Faults:

Fuel injector gone bad (common with diesels this old).

Injector pump weak. Had to rebuild.

A/C replaced before I bought it. Aftermarket A/C blows colder than I have ever seen.

Heat does not work, but I live in FL, so who cares? :P.

Not sure what happened to original radio. Aftermarket one is crap.

Seat belt springs weak, so they don't retract without help.

Radiator head is beginning to separate at a seam, but it's been patched and is holding so far.

Glow plug relay finicky. I believe this to be a design flaw, because the whole solenoid system is located right on top of the engine block, where it gets a lot of heat. The solenoid isn't expensive, but I've replaced it twice now when it cracked due to heat.

General Comments:

I love this truck. It's 23 years old and has had its share of problems, but its simplicity and power make it a dream to own. Anything that goes wrong can be fixed with affordable aftermarket parts and an experienced mechanic.

Not sure about other trucks like it, but mine does have low compression; again a symptom of its age and use. This does mean that in very hot weather it can be tricky to start, but once going it will never quit on you. The only solution is to rebuild the block and install sleeves in the cylinders to bring the compression back up, but that would cost more than the truck's worth. As long as I use good quality diesel with the proper octane level, the truck starts great.

I usually get 18-20 miles a gallon around town. Not sure what these other reviews are talking about. 8-10? Maybe on the highway loaded down to the max with an RV on the back. :P.

Cab is simple. Easy to clean. Love my stick shift. Not the best idea for a road trip, but fine for around town. I will say the truck is loud. It must have a thin firewall because I can hear the distinct thrum-thrum-thrum of the diesel engine quite well while inside, which I don't particularly mind. It does ride a bit rough, but that's mostly due to the stiff Ford suspension for hauling stuff.

Overall it's a great truck, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a powerful, simple work truck. Or just the young buck like me who drives it to school and work every day. :) Either way, you can't go wrong with this generation of Fords.

Faults:

Timing belt broke

Problem with catalytic converter (California truck)

Frequent spark plug replacements after 125K miles

Seats uncomfortable

4x4 needed work after 110K miles

Gets lousy mileage (10 mpg at best) but who cares?

General Comments:

This is a SERIOUS truck that easily hauled a fully loaded four-horse trailer and 35 bales of hay (125 lbs each) without flinching.

My truck had every option (dual gas tanks, one-ton suspension, cruise control, AC, over-sized engine, etc. and it still blows away wimpy import trucks.

Pulls up to 18,500 pounds without straining.

A man's truck (owned by a woman!!)