New truck advise ?????

2FFords

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Howdy guys,
I've been a lurker on your site for a while and was hoping to get some input.

I current own a 2001 F250 ext cab v10. It has 130k on it and runs great. It's been the most reliable truck I've ever owned. It's the second V10 I've bought. The first one I sold due to fuel mileage (CA) and bought a 99 7.3PS that was supposed to be the cats ass. I loved the truck. But after 6 months it started leaving me in parking lots. So I put $3k into the fuel system ( hpop, glowplugs, harnesses, exhaust doughnuts etc.) and it didn't solve my problems. My friend that was helping me wrench on it said I needed to go full nut and put new injectors in it at a cost of another $2700 (1999, one year only parts for the 7.3) I got fed up and dumped the diesel for another V10 (my current rig).

I'm moving to Idaho this summer and will need to commute to central CA to farm my almond trees. So the V10 fuel mileage again shows it's ass. So here is my options.....

I want to build an IDI diesel....

Do I tear apart the V10 and transplant a 6.9 with a zf5?

Buy a late 80s early 90s F350 IDI and rebuild?

Or roll the dice on a 200k mile powerstroke and dump $5k into the fuel sys, and in the case of a 6.0 bullet proof and emissions delete? (Bit me in the ass last round)

Or suck ass on the fuel mileage of the V10 and have a nice day?

Either way this will cost large cash, but it's cheaper than an $80k truck I can't afford and I love the idea of the reliability of the IDI even with reduced power.... we are talking 2k miles a month in commute.

Any info including flaming is appriciated :)

Bring it, thanks guys!
 

jwalterus

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I love the idea of the reliability of the IDI even with reduced power.... we are talking 2k miles a month in commute.

Not to discourage you, but you'd better find one to drive a bit before you pull the trigger.
I don't know that you are quite aware of just how much of a difference in power there is.........
Think 460 EFI vs 302 2bbl.....

Buy a late 80s early 90s F350 IDI and rebuild?

Do this if you really want an IDI.

Or roll the dice on a 200k mile powerstroke and dump $5k into the fuel sys, and in the case of a 6.0 bullet proof and emissions delete? (Bit me in the ass last round)

In all honesty, I'd go this route, but I'd spend the extra money to find a lower mileage truck.
 

79jasper

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Or go balls put and buy a 6.7 powerstroke.
But all in all, don't limit yourself to just Ford's. Look at the Duramax, and Cummins also.
The Cummins get a decent mileage.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 

2FFords

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79jasper
It's the price of the new ones that turns me off. I can't imagine paying $20k down and having a $500 payment for 5 years. Plus I like pink slips over payment books. No one can take it away from me if I have the title.

Jwalterus

Thanks bud. I'll keep looking for the right truck instead of trying a ground up build. I like the idea of a bulletproof 6.0, but I'm really Leary of the reliability and the computers.
 

u2slow

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7.3L powerstrokes cost me too much time and money in the 10 years I had them.

My preferred Ford diesel (aside from the MDT 6.6/7.8L Brazillians) is the 92-94 factory turbo 7.3 IDI. The real gem is the more durable rotating assembly these engines used... something you don't get with the NA engines.

The ZF5 (S42 variant) is very nice pairing.

The one thing I dislike with the SD trucks is how far the engine is buried under the cowl. Makes anything to do with the back of the engine (i.e. turbo/exhaust work) especially challenging.
 

2FFords

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U2Slow
I'll check em out. I think with an intercooler kit they'd get the job done great. Just have to find one that's not thrashed. Those trucks get used hard out here.
 

Macrobb

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If you buy an IDI, get one with a turbo(stock or aftermarket). Or find a turbo kit to put on it.

The 7.3 turbo block isn't really as important as some people will say - the NA block is strong enough by far; the NA connecting rods will bend at around 400-450rwhp, far more than any "stock" turbo or fuel system can support.

The "weak point" on an idi at well above factory HP is the head bolts - 6.9s have 7/16 bolts, and they are fine for NA or a few psi of boosy. The 7.3s have 1/2 bolts, and will blow a gasket at around 20 psi.

Note that a stock fuel system and stock/kit turbo will only push perhaps 15 psi, and around 200-220rwhp... which is still a lot better than stock of 85-120rwhp.
Remember also that rwhp is at the wheels, not to be confused with bhp or the "rated hp" of the engine, measured at the flywheel. A idi making 185 bhp won't make more than 125rwhp, due to drivetrain losses.
 

u2slow

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The 7.3 turbo block isn't really as important as some people will say - the NA block is strong enough by far; the NA connecting rods will bend at around 400-450rwhp, far more than any "stock" turbo or fuel system can support.

It's not the block or the rod strength. Its the fact the rod is built for a larger, floating wrist pin. The piston is different because of the pin, and uses proper 'keystone' shaped piston rings. Its simply a properly built rotating assembly to deal with the higher cylinder pressures of turbocharging.
 

Macrobb

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It's not the block or the rod strength. Its the fact the rod is built for a larger, floating wrist pin. The piston is different because of the pin, and uses proper 'keystone' shaped piston rings. Its simply a properly built rotating assembly to deal with the higher cylinder pressures of turbocharging.
Thing is, though... those aren't the failure points. I've not seen any turbocharged IDI fail from the wrist pin bearing breaking or wearing out too soon; they seem to handle it just fine.
The keystone shaped rings might be better, but the NA ones will last for 300+K miles easily enough.

The point here is yes, I'll agree that a turbo block is slightly better... but I'll run a NA block with a turbo pushing 15 all day long.

Remember, though, even the turbo block has the same, relatively weak, 1/2" head bolts... and *that's* what will fail. It's why people put studs in these.

edit:
Just want to point out that the IDI forum here has a lot more info on IDIs. A number of people there having run turbos on NA 7.3s and even 6.9s for many years without issue.
 

FORDF250HDXLT

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I wouldn't buy a factory turbo IDI engine personally.
The parts are too difficult to source parts for.Your talking about an optional engine that only had a production run of 2 years,over 20 years ago......No thanks.:D
Macrobb is right.Those engines were proved needless over the standard N/A - M codes,many,many,many years ago.Guys were turbocharging these dino's back in the early 80's.Many of which,long outlived many folks' optional '93 & '94 turbo blocks.
 
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u2slow

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Meh. My background is in industrial engines where floating pins and keystone rings are the norm. Engines that run 10's of thousands of hours.

I really don't know the parts market for IDIs these days. My last two 7.3 NA cores went to scrap last month because I couldn't even give them away.
 

Macrobb

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If I could *find* any cores cheap around here, I'd love them. I'm always willing to pay 150 for an IDI motor core(6.9, 7.3, 7.3 turbo... actually, I'd do that for any diesel at all), I'd even do 250 for a running 7.3.

People hang onto them over here.
 
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