# my truck is almost dead



## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

my f250 4x4 powerstroke has 354000 miles on it, i noticed white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. so me and my dad went and bought a new fuel filter and some thing called "diesel clean" it is supposed to clean the injectors. we changed the filter and filed up with gas and put the "diesel clean" in the gas tank. got up on the highway to blow it out.. smoked worse than the before. it was smoking so bad i got pulled over. thankfuly the officer didnt give me a ticket, we got home and popped the hood and there was diesel all over the engine and engine compartment. and diesel was dripping off the front of the truck so we put the old fuel filter back on and started the truck, it didnt spew diesel everywear so we figured the guy at the autozone gave us the wrong filter. so i took it to the mechanic today and found out that some cylinders wernt getting good compression and that the engine either needs to be rebuilt or a new one needs to be put in. my question is should i sell the truck as is or rebuild it then sell it? if i rebuild it how long will it last. before needing a new engine. the mechanic also said that he couldnt do that extinsive of work. i am 17 and have a part time job so the cheaper the better. so should i rebuild the engine or sell as is?


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## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

What year is the truck?


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## Fishaholic (Jan 9, 2005)

I would sell as is. At this point you will spend more money rebuilding the engine than the truck is worth with so many miles on it. I am no expert that is just what i would do.


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## Reel Aggies (Nov 30, 2007)

I have had that happen, I ran some diesel fuel cleaner through an older Dodge and it started leaking like a sieve! I think on older trucks it is better to just keep running them....I think that the old oil/dirt/corrosion buildup is what is holding them together! I agree with the above posts, sell it.


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

marshhunter said:


> my f250 4x4 powerstroke has 354000 miles on it, i noticed white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. so me and my dad went and bought a new fuel filter and some thing called "diesel clean" it is supposed to clean the injectors. we changed the filter *and filed up with gas* and put the "diesel clean" in the gas tank.


I would say that gas would make it smoke


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## PasadenaMan (Dec 5, 2007)

IF I were you I would sell it or try to get as much $ from it as possible. I had my tranny go out a few years back. The truck wa paid for but it was cheaper for me to pay the $1100 bux to have it rebuilt than having a 5 year $450/month note.

At 17 I would not have been able to rebuild anything. Try to see if you can maybe trade it on Craigs or somthing. Some car is better than no car.


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

*thanks for all the help*

its a 2000 year model. how much do you think i could get for it?


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## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Check the intake side of the turbo...look at the blades, are they worn/rounded? Does the white smoke have a blue tint to it? That engine is probably not a gonner...even at that mileage, I bet you either have a bad head gasket or possibly even bad injectors and or injector o-rings.


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## Capt. Tim Bradbeer (Jun 27, 2006)

Baxter is the man!


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## boashna (May 28, 2004)

put a new engine on it - there are places that just do that look it up in yellow pages - one is called thunderbolt also Japanese automotive


under rebuilt i think ----


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

*video*

i took a video of it and put it on youtube heres the link
[url=[/URL]


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## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

The video is short but it looks like the smoke has a blue tint to it. I also went back to your original post and if the mechanic is saying the engine is toast but he cannot rebuild it...I think you need a new mechanic. Is the truck hard to start or run rough when at idle? Also, when at idle, remove the oil fill cap and see it you have any white smoke puffing out.


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

there is a fair amount of blow by smoke, it is not hard to start but is kinda rough at idle


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## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Have you checked the computer with a scanner to see if there are any codes? I would remove the valve covers and pull the injectors to look at them as well as the o-rings. Even if you get the engine rebuilt (which I would do since it is a 2000 and has the forged rods) you will be using your injectors in there now...so if they have issues, now is the time to find out. If you choose to get another engine, I ordered one out of Canada for the '01 F-550 that was only tested by Ford and was complete from oil pan to turbo (the only thing missing was the starter) for about $5,000 if I remember. However, that truck only had 36,000 miles on the clock. With your situation I would suggest finding and fixing the problem. I know a good diesel mechanic, if interested, send me a PM.


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## Tombo (Mar 15, 2005)

354000 miles and smoking, when you added the diesel fuel cleaner you were looking for an cheap fix. 

All I have are questions. 
Do you need heavy duty diesel pickup?
What are your future plans?
Even with a new engine everything else that was not replaced has 354000 miles on it. 
Are you willing to keep fixing this truck?
How much do you depend on this truck?
Do you have another vehicle to drive next time it breaks down?
Sometimes its best to cut your loses. You might be chasing bad money with good money/


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## Newbomb Turk (Sep 16, 2005)

are you sure you don't have a turbo seal leaking?


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

Newbomb Turk said:


> are you sure you don't have a turbo seal leaking?


yea it turned out to be a bent push rod and 2 inj.


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## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Still strokin!


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

bwguardian said:


> Still strokin!


YOU BETTER BELIVE IT


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