1993 8th digit M with turbo Canada made

[IDIBRONCO]

So will an e350 engine go in or do o have to swap out the manifold etc?

Yes it will. At least the driver's side exhaust manifold is different between vans and trucks, maybe both are. The motor mounts are different. The oil coolers are different too. The fuel filter housing, and hard lines are different, but you can use the van ones in a truck. The intake manifolds are the same. All of these things that will need to be swapped over are external and not really hard to change. It would be a very wise idea to reseal your oil cooler at this time too since it's MUCH easier to do while the engine's out.

 

[Jbone36]

I don't know what's really involved in a Cummins swap, but I can say that swapping in another IDI engine is the least amount of work involved. That link you posted is another example of people who don't know what they really have or trying to make it sound more impressive. Again, there was no such thing as a 1988 F250 Super Duty. Sure, the filler panel may have been replaced, but the one in the pictures does say "EFI". It's sure worth looking at though. A bonus is that it has/should have a ZF5 in it. If you want to do the swap, it goes in your favor, but you'll still have to buy the pedal set up for your OBS body style truck. For that, you can use the pedals from any truck with the same front end as yours has.
As for the Powerstroke working with your transmission, while it will bolt up, the flex plate (flywheel) and the electronics are different so that would take quite a bit of work too. You'd be better off using an automatic from behind a PSD in my opinion since it already has the updated internals. Yours may or may not have those.

Thanks yea Cummins is probably moretime than i want to do as well..but back to this eight digit stuff..im confused as topeople saying 88 thru 94 and then looking at adds that say " ford 7.3 idi 8th digit C " only for C and K only..which is it do i need letter M or am i missing something?

 

[Jbone36]

Yes it will. At least the driver's side exhaust manifold is different between vans and trucks, maybe both are. The motor mounts are different. The oil coolers are different too. The fuel filter housing, and hard lines are different, but you can use the van ones in a truck. The intake manifolds are the same. All of these things that will need to be swapped over are external and not really hard to change. It would be a very wise idea to reseal your oil cooler at this time too since it's MUCH easier to do while the engine's out.

Its stuff like this i keep seeing https://www.ebay.com/itm/333810405958 its driving me crazy every aff says E350 Van and then shows a picture of friggen truck. But its 8th digit M like my Vin ..so what in the crap can possibly be different on an F or C or K etc if they are all 88 to 94? :***:

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Basically, an IDI engine is an IDI engine, externally. I don't know much about decoding the VINs. The "M" could stand for a F Superduty. It also may have something to do with it being a Canadian model. I believe that the "C" and "K" in the VIN means N/A or Factory Turbo engines. Unless you're looking to get a lot more power out of your engine than it's set up for now, you can use any one. If you use a 6.9, then you should probably put head studs in just to be safe, but it sounds like you're only looking at 7.3s.
One more thing that you can do here to clear up your confusion about your VIN is to use an online VIN decoder. You can put your VIN into it and it will tell what it means, including the mysterious "M".

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Its stuff like this i keep seeing https://www.ebay.com/itm/333810405958 its driving me crazy every aff says E350 Van and then shows a picture of friggen truck. But its 8th digit M like my Vin ..so what in the crap can possibly be different on an F or C or K etc if they are all 88 to 94? :***:

I can see a few things here. First off it says that this fits a ford van. It also says in more than one place that the donor vehicle is a Ford truck. Not only that, it also says that it's a 1992 F450 AKA FSuperduty. If you look up a Frod van diesel engine on Ebay, you'll more than likely get listings like this one that says that it will fit in a van when the engine donor is a truck because, it will fit.
What body stlye of ambulance do you have here? Is it a van body or is it a truck body? Normally, a FSuperduty (F450) is a truck, but since it was made in Canada, that rule may not apply to your vehicle. If you have a van body, that may also explain the "M" in the VIN. I don't think that this one character in the VIN is as important as you think it is. If you get a 7.3 IDI engine, change over a few parts and it will drop right into your vehicle and you won't be able to tell the difference when you're done.

