I bought a truck, what do I need to know?

It sounds to me like they are cheaper everywhere else but Texas. A nice one here is probably 5-8k. Granted nice means has good paint, and no rust is assumed, so i'm not saying you could sell yours in texas for that. Unless you paint it. 

spitfirebill said:

ebonyandivory said:

TTB alignment they say can be difficult but I never had any problems with tire wear on any of the three I’ve owned.

 

For real.  Take it to a real truck alignment shop.  I had an F-150 truck that ate tires like crazy.  The stupid company I worked for would only let us take company vehicles to Goodyear or Firestone for repairs.  After three trips to the same Goodyear, I asked the guy if all he was doing was setting the toe-in.  He was and suggested I take it to the local Ford dealership that had a truck service center in it.  I paid for it put of my pocket and had no more trouble eating tires.  . 

What else can you set on the truck other than toe? Does it have camber adjustments?

Best $3.49 accessory you can buy.

In reply to Javelin :

Can you have them throw in locking hubs while it’s there?

Congrats!  That sounds like a steal of a deal.

I had an 1985 XLT, auto with the 351.  It was a great truck--- reliable, comfortable and super capable.   The rear windows break frequently, so you may have some safety glass wedged down in there from a previous owner.   Taking the tailgate apart isn't that bad of an ordeal if I remember correctly.   Most of the vehicle is F150 stuff, so it's super abundant, and cheap.   I loved mine.....although it got a whopping 12 mpg (on the highway!)  

If you take the top off, be sure to seal it up thoroughly when you put it back on----- or it will leak.  

Congrats!  You can't lose for that kind of $$.   

Just don’t go anywhere near Google Images 

Wow that is cheap! I had a coworker recently purchase one for close to 10k. (Rust free, low miles, all original in MI.) A couple of items I had to deal with:

1) Steering slop. It's a 90's Ford so expectations shouldn't be high but a lot of these trucks need end links, steering box, alignment, etc. If it has the twin I-beam suspension up front make sure the shocks are new and it has been recently aligned. 

2) Normal wear items like wheel bearings, brakes, etc. Parts are super cheap so I'd go around the whole truck and replace things as needed.

3) E4OD shifting issues: If equipped with this transmission, rough shifting and other seemingly big issues can often be simple electrical fixes. The differential speed sensor as well as the PSOM circuit board behind the gauge cluster fail often. I've had two trucks that were diagnosed as needing a transmission rebuild that were fixed by an $8 PSOM circuit board from junkyards. 

enginenerd said:

3) E4OD shifting issues: If equipped with this transmission, rough shifting and other seemingly big issues can often be simple electrical fixes. The differential speed sensor as well as the PSOM circuit board behind the gauge cluster fail often. I've had two trucks that were diagnosed as needing a transmission rebuild that were fixed by an $8 PSOM circuit board from junkyards. 

Should be an AOD, and most likely has a cable speedo on the transfer case output side.  AOD has OD, D, 2, 1 on the indicator.  E4OD has D, 2, 1 and the OD button on the end of the shifter.  AOD was in half tons, E4OD got used in the 3/4 and 1-ton.

Don't buy a truck on your lunch break!  Turns out it's a 1992, not a 1995. No airbag and possibly speed density instead of MAF (whatever, it's a truck). It has a hitch and trailer wiring and manual locking front hubs. Also the A/C blows ice cold.

Unfortunately, it randomly quits after about a mile of driving. It's not hot, the engine is still cold to the touch when it dies. Let it rest a bit and it fires right back up and goes another mile. Try to restart it right away and it just churns forever acting like no gas. It's showing an 1/8th tank and they claim there's 4 gallons in it. Thoughts? Just low on gas? (Runs really great when it runs, idle to WOT and all points between).

In reply to Curtis :

I’d bet it’s a E4OD. Both of my 1992-1996 F Series trucks, F 150 and Bronco both had the E4OD 

Did you pull any codes? It’s really easy. 

PIP (Profile Ignition Pickup) in the distributor can create issues like the one you described 

Very cool, these are fun trucks.  They're modern enough for daily duties, but still feel like a novelty vehicle.  My wife's '95 Eddie Bauer puts a smile on my face whenver I drive it.  (it's for sale!) I wish she had bought one that was rust free...but I'm also kind of glad we bought one that was well-sorted.  The guy we bought it from was convinced the 351 had better highway mileage due to torque and gearing.

