Anyone With An Automatic Powerstroke?

TempestV

I'm considering buying a 99 powerstroke f250 with an auto tranny. Everything about the truck is perfect, but I'm a little worried about the transmission- you have to rev the engine a small amount to get the truck rolling, which is a something I have seen before as a sign that the transmission is going. On the other hand, I've driven other superdutys that the transmisison did the same thing. It may be that the other trucks I've drove also had bad transmissions, but I was wondering if anyone else here had a ford auto with similar conditions?

sonny

So how does it shift for the rest of the ride? Possible that a cleaning of the screen & new fluid would smooth it out. I have a Auto - Power Stroke - great truck - I must mash the gas to kick in the turbo when I'm going up and down the Smokey Mountains.

Now in my Chevy 6.5 it wasn't necessary to mash to get up the hills! Fact is I once towed over 14,000 lbs up them hills with that truck.

How many miles on that powerstroke - has it been used for towing?

TempestV

After it's rolling, it drives fine- no complaints. you only notice it when you are trying to go real slow- like easing up to a trailer or something

It apparently has been used for towing- the guy put an after market trailer brake in. I don't know how much though. I can't believe that I missed it, but I forgot to check how many miles are on it.

doubleaction

Im pretty sure that normal. Mine does it to but mine is on 39.5" tires. IT takes a little rpms to get that turbo spooling to move it. I can remember if it did it with stock tires. I know if i put it in drive it would not move until you hit the gas on flat ground.

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tgeb

I own a '99 F-350 since 'new in '98.

I tow quite a bit, sometimes as much as 10,500 lbs on a 7 ton trailer that weighs 3,200 lbs. But usually just a skid loader (5,500 lbs.) with maybe a ton of rebar. But I do tow typically a few times per week.

I have 140K miles on it and just last week the trans started blowing oil past the front pump seal. Took it to a good trans mechanic and he had the thing rebuilt top to bottom (or is it front to back?) in 2 days for around 2,800 bucks.

I know guys that have trucks with less miles that have had to replace the trans, so it's a gamble no matter what.
Fact is a transmission is a wear part that one way or another will have to have repairs or replacement.

How much is the truck? How many miles?

None of the trucks then had factory brake controllers, that is some thing very recent that Ford has started offering. I am thinking it was not more than 3 years ago was the first factory brake controllers.

As far as having to speed up the engine to get it moving I think that is typical unless you really have to get on it. Go test drive it again and check the rpm's it takes to get going, I can compare it to mine for you. Check the mileage too.

I personally would not shy away from this truck if it is in good shape and the $$ is right.

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Chris Johnson

I had a 2002 F450, 3 transmissions after only 18000 miles I traded the truck and went back to Chevy. Average daily load was 12000 lbs truck and tools

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Chris

liltrainerboy

what kinda gas mileage u gettn

POOLMANinCT

I'm no mechanic, farthest from it. I've never changed my own oil. but why my powerstroke vehicle gets sluggy, new set of spark plugs & sluggishness goes away.

ray

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TempestV

It's at 147000 miles, and has had the transmission replaced on warranty.

He's asking 7000, which seems low, which made me concerned.

I'm getting it checked out at the dealership tomorrow, so that should give me a pretty good idea of what's going on.

mdshunk

I think that most big trucks I've driven with automatics needed a little gas to get them rolling. If you need to give it little gas, and then the whole thing suddenly "catches", then that's when you're sure you have a transmission issues.

Tmrrptr

Temp, what did he tow with it?
Price sounds ok... But what are the comps in YOUR area ?
I'll bet its hard to find anything in Bozeman that hasn't been beat up doing ranch work.
r

TempestV

Turns out that he used it to tow a trailer from CA to Bozeman a couple times when he moved his company out here, and apparently not much else.
you find a lot of trucks out here that were very familar with the farm or the construction site, but because trucks are so popular, you get a lot of people that seem to have them to fit in, and not much else. My last truck was a former work truck for a dairy owner- good mechanical shape, but the outside was beat, and the drivers seat had so much cow crap ground into it that it had to be replaced. I got a good deal on it when the guy retired and sold off the dairy. Ironicly enough, the one I'm considering is for sale because the owner is retiring from construction, and is buying a smaller vehicle. The guy seems anal about keeping everything in his truck in perfect shape, and I can't find anything wrong with it, but it still is a bit cheaper than similar vehicles in this area, so while that means that I can afford it, it also makes me a bit worried.

anyways, I should go find out what the prepurchase inspection found.

Dustball

Spark plugs on a diesel, eh?

dougger222

I've got three, 99 F250, 99 F350 and 00 Excursion, all diesels with autos.

The F250's tranny was sluggish when I first bought it with 40K miles but a fresh fluid changed helped that. Chipped and driven hard at 83K the tranny was toast. $2K for a Ford rebuilt version and now the truck has 242K miles. Last year towed 15K lbs weekly.

The 00 Excursion has 174K miles and the original tranny, tows little.

The F350 has 127K miles and original tranny, tows 75% of the time.

Try to find out if it's an early or late 99. The early 99's had a smaller turbo, injectors, air system, and rotors. Although the early 99's are still very strong and reliable the late 99's and 00's are pretty tough. My three 99's werer built 4/99 and 6/99 making them very late 99's, the X was built 12/99.

I think PSD's built after 3/22/99 are late version but I may be wrong.