Hobbywelder
Registered User
folks, I hope everyone is well and ready for a go round of diesel info questions. Skip down a bit if you want straight into the questions.
A little background on myself, I work in Collision repair and do personal mechanical things on the side, im an vet who resides in CO. I have a 1993 Ford F-250 with the 351w (we’ll get to that) and the Zf-5, with 4.10 rar, 168k miles. Im familiar with gas motors, but I also hate them. Unless its a race motor. I also hate automatic transmissions, and they are my most hated thing.
So.... with the above stated, im looking to diesel swap my truck. The 351w, although not a bad motor, made 200hp and 300lbft of torque stock. The lightning model only added 40 on both ends. If I wanted to swap heads, intake, exhaust and do a full rebuild and change the cam I could maybe see up to 60-80 extra. Even the 7.3idi turbo, can beat 380lbft of torque.
So, lets get to the nitty gritty.
Maintenance wise, what do I need to know about the 7.3 Idi, maintenance costs, every detail. From what oil does it require to.....? How expensive is a rebuild minus block work?
I heard something about checking the coolant annually, corrosion being the reason? Why is this and can it destroy a motor entirely? Finished FAQ reading. Know the answer, essentially yes. And its not cheap if it happens.
Turbo’s, from the ‘92 model year up, is it better to buy one and build the kit for it or to buy a pre-fab kit? How much can these motors handle? If it’s possible, I’d like to see 200-220hp and 380+lbft of torque. I know that wouldn’t change what gear I’d need for going up hills but i’d make it easier than it is now. Lets rephrase that, Can this motor reasonably expect to 1: pull 4-6000lbs better than a 351(maybe 20 times a year) 2: handle 80mph turbo’d?
Given I see a lot of these motors were mounted to an auto trans, what needs to be changed over for a manual? I know my Zf won’t fit, ill need a big block tranny from a 7.3 or 460 (I don’t think just the bell housings or whatever it is are removable and can be swapped) to mate to it. Ill already be changing the wiring harness and dash over but will the auto tranny things work or will I need to find other parts?
Ive heard the IDI’s are a real ****** to start cold. Are they really any worse than any other diesel? What are my options for a remedy?
I have a possible donor truck. Its a 1992 f-250, it runs. BUT it blows smoke, and not roll coal kind. Thats all the guy has listed. It has an auto tranny. What comes to mind with this?
Could it be that coolant issue? Could the block be bad?
He said make an offer, and personally I have no idea what its worth. I don’t want to overpay or lowball the guy if its a candidate for a rebuild. Considering someone else is selling a ‘95 psd for $900, unknown run and drive. I don’t want a psd because I know maintenance on them is drastically more expensive than the IDI or my 351.
A little background on myself, I work in Collision repair and do personal mechanical things on the side, im an vet who resides in CO. I have a 1993 Ford F-250 with the 351w (we’ll get to that) and the Zf-5, with 4.10 rar, 168k miles. Im familiar with gas motors, but I also hate them. Unless its a race motor. I also hate automatic transmissions, and they are my most hated thing.
So.... with the above stated, im looking to diesel swap my truck. The 351w, although not a bad motor, made 200hp and 300lbft of torque stock. The lightning model only added 40 on both ends. If I wanted to swap heads, intake, exhaust and do a full rebuild and change the cam I could maybe see up to 60-80 extra. Even the 7.3idi turbo, can beat 380lbft of torque.
So, lets get to the nitty gritty.
Maintenance wise, what do I need to know about the 7.3 Idi, maintenance costs, every detail. From what oil does it require to.....? How expensive is a rebuild minus block work?
I heard something about checking the coolant annually, corrosion being the reason? Why is this and can it destroy a motor entirely? Finished FAQ reading. Know the answer, essentially yes. And its not cheap if it happens.
Turbo’s, from the ‘92 model year up, is it better to buy one and build the kit for it or to buy a pre-fab kit? How much can these motors handle? If it’s possible, I’d like to see 200-220hp and 380+lbft of torque. I know that wouldn’t change what gear I’d need for going up hills but i’d make it easier than it is now. Lets rephrase that, Can this motor reasonably expect to 1: pull 4-6000lbs better than a 351(maybe 20 times a year) 2: handle 80mph turbo’d?
Given I see a lot of these motors were mounted to an auto trans, what needs to be changed over for a manual? I know my Zf won’t fit, ill need a big block tranny from a 7.3 or 460 (I don’t think just the bell housings or whatever it is are removable and can be swapped) to mate to it. Ill already be changing the wiring harness and dash over but will the auto tranny things work or will I need to find other parts?
Ive heard the IDI’s are a real ****** to start cold. Are they really any worse than any other diesel? What are my options for a remedy?
I have a possible donor truck. Its a 1992 f-250, it runs. BUT it blows smoke, and not roll coal kind. Thats all the guy has listed. It has an auto tranny. What comes to mind with this?
Could it be that coolant issue? Could the block be bad?
He said make an offer, and personally I have no idea what its worth. I don’t want to overpay or lowball the guy if its a candidate for a rebuild. Considering someone else is selling a ‘95 psd for $900, unknown run and drive. I don’t want a psd because I know maintenance on them is drastically more expensive than the IDI or my 351.
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