New IDI owner looking for rebuild advice

jwilkers

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Hello everyone. I bought a fairly neglected '94 F-350 DRW last fall and have been working on it as time permits. It has the 7.3 factory turbo and automatic transmission.

When I bought the truck there was oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil. With the frame being considerably rust free and paying less than $3,000 for the truck I decided to purchase it knowing that the motor would need some work. I have the engine out of the truck and on a stand right now. The heads have been removed, I haven't touched the rotating assembly yet or removed the oil pan.

I've spent some time reading through the tech articles, posts and service manual. I bought this truck to be used around the farm (ie hauling lumber, moving stuff, eventually pulling a trailer with livestock). My question for you guys is this; what items should I replace now and what items should I upgrade in order to make sure I can do the things I want to with this truck for the next 5 years or so?

I've read about total seal rings, IP upgrades, Cam swaps, etc. Are those needed in my situation or would a stock rebuild be ok? or maybe I should go with the total seal rings and not the others. Just looking for a little guidance.

Thanks in advance!

Josh
 

IDIoit

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at this point, i would be pressure testing the engine to make sure there are no cracks.
its likely the oil cooler that was giving you such grief

but now that youre here, i would throughly inspect the bores, crank and rod journals.
total seals are nice, but i would only use them when doing a complete build.

new IP and injectors are a MUST IMO. either it being a factory replacement or a hotter IP.

head studs are a good way to spend $600

what is the budget?
 

jwilkers

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Thank you for the advice. You are right about the pressure test, I've seen some guys do a test with the block stripped down, perhaps I can do something similar. I guess I thought it was the oil cooler for sure since I had read so many posts about leaking O-rings.

I purchased a set of used rockers, pushrods, and springs to replace the ones which were covered in rust and cooked on sludge. I got a set of new glow plugs, water pump, new oil pan, valve stem seals, thermostat, fuel pump, filters, injector hoses, and gaskets to go around. I'm sitting at almost $1k for all that.

I was hoping to not spend more than another $1k or so to get it running, but I am open to spending more if it means I get more reliability for longer and it keeps me from having to go back and do something again a year from now. I guess I figure with it all apart let me get done what I need to now.

I know I need new injectors which that's at least $500 and you've confirmed what I thought about the IP, so those two things already have me over the $1k mark. Again, that's ok, I'd rather replace the IP now and have it running right than go back later and try to figure out what's wrong after the fact.

What other items would you consider doing now v later for ease of access/time in the future?
 

IDIoit

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i actually had plates made for the deck to bolt on so i can pressure test.
aluminum plates to cover the coolant in, and oil cooler mounts and add 20 psi of air, after i filled with water.

if the bores and bearings look good, along with the piston faces, and the pressure test checks out, i would have the heads done and get it back together,

the most problematic issues with these engines are glowplugs, and fuel.

ive built several IDI's from oki rebuilds to high dollar builds,

the oki rebuilds ive done have surprised me, they are reliable and do the job every time.

on those i spend the majority of my money on the fuel system. from a new tank all the way to the injectors and the return system.
nothing beats a quality reman injection pump and sticks!!

russrepairdotcom has affordable, quality factory replacements for a great price.
its the ONLY place i purchase factory style fuel parts.
if you want performance, that will easily kill the budget.
 

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Big Bart

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1) Ditto on inspect
2) Ditto on stud it (You have a turbo.)
3) Check the valve guides, known issue with 7.3’s, now is the time to fix if yours are problematic. Only go to a reputable machine shop. The valve to piston clearance is small, milling head surface is problematic. Sounds like you plan to do the seals.
4) Oil cooler seals.
5) Water pump.
6) Thermostat, only buy a Motorcraft one.
7) Perhaps hone and re-ring.
8) New lift pump. (Cheap insurance.)
9) New filters.
10) Néw vacuum pump (They only seem to last 20,000-40,000 miles. These trucks do not stop well when it goes out.)
 

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