BUYING A 7.3 IDI

CheckYourBuffer

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I'm up in Oregon, like mentioned above it may have it problems but you don't need a 100% performer your in high school Rigs can come and go. Now after high schools another story still safety is a concern id probably start in the front end work, shocks are more important than one thinks and any off roading should be avoided until you have inspected and remade or replaced any front end parts that are questionable with the lift but who know maybe someone knew what they were doing lifting it you never know ask many questions while buying it as possible. Whatever is wrong with it used parts are plentiful and most new parts are reasonably affordable
Yuup, and hey im flying up to Oregon in like 20 days haha. Anyways he says the previous owner before him did the lift and whatever. hes been driving it like this for 2 years without the shocks which raised a red flag for me. Anyways besides that, shocks should be an easy installation if i know my poopoo right. And this trucks just a school and back driver with the occasional dates hahaha. figured if it lasts a while after ive done some work to it, ill add a turbo on . but thats not even close to a top priority. he said the front springs are fabtech, so maybe fabtech has a lift for it? ive done some research and there are some 2wd diesel lift kits. ill get u guys pictures soon. im going to have knee surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) so ill be out for a while.
 

jwalterus

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I ran across a truck on craigslist, its a 1990 f250 7.3 idi. He was asking 3000$ for it but hes letting me have it for 1500. It has like 186k on it. heres the ad:

CONS: Small oil leak, most diesels do. Mine can be parked on a new, clean driveway without worry, that's like saying most cargo vans are driven by child molesters....... Fix the leak. But since you seem to be being ignorant, I'm sure you'll leave it.
Power steering leak, easy fix. Needs an O-ring seal. Unless it's on the steering box pitman arm seal, then it's a whole seal set. Just buy a new box.
Running with no front shocks, coil springs only. When it tries to kill your ass after we already told you to stay away from it, I don't want to hear you whining the truck broke. If my kid thought he was going to drive something like that I'd give him a big dose of reality with a cutting torch. It's hard to drive when the front axle is no longer under the truck. Not to mention, if you get in an accident with this thing, guess who's going to be at fault for "unsafe equipment"?
Needs new glow plug wiring harness.
Will need tires soon There's a very fast 1k minimum you'll have to put into the truck.
No turn signals You're 16, that's going to be an issue anywhere.
Very loud, running straight pipe ( never pulled over for it ) Until a cop sees an easy ticket because a 16 y/o is driving.

PROS: she starts right up Then it doesn't need a GP harness, did you cold start it?
6 inch lift with 35's The cost of your tires now went to 1500 for a cheap set.
Off road bumper set up, with brush guard. It looks like cheap homemade crap, and if you get into an accident running around the streets, all it's going to do is ride up on top of a car, congrats, your fender-bender just turned into you totaling a car. And what's the point? It's a freaking 2wd.... And before you say you are going to convert it to 4wd, search the forum, it's not worth it.
NO SMOG NEEDED......EVER Whoopedee-doo, we haven't told you to not buy an IDI, we've just told you to not buy this one, any IDI can claim that I believe.

its going to be my first vehicle. im 16 in hs. You need something more realistic, buy a better truck and do what you want to it, why buy a truck that is still only going to be worth $1500 after you dump 5k into it? Really all you are buying is a parts truck.

The reason we have told you to stay away from the truck is experience. We've been there. We know what we are talking about, and even though you are going to look at this on the screen and say "whatever", you know it's the truth.
 

MtnHaul

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Good luck with the truck and the knee surgery. I had my left meniscus fixed last October and boy what a difference that made! I live in Cali too and in all honesty the straight pipe, no pun intended, sounds like a bad idea. Depending on how you drive it can be unwise to attract extra attention to your vehicle. One detail I didn't notice was whether the truck was manual or auto transmission. Personally I wouldn't buy an old diesel with an auto unless it had been rebuilt recently because that is one repair bill you don't want. My ZF-5 has 326k and still shifts great.

