New IDI owner requesting travel tips

[rjglenn]

I'm a new IDI owner & new to this BB. I have a 7.3L in a 1992 F350 4x4 CC dually, with the ATS turbo kit. It's a nice truck and I really like it. My fuel mileage isn't great, like 12-14 MPG depending on how I drive. Its big & slow, just like me. If I was really concerned about economy, then I'd be driving a Prius or something like that.

Anyhow, I am somewhat of a shade tree agri-mechanic so I know a little and I'm not afraid to get greasy. I'm fixing to go on my first long trip to LA (that's lower Alabama)and I was wondering what you all carry in your tool boxes - common failure items & what not.

I already have a set of belts and hoses, a fuel pump, a couple of fuel filters, a UV joint and some pieces of fuel return line.

Anyone have any other suggestions for road side repairs I might have to make?

Thanks in advance...

Robert

 

[Max Speed]

set of fan belts for sure..... other than that you will find the 7.3 is rock solid and will not let you down

 

[gonecrazyi]

Hey another Florida member and only about 2.5 hours from me.

I generally carry a set of wrenches, a jack and everything needed to change a tire, antifreeze, oil, and spare metal lines.

Post some pictures, not to many cc dually 4x4's. I plan on building one just havent gotten to it yet.

 

[rjglenn]

The previous owner is a friend & a genuine diesel mechanic. He built the truck for a specific purpose but now he's retired & no longer needed it. I like it because I can pull what I want, where I want, when I want.

It's not stock so here's the basic manifest:

XTL Crew cab, dually 4x4, Dana front & rear w/ 4.10 gears. ZF5 manual transmission, Warner transfer case, 7.3L IDI w/ ATS Turbo. He put the turbo on after he tried to pass someone on Alligator Alley down south and couldn't quite get the speed up when they decided to play games. It has 205,000 miles on it but got some rework with the turbo.

I've driven Ford diesels for years - ambulances & fire trucks - but this is the first one I have owned.

I pull cattle trailers, equipment trailers & hay trailers, and I like to pull my camper from time to time. The Nissan Titan I had before was nice, but not exactly up to the job.

It's a bit much for an everyday driver, but I'm making do with it.

 

[gonecrazyi]

Thats what I plan on building. I bought a cc 4x4 dually that someone else had built. The cab had seen better days so Im parting it out. I sold the bed and kept the drivetrain.

At the moment it has a 460 with a 5 speed but that will change as soon as I get another diesel to build. I have a mint cc dually I bought for cheap that I plan to swap the cab for. Then its a flatbed and 6 in stacks.

Does yours have the dually adapters on the front?

 

[rjglenn]

This is it...

You must be registered for see images attach

I don't recall anything special about the front end requiring adapters. I know we had to trade tires between this truck and another truck when I bought it. We did all the work at his shop but I don't remember any adapters. I will have to ask him about this the next time I see him

 

[icanfixall]

That year truck should have the serpentine belt on it. If so carry a spare tensioner and an idler pulley. Usually the hot hoses fail before the cold hoses do so carry the top radiator hose and the heater hose from the head to the heater. I think its a 3/4 diameter hose and the return is a 5/8 hose. Another item would be a factory thermostat and not an aftermarket one. Only the factory stats will work and pass enough coolant. I replaced my fuel lift pump with an Electric Holley Red and carry a spare behind the rear seat. Make sure all the injector hard line clamps are in place and tight. Otherwise the fuel vibration will break them and you will loose a cylinder. I left one off and the fuel pluses broke a line. I didn't know how to fix it way back then and it cost me almost $400.00 at Ford.. Then I found this site and never looked back... The dealership got the last of my money... P.S... Welcome to the site. Plenty of great advice here free... And lots of us don't sleep much so were usually online all the time...

 

[gonecrazyi]

very nice truck. You do have the dually hubs/adapters. The previous owner did right.

On a side note,there are a few of us here trying to get a minimeet setup here in Florida at some point. Just need to get a post started and a date and location hashed out.

 

[timothyr1014]

another thing I alwasy carry is a gal of cheap dex3 atf....works wonders if you happen to grab a bad tankful of fuel....welcome and great looking rig

 

[smolkin]

Greetings from LA! If you run into trouble while you're here, I might be able to help. My only diesel experience is from working on my own truck, which is a bit older than yours and alot less pretty. Where exactly are you headed?

 

[19jackal90]

jumper cables, 20ft of 12g wire and male/female spade connectors, electrical tape, "zip ties", spare tailight bulbs, 5gal can, can of starting fluid, 2 ton floor jack, 1/2" wratchet set metric and std, philips and flat head screw drivers, wire dikes, spare charged cellphone, 2 gal oil + quart of lucas, 2 gal anti freeze, spare belt (***draw out the layout of belt b4 trip***), volt/ohm meter, good flashlight, 10ft of chain. thats everything i carry in mine + a few other things cant think of right now.

 

[smolkin]

Also, if this is a Mardi Gras trip, get here as early as possible, it's pretty crazy here already...

If not a Mardi Gras trip, then it'll be Weds night before the traffic clears out.

I'm so burned out on Fat Tuesday I'm not even gonna try to make it downtown tomorrow.