Essay on People with (IDI'S) in Thier Late Teens Early 20s

[JAKRANCH]

I'm 24 and own idi's for practical and sentimental reasons. My earliest memories of my now deceased grandpa are going out in one to check cows in winter. I learned to drive feeding cows in one since I was 10 or so while my dad fed off the back. Speaking for practical reasons they've got Just enough torque stock to do most things I need, they can be dirt cheap and the simplicity and reliability is only challenged by a 12 valve( and it's got s better truck wrapped around it) plus is easy cheaper to get 20mpg out of as idi
I daily drive it to school and work. And it works its guts out on the ranch and at play.

I do most of my maintenance and upgrades by myself(with buddies) these trucks are awesome for tinkering. It only goes to a shop if I'm hurting for time or don't dare tackle specific projects

I haven't had bad experiences with shops mostly cuz I have a few that I trust

I use my truck to haul everything from horse trailers to camping gear to sprinkler pipe. Always have a bunch of tools and a couple dogs in the back

 

[Chemgrad]

Welcome to the forum. I'm also a fair bit out of the age group in which you are interested.

 

[Rossroams]

I’m 21... Well I was originally interested in a CUCV, but ended up buying an 87 F250 6.9 4wd. I stuck with the mechanical diesels because of simplicity, reliability, and cost. Everyone and their mother has chipped, tuned, and molested a newer diesel around me and it doesn’t seem to have any advantage to an IDI except power. I use mine for work, off-roading, and sometimes commuting to school.
I bought it NA, and installed a 93 year turbo. If I were to do it over I would’ve kept the Airaid intake and saved that money for a Dana 60 and RSK to gain more flex and off-road more. But hey... boost
Overall I’ve basically learned everything I know mechanically on this truck and it’s been an interesting relationship.
Save money and do everything you can do and learn on your own, plus it builds healthy pride.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Well I'm way out of your age range too, but I thought you wanted reasons that someone in your age range would want an IDI over a PSD. Hope you don't mind my answers.

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

Your first question doesn't even make sense. N/A, pre-turbo, and powerstroke having absolutely nothing to do with each other. And a turbo idi is not a powerstroke.
Could you clarify?

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i mean like why did you pick a non turbo IDI over a powerstroke or a turbo IDI

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

Perhaps he means why would you choose an N/A IDI over a powerstroke? For me it was primarily cost of components. Injectors for the powerstroke are like 2-3 times more expensive.


I'm technically out of your age group, I'm high 20s lol!

I daily drive it, do all the maintenance and repair myself. So far the most frustrating thing I've had to deal with was fuel system problems. Between running out at 1/4 tank and my tank switch valve going bad on me, it's been frustrating. Everything likes to stop working in the winter!

I bought the truck to eventually haul a 5th wheel camper but I guess technically the answer to your question would be work. She's my tow pig.

i have also had all the fuel system problems. and thank you thats the kind of feed back i was looking for

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

Most of the ones I run into don't know the difference period. Turbo or no turbo. They don't realize that Ford had two TOTALLY different diesel engines in their trucks with the same 7.3L displacement. My latest experience was with a neighbor with a 6.0 PSD. I pointed at his Explorer and said that a 7.3PSD is like the engine in your Explorer, all computer controlled. Then I pointed to my 81 F150 with a 302 and told him that my 7.3IDI was like that engine with no computer controls at all. He didn't seem completely convinced so, remembering that he's a OTR truck driver, I told him that my engine has an injector pump. I think he finally understood after that.

lol thats great. thats the big thing for me. i had an old 4.2 inline in my jeep (carburetor) so im used to the non computer rigs

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

Can someone help me find the plug so I can use my friends bully dog tuner on my 1988 7.3 non turbo powerstroke?

i was saying why pick a n/a over a powerstroke i was being redundant saying non turbo i guess but i know what a international 7.3 is

 

[79jasper]

i mean like why did you pick a non turbo IDI over a powerstroke or a turbo IDI

Gotcha.
Well actually I had the psd first. Well technically a gm idi. Lol
Then bought the n/a idi as a parts truck, but ended up driving it for awhile. Bought it because it was cheap, and I needed the zf out of it.

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[CharlesAllan9073]

Welcome to the forum! I'm too old for your essay but lots of luck in your build

gracias i need all the luck i can get with the old girl

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

Just going in order:

1: Each of those engines has their own pro's and con's. My truck is NA and I like it because you can get to all 8 injectors and glowplugs with ease, but I wouldn't say no to a turbo IDI. The Powerstroke is an entirely different animal and I wouldn't say no to one of those either, but given the choice I'd pick an IDI over a PSD because the parts are cheaper and you can do most of the work yourself.

2: Yup, unless it's like 105* outside, my AC doesn't work so on those days I borrow a Chevy

3: Some jobs I do myself, like changing my water pump, alternator, radiator, easy stuff like that. Jobs that require special techniques and tools (like timing), or just raw muscle are the ones I let the shop or specialists deal with. I am very much an amateur when it comes to wrenching. Things like oil changes I CAN do myself, but I prefer to just pay the $20 for the local shop to do it because changing oil on my driveway in the wind sucks. These trucks are very easy to work on, so for me the only frustrating thing is just not having a work bench, garage, or space to work with, and working in the constant wind is aggravating, but that's not the truck's fault.

