out live me. Every time my spouse complains, I just ask her if she wants me to spend my retirement on a new truck ?? :)
80k retirement is wild
That’s impressive sir!! Wish I was there to help! 😂
Man ain’t that the truth! A new truck these days….. forget about it. We need to start a huge 7.3 Club, nationwide, we can video chat and help with each others questions, share parts info, help others out that live near each other labor and smarts for labor and smarts!!!
Definitely to much $$$$$ for that truck
@@XAllkyI'm so for this actually, got a 2002 7.3 and mine got 715k on the clock. I can just about answer any question on any issue
You worked more on your truck in this video than I have on my 2002 7.3L in over 8 years. lol.
100 percent agree with you I'm at 749k and still going strong 💪
Mine dropped 3 gallons of oil once that was a year ago I did nothing
@@localsonly-ju6fc Theres still a gallon left.. It's fine
Ive owned a f150 for 29 years in the rust belt , anti sieze is your best friend when it comes repairs. Zerks are second, if you cant grease it ,it will fail. Always remember if one side crappy, the other side will be too. Good knuckle busting fun.
Those front springs are scary.
I bought my 7.3 Excursion with over 400k miles for under $4k and I'm still loving it, one of the best vehicle purchases I've made.
HOW DO YOU FIND ONE
@@M_A_R_I_N_E785 I was searching craigslist for "ford 7.3." when I ran into it. I had previously been searching for an F-250 or 350, but that search is a pain. I needed a cheap vehicle that could tow my 13k lb. boat and I've wanted a 7.3 PS for a long time so that's where I put my searching.
@@M_A_R_I_N_E785They're everywhere, it just depends on where you live. There's a ton out here in Colorado, especially the western part. I see a new 7.3 Excursion for sale every other day it feels like.
@@WSlopeAggie i live on the east coast and most are the 5.4s or 6.8s
@@M_A_R_I_N_E785 Yeah I mostly see 7.3s and 6.7s
You have a very good Dad, Trust me when I say that going up to him and saying "Thank you for being my Dad" will go a long way.
Yup! I had to redo my whole suspension, coil springs and leaf springs, pitman arm and inner and outer tie rods, ball joints, bearings, wheel hubs, calipers and pads, shocks, steering stabilizer, transmission accumulator body spring repair, with new transmission pan gasket and fluid, diff fluid change with a new diff seal and cover, fuel tank straps and lines, fuel lines under the hood, fuel pump, fuel filter housing, 2 new batteries, so many sensors around the motor, boost couplers, boost selinoid, wastegate actuator, starter, carrier bearing, drive shaft u-joints, and so much more. Crazy thing is, it all really needed to be done before safe driving! I also did it all from Oreillys, except the springs and fluids! Oh, and Harbor Freight became my best friend! LOL The one thing I would recommend is if you are changing the tranny fluid use the Motorcraft from ford. you can get the 17 quarts for a around $150 and it truly is best for your tanny. The great thing about this truck is that everything is really pretty easy to work on. It's a great vehicle for people to learn to wrench. Great truck brother!
Dude i would replace those front leaf spring s before they break. There is rust building up in between the springs that may cause them to break while your driving 😮
Yup, my one of my rear leafsprings snapped.
Or they’ll last another 20 years. Never know w springs
I get the TH-cam drama for views, but you got to take it down a notch. It’s all basic maintenance for any 20+ year old vehicle. And being in salty New England, that’s a great rig. Your still putting out some good videos! 👍🏻
2002 here. 575,000 miles. Original motor but new injectors and HPOP. Third transmission but it hauled 18,000 lbs around most of its life, Texas, Montana Colorado and everywhere inbetween. I removed the leaf springs and did a coil over conversion a couple years ago. If i knew the difference in ride wouldve never bought a new truck.
So the coil overs ride better?
Yes! If I had known the difference I would've never bought a new truck. Rides better than my 19'. Except for the sloppy steering box.
I like how the first statement says his issues have "NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ENGINE". I have an 02 F350 with the 7.3 but no issues like him, mine has 94,000 mi. Mines the 6 speed manual, i hate automatics.
Man, that is a gem of a setup. I just found one with 210k and am counting myself lucky. But at 9k, I have some room to repair things.
