Four problems related to diesel engine have been reported for the 1997 Ford F-350. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Ford F-350 diesel dually caught on fire under the hood while sitting in a parking lot. The vehicle was just finished being driven. The engine was shut off and the key was removed from the ignition. The fire dept came and extinguished the fire. Vehicle is a total loss. Insurance will not cover the loss. Is Ford responsible for covering the loss?.
Stopped at a stop signal and engine quit. Cranked okay, but would not start. Got it towed to my house. After lots of trouble shooting for not starting, noticed that the engine tachometer was not working when trying to start. Replaced the cam position sensor, f7tz-12k073-b. The truck started right up.
Cam shaft position sensor in truck has gone out suddenly and could be very dangerous when moving - loss of power steering and brakes. Evidently almost all engines have this part fail at some point and have done nothing to help the consumer.
The water pump bearings failed in my 1997 Ford, F-350, 7. 3 liter diesel. This vehicle had 90,053 miles and had been serviced regularly. The serpentine belt broke as a result of the above failure, nearly causing loss of control of the vehicle, by approximately 50% reduction of steering and braking capability.