 

[aggiediesel01]

If you’re switching an IDI to a PS the dash harness and engine bay harnesses have to be changed. Not necessarily the dash assembly itself but it will have to be pulled to swap the wiring harness as it’s routed through the back in away that it’s not feasible to extract it with the dash in place. The diesel version of the E4OD is basically the same for all the OBS trucks. The powerstrokes got a converter with 6 studs and some internal updates over the years but it’s the same otherwise. The powerstroke uses its ECM to control the trans instead of a stand alone controller like the IDI. This is another reason that the harnesses have to be swapped.

M in the 8th position identifies an IDI diesel from 88-94

K is factory Turbo IDI in ‘94 but I think the Factory turbo IDI in ‘93 had a different letter like C or something.

Otherwise ‘94 and later diesels were powerstrokes and had VIN F

From another thread on here about VINs

Here is what I have on my hard drive. I won't swear it's true and valid.

******************

I was able to get a hold of a Ford Truck Vehicle Identification Number Decoder for 1987 to 1996 and found out my truck decodes to a 1 Ton HD. Here is the decoder for anyone that might want it.

1987 to 1996
Positions 1, 2 & 3-Country Code:
1FT Ford Motor Company USA
2FT Ford Motor Company Canada

Position 4-GVW Class Code:
C 4001 to 5000 pounds F150
D 5001 to 6000 pounds F150
E 6001 to 7000 pounds F150 & F250
F 7001 to 8000 pounds F250
G 8001 to 8500 pounds F250
H 8501 to 9000 pounds F250 HD & F350
J 9001 to 10000 pounds F350

Positions 5, 6 & 7-Series Code:
F15 F150 2 Wheel Drive Reg Cab
X15 F150 2 Wheel Drive Ext Cab
F14 F150 4 Wheel Drive Reg Cab
X14 F150 4 Wheel Drive Ext Cab
F25 F250 2 Wheel Drive Reg Cab
X25 F250 2 Wheel Drive Ext Cab
F26 F250 4 Wheel Drive Reg Cab
X26 F250 4 Wheel Drive Ext Cab

Position 8-Engine Code:
Y 6 cy 4.9 Gas EFI 87 to 93
Y 6 cy 4.9 Gas MFI 94 to 96
N 8 cy 5.0 Gas EFI 87 to 93
N 8 cy 5.0 Gas MFI 94 to 96
H 8 cy 5.8 Gas 4BBL 87
H 8 cy 5.8 Gas EFI 88 to 93
R 8 cy 5.8 Gas F150 Lt EFI 93
H 8 cy 5.8 Gas MFI 94 to 96
R 8 cy 5.8 Gas F150 Lt MFI 94 to 95
1 8 cy 6.9 Diesel IDI 87
M 8 cy 7.3 Diesel IDI 88 to 94
F 8 cy 7.3 Turbo-Diesel TPS 94 to 96
K 8 cy 7.3 Turbo-Diesel TPS 94
L 8 cy 7.5 Gas 4BBL 87
G 8 cy 7.5 Gas EFI 88 to 93
G 8 cy 7.5 Gas MFI 94 to 96

Position 9-Model Year Code:
H-87, J-88, K-89, L-90, M-91
N-92, P-93, R-94, S-95, T-96

Position 10-Assembly Plant Code:
C-Oakville, Ontario Canada
H-Lorain, OH / N-Norfolk, VA
K-Kansas, MO / P-St. Paul, MN
L-Wayne, MI / U-Louisville, KY

Remaining Numbers-Sequence of Assembly:





EXPANDED:::




F14 - F150, Regular Cab, 4x4
x14 - F150, SuperCab, 4x4
F15 - F140, Regular Cab, 4x2
X15 - F150, SuperCab, 4x2
F25 - F250, Regular Cab, 4x2
X25 - F250, SuperCab, 4x2
F26 - F250, RegularCab, 4x4
X26 - F250, SuperCab, 4x4
F35 - F350, Regular Cab, 4x2
X35 - F350, SuperCab, 4x2
W36 - F350, Crew Cab, 4x2
F37 - F350, Regular Cab (Chassis Cab), 4x2
F36 - F350, Regular Cab, 4x4
W36 - F350, Crew Cab, 4x4
F38 - F350, Regular Cab (Chassis Cab), 4x4
F47 - F-Super Duty, Regular Cab (Chassis Cab), 4x2
F53 - F-Super Duty, RV Stripped Chassis, 4x2
F59 - F-Super Duty, Commercial Basic Stripped Chassis, 4x2

The ninth VIN position is a government assigned, computer-generated check digit.

