I bought an 03 f-250 diesel 7.3 w/ 65,000 miles. It has a lift with 18's on it. I noticed the rear differential is liking like a motherand throughing fluid all up on the bottom of the bed and other places. I am the second owner. Is this covered under the 5yr/100,000 mile warranty. And it seems to be an old leak and the dealer just power washed it. Im a forest service firefighter (willand, which means crappy pay cause its federal) and out of work cause its winter so im low on cash. is there anythang i can do. please help. And how do i check to see if i got a block heater. And also how do i change the fuel filter (and the water separtor?.) Sorry i cant help out in this forum like you guys im very new to diesels. But if you got any questions about chainsaws, brush remomval, or any other wildland fire stuff id be more than glad to help since you all are always helping me. thanks,
max

 

Where does the fluid look like its originating from? Is it coming from the rear diff cover seal, front pinion seal, or the breather tube on top of the diff? Big difference in costs depending where it is. As for the fuel filter its not too hard. Look through the passenger side front fenderwell. Behind the exhaust manifold you'll see a metal line that just stops and looks like something should be connected to it. Put approximately 3ft of 3/8" hose on it and then put the other end in a 20oz or larger bottle. This is where the fuel bowl will drain to and will keep you from making a mess. Go up on top of the engine and remove the plastic cover on top of the engine. From there you'll see the fuel bowl. Feel behind it and you'll find a yellow lever. Rotate the lever (only goes one way) and that will drain the bowl. To unscrew the lid take some channel lock pliers and spread the jaws. Put the jaws down in the webbing to unscrew the lid. From there slide out the fuel filter. From here its a little tricky. If someone changed it in the past and used some parts store branded filter then the filter is attached to the lid. If thats the case and you didn't get the old original factory lid then you're stuck using cheap parts house brand filters with the lid attached. The reason I say this is the lids themselves are a Ford only part and Ford gets about $70 for this little dinky lid. If you pull the lid off the bowl and the filter stays in the bowl you're fine. When you remove the filter also pay special attention to the orientation of the large oring. The chamfer goes in a particular way. Simply reinstall the reverse of install. Call Chris at www.powerstrokeshop.com for your filters. I've known and dealt with Chris for over 6 years. He's also had the best price on Racor fuel filters (best you can do for a PSD).

 

I will be needing to buy a new chainsaw soon, so I'll shoot ya an email about that...

Here is my pictorial guide to a 7.3L fuel filter change and water drain.

Subject truck: 2002 F250 Powerstroke with 27K miles.

Need:
Rags
Pan
Plastic water bottle
fliter
socket set
strap wrench/channel locks/filter cover removal tool

1. Remove powerstroke plastic "thingie"





2. Use a strap wrench or channelocks to twist off the plastic filter cover. I used the fancy bling bling filter cover removal tool from dieselinnovations

 

3. Pull out the filter and rubber o ring and put the whole mess into a pan.

Tip 27K is a little too long for the filter...



4. New Racor filter F4596 from dieselinnovations for 18.44



5. Slip new round O ring around the base of the filter just like the old one.

6. Drain water seperator by placing a bottle over the drain on the passenger side of block.

 

The bottle I used was a little too tall to fit, so I poked a hole in the side



7. Drain the water seperator by turning the yellow valve to the right, then CLOSE the valve when the bowl is empty.



8. Lube the oring on the filter with some diesel and place into bowl snugly.



9. Lube the filter cover with diesel and place around the top of the bowl

10. Retighten filter cover

11. Reinstall powerstroke plastic "thingie"

;Sweet

Adrianspeeder

 

its leaking from the front of the drive shaft I guess the pinion seal. is that covered under the warranty. and is that very expensivr

And to adrian. email me with any q's but really quickly. the best chainsaw ever made is the stihl 044 with a 28 inch bar and a full wrap. get square cutters on your chain and sharpen them with a round while. Thats only if your a serious wood cutter or cutt big rounds. But you know any stihl saw will run forever. Husqavarnas are really light and good but i hate them. they are very tempermental to cold and elevation. But for a weekend wood cutter get a farm boss. they last forever, and are well balanced. and i think it will take a 28 inch bar, but that was on the old ones. Maybe the new ones do to. I just prefer the 28 inch bar because thats all i cut with. but a 24 or so would be best for a farm boss. they are pricey though but will last you forever. and if you know anyone out there who works for the forest service you'll get all the free parts.
IM MORE THAN HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT THIS KINDA STUFF

 

Yes, thats your pinion seal, and no thats not covered under the powertrain warranty. That covers only the engine and components. I had mine done last year and it was about $200 or so. The part itself is actually pretty cheap, but labor is the bulk of the expense. All depends on your local shop rate.


The DI wrench is nice, but I couldn't bring myself to buy one. I either use my filter wrench, or a set of channel locks in the webbing. Also I would highly recommend the hose idea again. It lets you use a larger jug as it holds ~20oz. Its much much easier. And in case you didn't know, avg change interval is 10-15k depending on the quality of fuel you're buying. If you're getting fuel from out the way places that don't usually sell much theres a better chance of getting stale or dirty fuel. Whenever possible I try and stop by truck stops or stations that sell alot of diesel as its usually fresher. The more semis at the station the better the fuel. Last time I got filters from powerstrokeshop it was about $15 for a Racor with free shipping.