1988 7.3 idi DEAD

[44-44]

1988 E350 with a 7.3 idi died on me, the engine was from a scrap yard. My alternator went out and when the injectors stopped working there was a loud bang and the engine sounded awful with a bad nock. I started it again after it died. turned over fine but when it got started it smoked tons of white, ran for maybe a minute nocking then seized. did not turn over again. (maybe a mistake to start it) anyways. Looking for advice.. is it worth fixing the truck? Could I fix the specific problem or would it need a complete rebuild? what engines could I replace it with? would an international T444 fit without any major augmentation? (Ive noticed those tend to be cheaper) what years of 7.3 idi's will fit? any advice is welcome, thank you

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. Any idi engine either a 6.9 or 7.3 will fit but.. You need to know what the replacement engine came from. If it came from a heavy truck or buss then it needs different external parts like oil cooler heads, exhaust manifolds and bell housing adapter plates. May need a different oil pan and oil pump suction line. Sorry you kept running the engine. From the post you wrote it probably dropped a valve and sent a rod thru the block. Only real way is to open it up and see what happened. Pics can really help tell what happened.

 

[genscripter]

I'd do a lot of research if you want to dump an unknown engine in a van. There is BARELY enough room to pull and put in an IDI engine, so you need to do a lot of prep to make sure your replacement engine will work.

I've pulled a bunch of IDI's from various vans and here's a video of my latest:

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