New to the 7.3 IDI Block!

[SO315]

So, The Guys over at the Powerstroke forum pointed me in this direction, seems ya'll have a LOT more information on the older non turbo block than anywhere else!

WITH that in mind, I've come to the conclusion that there isn't much to do for performance with these motors. Looks like Headers (if you can find them) Bigger Exhaust and potentially a turbo off a different 7.3 might be the only way to get some good power out of this motor....

Couple Questions though - Especially for those of you with custom exhaust. Mine is a 94 F250 LB 4x4 XLT BTW. What's the best way to go about a custom exhaust on these trucks? My initial thought was to chop the pipe at the "Y" Just below the transmission pan, Run a short piece of Stock pipe to a larger fitting (im figuring the stock exhaust pipe is 3.5", but Im pretty sure that's off !...So I'd go from a 3.5 to a 5" adapter), and push a 5" System back to just before the wheel on the passenger side of the box... Less restriction will always make for a louder Knocker, But I dont want to dampen the performance as it sits.

180RWHP is kinda low...So When going to the Turbo side of the world, Is it best to pull the whole turbo setup from a 94 with the Powerstroke Motor? Im gathering again the IDI and the Powerstroke are the same, Except for the stroker motor has a turbo on it...Am I off on that??

Lastly - What are ya'll doing for a Cold Air intake with the Naturally aspirated block?? Not too many options out there, so I'm curious to see what's been fabricated!

Sorry for all the questions - Lets see what can be done, and I'll turn this bad boy into a project truck before too long!

 

[7.3_IDI_guy]

So, The Guys over at the Powerstroke forum pointed me in this direction, seems ya'll have a LOT more information on the older non turbo block than anywhere else!

WITH that in mind, I've come to the conclusion that there isn't much to do for performance with these motors. Looks like Headers (if you can find them) Bigger Exhaust and potentially a turbo off a different 7.3 might be the only way to get some good power out of this motor....

Couple Questions though - Especially for those of you with custom exhaust. Mine is a 94 F250 LB 4x4 XLT BTW. What's the best way to go about a custom exhaust on these trucks? My initial thought was to chop the pipe at the "Y" Just below the transmission pan, Run a short piece of Stock pipe to a larger fitting (im figuring the stock exhaust pipe is 3.5", but Im pretty sure that's off !...So I'd go from a 3.5 to a 5" adapter), and push a 5" System back to just before the wheel on the passenger side of the box... Less restriction will always make for a louder Knocker, But I dont want to dampen the performance as it sits.

180RWHP is kinda low...So When going to the Turbo side of the world, Is it best to pull the whole turbo setup from a 94 with the Powerstroke Motor? Im gathering again the IDI and the Powerstroke are the same, Except for the stroker motor has a turbo on it...Am I off on that??

Lastly - What are ya'll doing for a Cold Air intake with the Naturally aspirated block?? Not too many options out there, so I'm curious to see what's been fabricated!

Sorry for all the questions - Lets see what can be done, and I'll turn this bad boy into a project truck before too long!

#1 there is a HUGE difference between the PSD and the IDI, A turbo kit off of a powerstroke WILL NOT fit an IDI.... There are factory turbocharged IDI's and you can either run a factory take-off kit or buy an aftermarket one. #2 factory exhaust is 2.5'' im pretty sure, 5'' exhaust would only kill you power on a NA engine. #3 do a search on cold air intake, if you cant find anything use your imagination as that is the best way to do it. Ihave no idea why you keep saying "naturally aspirated block". Like I said the is a night and day difference of a powerstroke and a NA IDI..... Typical newcomer questions though we all gotta start somewhere, all that aside WELCOME TO OB!!! you'll find alot of useful info on here as well as good people

 

[SO315]

#2 factory exhaust is 2.5'' im pretty sure, 5'' exhaust would only kill you power on a NA engine.
I Figured I'd Loose the Power going all the way to a 5" System, Might just jump from the 2.5" to a 4" and leave it at that....My guess would have been the more open the Exhaust, the Less Restriction = more Flow...Guess its backwards with this block?

Naturally Aspirated Block - NA IDI Just My two cents on putting it in long form I guess

I Haven't had much luck finding an aftermarket turbo kit. I read the tech article about the Hypermax one, Sounds rather Pricy and seems to be a headache. I'll give ya the newcomer part too...But only because I haven't delt with the IDI block, Im A Cummins Fan - Sold my 2001 Ram a while back, Would have LOVED to keep it, but Ended up with a pissed off ex wife and buh bye went the truck!


We'll see what I can do about a custom intake...I'm sure I'll fabricate something that makes it work!

 

[7.3_IDI_guy]

Go to the marketplace on here, i'm sure theres several for sal on there, there usually is. When i first can around here i asked the same question you did. I was told it made some kinda f'd up back pressure while its NA turbo kits are usually very pricy man, and i have an old thread about an intake I made... Let me see if I can find it

 

[7.3_IDI_guy]

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?39119-My-new-and-improved-air-intake

there ya go, just somethin to think about

 

[SO315]

Not a bad looking setup by any means...Ill have to see what I can craft up on my end...Then Ill start looking at the Turbo. Still thinking Ill open the exhaust up a bit too...