I would like to have that truck, is it for sale?? Hehe.
@@landonhillyardbought an 03 350 manual 6spd with 171k on it for 6k & 4 brand new tires.. 31’s & Mickey Thompson at that!
As someone who owns both a 6 speed and an auto I can say the auto is quicker to get to its top speed than anyone can shift that 6 speed
I've got a 2000 with a 7.3 I wish mine had a manual in it I bought it new made the mistake of not getting it with a manual
Brother please blow it all back apart and replace those front leafs! If you’re going to work that truck like you want too for your safety and everyone on the highway with you please replace those leafs we’d all love to watch you rip it all apart and deal with some of the frame rust while you’re in there! Also throw some hubs too! While you’re in there
Sounds like the long story of my 1993 F250 7.3. I’ve replaced my whole power steering system, wheel bearings, both calipers, master cylinder, oil cooler reseal, clutch, & abt to do u-joints soon. Vacuum pump, complete low side fuel system overhaul, new injectors, & probably bushings next.
With your steering problems, replace all your rubber gromets in all your steering tie rods and connections. Replace the pitman arm and check your steering box o the end of your steering column. If it is loose get a good after marked heavy duty steering box. Your truck is a heavy duty and needs this. My son had to do all of these things on his 2001 Dodge 1 ton dually, Cummins powered 4X4. It just turned over 500K miles this past January. We do all our own work except for alignments. My Dodge is a 3/4 T Cummins powered 4X4 of the same year as his but with only 235K miles. No power chips or soup-ups. Just clean air, fuel and oil and they last seemingly forever.
I recently did the u joints on both sides of my 04 6.0 f350, they were making a clacking noise when going on a uneven terrain. The snap rings and the caps were so rusty and stuck that i dropped them off at a friend's shop who has a big press. New seals and thrust washers also installed. A new steering box is the next thing and also nice shocks
Reminds me of my 1999 F250 7.3 only no dad and some good mechanics and lots of dough spent to get the truck steering right and still occasionally getting towed. But it’s been 18 years driving this old truck, I’m not ready to junk it yet.
when your seatbelt light and dinger is going off press the seatbelt button it will shut it up until you turn off the truck .. at least it does in mine... unless the electric switch is bad or unhooked under the seat .. or not getting power
Your production quality has really gone way up good job
You are hilarious... 😂 the drama and suspense for common maintenance items of a 20yr + old truck... Good job learning and problem solving.
I live in the rust belt, something i learned early on, use fluid film on your frame and undercarriage. I spray everything in the spring and in the fall just before winter. Zero rust ever and when you need to work on it the bolts come right off.😮
I have the same truck and color Long Box. 200K excellent condition throughout, driver's seat showing wear. Plan to keep it forever.
Back in 2002 I think it was I walked into a local Ford dealer here in North Texas to buy an F250 7.3L pickup and they had a back lot full of them, all the same truck, all were 4 door, 2WD short bed XLT trucks with the 7.3L engine with automatics. They all listed for $36K window stickers and were all $6k off, all I had to do was pick my color I wanted. I picked the blue with tan interior like you have, man I loved that truck so much but we built a new house and it would not fit in the garage by like 2 inches too long so I traded it in on an Excursion with the 7.3 but ended up selling it a couple years later. About 6 years ago I wasn't even looking but came across a 2003 F250 Lariat, long bed 2WD extended cab with 84k miles on it and snagged it for $13.5K and have loved it ever since. I pull a 36ft 5th wheel with it. Its crazy what a great deal those trucks were back then. My truck now has 125k on it. I don't daily drive it. Its has all original paint in great shape (white) but I've replaced all the badges with 2005 -2008 as I like the look better and they are blacked out, put the 2015ish mirrors on it as well as tail lights with the reverse lights on top and they bulge out more as well as a raptor grill and blacked out side steps, tinted the windows, alarm, touchscreen with back up camera. Its a great truck. It has coil springs on the front but still drives like a school bus to me, no slop just a beast of a truck to drive. I also put on spin on filters for the transmission and fuel by Driven Diesel, it has air bags on the rear, a 6 position chip and I replaced the factory filter with a cold air intake setup. I had to pull the tank and do the harpoon mod and install a new pickup foot sender unit which was fun but worth it, also had to replace the cables for the rear doors which also was a beast of a job. The steering linkage was also replaced a while back. Other then that the truck has been super reliable.
