I am kinda curious from people who have owned both PS and IDI ? MPG Reliabilty

[Moretorque]

I can get a PS for a good deal in a nice truck, its a 1998 and only has 147000 miles on it. The guy will not fix it because he says Ford wants 2 grand + to fix the electronics on the motor. The owner of the truck is not a fan of PS after the truck just quit and then he was told all the brains on the motor need to be replaced. He had an old INVECO air cooled diesel before this truck and he said he liked it better because it never quit.

I am curiouse from those who have owned and worked on both, is the Power Stroke better on MPG and how much more are they to keep going on average if any more when serviced. The extra power of a PS to me really doesn't matter.

Thanks for any input.

 

[riotwarrior]

I can appreciate the search for the perfect truck, it's very shall I say daunting to many.

This can be tough and I've had some experience with PS but not my own but a friend / employer.

He also had IDI prior to the PS.

Loved the power of the PS, loved the simplicity of the IDI. Loved the cost of the IDI hates the cost of repairs for the PS.

This is just what I've gotten to know working on his and a few others.

Ours is a simple form of life much like a set of hand carving tools for wood work vs a CNC router/lathe combination.

Both can do similar work one's much slower and maybe not as accurate but produces wonderful results, the other has the speed and power to do so much, however if it breaks down, you need a freakin degree in computer engineering and master electronics and robotics to fix it or pay the piper to do it.

I'll take the hand tools and leave the CNC.

If you can get a good deal and feel the expense to repair it is warranted and justifiable, then get it and do the work or get it done.

Most of the IDI crowd can swap an IP on the side of a road if need be. Lets see that with a PS.

Good luck with your search, just know sometime you will have to bite the bullet and choose one way or another. Live with that choice regardless of what it is, be it a good experience or a negative one...but live with it you will.

 

[Oog]

I have both. I feel like the psd is more refined. Basically the psd is a pair of plastic handled scissors and the idi is a 13lb sledge

 

[79jasper]

^

I've had both. I like both. Both have pluses and negatives.

For a daily driver/work truck, I'd take the Powerstroke.

I get around 17 in my 94 f350 4x4 drw sclb zf-5 4.10. I don't drive easy, need to replace my ICP sensor.
For me I see 20 mpg not far away.

 

[jocephus30]

Riotwarrior put it excellently love the anology i have owned 2 idi's and one powerstroke and he hit the nail on the head when I had to redo a bunch of work on my 94 PS it did cost an arm and a leg atleast it felt like it. Honestly I personally enjoy the IDIs more just something about the character with the trucks and working on them is very strait forward i dont know a 1/4 of what most of the guys on here but feel totally comfortable doing any work I need to on it. As riot said there is more hands on time but with that comes you knowing every inch of your truck, but on that I am a leather worker so the "hand tools and hard work" is something i really enjoy.

 

[lindstromjd]

however if it breaks down, you need a freakin degree in computer engineering and master electronics and robotics to fix it or pay the piper to do it.

Funny... I don't have a computer engineering degree, nor am I a master electrician. As a matter of fact, I HATE electronic problems. But I brought my powerstroke back from the grave, and it didn't take me much other than elbow grease and the cost of the parts. Which, contrary to popular belief, AREN'T all that expensive.

Most of the IDI crowd can swap an IP on the side of a road if need be. Lets see that with a PS.

Changing an HPOP is almost the exact same process. Takes about the same amount of time. And a powerstroke won't leave you stranded because your IP decided to quit on you (it doesn't have anything that it depends on so heavily like the injection pump of an IDI; it's a lot of little pieces working together). Yes, it has it's weak points like the crank position sensor, but that takes all of 10 minutes and a 10mm wrench to change out.

My point is, does a Powerstroke have more parts to it? Yes. Does that mean there's more that can go wrong? Yes, it does. But they're just as simple to work on as any other engine I've ever dealt with, after I got familiar with it. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know sh*t about the powerstroke. Ask yourself, did YOU know anything about engines before you started working on your first one? How long did it take you to get comfortable around it and know it's insides and outs? It's the same with the newer engines. I for one, like the idea that my engine is smart enough to stop working when something's wrong with it. Can an IDI shut itself down to protect itself when something goes wrong? (it's an easy answer... no). Can an IDI tell you what's wrong with itself when you hook it up to a computer? Oh, no, because an IDI doesn't have any on-board diagnostics.

Long story short, it's all about preferences, man. Do I like my old IDI's? Hell yes I do, they're stupidly simple to work on. But do I like my Powerstroke better? You bet your a$$ I like it better. It's like a nicely refined, high class woman vs the girl-next-door of the IDI. Same concept, same end result, but lots nicer to look at and play with.

 

[chris142]

Some PS have the wiring harness built into the valve cover gasket. Pretty easy fix if thats whats really wrong.

 

[lindstromjd]

Some PS have the wiring harness built into the valve cover gasket. Pretty easy fix if thats whats really wrong.

They all have the UVCH. A new engine wiring harness is about $200, valve cover gaskets and harnesses are $100 for the set, a new IDM is about $170, and a new PCM is about $400. Just depends on what is actually wrong with the truck. Pull codes and see what it's doing. Or ask the Ford dealership that diagnosed it what they found was the problem.

