just bought 01 7.3

hey all today i traded in my 1990 f250 7.3 4x4 e4od truck for an 01 f250 7.3 crewcab lariat 4x4 auto. this is my first turbo diesel truck and the difference is amazing... anyways details on the new truck... 275k on it, 4x4 offroad lariat crewcab short bed with what i assume is the 4r100 trans??? i looked the truck over thouroughly and i believe it has a newer transmission and turbo.. i dont know if the hpop has been replaced but i would assume at this milage its a possibility.. it has acouple of small issues like the windshield has a good crack in it, sway bar links are shot and the tailgate latch is broken and the tail gate will not open so i assume the linkage is probably seized. other than that it is in great shape and has had two owners since new. i believe it was used as a work truck for a roofer as their were nails in the toolbox but he took good care of it by looking at the exterior and interior. the exterior has a couple of small dings on the bed and the interior has a couple of tears in the driver seat.

so what are some issues i should look for and what can i do to help prolong legivity of this truck? i hear that you should let the engine idle for a few minutes before shutting it off to let the turbo cool down... and are these engines as prone to cavitation as the 7.3 idi?

no they are not as prone to cavitation as the idi but keep in mind all diesels can have cavitation so you should still check your SCA levels, it is a good idea to let the turbo cool down on any turbo engine before shut down but if your just driving normal (not towing or trying to race everyone) then it should be fine, a good idea no matter what would be a EGT gauge just to help keep an eye out. they are great trucks my friend bought a 2002 7.3 F250 and his truck is what convinced me to swap out my idi for a 7.3 powerstroke and that is currently what i am working towards Oh and a common issue is a fuel leak on the back of the fuel filter bowl, it is the drain valve seals, it is a simple fix though and the part usually is around 50 dollars, it is basically new o rings on the drain valve but that is all i have seen so far with his truck anyway

Not as prone to cavitation, but still run the sca's. Again, I like fleet charge. Would've ran the cat elc, but there were rumours etc Yada Yada Yada on my obs psd, so I didn't run it.
Anyways pick up a cps sensor from advanced auto. Keep a 12 mm (I think) wrench just in case.
And no on the cool down, unless you were sled pulling into your driveway, otherwise not needed imo.
And yes, should be 4R100.

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it also has an open recall for the cps..... and just out of curiousity i paid 9300 for the truck but they gave me 5500 for trade in on mine... i got rid of mine because it was a ****, needed front springs and shackles, i believe it had crap injectors put in it and wouldnt pull for ****, and i think the trans was not far off but it only had 84k and was fairly clean. i just hope i didnt make a mistake.... oh yeah and it was a regular cab.

I don't think you made a mistake. If I could go back I would be in a powerstroke super duty myself. They are great trucks. Sure they have problems here and there that truck is 13 years old so its time for some of the parts to start wearing out but once its all replaced it will be like new, and the 7.3 powerstroke is just as reliable if not more reliable then the idi. My friend paid $12,500 and it had 230,000 miles on it. That is just breaking it in and another benefit of it is it is easy to gain more power. You can get a 4 inch exhaust from the down pipe all the way back and a good flowing intake and it will make a big difference. Can also put tunes on it pretty easy as well. Only thing I wouldn't do is try to go high horsepower unless you want to do some serious engine work but I don't think that is what you are planning to do with the truck

i think i will do something with the exhaust but that is about it, ive been around diesels for a while mostly cummins in big rigs and stuff... just now getting into owning trucks though so im "new" to the smaller engines especially the international engines, but i know the 7.3s have a reliable reputation and so do the trucks they come in. honestly i will daily the truck and occasionally put my jeep on the trailer and tow it to the woods. the idi struggled horribly pulling my jeep so bad i didnt even want to go wheeling.... on another note how good is the 4r100? its essentially a beefed up e4od right? i noticed when im cruising in 3rd or 4th gear and let off the fuel pedal that the TC doesnt unlock... i assume its supposed to be like this? and i just looked up blue book from a dealer and it said about 13500 for this truck so im glad i didnt overpay.

