Greetings,
I'm thinking of buying a '92 F250 with a stock 7.3L diesel engine (non-turbo) with ~196K miles on the engine and have a couple of ?:
1) I noticed a coouple of times during my test drive that when stopped (stoplight, traffic, etc.) there was some white-colored smoke coming out of the exhaust.The smoke was intermittent and did not occur at any time other than at idle. Is this normal?2) Given the mileage, is putting an aftermarket turbo on this motor (e.g. Banks or ATS) an option? I don't know that I really need a turbo (I plan to use the truck mostly for local hauling and towing my 23'
5th wheel trailer on short-to-medium length camping trips in the Cascade Mountains and over to the Oregon Coast) but I might do it if it seemed worthwhile. Is this something that someone with intermediate-level mechanic skills can do?3) I've always heard that diesel engines are very reliable and long-lived. How many miles should I expect this engine, given that it's been reasonably well-maintained, to last? What are some "warning signs" that I should look for when a diesel engine starts having major internal problems?
The performance of the truck, except for the lack of a turbo, was otherwise OK and it seems a good bargain for the price the guy's asking. It has been reasonably well-maintained, including the recent installation of a rebuilt automatic transmission.
TIA for your responses :-).
Brad