IDI not able to handle long trips?

[RLDSL]

For those who may think or have been told that an IDI isn't up to handling long trips and big loads, I say phooey
We just got home a couple of days ago from a couple of months out . Covered 14 states, dragging a big heavy 5th wheel grossing over 18,000 lbs. Covered 6764 miles ( which is just a tad under 2000 miles further than a round trip from LA to NY and back)
The truck performed wonderfully. Only mechanical issue turned out to be a failed fan clutch ( that I need to send back to MS tech, I'm a bit ticked off after what that thing cost) but between my Rodney red radiator, Evans coolant and a mere 16" electric fan, I was able to make it back home before having to pull the fan clutch, otherwise that would have been a road repair swapping a new one ( since I had temps under control, I didn't want to damage the nut on the fan clutch trying to remove it on the road with cheap rental tools, because that voids the warranty ) That and some cheap quality new rear brake shoes that like to heat fade easily when the trailer was not hooked up ( braking with the trailer was no problem and engine braking is so good on this thing I rarely had to even use them going down those big passes ) Other than that a few flat tires and one completely blown out spare( which was a new radial that was still within supposed safe age range, but it threw the tread like a recap after being on about 6 days . Didn't surprise me any. onboard air made the roadside tire swap a breeze)
We crossed the big passes out west, went to the highest city in the country in Leadville CO ( after climbing over a better than 10,000 ft pass Went to Mt Rushmore, and all kinds of places in between before finding our way home. Went to some simply insane places and never had any trouble with the truck It performed flawlessly at around 13000 ft up running around checking out old mines in CO and even running down a couple of4wd only roads sans trailer ( hey, it's a dually, that counts for 4 right besides, the low range on the brownie and a fresh rebuilt posi in the rear made for great performance. Only had to back out of one jeep road and that was because it was a bit too narrow for my liking, reminded me too much of work when I used to have to drive semi trucks down roads like that with tires hanging off cliffs. That get's past the fun stage with young'uns on board, so no go there. Unfortunately couldn't go up Pikes peak, they had teh road closed due to excessive fog/clouds near the top . I would have really like to have got a picture up there.
All in all a great trip and I surely wouldn't have wanted to do it in any other truck.
For anyone fairly new or otherwise who has one giving some trouble and thinking of giving up for something newer... Mine inhaled oil when I first got it and I had to do a BUNCH to get it up to this shape ( and I've added quite a few extras for better performance and comfort ), but I am now quite comfortable firing it up to go anywhere
THe only thing worn out now is the driver, and I'm BEAT! Time for a rest now.

 

[mj05]

All that work on the olr idi is paying dividens!! Unlike buying a new $50,000 rig that only gets more expensive with upkeep, future repairs, and of course the loss of value!

 

[RustyBolts]

Just goes to show how reliable an IDI really is.

 

[bird hunter]

Nice, I'd love to do a trip like this some day out West. How many miles on that 7.3 and all original?? Did you track mpg??

 

[rjjp]

An IDI can do it, depending upon maintenance... I'm shying away from any long trips with mine until I get new ball joints, injectors, and possibly radius bushings. Radius bushings are shot and 2 injectors are shot (misses right around 1000rpm, and number 2 & 4 lines get hotter than rest). I just don't trust factory ball joints with 154000 on them.

 

[RLDSL]

Nice, I'd love to do a trip like this some day out West. How many miles on that 7.3 and all original?? Did you track mpg??

The truck has 286,026 miles on her, However, I rebuilt the engine about 2 years ago. I didn't bother keeping track of fuel mileage on this run, aside from the fact that I knew it was going to suck with all the long pulls with the routes I was taking, I was running out of my 150 gallon bed tank and it's kind of hard to calculate fuel mileage when running out of that thing. I have to use my rear stock tank when doing runs for calculating mileage. I can tell you I spent a minor fortune on fuel. Don't have to fill that tank often, but when I do it's extraodinarily painful on the wallet

 

[oldmisterbill]

You're so right an IDI will do 1,000 mile days - day after day,month after month - then fast idle all night to keep you comfy.

