just asking for your help

[big red 7.3]

well im another new guy whose coming to the forum. i had a 1995 f150 but that just got totalled so im looking at a 1992 7.3 idi 4x4 and id juat like to ask what are some general things to ask about when buying? and if i do buy it some good things to do ie new glow plugs and such. im not completely new to diesels as a friend of mine has had a 7.3 powerstroke for a while but i know nothing about idi's.

 

[93f250idi]

ask about coolant and SCA's. without the proper SCA additive then it could lead to cavitation. ask about general maintence or if they have any records of it. ask if ip or injectors have ever been replaced. just normal stuff to ask when buying a used vehicle

 

[big red 7.3]

ok will do but this a craigslist ad ha what if this guy has no idea what im talking about? can i just get under the truck and look for signs of cavitation

 

[Compu Doc]

If the guy has no idea what your talking about or cant show any service records then run, don't walk away.

Also while the truck is running see how much blow by it has by removing the oil cap. See if the engine is warm before the truck is started. Hopefully it will be cold. See how fast it starts, take it for a drive get it up to full operating temperature, shut it off see if it starts right up again. Then wait about a half hour and see if the truck starts easily. If it doesn't start easily it could be an IP problem.

As for power stroke VS IDI, the IDI is cheaper on parts It is not computerized as the Powerstroke is. Also expect less power for the IDI

 

[gdhillon]

Im no expert with this kinda stuff but this link explains it all pretty good
http://www.oilburners.net/articles/cavitationartic.html

 

[subway]

the tech section at the top of this forum is your friend to give you few nights reading on these trucks.

other than what hes been mentioned check it over good like you would any vehicle purchase. if it runs well though and the owner does not know about cavitation (90% of them probubly dont) i wouldent be that afread to buy it and add it when i got home.

if you really want to get into it you can take an oil sample and send it off to blackstone laboratory to have it analyzed.

 

[big red 7.3]

thanks guys i spent most of last night reading tech articles and back to page 21 in this forum. i feel like im ready to go ask everything i need about the truck, but i have another question. since this truck is a 92 and the headlight relay will eventually fail would it be worth it to just mod them all to relay switches when i buy cab lights

 

[towcat]

thanks guys i spent most of last night reading tech articles and back to page 21 in this forum. i feel like im ready to go ask everything i need about the truck, but i have another question. since this truck is a 92 and the headlight relay will eventually fail would it be worth it to just mod them all to relay switches when i buy cab lights

just to clarify, we have a headlight switch, not a headlight relay. my suggestion is to add three relays to the switch but don't eliminate the switch altogether. why three? two headlights and one for the running lights. the light switch can handle a stock amp load, it's when additional lamps are added is when it suffers a meltdown. adding a relay takes the amp load out of the equation.