When you first slid those axels out I would have pressed in new U joints while I was there other than that loving the vids man keep it up.
Bought my 7.3 10 years ago and it's 28 now and it's still running like a new truck.
This is the longest I have ever had a used vehicle and no plans of getting rid of it
The reason it would jolt is because the front shaft would rotate just enough that when you turned the steering wheel you would be fighting that seized u joint and then the front shaft would spin a little again to a spot where it was fine
For those front Axel snap-rings - Get a Knipex Snap-ring pliers. I had the same issues getting them off. Once I got a Knipex it took 5 seconds. The are strong and have the correct tips that don't fail.
Well mine is sitting at 484k miles. Those problems you have are just normal tear and wear problems. When I bought my truck i took care of all my front suspension and replaced all the tear and wear easy to replace parts. Haven’t had a single issue what so ever, make sure you keep a crank position sensor in your glove box also a serpentine pulley and belt trust me 😉 btw truck coming along nice
Those front leafs are jacked man. You need to change those asap before they snap
Im subscribing just because of all you had to go through. Thanks for sharing your experience. learned alot.
Holly Smokes those leaf springs are shot
First car I did any mechanical work on was a 1973 Ford Pinto.
Even back then Ford was clueless about standardization of bolts and nuts.
I remember replacing the oil pump and some bolts/nuts were ASE and some metric.
I also recall driving to a parts store to get some special tool too
Steering issue is due to negative caster, very common with these trucks leads to the "death wobble." All you need are adjustable upper ball joint bushings to bring it back into alignment.
I was running down interstate 75 at about 70 mph in my old YJ wrangler and the castle nut came off my pitman arm and lost steering. Luckily my jeep was headed out of a curve at that time and was headed straight for the gaurd rail. Hit said gaurd rail with my tires and it spun me looking at oncoming traffic. It was 4am though so not much traffic. I sped across the hwy and locked on the breaks. Got some tie wire hooked up to the pitman arm and continued to work.
When I bought mine I had to replace the steering gear box, the front rotors and calipers, all 4 shocks, the starter died 4 weeks in, the valve covers were leaking like a civ and technically I still need a new steering kit because the sway bar and tie rods rattle when I go down the road a bit. But they still work so I haven't yet.
All that money is still less that a truck payment and my 2022 Silverado took thousands of dollars for DEF sensor issues. 100% Traded up by trading down.
The rust jacking on that leaf pack had me nervous !
One thing I’ve noticed from having these old Fords, my brother had the 7.3 as well in a 99, had all kinds of mods, had the wheel spacers and different tires and whatnot, he had these same issues. I have a 95 f150 with the 5.0. I haven’t modified it any farther than cutting my exhaust off, never had any of these issues.
Love your commentary, it keeps me laughing and interested. Great job young man !!!
Had this issue no shop would even try and diagnose the u joint (i didnt have the time at that time to fix it)
I've had AAA for a few years now. Have yet to use it. Picked up a 7.3 F250 recently.. I have a feeling this truck will be the first thing I use it for.
Thanks for all the 7.3 content. Been good seeing potential issues, ways to deal with them, what things may need removed to get to other things.
Had a 7.3 2003 200k miles for around a year and 3 months. All stock no issues. Most of the issues start from being altered from original (how it was meant to be) don’t be scared!
@@2003-2fitty about to hit 300k on this one. Runs great, all stock. Worked it's whole life in a tree service business. Hope it lasts another 200k.
@@gen157 good amount of miles’ it should go another 300k
Also sometimes your 4 wheel drive can be locked in need to check that
I have had people lock one of the hubs when parked in a hotel or store parking lot check the hubs first
If your power steering pump ever goes out psc makes a full kit with new lines pump cooler and all and it was a better upgrade then a rebuilt pump
Wow I guess I'm not alone I to put dust shield on backwards & I had a knew Hub bearing job was all happy had put all four H - B bolts & than snapped snapped what I did
Nice truck. Very low rust considering NH usage. Yeah... another thought, maybe it is the time to bring your springs to Donovan in Londonderry
My Dually, F350 does not have those calipers and they appear to be aftermarket so I think I would get rid of 7:28 those and get what you’re supposed to have. That’s a nice truck. It just really wasn’t maintained by a truck guy. Also, you shouldn’t have had to undo the caliper to open it up.
