NEW GUY NEEDS HELP!

[Twiztedpiff]

hey everyone,

im thinking about buying this f250 turbo diesel frommy buddy (single cab). and was wondering if any of you had some key things i should look for.. im not a diesel mechanic, just a regular one (i do alot of side jobs and am very knoweldgeable on cars)

shes a pretty solid truck (from what i can see)

just was looking for your thoughts and opinions.. im the kind of guy thats gunna wanna change all the fluids and do some upgrades to make sure that the truck ones top notch, rather than power mods, but a few mods never hurt anyone


its a 1994 diesel he said its not a powerstroke but he wasnt 100% sure.. whats a IDI mean?

anyways any help would be much appreciated
-opions for liquid products to use
-mechanical products to upgrade
-few bolt ons

just point me in the right direction!!



heres a link to the truck on craigslist, and when i have more time ill post up some other pics i have as well..
http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/2173195123.html


truck currently is leaking oil (minimal) from the timing chain cover, and oil pan. (so i will be replacing those if he doesnt which he said he may)

thanks for looking!

rob


oh yea anyone have any thoughts on these REV-X products??

 

[rhkcommander]

just was looking for your thoughts and opinions.. im the kind of guy thats gunna wanna change all the fluids and do some upgrades to make sure that the truck ones top notch, rather than power mods, but a few mods never hurt anyone


its a 1994 diesel he said its not a powerstroke but he wasnt 100% sure.. whats a IDI mean?

anyways any help would be much appreciated
-opions for liquid products to use
-mechanical products to upgrade
-few bolt ons

just point me in the right direction!!



heres a link to the truck on craigslist, and when i have more time ill post up some other pics i have as well..
http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/2173195123.html


truck currently is leaking oil (minimal) from the timing chain cover, and oil pan. (so i will be replacing those if he doesnt which he said he may)

IDI: InDirect Injection, if he said IDI anywhere then it is NOT a powerstroke. Powerstrokes are Fords newer DI (Direct Injection) engines that started around 1994, some people call it 1994.5 . The 7.3L Powerstroke has been taken much higher in power than a 7.3L IDI. Both engines in 94 were turbocharged and both are 7.3L displacement so you'll have to check it out and see

IDI (older):

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Powerstroke (newer):

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This way you can find out for yourself.

For the price and mileage and he says the interior is bad it might not be worth getting, unless it is a powerstroke maybe.

If your poor or like the simple then the IDI is a good choice, if you want to do a lot of mods for power then go find a powerstroke... Few have taken an IDI very far for high HP and those that have are few and far between anymore. I have seen strokes' up to 1000hp but it cost a TON (what do you expect for high hp), most people with IDIs and performance stick with a turbo, head studs, maybe head work... ETC. I haven't seen too much more then that lately, maybe milled/ceramic coated pistons and such. Its easy to crank the fuel up on the IDIs for some more power. Other then that theres propane, nos, methanol . With all this work though they are reliable and decently fast, while still pulling hard. I've heard a slightly worked on IDI can smoke a stock 7.3l powerstroke. IDK myself never had the chance to try.

I've seen a handful of IDIs that claimed 450hp - 1000hp (Max Lagod, but I've heard that number was exaggerated quite a bit and the block flexxed like a phone book). usually the compression ratio is dropped quite a bit, which makes an IDI harder to start the lower you go. The highest dyno'd on this forum AFAIK is close to 200rwhp and 450 torque iirc. The main limit for most is money, the power freaks are all either into bigger engines or mainstream engines while IDIs are now the cheap and durable workhorses...

Both are good engines, I've got an IDI and I love it. They are definitely VERY tough. They can have good power too, are very affordable to work on etc. These are very capable of high mileage and can do decent on fuel economy, and run mixed fuels and oils with light to no modification. Try that in the 6.7L powerstroke . They are very simple engines to work on as well, the main difficulty is the size HaHaHa. An IDI has no computer either, so much simpler... If you have fuel, air, compression, heat (glow plugs), oil, working cooling system, and proper timing then the motor should be running good and healthy - remove any 1 of these and theres a problem, this board is ready to help diagnose and such!

Most run ac delo or shell rotella oil 15w-40, unless its cold where you live where you might want even a 5w-40. Some people use the 7.3L powerstroke oil filter to extend the time before needing to change filters or going into an oil bypass state, this is pretty much the only part that interchanges between the two (easily speaking).

Cavitation is a huge issue for IDIs, especially the 7.3L and a turbo doesn't help if it hasn't been protected against. Cavitation is basically swirling air bubbles chiseling a hole through the block (or impellers on pumps, submarines, etc) and doing havok. The block shifts some while running as the CR is in the 20s to 1, causing this phenomenon. SCA additives protect the engine, waterless coolants work too but most don't have those, if SCAs weren't used that block could be on borrowed time if its an IDI If your serious about buying the truck then make sure he did the proper maintenance and see if he knows about it without you telling him about it directly. If you have to spell it out for him then he probably didn't know and has neglected it.

Some run ELC coolant, others fear it may eat at seals or some other stuff. I forget now...

diesels dont use spark plugs, i mention this just in case your not 100% on how diesels work. Combustion is achieved by compression (and heat). With 'smaller' engines like ours we have glow plugs to heat the heads up to aid in starting, IDIs need it more than the DI's as our fuel begins combustion in the precups in the heads and then expands out into the cylinder, thus the name indirect injection. once the engine is running the glowplugs aren't needed and are off. Many like to use Motorcraft BERU ZD-9 glowplugs, some use wellman, theres some disagreement on the qualities of other brands and some are known to explode and get stuck in the head - it can be a difficult removal process

The automatic guys can chime in on that subject

As for REV-X they make some steep claims but have no proof on their website, looks like snake oil to me.

This is't comprehensive and im tired so i probably screwed up somewhere... but thats the basics

 

[Dieselcrawler]

as for the oil leaks, no timing chain cover. timing gear cover yes. no chains on the ford diesels.

also the pan gasket, do not put a gasket in there. just use a good RTV to seal the pan. thats how it was done from the factory.

also with what commander said about cavitation, find out how old the jasper is. i know jasper sleeves every 7.3 idi block in the number 8 hole, or every hole if needed.

 

[mattplumber]

And one added thought- If its leaking oil from the "pan gasket" or pan seal (RTV) plan on pulling the engine to re-seal it properly. I know it looks like it can be done by jacking the engine up a bit and snatching the pan off, but the crossmember coupled with 4wd makes it a step short of impossible. I've done it before without pulling the engine, but with the time it took, the amount of "parts" i had to remove, and the string of expletives still hovering in space that I shouted, hindsight told me to just pull the engine. MUCH, MUCH easier. And you're guaranteed to get a perfect seal if done correctly...............

 

[rhkcommander]

And one added thought- If its leaking oil from the "pan gasket" or pan seal (RTV) plan on pulling the engine to re-seal it properly...

MUCH, MUCH easier. And you're guaranteed to get a perfect seal if done correctly...............

I agree here, a heavy duty engine stand that rotates would make it easy as pie(comparatively)! Thats what I plan on doing anyway

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum... We are open 24x7x365... We never close so no locks on the doors... The above postings are right on for describing the engine in the truck. If its truely an idi engine you wont find a better free forum for help than this one. Really nobody out there is working on these engines any longer so finding help is costly and few and far between.... Hopefully you will find the help here that you need and please.... Stick around... We do have lots of fun with these trucks.... They are bullet proof....

 

[hesutton]

HERE IS AN ARTICLE with tons of information about Ford IDI's and what to look for when buying a used one. It is in the Tech Articles found at the top of the IDI page.

Heath