From what I understand the 4R100 is suppose to be a good transmission. I guess they had the problems fixed when they introduced that trans. The TC clutch from I know is suppose to lock at around 45mph and higher and unlock when either lower speed than 45mpg or hitting the brakes. It has been a long time since I have done any transmission work so I couldn't tell you. I would suggest having a scan tool put on it to see if there are any pending codes possible IF that is a problem.

CPS socket size is 10mm keep that and a spare CPS in the glove box.

Unless your 01 has been reflashed, don't count on the converter to unlock when the brakes are applied. Most don't. 4R100 converter locking is based on speed and RPM, around 36MPH give or take.

I forgot to add this.

If the air box is stock. Check it for broken tabs. They are prone to breakage, allowing dust to take out the turbo. Better yet toss it in favor of an aftermarket air cleaner.

no broken tabs on filter housing, ive looked at the charge air pipe coming out of the turbo, no oil. serviced it today with motorcraft oil filter and shell 15w40 and a puralator fuel filter. i have noticed a slight hum at 35 mph and it goes away at 40... no loose bearings or u-joints. trans is shifting fine. any ideas what this could be? i fixed a few things the other night... replaced sway bar links, removed inner panel from tail gate and freed the linkage up and fixed the mechanism on my tool box. taking it in to the dealer monday for the open cam sensor recall and cruise control recall.

the biggest issue with these PSD is that you need a fricken scanner to tell you whats wrong, if somthing goes wrong.
DO NOT START THROWING PARTS AT IT. scan it first! clear codes and wait for that code to come back up before changing anything!
say goodbye to china made sensors. USE FORD REPLACEMENT PARTS ONLY!
there expensive, but worth it!
i own a 2001 7.3 and i will tell you straight up. I LOVE THIS TRUCK!!!
the CPS is a pain! well, most of the sensors are. if your CPS sensor goes out, the truck will die.(obviouslly) and with no power steering or power brakes, get ready to change your shorts.
the biggest problem ive had with my truck is the ICP sensor.
50 dollars from your local parts store, but if you take this truck on long trips, youll see the china gremlins.
217 dollars from ford and you wont have an issue. been there done that!

other than that..... you may want to pull the bed off, or drop the fuel tanks.
the fuel sending units have 2 filters that get clogged with junk.
ford wants a ton of money for the unit, bt can easliy be pulled off and cleaned. yes it will make a world of differnce.
keep your oil clean, other than that..... wait for the check engine light to come on before you mess with it...
i do not have any mods to the engine minus a rebuilt turbo with a billet compressor wheel.
this is my daily driver so i did not add a chip or a programmer.

alright got a free international cps today and the cruise recall done, took it on a 500 mile road trip over the weekend and averaged 16.5 mpg mostly highway at 65 mph. seemed a little low too me??? noticed that one of the exhuast pipe to the turbo is leaking. the pipe and gaskets is only 80 bucks from the dealer. are the top bolts prone to breaking? i also picked up the kit to reseal the fuel water sep drain. what all is involved with that? ive also read that it is a good idea to clean the exhaust gas psi tube and possibly replace the sensor? i know that the exh psi sensors on cummins can cause weird issues and not throw cel i would imagine that sensor can do the same to these engines... another thing when i take off i get a slight clunk in the rear, all bushings are tight, no slop in the diff or t case yokes, motor and trans mounts look good, u joints are ok... what am i missing?

I would toss the up pipes in favor of a set of bellowed pipes. No more leaks.

Resealing the fuel drain is easy. Four screws and its off. Hardest part is getting to those screws. Don't drop them in the valley of death. That can be a PITA.

Yes the EBPS can play little tricks without setting codes. It can throw off tranny shifting. it can cause poor mileage issues too. You could replace the sensor if it looks funky.

I own a 2001 7.3 PSD and I am very happy with it. Its not effortless power but pulling with it is much more better than my N/A 6.9. My 4r100 has a transgo shift kit so it doesn't seem to eager to hunt between gears. From what I have read, as long as they are maintained, the motor and transmission are very solid and generally problem free.

can30, the power increase is defnitly incredible too me, i came out of a nice 7.3 na truck... this thing is like a race car compared to the old one... ive noticed what i guess you are referring to as hungting for gears, it seems to do it mostly under a light load. is this hurting anything or a sign of a trans problem? where is the exh gas psi sensor located? does the fuel filter housing need to come off to change the drain?