NEW to me. 7.3 IDI ex-uhaul 1990 f350

Sealacat22

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I bought a ex- uhal truck with this motor 7.3 IDI. I guess it means its not a turbo. Cant tell what im dealing with. How do you test an see what shape the motor is in? For starters. I have 89,000 miles on it accordingh to the guage but rweally? Im not sure being a UHaul thats an accurate reading. Not sure how to find out about it. Maybe DMV. So I will need a book and a tip on what to do right away to start caring for this motor. Its a goin to haul my mini excavator soon I hope. Not even sure if its gonna pull it well. Weighs in at 7700 and the trailer is every bit of 2000. truck weighs 8100... So Ill be doin some study to see if I got the tool or just a moving truck. I guess Im just asking what to do check the health of the motor and what to do to wstart caring for it. and any book that can get me understanding the diesel motor .. 7.3 is where Ill start readuing i suppose... Boy i jumped on it for 3000 but dont know yet if it were the right truck.

Thanks in advance
 

slyhog022056

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The IDI is a good motor, definetly not comparable to the super duty though. If it isnt rattling or smoking it is probably good. mine (1991 7.3 IDI) was great except for having to take 1/8 of a mile to get up to 70 mph. but mine weighed 11,000 lbs empty. 10 MPG loaded or empty. Just do some maintenance on it, sea foam the fuel system, stiction eliminator for the oil system. parts for your engine arent expensive at all.
1 thing i learned to look out for are to make sure the 1/4 fuel hard lines have the braces that keep them in pairs and in 4's are on the lines. they will vibrate and crack the stainless steel tubing right at the fittings and they are not long enough to cut and re ferrule. i had to keep a 3 ft section of stainless tubing and extra ferrules with me because mine cracked 4 times in a years time. But maintenance is the key.
There is a lot of info on here about the IDI. just do some searches and reading.
 

Philip1

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The 1990 ford pickups rolled over back to zero after 99999 miles so if it reads 89000 its likely 189000, 289000, etc. Your truck will not have a turbo unless you or a previous owner installed one aftermarket. These engines aren't super powerful so you will be slow when towing. For maintenance items, you will want to check all the fuel lines including the return lines and caps on the injectors. If any line is slightly wet, it needs resealed/replaces otherwise it can cause issues starting by introducing air into the fuel system. Next you will want to check your glowplugs. If any of them are labeled any brand other than either motorcraft or beru you will want to replace them with either of those brands. The off brands have a bad habit of swelling and breaking off in the head causing a big headache. After that you will want to get some sca test strips for your coolant. If low you will want to recharge your coolant with fresh sca additive. These engines have a bad habit of cavitating the cylinder walls which will eventually punch a hole through the cylinder. The sca's help protect the cylinders from this but gets consumed over time.
 

Sealacat22

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The IDI is a good motor, definetly not comparable to the super duty though. If it isnt rattling or smoking it is probably good. mine (1991 7.3 IDI) was great except for having to take 1/8 of a mile to get up to 70 mph. but mine weighed 11,000 lbs empty. 10 MPG loaded or empty. Just do some maintenance on it, sea foam the fuel system, stiction eliminator for the oil system. parts for your engine arent expensive at all.
1 thing i learned to look out for are to make sure the 1/4 fuel hard lines have the braces that keep them in pairs and in 4's are on the lines. they will vibrate and crack the stainless steel tubing right at the fittings and they are not long enough to cut and re ferrule. i had to keep a 3 ft section of stainless tubing and extra ferrules with me because mine cracked 4 times in a years time. But maintenance is the key.
There is a lot of info on here about the IDI. just do some searches and reading.
Hey thanks man.. Very Nice. I can look right into that.
 

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