And if towcat offers to sell you a truck I would seriously think about it--he'll give you the straight facts, won't oversell something, and it's worth the drive to the Bay Area. Even if a vehicle doesn't need tons of work immediately you will find that old trucks keep you busy with one thing or another. Although my truck was an OK runner when I purchased it, in the last two years I have replaced the starter, glowplugs, rear brakes, front brakes, front axle swap, thermostat, water pump, converted flatbed to LEDs, stereo, front speakers, speed sensor on rear axle, all four shocks, radiator, vacuum pump, return lines, installed pyrometer and mechanical water temp, fixed window motor, new weatherstripping, replaced fuel pickup in rear tank, changed diff fluid, rebuilt oil cooler, and a partridge in a pear tree. Yeah some of those things were electives but my point is that one way or another you won't be bored with an old truck. Good luck with your choices and do consider liability in the event of an accident--you never know when something you thought couldn't happen actually happens.
 

satx78247

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CheckYourBuffer,

IF you would take some advice from a fellow who is easily old enough to be your grandfather & has owned/driven IDI PUs for over 2 decades:
1. FORGET this truck, as it has numerous obvious problems,
2. Is far too expensive for what it is,
3. Look for an IDI with under 100,000 original miles & that has NOT been modified and/or "butchered",
(The F250 that I'm slowly returning to "factory stock" has about 90,000 original miles.)
4. That has a 5-speed ZF transmission
(The automatics are not nearly as powerful as the manual transmissions & are EXPENSIVE to fix.)
AND
5. That is priced from 2000-2500.oo.

A friend of mine here in The Alamo City recently bought an F250 in at least as good condition, as the one that the owner is trying to sell you, for 600.oo.

just my opinion, satx
 

CheckYourBuffer

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Good luck with the truck and the knee surgery. I had my left meniscus fixed last October and boy what a difference that made! I live in Cali too and in all honesty the straight pipe, no pun intended, sounds like a bad idea. Depending on how you drive it can be unwise to attract extra attention to your vehicle. One detail I didn't notice was whether the truck was manual or auto transmission. Personally I wouldn't buy an old diesel with an auto unless it had been rebuilt recently because that is one repair bill you don't want. My ZF-5 has 326k and still shifts great.

And if towcat offers to sell you a truck I would seriously think about it--he'll give you the straight facts, won't oversell something, and it's worth the drive to the Bay Area. Even if a vehicle doesn't need tons of work immediately you will find that old trucks keep you busy with one thing or another. Although my truck was an OK runner when I purchased it, in the last two years I have replaced the starter, glowplugs, rear brakes, front brakes, front axle swap, thermostat, water pump, converted flatbed to LEDs, stereo, front speakers, speed sensor on rear axle, all four shocks, radiator, vacuum pump, return lines, installed pyrometer and mechanical water temp, fixed window motor, new weatherstripping, replaced fuel pickup in rear tank, changed diff fluid, rebuilt oil cooler, and a partridge in a pear tree. Yeah some of those things were electives but my point is that one way or another you won't be bored with an old truck. Good luck with your choices and do consider liability in the event of an accident--you never know when something you thought couldn't happen actually happens.
yep, i tore my meniscus in half!
 

Sidewinded_idi

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Half you guys are forgetting this is a high schooler with a high school budget. Of course you want a 100k Mike or less one but I'm sure he'd also want the cash to afford it. If it starts up and drives it's worth 1500. My high school car was a diesel Mercedes that was in a rollover accident I got for 50$. We all need to start somewhere. This is a 1 ton truck it is still safe. Plenty of company's make lift kits for them so idk why you guys keep harping on that. It's simply drop down brackets very common even for the newest 1 ton i beam trucks.
 

Sidewinded_idi

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Lol so a purpose built pre-runner off road truck being compared to a 2wd idi with a hokey lift. Lololol
My day has been made.

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It's amazing how clearly you can see the people who live outside of realitys bubble. I'm not saying this truck warrants it in any way. But by saying it doesn't simply because it's 2wd makes my day thank you
 

towcat

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:rotflmao:rotflmao Never seen one and probably never will.....
there is a member here who has taken his truck on the baja 1000. As a chase truck. Not only did he have to make it, he carried the parts to fix the race vehicle.

EVERYONE!!!!!! FOR THE LAST TIME.....BE NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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