ford diesel question?

foreman1063

foreman1063

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2005
Location
Raleigh
Got a chance to buy a 93 f-350 dually 7.3 non-turbo diesel. The truck only has 77,000 original miles and is as clean as a whistle. It's a crew cab/short bed with a 5 speed O/D transmission. My question is, how good of a motor is the earlier, non turbo 7.3 and what kind of mileage (longevity) could I expect out of it with regular maintenance? The most I would be towing is a couple of Jeeps a few trips a year and a 24' pontoon boat to the lake in the summer. I know the later turbo Ford diesels have a good reputation, just not sure about the older ones. Also, are there any issues with this model truck I should be looking for before buying?
 
The N/A IDI engines arent the biggest powerhouses but they for darn sure are good solid engines. Just put guages on it and itll run forever.

If you want to up some power, there are turbo kits available for the IDI engines. I have several kits available.
 
easy to work on. they are good solid engines. like studnuts said, you put a turbo kit on it and you will think you have 2 engines instead of one. if you dont buy it, put me on it. thanks
 
Thanks guys, I think it's a done deal. First of all what exactly does N/A IDI stand for and what's a ball park figure I could expect to pay for a turbo kit?
 
foreman1063 said:
Thanks guys, I think it's a done deal. First of all what exactly does N/A IDI stand for and what's a ball park figure I could expect to pay for a turbo kit?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good deal if the truck is solid.

N/A means naturally aspirated, it has no turbo. IDI(indirect injection) is a form of fuel injection, the IDI pumps fuel/air into a mixing chamber before it goes into the combustion chamber, the newer powerstrokes are DI (direct injection), so the injectors fire into the combustion chamber.

ATS Diesel and Banks both make a bolt-on kit - a complete wastegated turbo kit is going to run about +/- $2K plus an exhaust. Then grab a powerstroke intercooler and your set. The only downside to adding a turbo to the N/A 7.3 is it has flattop pistons, so you wont be able to run high boost #s due to higher compression ratios, although youll still be able to push about 15 psi of boost from it - which will still net you about 50% more hp/tq. With that youll be able to run with the newer powerstrokes.

An alternative is to find a 94 in a junkyard and snatch the induction system, in 94 ford used ATS as its oem turbo assembly. But the stock turbo is different than buying the aftermarket assembly.

[self pimp] I sell both kits, so let me know if I can help.
 
I had an early 7.3, it had 4.10 gears and was a reg cab, i towed a truck from MN, and from CT to tellico with it it wasn't a speed demon but it never gave me any problems. my next truck was a 93 and it had the aftermarket turbo on it, it was a huge difference but the motor was beat.
 
Was talking with a gentleman yesterday that finally sold his 92, non turbo 7.3 Ford F350 last fall after he put 440,000 miles on it...said it was running good still just wanted something newer (crew cab)

Sam
 
I have the exact same rig (except SRW 3/4 ton)...

As noted, great engine...

A) be sure to ask the PO about the SCAs (coolant additive) as it seems to be best cure for the big "C" word (cavitation = tiny pinholes in the cylinder castings that allow coolant to seep into the chambers = washes oil from the cylinder/rings and creates all kinds of extremely expensive to repair issues)... check for the presents of tiny air bubbles in the rad...

B) If you have time, overnight an oil sample to Blackstone... it will tell the tale if the oil has a couple 1000 miles on it.

C) I've been told that if 3rd is a bit tricky/sticky on the ZF, it can a bit expensive to repair (gear & synchro), but OTOH, it ain't gonna start puking fluid and leave you stranded!

Mine had 178,xxx on it and has about 183,xxx after this weekends run to URE. Definitely a dog on steep hills (crested OldFort Mtn. @ 45mph w/ 6500# & the hill into Boone @ 30mph w/ 7000#), but will pull a house! Mines VERY comfortable pulling in 5th around 70-80mph w/ 4.10s
 
That's a lot of good info Guys. I'll look into some of these potential issues. Caver Dave, is the SCA cooling additive put in to prevent or repair the cavitation's and do I or do I not want to see the tiny bubbles in the radiator?
 
AFAICT, the SCAs prevent corrosion, which combats "wear" on the water jacket side... the 7.3L is just a 6.9L with the bores punched out larger, effectively reducing the wall thickness. Corrosion teamed with potential pinholes in the casting produces cavitation.

You should see NO bubbles in the rad... I've seen it described as "carbonation" looking bubbles, as opposed to just a few random air bubbles.

I recommend The Diesel Stop forums... they hold great info for our older IDI mills & are the authority on these rigs (like TDR for Dodge/Cummins). Easily found all the info on mine, brake rebuild info, maintenance tips, etc. there...

:beer:
 
Mines a 3/4ton 4x4 w/ ZF5 (OD) & 4.10s...

- empty highway has been as high as 17.5mpg to Lowgap...

- loaded hauling various Jeeps between 10mpg (a few weeks back W-S to Asheville over OldFort Mtn.) to 14mpg (W-S to Mtn City, TN last fall)

I'd expect higher gears (3.73-3.55) would net a few better? I've heard that a turbo would help mileage somewhat w/ a huge increase in power... "*IF* you could keep your foot out of it!" :lol:
 
my old f250 srw w/na 7.3 got 17mpg just about all the time. I think the worst it got was 14, and best about 19

sold the truck w 400k + miles, and the most expensive repair was a clutch job at 285k, cost damn near $1000 in parts!
 
I actually got tired of monitoring the SCAs all the time and paying $16 a bottle for the stuff and finally switched to Evans coolant, never have to add anything or change the coolant ever again. Also, it converts to a low pressure system, so you don't have to worry about blowing hoses and lowers load on water pump. Did this on the advice of a buddy of mine that works at a fleet maintenance place for 20 years. I also put on a coolant filter and was surprised at how much sand came out of the first filter change. I put the coolant and filter on at 125k miles.

Here's a link:
http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=42

Shannon
 
Yeah, I use the purple SCA pre-charged stuff from NAPAs truck fleet line. Seems like the coolant filters can also be had w/ SCA pre-charges too...
 
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