4: I've had bad experiences with garages over jobs that aren't diesel related, but when I've needed the engine itself worked on, I took the time to find shops / people that actually know what they're doing, so I've never had a bad experience with a diesel mechanic. I did call one shop (Left Coast Diesel, for anyone curious) to try and get the timing checked / adjusted, and the guy told me they'd have to pull the whole front cover to align the gears and etc etc etc, I tried to tell them that's not what my truck needs and they insisted that it did, and told me they had a '96 OBS in there for the same job I wanted. I tried explaining that the 7.3 IDI isn't related at all to the 7.3 PSD, but the guy had no clue what I was talking about so I took that as my clue to find another shop

5: Both. It's my daily driver and my road trip machine, but I also use it for jobs around the house or around the shop (dump runs, tree trimming, gravel hauling, etc). It's not a work truck, it just occasionally has to work.

As far as extra credit, one thing that might be worth mentioning is what condition was the truck in when it was bought. Over and over again here, you can see people buying trucks that have been sitting for 5-10 years or more, trucks that their owners thought were worn out and dead, which in reality only needed a new fuel pump or return kit to make it run brand new again. A lot of IDI's get retired because of very minor issues, so that can make them appealing and affordable to people who want to learn the basics of wrenching on a very simple engine.

edit: forgot to add, I bought my truck when I was 23, I'm 28 now. Forgot I'm not in my "early twenties" anymore

thank you this info is much appreciated and its all good 20s is 20s lol, but the condition of my truck when i got it was awful i thought i was getting a good truck but it was an old worn out fire truck that some kid before me had to mess with.

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

First, I'm 27 now. I've been driving these trucks since before I turned 18. (learned on a '88 F-250 5-speed).

Somewhat contradictory; IDIs may be turbocharged.
My daily driver(s) do have a turbocharger(and lots more fuel). Currently one is a factory turbo engine/turbo and the other is a N/A engine with Banks turbo.
A 7.3 IDI is stronger off idle than a 7.3 PSD - they are pretty anemic until they build boost. I much prefer my IDIs due to ease of working on(no computer **** needed), and the cost is a small fraction of a PSD.
My two daily drivers are easily making more power(to the wheels) than a stock 7.3 PSD in any case.


Yup. I drive mine to work and shopping, haul trailers, move stuff and generally work my truck(s) quite a bit.


Yes, I do.
Probably the most frustrating part is doing ball joints on one of these, if you don't have the proper tools. You need a ball joint press, big hammer and a nice impact wrench.
I have a 20V DeWalt 1/2 impact wrench that makes like 1,000ft-lbs of torque. This is absolutely amazing for doing major work on one of these - pulling a cross member takes just a few minutes, most of which is getting the socket into position.

Another frustrating maintenance item is the #5 and #7 glow plug on a Factory/ATS turbo setup. They are "under" the turbo and really hard to get to. On a Banks turbo setup, it's nowhere near as bad. On a N/A setup, it's really easy.


I've never taken my trucks to any diesel shop - nobody knows anything about them in any case. I did have a performance engine shop rebuild a 7.3 IDI for me, and they screwed it up - one head had .010" too little valve recession clearance, and every single valve touched every single piston on that side. I found out about it when the #1 exhaust guide was totally gone from the valve being shoved up by the piston, to the point that it had a good .06" of clearance around it.

Both. I don't use it as part of my day job(except as transportation), but use it regularly in terms of "work" - projects and the like.
Recreation - Slapped a camper on it last year and took a week-long trip.

thank you this was helpful and i love the organization

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

I thought there was going to be some mention of rolling coal or turning up the fuel by the title of the thread.

in my 22 with an IDI not 16 bull ******* about owning a cummins

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

I’m 21... Well I was originally interested in a CUCV, but ended up buying an 87 F250 6.9 4wd. I stuck with the mechanical diesels because of simplicity, reliability, and cost. Everyone and their mother has chipped, tuned, and molested a newer diesel around me and it doesn’t seem to have any advantage to an IDI except power. I use mine for work, off-roading, and sometimes commuting to school.
I bought it NA, and installed a 93 year turbo. If I were to do it over I would’ve kept the Airaid intake and saved that money for a Dana 60 and RSK to gain more flex and off-road more. But hey... boost
Overall I’ve basically learned everything I know mechanically on this truck and it’s been an interesting relationship.
Save money and do everything you can do and learn on your own, plus it builds healthy pride.

id like to keep hearing about your build. sounds like we are in the same boat exept i went the dana 60 route. but now i got a truck on stands in my yard lol. but im almost done prettying up this axle i got

 

[CharlesAllan9073]

Well I'm way out of your age range too, but I thought you wanted reasons that someone in your age range would want an IDI over a PSD. Hope you don't mind my answers.

il take in all info essay or not i like to hear about what people drive