The tenth VIN position is the Vehicle Model Year.
K - 1989
L - 1990
M - 1991
N - 1992
P - 1993
R - 1994
S - 1995
T - 1996

The elenth VIN position is the Assembly Plant Code.
C - Ontario Truck: Oakville, Ontario
E - Kentucky Truck: Jefferson, Kentucky
H - Lorain: Lorain, Ohio
K - Kansas City: Claymoco, Missouri
L - Michigan Truck: Wayne, Michigan
N - Norfolk: Norfolk, Virginia
P - Twin Cities: St. Paul, Minnesota
U - Louisville: Louisville, Kentucky
V - Kentuck Truck: Jefferson, Kentucky

 

[aggiediesel01]

Confirmed, ‘93 IDI turbo trucks should be VIN C

1993 Ford F-250 https://www.ebay.com/itm/1993-Ford-F-250-/293789490145?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

1FTHX26C9PKB*****

 

[Jbone36]

What body stlye of ambulance do you have here? Is it a van body or is it a truck body? Normally, a FSuperduty (F450) is a truck, but since it was made in Canada, that rule may not apply to your vehicle.

Thanks everyone for all the info its a 1993 Truck body superduty F450 4x4 weight 14,500 I could care less about landspeed and more about reliability and ease of working on it in the future..less to break the better..im just wondering how slow it will go up grades with it loaded down if I go with a 6.9..i have about 6k to get it running..i have a 6.9 a of andunknown year and 89 7.3 of unknown millage but was looking for a low milage or reman if Im going to do the work. What would you guys do?
1. Keep the 6.9 that i stuck in it and walked away.
2.put in the running but possibly high mileage 89 7.3.
3. Buy a donor truck with lowish millage.
4.Reman and put on all the parts i have.
5.cummins 12v
P.S. Im California so the donor truck would make my truck 5k or so lighter

 

[Farmer Rock]

IMO, The 7.3 IDI is the way to go,then keep the 6.9 and set it up as a spare motor or sell it and get some money back.Like @IDIBRONCO said,the IDI will be the most simple swap overall.Plus,all the trouble you would have to go through for the 7.3PSD would'nt make sense,since the IDI can be built up to make the same power...A 12v swap will be expensive considering it is a few thousand just for adapters,let alone the price of the engine and all the misc. parts.
I can't wrap my head around your 450 weighing 14,500lbs.My international s1600 flatbed only weighs 9,500lbs empty.What kind of weight do you have on the truck to make it that heavy.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I can't wrap my head around your 450 weighing 14,500lbs.My international s1600 flatbed only weighs 9,500lbs empty.What kind of weight do you have on the truck to make it that heavy.

It's a 4X4 ambulance.
Jbone-here's my advice. It runs right now, right? If it does, I say to drive it for now. Take the possibly high mileage 7.3 and open it up. Then inspect everything in the 7.3. If it all looks good, then I wouldn't bother with pulling the pistons unless you want to have the cylinders honed and install new rings. If you go that far, replace the cam bearings too since it will already be at a machine shop. Remember that high mileage on these doesn't mean worn out, depending on what you call high mileage. If it's all good, put it back together and, later, put it in place of the 6.9 that's in there right now.
If the 7.3 doesn't look good inside for some reason, cross that bridge when you get to it. If the 6.9 runs and drives right now, you might as well get some use out of it. Stock for stock, you will barely be able to tell the difference between the 6.9 and 7.3 powerwise. Even using this current turbo on both engines won't be a large difference in power as it sits. Now if you want to turn up the fuel, modify the wastegate, etc. to get more boost out of the turbo, that's where the 7.3 is much better. With a set of head stud, a 7.3 can handle much higher levels of boos and for longer periods of time. A FSuperduty was not built for speed, it was built to work hard. With the lower gears ratio in your axles, both engines will be close to equal at climbing grades. A lot of people knock the 6.9s, but if you use an aftermarket turbo kit as it was sold, keep all of the original parts intact as designed, and set your fuel as the instructions say to, then a 6.9 will perform pretty well compared to a 7.3 that's set up the same exact way.