 

[idiabuse]

I am trying to make mine bullet proof, I have had a hard road, but just in the last few days I have been rewarded for my efforts, My truck is pulling 26mpg on pump fuel and 20mpg on waste oil.
I have a long list of goodies in my profile that little by little I have acquired, Now that my drivetrain is almost complete for what I need, My truck is in need of a new body, s I would like to find a Crew Cab to swap everything over.
I will find a Donor crewcab that is in good shape that wont need any work, and since them IDIs are getting older it is not to tough to find a nice truck with a bad engine or trans.
Even a 460 powered truck is an option.

This year alone I have hit 3 other vehicles with my truck, as recent as Thursday some lawyer brake checked me, what was he thinking? He shot me a bird seconds before I tagged his plastic butt, My truck? lost the headlight lens 15 miles later when another fool slammed the brakes on me and I panic stopped, I heard a noise but didn't know it was my lightlens hitting the ground, I ran it over, Crunch! Still 88% there so I duct tapped it on! What a day that was!

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[Can30Diesel]

I love the analogies we have going on here.

I drive my IDI in the bush and rattling along forest service roads pulling or hauling as much as I can fit in or pull behind it and it doesn't care, mind you I am putting around in 3rd and not going too fast. I says to myself "this is where my truck was designed to live". If I was to get a replacement I would look for a PSD because I have wonderful hills like the Coquahalla and doing something other than 2/3 the speed limit fully loaded is kinda nice to have on the highway. I'd keep my IDI for the real dirty hardass work and of course for the zombie apocalypse.

I have done a pile of research on both the IDI and the PSD and I would be more than comfortable working on either one. However I have only owned an IDI so I can only vouch for their simplistic reliability. They are not all that bad on fuel either.

 

[Moretorque]

I am trying to make mine bullet proof, I have had a hard road, but just in the last few days I have been rewarded for my efforts, My truck is pulling 26mpg on pump fuel and 20mpg on waste oil.
I have a long list of goodies in my profile that little by little I have acquired, Now that my drivetrain is almost complete for what I need, My truck is in need of a new body, s I would like to find a Crew Cab to swap everything over.
I will find a Donor crewcab that is in good shape that wont need any work, and since them IDIs are getting older it is not to tough to find a nice truck with a bad engine or trans.
Even a 460 powered truck is an option.

This year alone I have hit 3 other vehicles with my truck, as recent as Thursday some lawyer brake checked me, what was he thinking? He shot me a bird seconds before I tagged his plastic butt, My truck? lost the headlight lens 15 miles later when another fool slammed the brakes on me and I panic stopped, I heard a noise but didn't know it was my lightlens hitting the ground, I ran it over, Crunch! Still 88% there so I duct tapped it on! What a day that was!

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Thanks for the help, can you get more MPG from a Power Stroke? so the PS is definitely much more refined but if parts became scarce to find for either of these 2 diesels which one would be easier to keep going longer?

 

[PackRat239]

It's like a nicely refined, high class woman vs the girl-next-door of the IDI. Same concept, same end result, but lots nicer to look at and play with.[/QUOTE]

Ill take the girl next door every time! The fancy girls just break your heart.
(ps: i always liked Mary Ann best)

 

[Moretorque]

Thanks, so for the long run if you ever had to shop for used parts they should be more readable for the older longer run IDI? were the Power Strokes changed more to where parts will not fit from one to another over the years and also who made the PS as compared to International for the IDI. Is it the same block and lower end?

 

[lindstromjd]

Thanks, so for the long run if you ever had to shop for used parts they should be more readable for the older longer run IDI? were the Power Strokes changed more to where parts will not fit from one to another over the years and also who made the PS as compared to International for the IDI. Is it the same block and lower end?

International built both engines. And the Powerstroke and IDI share nothing at all except for cubic inches. There are no interchangeable parts between them. But the beauty of the 7.3 Powerstrokes is that everything from the 1st gen OBS trucks can fit onto the 2nd gen Super Duty's, and vice versa. And there are a LOT more guys out there dedicated to rebuilding parts off the Powerstroke than there are for the IDI. So in my opinion, the Powerstrokes will be easier to find parts for the longer into the future you look.

 

[Agnem]

They all have the UVCH. A new engine wiring harness is about $200, valve cover gaskets and harnesses are $100 for the set, a new IDM is about $170, and a new PCM is about $400. Just depends on what is actually wrong with the truck. Pull codes and see what it's doing. Or ask the Ford dealership that diagnosed it what they found was the problem.

Where did you find an engine wiring harness for $200? I needed one for a customer, and Ford gets $700 for it. And there in lies the problem with the PSD. Lots of wires. Lots of opportunities for a wire break (open) or rub through (short). Trying to find them, especially when intermittent can be daunting. Yes, the computer does help you determine exactly what wires could be bad, but you pretty much need to change the IDM and injector before you go chasing wires. So in many ways you have to throw parts at a problem to try and save time over doing an actual troubleshooting. Injector replacement is messy. The HPOP's usually leak before they fail, but by and large they are as easy as an IDI to work on. The one major thing I hate, is the injector cups. That's one thing the IDI's don't have, and you will NEVER mix fuel in the coolant on an IDI, but your PSD will be happy to do it for you, and finding that is a huge PITA. I like PSD's, but I'll still take an IDI over one any day. It seems the natural progression of things. The 6.0 guys will say they would take a 7.3 over their 6.0. The 6.4 guys say they will take a 6.0 over their 6.4, and I don't know what the 6.7 guys are saying, but it's probably coming.