 

[RLDSL]

An IDI can do it, depending upon maintenance... I'm shying away from any long trips with mine until I get new ball joints, injectors, and possibly radius bushings. Radius bushings are shot and 2 injectors are shot (misses right around 1000rpm, and number 2 & 4 lines get hotter than rest). I just don't trust factory ball joints with 154000 on them.

Yea, my ball joints are probably original and they are getting pretty hammered. It's showing in the tire wear. I skinned a tire down to the wear bars on one side during this trip and had to replace it . in retrospect it would have probably been cheaper to replace the ball joints, but I was running REAL short on time right before leaving, so I ran with them

 

[crashnzuk]

Yup, nothing wrong with a well kept older truck. My old man put about 7500 miles on his truck this spring/summer. 2 summers ago I drove my 91 Dodge to Alaska and back, 8000 miles in 3 weeks My avatar pic is from Deadhorse Alaska, end of the haul road (Dalton Hiway)
Travis..

 

[FordGuy100]

What was the mpg for the trip? Just wondering

 

[RLDSL]

You're so right an IDI will do 1,000 mile days - day after day,month after month - then fast idle all night to keep you comfy.

The truck sure could, but my days of running 1000+ mile days are LONG gone , Heck, we had a handful of days where we only went about 150 miles before hunting for a truckstop to pull in

 

[Clydesdale]

I ran 23k on Hidalgo hot shotting in the first 6 months of owning, 7.3 IDIt 1993 model.. had 283 on the clock when I bought him, and 30x on it when I started stripping him down to create a Centurion... Damned comforting knowing that it was just flat ass predictable. and the cost to idle over night is marginal... went 60 miles west of Reno, and idles for 6 hours, for 10-11$ worth of diesel... Gawd that truck took good care of me.

 

[RacingSTude]

You're so right an IDI will do 1,000 mile days - day after day,month after month - then fast idle all night to keep you comfy.

You're exactly right! I ran a '88 F-350, dually, 6.9, NA, extended cab, 4 speed manual from southern CA, all the way up the west coast, with numerous stops, to just 32 miles south of the Canadian border in WA state. I was hauling a 43 foot rack trailer full of fiberglas camper shells, at LEAST every other week, for two and 1/2 years, over 2100 miles round trip. The ONLY thing that ever broke was the center out of one of my fancy, chrome Budd wheels on the right front. Happened about 2 AM on RT-5 north, in the middle of nowhere and scared the chitt right outa me!

That ol' Ford NEVER let me down, ever. Sometimes it never got shut off for 10 days, depending on the weather up north. Oh, and I never put a snow chain on the thing, that rack trailer was heavy as hell, all by itself. Mebbe it didn't do it as fast, but by Jesus, it did it as good as any of 'em.

I DID change oil after every trip and checked it over carefully every time we were in between loads. I had stuff like the rear end and trans serviced regularly, put a new radiator in it, "just in case", but otherwise, except for tires, never even put a u-joint in it before I sold it, which I'm still kickin' myself in the butt for...

Yepper, I loved that good lookin', ol' truck. Nobody can tell me that the old IDI Fords were anything but awesome, for what they were.

 

[Rot Box]

Great post

I just got back from a trip to So. Utah (I live in No. Utah) and I couldn't help but think of how happy I am with my IDI. They do need a bit of aftermarket help at times, and sometimes it takes awhile to work out all the neglect the've been put through by previous owners, but there are few trucks out there I'd rather travel far away from home in. They work hard and rarely complain

 

[burtcheca]

It was not such a long trip but I did it driving 16 hours straight; from home in Florida to Washington DC last Thursday. I had a couple of cabinets that I build for a customer in Virginia, after dropping the cabinets (an 800 pounds load I took some more to refinish about same weight) and kept going to DC. In all the stops to take a leak or get coffee (I usually prefer to drive at night) I let the engine running to keep comfortable the wife and my daughter who were sleeping in their captain chairs reclined almost to horizontal position (on the way back I put the inflatable bed on top of a board on the cabinets and they slept there a good part of the trip back). The engine running continually all these hours and temp never went higher than 190-195. Stayed in DC Friday morning and afternoon and hit the road back Friday evening to drive the 1600 miles home with just few short stop at restrooms and restaurants.

For a vehicle 24 years old with still 90% parts original I think it's a good indication how well built and designed they are.

Burt.