I just had a question, why is your abs light on? The whine you where experience is from improper bleeding of your box, its also nececcary to jack up the wheels in the air while bleeding and also run the wheel back and forth a million times before starting
Those front leaf springs look like my rear passenger spring on my 03 duramax
Battery cables get corrosion from the inside and create a lot of resistance and it gets worse in the winter. And another thing spacer mess with the suspension specially wheel bearings
Man U got a great Dad! New England Mechanic Neighbor is freaking Awesome! Nice truck man, don’t let the repairs bother you, they will go like another 200k!!!! I was thinking while deleting the entire factory fuel system…. It is time for us in the 99.5-2003 7.3 world to look at these trucks a different way. Just look at it as you need to restore the truck when you get it but it’s going to last a lifetime. They are just getting old but I will not trade mine for any vehicle! Just wanted to reassure you that almost everything you have done to yours in the video I have done as well plus some other modz😊. Keep going man, I don’t even know how old this video is but I just seen it.
I will say this: All 4 Riff Raff Banjo Bolts, 4 Way Fuel, complete fuel system delete, EBPV butterfly valve crap GONE! Air Dog II 5 G, Adjusted the waste gate to open at 23 psi!
The truck got snappy like a 6.0!
Hooked up the camper for a test run. Up hill on the interstate, 70 mph, was at 15 psi boost and EGTs never peak 1050. The truck was hitting 1200 degrees and I would have to back out to cool things down.
That is some powerful rust jacking between the leaves on that front spring pack. It’s so thick it’s spreading the leaves apart.
1st- the body on that thing is very well kept. 2nd my 2002 if amazing all the repairs I do are way cheaper than buying a new one for the same price as a trailer house lmao.
nice neighbor mechanic, those leafs on the front need attention before they break looks like rust separating them
I have a 2000 Ford F350 4wd powerstroke diesel I've had all those issues plus some other my truck turned into a plow truck calipers and brakes have been replaced several times over the years I don't mess with the brake pads I think the brake issues got worse when it sits so much the easiest thing I've ever replaced was the locking hubs
What did you expect? It’s a 20 plus year old truck! There will be things to address!
Hope you compensated your mechanic neighbor; reality out there, look at all the money I paid for these good parts, but I am to cheap to pay the mechanic to help me
There is something about driving a truck that you work on yourself you feel more connected to it than you would driving a brand new one that you barely touch other than putting fuel in the tank.
Can't wait to get an F350, trying to get a 2015 6.7L 250k miles for $15k but it looks like it was well taken care of.
Respect for your endurance 🎉🎉
those rust jacked leaf springs will adversely affect the camber and caster causing drivability issues
Wait until your dipstick tube mount on the side of the oil pan falls apart. GREAT design!!!
I had the same problem on my excursion. Spent 2800.00 then found out it was the u joint on the passenger side. 20.00 fix
I'm thinking on buying a 1999 excursion 7.3 4x4 with 266 on the clock how do you like yours steering seems ok new shocks but weird if ya hit a pot hole.
@@jasonsheldon1604buy it, i have a 00ex 7.3 best truck/ suv out there 320k currently
Welcome back, Happy New Year!
Oh my, look at those front springs.....I was worried about my 1976 original springs......not any more.
Did you add chafing protection to the new power steering line?
I have a 2002 F-350 crew cab dually 7.3. 240,000, never had the problem you got. But no modifications either. All factory except cold air intake, 5" straight pipe. You need a better maintenance program .
Great video. I wish I could get the list of deleted cuss words so I can compare yours and your dads to mine. I do my own wrenching too and I think I have expressed them all over the years. Gotta love the big hammers and long cheater bars.
Pause it a 1:56... Holy Shit look at the rust jacking going on between those front leaf springs!! Those babies are SHOT!. I would not recommend driving the truck with those springs any farther.
I'm still looking for one of these either 250 or 350, exactly how this one is styled with the cabin/bed size. They're impossible to find for a price that makes sense.
