Ford F250

Having looked around her I was pleasantly surprised at the condition and the many new parts the previous owner had fitted, The 6.9 Navistar Ford diesel engine was sweet with plenty of power although it did smoke quite a bit on start-up!

Being our only means of transport I was somewhat reluctant to open a huge can of worms and discover that the fuel injection pump was the problem and would need replacing, This being costly and with my modest (woefully inadequate) toolkit not a fun proposition.

After lots of reading up on the "tinternet" I found that the fuel pickups in the fuel tanks on these Ford trucks have a tendency to break off about a third of the way up the pipe and then the fuel slopping about foams & introduces air into the system giving similar symptoms so it`s a good idea to keep the fuel level high just in case this has happened.

However this is not an option on my front tank as it has a leak on the seam where the tank is joined so I tend to keep the rear tank quite full and use the front as a reserve.

I started by replacing all the rubber pipes starting at the rear tank and worked towards the engine. The truck had been fitted with some very impressive looking heavy duty rubber piping some time in the past & it seemed unlikely that they were the problem, but as I loosened the hose clips they just slid easily off the steel line so it`s probable that it was sucking air from all over the place, Lesson there to be learned I think.

The lift pump looked wet with oil & I first thought it was the gasket where it bolts to the engine block but on closer inspection revealed it was actually leaking diesel fuel out of a weep hole on the body so that was added to our list of "stuff to get in town"

You can read about replacing the lift pump on our 1983 Ford F250 diesel here.

After refurbishing the diesel fuel system with a new lift pump and injector seals etc I enlisted my wife`s help to operate the key.While the 6.9 Navistar engine was being cranked I depressed the schrader valve to purge any air out of the fuel system noting that it came through very quickly compared to the old pump.

Once the air was gone the engine started right up and ran great with non of the temperamental drama that had slowly become part of our everyday life. And gone were the clouds of smoke that usually accompanied any cold start up.

Hurray!

Time for a test drive..

So off we went enjoying the new smooth (for our old Ford that is! ) power. As we approached a down hill junction I began to apply the brakes only to feel the brake pedal go straight to the floor with a squelchy feeling (much like the one in my underpants!) Needing to "scrub off" what speed we had achieved with our super smooth engine, I stood on the emergency brake pedal immediately locking up the rear wheels as we sailed through the junction that was thankfully deserted .

Once we stopped I looked underneath to find the driver`s front wheel covered in brake fluid where a corroded original steel brake pipe had broken off clean .It had rusted as thin as rice paper.

"Oh well that was fun with a capital F!"

As we limped back to base in our super low 1st gear we had time to admire the grooves in the newly repaired tarmac that the back tire had ripped up on the road.

I have to admit that apart from fitting new front brake pads on our F250, I had not examined the brake pipes thoroughly. Had I done so, I would have realized that because our old Ford was built in 1983 it is not fitted with a duel line brake system, but a single line system- so if a pipe goes there is no back up except the emergency foot brake and down shifting quickly.

So after fitting a new brake line it was time for a very detailed checking of all the pipes especially where they bend sharply or pass through chassis frames etc.

I then covered them in grease for protection although after this little under pant ruining incident I will be keeping a close beady little eye on our old truck`s braking system.
front brake line on ford f250 xlt 1983

New front brake line fitted to our Ford truck

Rear Brakes.. Our Ford F250 truck is fitted with a Dana 60 rear axle so removing the rear brake drums is a bit more complicated as it involves removing the half shafts before you can remove the rear brake drums.

FYI - The wheel bearing nuts require a 3|4 square drive socket that fits 2-9|16",6-point rounded corner Dana axle nuts found on Ford light duty truck axles.

Here is a very comprehensive description of this procedure on how to overhaul the rear brakes, I found this extremely useful so would recommend you go to this great site A Boy and his jeep This guy has done a great job with very clear instructions on overhauling the brakes on a Dana axle.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our ups and downs with our old Ford F250.