• Swap the front hubs for manual WARN hubs (if it hasn't been done already).  The auto-hubs can be problematic.
• If the column shifter feels sloppy, there's a bracket under the steering column that can work itself loose. Check that before looking at the shift linkage, since it takes 2 seconds to tighten it up.
• If the tailgate window is only going 1/2 up check the rubber seals in the tailgate.  As they disintegrate they'll jam up the window track.  Check the ones on both the tailgate and the top/sides of the roof (window opening.  They're available from LMC Truck are aren't too expensive.  Replacing them will also reduce the likelihood of water getting in there and rusting out the tailgate. 
• The easiest way to access the internals of the tailgate is to open it (window down), jump the window motor so it opens, and rest the glass on a sawhorse w/a blanket on it.  This is way better than climbing through the trunk.  Ask me how I know.
• There's a safety switch on the tailgate that won't let the window open/close if it thinks the door is open or ajar.  While this is a good thing, the switch can be problematic.  It's common to bypass the safety switch.
• If the window ever gets stuck, you can run a wire from the battery terminals to the motor switch (in the tailgate) and jump the window.  Reversing the wires will make it go up/down.  Until I had my tailgate rewired I kept a 10-ft wire and a screwdriver in the trunk in case it didn't cooperate.
• You can retrieve a CEL through a somewhat complicated procedure.  You can find instructions online. 
• There's a way to tighten up the steering by adjusting the steering box.  I haven't done it, but details are online.

ebonyandivory said:

Did you pull any codes? It’s really easy. 

PIP (Profile Ignition Pickup) in the distributor can create issues like the one you described 

Not yet. I used to have one of those Ford EEC IV code reader boxes for my foxbodies, do those work on this pig?

In reply to Hoondavan :

Thanks! I was looking hard at yours for sale but it's too far away and I still have nightmares about rust. Mine is completely rust free. Manual front hubs already.

Definitely sounds like ignition issues.

Early 90s Ford stuff! Kinda my wheelhouse there.

Some of the normal stuff I seem to hit when I buy these from someones yard with symptoms similar are: Fuel filter and coil for the running problem. If you can, check fuel pressure and read the codes. They can be very helpful.

I believe no airbags and speed sensor intake are standard for 92.

Bruce

Javelin said:

ebonyandivory said:

Did you pull any codes? It’s really easy. 

PIP (Profile Ignition Pickup) in the distributor can create issues like the one you described 

Not yet. I used to have one of those Ford EEC IV code reader boxes for my foxbodies, do those work on this pig?

Both are OBD1?

In reply to ebonyandivory :

Yes

In reply to Javelin :

Your code reader will work for this thing too. Also I think it may be Fordfuelinjection.com but Google it. It explains this systems really well and is a fantastic resource.

pres589 said:

Definitely sounds like ignition issues.

yep, my hipshot is bad coil. As soon as it gets some heat, it quits. coil might even be overheating because of high resistance or something. I bet you get it fixed for the $10 coil.

Curtis said:

enginenerd said:

3) E4OD shifting issues: If equipped with this transmission, rough shifting and other seemingly big issues can often be simple electrical fixes. The differential speed sensor as well as the PSOM circuit board behind the gauge cluster fail often. I've had two trucks that were diagnosed as needing a transmission rebuild that were fixed by an $8 PSOM circuit board from junkyards. 

Should be an AOD, and most likely has a cable speedo on the transfer case output side.  AOD has OD, D, 2, 1 on the indicator.  E4OD has D, 2, 1 and the OD button on the end of the shifter.  AOD was in half tons, E4OD got used in the 3/4 and 1-ton.

Robbie said:

pres589 said:

Definitely sounds like ignition issues.

yep, my hipshot is bad coil. As soon as it gets some heat, it quits. coil might even be overheating because of high resistance or something. I bet you get it fixed for the $10 coil.

I remember doing coil and TFI module all the time on foxbodies. Same kind of scenario?

Nice buy!  Out here in AZ that would probably be a $3500 truck. 

I would also try a coil as a first step.

I regretted selling my '66 Bronco for a lot of years, and picked up our '92 about 5 years ago.  351, E4OD... except for the minor stuff that wears out on 25 year old vehicles, it's been very reliable.  Everything is cheap and readily available because most parts are shared with F150/250/350 from the same years.

I've done some fab work with ours (bumpers, etc), and have a lot more planned if I can ever stop working on the Miatas... LOL

If you haven't already, you need to check out the Full Size Bronco Forum

Nice fab work on that bumper! looks good and not overblown.

running issue sounds like an ignition module. No big deal.

We want pictures!