1994 7.3 non turbo

[Travis91]

I know ive posted a few questions like these but id rather make a informed purchase than a bad one. Im going to look at a 1994 7.3 non turbo, extended cab, 4x4, 5 speed, it has 214,000 miles it could use the hood painted, windshield, and new rear tires, the guy is asking $3800. It has a new clutch and the body is in near perfect shape. alot of people talk down the idi and im trying to figure out if the truck will do what i want it to do. I have a 16foot horse trailer that weighs about 3900 empty and it will have 2 horses in it when im towing other wise it will be a daily driver. Will this truck do that safely or will it be too sluggish(what everyone is saying)

 

[icanfixall]

It will do the job asked of it but it wont do it fast. You have not posted what gears the diffrancial has so we can only guess its 3.55. Might be 4.11 but no idea which it has. Questions you need to ask yourself is .. Am I in a hurry to get there. Other thoughts are ... So what others have the new tucks with the all electronic controlled engines making lots of easy hp. What the idi has is simple to fix problems on the road side if they come up. The all electric engines in the new trucks will need the cabs pulled off to repair a turbo problem. And most of the top of the engine must come off to get at the glow plugs or injecters. A rebuild(because thats all you can buy these days) set of injecters plus labor is around $4800.00. A rebuilt set of injecter(and we don't recommend them) will cost about $106.00.. HMMMM... What will I drive... Let me take door number 2 please...

 

[argve]

as said she will do it but not quick. She should run down the road with the horses in the trailer on the flat lands at 60 and pull the grades at 45mph since you don't have turbo. Once turbo'd you can do 65 and 50 on a consistant basis.

 

[TWeatherford]

A big thing to consider is reliability when towing live animals. It's one thing to break down on the way home from work, wait an hour and get a tow home, but another to break down a hundred miles from home with horses and have to deal with getting them towed somewhere as well. Any 19 year old vehicle will likely need some repairs, so factor that into your decision.

 

[Wyreth]

Personally the price seems a little steep, but that could just be because I am a cheap *******.

As has been stated, an IDI isn't the fastest thing on the planet, but then towing 7-8k isn't all that much to ask of it. Even without a turbo.

As to reliability concerns, with that many miles and an unknown history, there's about another at least a grand I would put into it before I ever hitched it to a trailer pulling live horses. (new rad, fan clutch, waterpump, IP, injectors, duralift Electric lift pump, fluids, and fluid analysis on old fluids)

But then, really, you could dump $5k into that truck. (Adding some goodies from Conestoga or R&D) Have a rebuilt and reliable truck with WAY more grunt than you will need, for about what it would cost you for slightly newer truck. (that would have the same or less power stock, and be in unknown condition) And like Gary said: when a newer diesel dings you, it's in the $5k range. When an IDI dings you, it's in the $500 range.

That's why I have an IDI at lest.

 

[GOOSE]

$3800 is on the steep side for an extended cab F250. It better have some redeeming quality like receipts for a new injection system, new clutch, tires ect. The clutch is 6 beans, that brings us to $3200. I'd be holding out for a crew cab at that price.

To be honest, these rigs can seem like a nightmare, getting them back into shape after 20+ years of use and abuse. The thing is, once you get them back into shape. the dollars per mile far exceeds ANY newer truck. A 30 some thousand dollar '08 Ford, Chevy or Dodge will not net you a more reliable vehicle, just way more costly repairs when something goes wrong.

A fresh fuel system and a good turbo should make towing acceptable. I grossed 16,000lbs and was happy with my performance towing from Jersey to Michigan and back last year. Fast? Not really but I held my own. I'd drive to Kali in an instant at this point knowing my truck is reliable.

I have been left stranded only once, had a 2" crack in a cylinder wall, gulped antifreeze, hydro locked occasionally, but still got me around for WEEKS before I called it quits and yanked the engine. Any one little tid bit goes south on a newer truck, chances are, a wrecker is being called. I have seen 2012 F550's with the Ford/Mexican diesel in it broke and in the shop with repairs that total in the THOUSANDS, with less than 45,000 miles on them. $60,000 for a truck and you have to bank on the warranty, no thanks.

For less than $20,000, you can go through an IDI inside and out, and have a truck that will flat out be more reliable than anything new. I will take the "lack of power" that goes with that.

 

[icanfixall]

Theres something to be said for simplisity and economy to repair... I think we have both of those covered really well with our idi engines.

 

[RLDSL]

My uncle bought one of the first IDIs built and had a Banks turbo put on it as soon as that critter came around. and he was pulling a very large gooseneck horse trailer all over the western US before and after the turbo, and it never let him down. He's still got the truck ( although if he EVER decides to sell it, I'm going to be RIGHT THERE
I regularly pull heavy grossing 18k and more, and my truck does just fine, I keep up with the big trucks on the hills and I couldnt ask for any more, I dont need to run 70 up a hill, the fuel wasted to accomplish those feats of pickup bravado would be immense, and in case you are wondering , all those fuel mileage figures you hear folks bragging about with those new trucks??? guess what, once they get loaded down, they are burning just as much AND MORE than we are , there is simply no getting around that nasty little bit of having to burn fuel to move heavy things.

If you find a good solid IDI, spend a few bucks getting it into shape, you will have a rock solid tow vehicle that wont cost a fortune to repair. Hey, I'm a retired mechanic, I can fix anything, but there's no way on earth I would buy a new truck, I couldnt afford to keep one on the road, just the parts alone would put me in the poor house, My IDI is cheap and simple to keep going and once I got it up to shape has required VERY little service