 

[Coyote_Red]

Headers do exist for the trucks, but I would be careful with the extra heat that they dump under the hood. Minor gains can come from a few tweaks and a freshening of the fuel systems. The "soup bowl" modifications is a simple and free upgrade you can do to your truck. An aftermarket cam does exist also, search for "type4 cam" or "typ4 cam". One very important thing to make sure of when you start upgrading and modifying is to watch EGTs as they can climb quickly. I believe a few guys here have also tried a water/**** injection setup like the Snow Performance. Something to make sure of is that since you are new to these IDIs is to make sure your glow plug system is functioning and you don't need ether, this is the methamphetamine of our truck (works wonders and starts them with ease but can lead to a train wreck of the IDI). Those old engine are work horses the will run and run hard as long as you maintain them. The governor has be held for hours by some members here with few ill effects. I too am new to the IDIs, just sit back and lurk, read anything that even sounds remotely interesting and you will learn, and always feel free to chime in when clarification is needed. The guys and a few girls on here are extremely helpful and want to see these things alive and kicking everywhere. The knowledge here is some of the most extensive I have found anywhere on the internet.

 

[hesutton]

Hypermax, Banks, and ATS have turbo systems for these IDI's. Yes, new, they are not cheap, but no turbo kit is. You can find used kits frequently on eBay. But, you gotta make sure there are no major parts missing or you'll need to truck them down. A turbo is the biggest bang for you buck as far as power increase goes. There are lots of other things (cam change, modified injection pumps/injectors, intercooler, and so on), but a turbo is the place to start.

1st generation PSD ('94-'97) exhaust systems from the Y-pipe/down pipe back mount the same and can be used. You typically have to fabricate a little to get them to connect down pipe (turboed) or Y-pipe (N/A).

A pyrometer is always a great idea on these IDI's.

Welcome to OB!

Heath

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. This 180 rwhp you posted about is not what an na 7.3 ingine has. That 180 hp is at the flywheel and not the rear wheels. If someone told you thats whats at the rears they are completely wrong. The na rwhp is around102 hp. We do have some hp builders for these engines. The typ4 cam is popular. The Moose pump and Moose mister injectors are great too. Actually a new set of Bb code Delphi injectors and newly rebuilt injection pump will wake up a tired fuel system. Headers do igsist but some have installed them but had plenty of fitment issues. Also they are only for a non turbo engine. Hypermax sells a cold air ram intake system. Its about $80.00 and fits up over the master cylinder. You cut a hole in the firewall into the cowl area under the windshield. Then the air gets forced into the intake simalar to what NASCAR does. Porting the heads will increase the flow in and out of the engine. Typ4 does turbo modifications too. Russ knows plenty about turbo builds. Several others here are brillant with turbos too. For me I machine everything to reduce the internal drag on the rotating parts. That makes more hp but not more than nameplate. Just because your valve cover sticker says you have X amount of hp at the crank that does not mean your engine is actually making that hp there. Hope this helps you along.

 

[Agnem]

I'd highly recommend you read all the FAQ's and gloss over the tech articles section for this forum. You'll learn a lot. A 5" exhaust won't hurt your power or performance any, but it is a waste of money. Beyond 3.5", there is no additional back presure reduction to make it worth the extra money. With a turbo, intercooler, fresh injectors and turned up pump, you would see a remarkable performance improvement for less money than you can go out and buy back your old truck for, and still end up with something you would be very happy to own. Take a look at the dyno numbers. Not bad for 30 year old technology!

 

[gatorman21218]

before sinking any money into a turbo, I would first make sure the fuel system is up to *****. If you have more than 100,000 miles on the injection pump and injectors, then start there. they wear out slowly and its not noticeable until you get new ones and get the timing properly set. its like a brand new truck. as far as the exhaust, just putting a straight-through muffler on can help alot. there is no such thing as too little backpressure on these engines. they are not throttle controlled so the more air flow the better. there is a noticeable drop in egts too, which is especially important on a natural.

These engines are certainly not the most powerful light duty diesel out there. but as you can see here they have a lot of loyal owners. And there is a big variety of people here to. theres a guy here with about 20 of them in his towing service that he earns his living on, to guys like me where its the daily driver and general work truck, to others who put the engine in a project vehicle and take it trail riding or rock crawling, to the folks that use theirs for hauling motorhomes and horses and whatnot.

Now I can only speak for myself, but I like the 7.3 for a couple of reasons. the major reason is that its simple. All mechanical, no computers, electronics or emissions. Therefor its very easy to work on. And with proper maintenance its a very reliable and long lasting engine. and maintaining them is easy to. oil, coolant additives and fuel additives are about all you need. Towcat, the guy with the towing business, tried to kill one of his trucks by not changing the oil only topping it off. he last changed the oil at 400k and the motor lasted past 600k.

So welcome, start reading and learning and enjoy the new truck.

Oh and post some pictures

 

[idi_econoline]

Have put in many miles with Ford IH IDIs, and am fairly new to working on them, and am TOTALLY new to this website.

Enjoyed this thread, and am looking forward to poking around and lurking. Thank you all for the amazing pool of knowledge available here for us newbies!

 

[Knuckledragger]

We were all newbies once, don't be shy.

 

[idi_econoline]

OK, Knuckledragger. Thx for the encouragement.

Also looking forward to getting to know you fine folks on here. Time to join this community dedicated to these clattery beasts. More posts and <ahem> newbie questions to come.

 

[SO315]

Im actually looking forward to tuning ans tweaking the truck as much as possible. Seems most of the parts are pretty easy to come by, and not near as expensive as they were for my Cummins...

She just rolled 236k, so if the injectors and fuel pump are things that need to be replaced, then Ill probably look at doing that here soon.

Thinking I might swap the rear end in it too. It has the 4.10 ass end, and I do a lot of highway driving so swapping to the 3.55's should help out as well.

Exhaust still is my biggest hangup at the moment. I still think a 5" system will cool it down substantially, but if it creates a backflow issue, and bogs down the motor then I wont do it. I was planning on chopping the entire system right in the middle of the transmission pan and running a 5" pipe back from there...So we will see.

Thanks for the info on all of this, seems to be more helpful than I expected!
Nate