That’s more work than I’ve done on my 04 Jeep Cherokee with the iron head inline 4L 6cyl with full time 4WD since I purchased it new and have 245k miles on it now. Many new vehicles including jeeps are trash compared to how they used to be built. My buddy’s wife’s 2009 Jeep that’s never even been off road dropped a valve into the cylinder at 68k miles and destroyed the motor. I’m keeping my old stuff unless I hit the lottery and money doesn’t matter so I never have to fix anything.
I just replaced my axle seals, and I feel your pain on that dust shield. First i put it on backwards, then upside down. Soooo yeah. By the third time I was inventing curse words. lol
There was alot of great info in this video. Thanks for sharing!
Those are all wear items over time for all vehicles but the wheel spacers excels the wear and than shock tower ate your hose You should have went ahead and done the other ball joints and u joint on other side also
if it has over 150,000, start looking at the front hubs and bearings, i had two front ends over 150 and the front hub bearings failed. all f250,f350s
Lost that same PS line, but it just came apart, wasn't chaffed.
Brakes regularly get up to 3 to 400°F. Medal of that hardness typically doesn’t start glowing until 8 to 900° so something getting up to 300° is like saying you had to use your brakes yeah monkey mine to say touch metal, but don’t do it, or at least if you’re going to make the Joe Pesci reference say that it was 14,000,000°
Going to need a oil pan soon
I will support all of your videos … but I’m ready for Corvette season 😉❤️👍
I'm sure you could get rebuild kits for those fancy calipers if you cared. Also your coolant needs to be topped off by the looks of it. I have a 7.3l as well. Your rims make me want to grab some late model rims for my truck.
Sorry for ur troubles guy !
What Comes to mind is ford ,fix or repair & replace Dayly 😮 ". Funny i was thinking about getting a f-350 after
Ur video I'am going with the GMC 2500 Denali 😅
Any truck 20+years old will require extensive maintenance. Just wait until all those electronics on that fancy Denali go wacky and then the interior falls apart. A buddy of mine has both. He'll take his Ford any day.
Now we know why Toyota is selling record numbers of Tundra trucks. here in the Dallas Tx area you see new Toyota trucks everywhere.
Aside from the drive/steering issues....the biggest issue youve not addressed is the "rust jacking" going on in the front leaf springs. Look it up, itsva real desl issue. Look at the front springs "clamped" in place THEN look at the spacing inbetween the individual leafs.( closer to front and rear of said springs)Pretty dang scsry if you ask me.
I wish you had done rust prevention while you had everything open.
Did you heard about vd-40?
return that and get a gear reduction starter like a ultra duty or a 6.0 starter
You should buy chrome HD mirrors they look cool!
How do you get away with being an inspection sticker behind the current one is yellow right moving into red?
Good thinking, buying a Ford Starter. O'Reilly's and Auto Zone's parts like that are rebuilds and not all that dependable. They claim a life-time warranty and will replace the part only about three times before say, "That's enough". They depend on people trading their vehicles off more often that I do. It's very little comfort to have to get under your car to replace the same part over and over again, even if it is a free replacement. If you plan on driving your vehicle a very long time spend that little extra and get a quality replacement part that will last several years, not just two or less.
I know its random, but do you have a link for the jacket? Love the blue zip up
Glad it all worked out good video
The steering wheel issue is most likely the u-joints on front axle
Why not do the 6.7 starter upgrade?
This is quality content
The title of this video made me laugh. The trucks are pushing 30 years old. Everything. They need everything. At some point age negates the LeGeNdArY. Enjoyed the vid tho!
First off. Good video informative… It’s funny the first thing I was gonna say, is no wonder why it’s writing so bad. I’m surprised the leaf springs haven’t given out yet. They look like the laminated plywood…lol… 😂😂
Please make sure you replace the steering stabilizer there is nothing worse than steering death wobble
I haven’t heard anything good about your Hydro assist on road vehicles they’re great for a rock crawlers but other than that they’re just not working out that well.
Um is it me or is the shocks upside down lol and you should of got the 2 bolt high torque starter turns over way faster and quicker start
Dont fix the leaf springs just do a 6.0 front end swap if you olan on having the truck arohnd for awhile. 10x better ride quality