i have a opportunity to buy..

[should_i]

im new and this is my first post and im thinking of buying the truck. its a 89 dually with a 7.3 idi, and im contemplating on buying it. the big con for me is its a n/a motor. everything in fare condition BUT the motor has a knock, i love diesels but i dont know if i should hold off and save my money or buy it what do u think? any ideas? and what could that knock be?

 

[LCAM-01XA]

how do you know it has a knock? These engines are fairly loud, mine for instance rattles so loud for a few minutes after a cold start that I can hear it about a block away (yes, I walked that far just for that, lol) on a quiet morning. Also, n/a motors can pull pretty good too, and you can always add a turbo of your choice.

 

[should_i]

well im not sure about the knock. the owner of the trcks says it knocks (dont ask me lol) and i have been looking deep into adding a turbo but ack it be..interesting to do. i mainly like turbos for cranking out black smoke. thats my love in deisels

 

[icanfixall]

The knock could be a fuel knock. That happens when an injecter drops in pop pressure. Then it injects fuel long before the other injecters causing a fuel knock. It sounds like a rod knock too. After you have herd a few you can tell the differance. Maybe have someone that knows listen to it. Not many of these motors develope a rod knock. They are really hearty.

 

[fsr7]

You can get plenty of smoke out of an N/A... you just have a better chance of outrunning whoever you pissed off with a turbo

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

One thing to remember about buying a n/a 7.3 is that generally speaking, the powertrains are in better shape. For instance, most folks (myself included) wouldn't pull anything crazy heavy for a long distance with a non-turbo rig. Look around and I think you'll find there are a lot of super high mileage n/a rigs out there as their owners tend to be the "slow and steady" type. They are also a lot easier to work on, as you'll find out if you buy the truck you are looking at and decide to put a set of injectors in.

Again, if you feel the need for boost, you can always add a turbo later on.

 

[k_williams1982]

I'd have someone who knows the sound of these engines listen to it. Mine rattles pretty loud when I first fire it up, but after we get used to the "normal" sound of these, you'll be able to pick up the "abnormal" noises pretty easily. Turbos aren't too bad to install (just went through that myself). I've owned NA and now turboed engines. The main difference I've found is that with the turbo I can pull hills faster, and it sounds sweet when you hit about 5 psi on the boost and hear it "whistle" over the sound of the engine. You can get plenty of smoke out of a NA. I put a 7.3 IP on a 6.9 engine and blew LOTS of smoke (It was great when convertibles wanted to tailgate me and get behind me in a round-about... STOMP IT!). These engines are simple and far cheaper to fix than a PSD too.

 

[1989f2507.3idi]

mines loud on high idle
blows black smoke every cold start on my dads 07 dog lmao

 

[1989f2507.3idi]

mines loud on high idle
blows black smoke every cold start on my dads 07 dog lmao

 

[should_i]

injector knock eh.. well that can be replaced. from what he told me the knock is when its in gear so im wondering if its the clutch or something small like that. im going to see if i can get up and go see the truck but theres about 6 feet of snow on the ground... ahh, but thanks a bunch for the help. ill b looking for injectors anyways, probly should replace them either way. thanks

 

[unclewilson]

i own a 91 f350 w/7.3 i think i got 8 rods knocking haahah