Is this IDI the right truck for me?

MtnHaul

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Posts
616
Reaction score
258
Location
California
I also had a 2017 F250 for a while from work. It was 4 door short bed but 250 inches long. The OBS F350 with a long bed is 249 inches long so not worried about the "Land Yacht."

So are you saying a newer 4 door short bed is only one inch longer than an OBS 4 door long bed? I'm confused.

Glad to hear you don't have to deal with SF city traffic--I spent one summer working around the Bay Area and that was more than enough for me!
 

MrStretch

Registered User
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Posts
38
Reaction score
17
Location
NorCal
If it’s white I will be super jealous. Let me know if you decide you don’t want it.
 

OldManNeil

Registered User
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Posts
22
Reaction score
24
Location
San Francisco
So are you saying a newer 4 door short bed is only one inch longer than an OBS 4 door long bed? I'm confused.


Correct MtnHaul, apparently the hood and cab are quite a bit larger on the newer generations than the OBS. Back seat on my late model F250 was massive. For example, way bigger than my 4runner.

I just got a plane ticket to see the truck this weekend. As long as there's nothing unexpected, I plan to drive it home about 14 hours.
 

Clb

Another old truck
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Posts
5,702
Reaction score
2,163
Location
nannyfornia
Where ya headed to?
I'm in Napa if yer blowing thru these parts...
 

264WSM

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2017
Posts
112
Reaction score
25
Location
Wyotana
That's a lot of money. I just bought a 2000 7.3 dually for 7700. It has 270k miles. I'm gonna sell my 88 7.3T in the spring. I was thinking 2800, but maybe it is worth more!!!
 

OldManNeil

Registered User
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Posts
22
Reaction score
24
Location
San Francisco
After a cancelled flight and many uber rides back and forth to airports in CA and WA, I flew home with no truck.

I took it to a second mechanic yesterday to get inspected since I was pretty sure the first didn't know what he was doing. Turns out that this truck has "excessive blow by." It cold started fine and ran fine as far as I could tell but we pulled the CGR hose and it was putting out a steady stream of steam, not with much pressure. Seller was pretty set at $7k, which is already top dollar for an IDI so blow by was too much.

It also needed normal old truck stuff like tie rod ends, suspension bushings, turbo oil return leak etc.

So, I'm back on the market looking for a 4x4, Crew cab, ZF5
 

Macrobb

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Posts
2,380
Reaction score
1,234
Location
North Idaho
I took it to a second mechanic yesterday to get inspected since I was pretty sure the first didn't know what he was doing. Turns out that this truck has "excessive blow by." It cold started fine and ran fine as far as I could tell but we pulled the CGR hose and it was putting out a steady stream of steam, not with much pressure.
So for future reference, "excessive blow by" is the normal state for IDIs. They were designed with very large ring gaps, and because of that produce a ton of blow by when when brand new/freshly rebuilt. That's one thing that you don't need to worry about at all - it's not a Cummins!
I'll add that it's common/typical for an IDI to have a decent amount of oil in the intake past the CDR valve(whether N/A or Turbo). Even with a fresh engine that doesn't use even a quart in 2500 miles, you'll see plenty of oily vapor flying around.
 

OldManNeil

Registered User
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Posts
22
Reaction score
24
Location
San Francisco
Ya I was worried about this. Since I am not intimately familiar with IDIs I took the mechanics word for it. Looks like they work on a lot of dodge and Chevy.

Fact remains tho that this truck still has 283k miles and guy wants top dollar for it. With 280 it’s not really a top dollar truck. Has some oil leaks around engine, needs all new suspension bushings and shocks and 2nd gear synchro is totally shot.

Would you guys have paid $7k?
 
Last edited:

lotzagoodstuff

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
May 19, 2007
Posts
2,726
Reaction score
668
Location
Carmel, IN
Would you guys have paid $7k?

NFW, you did the right thing if it needed suspension stuff and other maintenance.

Keep looking, eventually you'll find somebody who's getting rid of their IDI. There are some nice IDIs out there that can and will come up for sale because the owner needs to pull something really heavy. I feel like the only shortcoming of an IDI when comparing to newer stuff is when you put a heavy trailer behind it. The IDI will always get you there, but you might be in 3rd gear with your foot in the IP all the way up the hill.

Good luck and keep looking.
 

Jake60

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2019
Posts
136
Reaction score
184
Location
New Jersey
IMO the best reason to get an IDI is because you really particularly want a IDI, and not just a "work truck" because as was noted you can get a Powerstroke for that $ or less. After that the best reason to pay that much is because it's rust free. Bushings and bearings and stuff you can pretty much count on with an old truck, it might not be the ones you checked but it will be something. All of that you can fix, but rust is never completely gone.
 

Macrobb

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Posts
2,380
Reaction score
1,234
Location
North Idaho
I personally wouldn't pay 7K, but I'm not a good sample - I haven't paid more than 2K for any IDI I own, but only one of them was bought in "can drive cross country" condition... and that one(the 93) has a *ton* of cab rust. Also, none are crew cabs, and those always fetch more money.
 

Golden Helmet

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Posts
498
Reaction score
323
Location
Monterey County, California
Would you guys have paid $7k?
Hell no, not if it needs transmission work and a suspension / steering overhaul, on top of whatever other old truck issues it has. $7k is top-tier pricing on an IDI truck, so for that price I would expect only very minor issues (like return lines). To me it sounds like that truck should be down in the $2-3k range at best.
 
Top