 

[Jbone36]

Cool..you guys are making ime feel better about the idi..im more of a survivalist kind of guy hence the ambulance..i think im going to try the 6.9 that i popped in.." its mostly a trust issue" see what i did was when i first got the ambo i bought a 7.3 off a guy for 800 said it came out of a bus running ..turned out to be a 6.9 ..he never answered the phone after that..lol..

So I stabbed some holes in the valley pan for oil draining and stuck the garret turbo on as well replaced the injection pump and lines that were in the back from previous 7.3 to the 6.9 and put it in the bay..it has one bolt in the transmission so no its not running. Im not sure i trust that it will eventually run..will the 6.9 work with this setup? Or should i scrap the turbo?

The 7.3 that i have is in an old 89 f250 but it runs..would the turbo just go on there or is there more to ot than that?

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Im not sure i trust that it will eventually run..will the 6.9 work with this setup? Or should i scrap the turbo?

The 7.3 that i have is in an old 89 f250 but it runs..would the turbo just go on there or is there more to ot than that?

It's already that close so I say to go ahead and finish the job.
NO! DO NOT SCRAP THE TURBO! If it is the ATS093/Factory Turbo (basically the same thing), that's about the most desirable turbo set up that you can get, custom ones aside. It's easily upgraded and, in my opinion, the one that seems to fit our engine bays the best.
Yes, you can just swap the turbo over to the 7.3 as long as you do the same with the turbo specific parts such as valve covers. Then you do have to turn up the fuel at the IP or the whole turbo will be next to useless. The point of the turbo is to push more air through your engine. More air means that you need to have more fuel to burn with the extra air.

 

[Farmer Rock]

Cool..you guys are making ime feel better about the idi..im more of a survivalist kind of guy hence the ambulance..i think im going to try the 6.9 that i popped in.." its mostly a trust issue" see what i did was when i first got the ambo i bought a 7.3 off a guy for 800 said it came out of a bus running ..turned out to be a 6.9 ..he never answered the phone after that..lol..

So I stabbed some holes in the valley pan for oil draining and stuck the garret turbo on as well replaced the injection pump and lines that were in the back from previous 7.3 to the 6.9 and put it in the bay..it has one bolt in the transmission so no its not running. Im not sure i trust that it will eventually run..will the 6.9 work with this setup? Or should i scrap the turbo?

The 7.3 that i have is in an old 89 f250 but it runs..would the turbo just go on there or is there more to ot than that?

If you do decide to get rid of the turbo,I may be interested in it.




Rock

 

[Jbone36]

So ive made a choice..thanks everyone for your input.
Im buying a 92 F450 tomorrow about 100 miles away that has a rebuilt 30k ago 8th digit m 7.3 with a 2wd zf5 ..needs a new injection pump as of which i have.
Plan is to sell the zf5 and utility bed and pick up a rebuilt Zf5 4wd and use all the parts to do a swap on the ambulance.
After which i can get the turbro and engine installed and hopefully truck rolling ..i figure should have it all done by Tuesday..jk
On a side note the 7.3 i i have has 158k and is an 8th digit M but the donor truck im picking up tomorrow is a good deal with the rebuild. I should have tons of parts for sale from the donor soon.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Just so you know, the F450 used a 4X4 transmission. They all had a driveline parking brake on the back of the transmission. I don't know how yours is set up. If the transfer case is bolted to the back of the transmission like it is in smaller trucks, you won't be able to use the driveline brake in your truck. Yours may not have a driveline brake since it's an automatic.