7.3 IDI is a turbo worth it?

[faaiish]

I found a one owner 1989 F250 2wd automatic with only 117,000 miles. After reading about the IDI I pulled the trigger and got it to pull my travel trailer. The trailer ways 10,000 lbs. Fully loaded (its a toy hauler) normal weight is around 7,500. I have already put new tires, belts, hoses, front bearings, red head steering box and I am currently upgrading the alternator to a 3G and putting an electric fuel pump and doing away with the mechanical lift pump. I am doing that at the same time as installing a new injection pump and injectors.
I am putting it back together tomorrow weather permitting and will see how she pulls with the new pump. My question is this, does a turbo make a huge difference in pulling a trailer my size. I hate to put another 3000 in it to find only a small performance gain. The couple times I have towed my trailer I found I need a run way to get it going to highway speeds. I havent tried the mountains yet but it makes me wonder how well it will keep speed going up some of the WVA mountains I go over when I go ATVing. I am hoping the injection pump and injectors will make a difference since everything seemed to be original. Also, if I do turbo it should I replace the head gaskets and studs before doing it since I am sure they are original too. Lastly, is getting a factory turbo from a 93 or 94 worth it or should I go with a R&D or Banks set up?

 

[saburai]

Welcome to The Forum! I I was doing about the same thing as you. My travel trailer is about 10000 lb loaded. I did a refurbished Factory Turbo kit from Russ typ4 here on the forums. In addition to the turbo I did a Baby moose injection pump and matching injectors from Mel on my 1990 2wd na F-250. The difference is night and day. Spend some time reading here on the forums, pretty much everything you need to know has already been discussed. Hopefully you got your injection pump and other fuel system parts from a reputable Rebuilder, the IDI pumps work best when built by someone with an established reputation in the community. Good luck with your adventures!

 

[u2slow]

I would take a long, hard, realistic look at what it'll cost to get the IDI and auto trans to haul your trailer comfortably.

That said, I have a soft spot for the factory IDI turbo with a ZF5.

Since I made the switch to cummins trucks... I'd do a Fummins/5spd swap before incurring any major expenses on an NA/auto.

 

[faaiish]

I got a remanufactured injection pump from Delphi and got new Delphi injectors as well. Around my area it is some distance to find a reputable rebuilder. I hope that is a quality company. I am new to diesels

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I have no idea on the Delphi quality. If the injectors are new, they should be ok. The head studs are never a bad idea. Your engine has head bolts unless someone already installed studs. As for the type of turbo, that would be entirely up to you. Maybe you can talk Saburi into telling you about what the Typ4 turbo kit cost him.

 

[Macrobb]

If you can find a used Banks sidewinder kit(the wastegated one with TE06H turbo), that's the best "cheap" turbo for the IDI. It, plus turning up the fuel to match, will easily double the power available. It makes a /huge/ difference.

The Ford Factory turbos(ats kit modified for ford) are... OK. Still a huge jump from N/A, not as quick spooling. You can add a Wicked Wheel to one of these for $200 that will help it spool faster, and you can also do downpipe upgrades to make it better.

If buying new, R&D would be a good option. Banks isn't a /bad/ option, it's just that for 3K, you can get a better turbo out of R&D.

 

[saburai]

I have no idea on the Delphi quality. If the injectors are new, they should be ok. The head studs are never a bad idea. Your engine has head bolts unless someone already installed studs. As for the type of turbo, that would be entirely up to you. Maybe you can talk Saburi into telling you about what the Typ4 turbo kit cost him.

Here's a cut and paste from my conversation with Russ
"a full rebuilt upgraded compressor turbo setup, with new up pipe castings = no leaks, for 1250.00 and I would split the shipping with you. You would have to get the banks downpipe. The crossover is a 2 piece unit I have made for ease of shipping." I think shipping added another $200 or so. With Russ's kit and a quality rebuilt pump and injectors you will be able to pull your toy hauler and for the most part, keep up with traffic.

 

[YJMike92]

I.ll be interested in following this thread. I'll need power gains in the same vicinity for my IDI to be a viable tow vehicle.

 

[genscripter]

The turbo is completely worth it. Even just small boost (like 5psi) was noticeable for me. Now with the wicked wheel turbine and other upgrades, and I get around 12psi and more. Push it up to the teens (with studs, IP, injectors, etc) and you'll wonder why you ever drove it NA.

 

[saburai]

While head studs are good insurance and nice to have, unless you are planning on running high boost (12+) they're not needed.

 

[79jasper]

I totally disagree.
But to each there own. I've personally witnessed 2 blow headgaskets.

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[mblaney]

I added a factory turbo to my truck last spring and it does make a big difference. Max pressure I have seen so far is 9.5 psi and that is over 3000 rpm. I would like to see more boost earlier... might decide to upgrade to a WW. I will be visiting a dyno soon (as a follow up to my turbo install) but I am much happier with the turbo vs what it was before .

 

[saburai]

I totally disagree.
But to each there own. I've personally witnessed 2 blow headgaskets.

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I've been running the setup in my sig line for more than 20k, towing heavy and fast for a little less than half. Without I'll effect. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere. I did the turbo, IP and injectors at 230k. The truck was very well maintained when I got. Although I run it hard, I don't abuse it and I limit boost to 12 PSI and EGT's to 1000*. I think that the maintenance history, conservative EGT and boost limit play a big part in longevity... YMMV

 

[saburai]

Just thinking out loud, but it would be interesting to take a poll and see how many have added a turbo to a NA engine and what their longevity and general results have been. Of course, the poll would also include questions like type of driving and towing, boost and EGT levels, Auto or manual, condition of engine before the turbo, maintenance history if known, etc.

 

[Hydro-idi]

I've been running the setup in my sig line for more than 20k, towing heavy and fast for a little less than half. Without I'll effect. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere. I did the turbo, IP and injectors at 230k. The truck was very well maintained when I got. Although I run it hard, I don't abuse it and I limit boost to 12 PSI and EGT's to 1000*. I think that the maintenance history, conservative EGT and boost limit play a big part in longevity... YMMV

Is your engine running factory headgaskets? Or did you replace the gaskets & running stock headbolts.
The weak link here is the factory headgaskets. They are nothing like the ones they make today. The quality is much better, with very few people having problems blowing out a new felpro or VR gasket.
If your running factory headgaskets with 12+ psi, glad it’s running ok now but it’s on borrowed time like they all are until you upgrade the gaskets.