Purchasing a 7.3 IDI from relative, need advice ae!

[Dirtleg]

The thing that concerns me most is the blowby and the coolant. The truck gas 245,000 miles on it. Pretty high mileage granted it is a diesel. Just dont wanna have to drive the truck back and then rebuild or drop in a new engine shortly after.

These engines have some blowby. Mine always has. At 275K now. Runs great and hardly uses oil as in I don't have to top off between 5k mile oil changes. Could be it needs a new CDR valve. Minor issue if that's the case.

I wouldn't worry about the coolant so much. The biggest issues on the 7.3's were early on. By 92 it was pretty common knowledge to keep the SCA's in them. My guess is the previous owner probably had some knowledge of it.

Regardless I'd get in a good long test drive before committing to it or heading back in it. Just to see how it acts when driven, no overheating, dying at stoplights, etc. Make sure it restarts when warm. A worn IP will loosen up when hot and not create enough pressure to fire the injectors when cranking.

But for a turboed truck, 5speed $1500 isn't a bad price unless it's too rusty.

 

[Drake Smith]

Found this one on craigslist locally. Seems like an even better deal than my cousins truck and it's a dually. Guys owned it for years and has always kept up on the maintenance on it and made sure it was in good working order. He told me he relied on it to make money because it was his work truck and he pulled trailers with it which is how he made his money. Said he used to drive it from Californiato here and back with no issue but he doesnt drive it much anymore so hes getting rid of it. Has motorcraft glowplugs too. The only thing it needs is two new batteries. He said theres no blowby that he knows of and the coolant is green. Hes never used any coolant additives but has used fuel additives. Said theres no leaks but every now and then itll drip a drop or so of oil on the ground. I find it hard to believe that theres no drops of oil anywhere. Anyways, it's a supercab long bed dually and has a 5 speed zf5. It's an 89. $1500. Good deal?

https://boise.craigslist.org/cto/d/fruitland-ford-350-diesel-1989/6865049583.html

 

[Randy Bush]

Little rough, a lot of body work needs to be done. Do need or want the 4x4 compared to a dually. Probably out the gate going to have less cost in it getting it home. I would make a offer though and see what he will say.

 

[nj_m715]

I learned to drive on a dually, I drove it for years. do you really need one? do you tow heavy loads all the time?

I paid more for tires, tolls and it was a ***** to fit down narrow roads and find parking

just something to think about if it's a DD

I went 400 miles out of my way to find a single wheel truck, but that's just me.

 

[Drake Smith]

Okay thanks guys. Also came across a 96 powerstroke yesterday for $1750. Has 166k original miles! Dude had no idea what he had. The truck was his grandpas and his grandpa is getting really sick and had to be put in a home so they are selling the estate. Truck has bee sitting several years because his grandpa couldnt drive it due to health issue. It's a 2wd extended cab long bed. Gooseneck hitch and tow package. No rust. No paint loss. Truck overall is like a 7/10. Just dirty. The guy said he doesnt know much about it but that it does run. Well, one of the battery terminals is broken off on it. So there wasnt really a way for me to get it running. The two batteries in it were so old that they wouldnt hold a charge either. It tried to crank very slowly but because of the terminal being broken it was harder to jump it or put a charger on it. Guy said his grandpa had told him that the transmission was possibly bad in it (has the E4OD). So he was unsure if it drove but said it does run. My question is, would this be just a good deal even if the transmission is bad and if I'd be able to get it for like $1500? Has a clean title and everything. Banks exhaust brake, aftermarket turbo down pipes, cb radio hookups, fog lights, billet grille. What do yall think? Body has no paint loss either but does have a dent on the passenger side. Truck is flawless otherwise as far as body goes.

 

[nj_m715]

can't go wrong with that
you have more than 1500$ in parts

there's a good chance the trans isn't bad, might be as simple as a corroded plug

 

[Drake Smith]

can't go wrong with that
you have more than 1500$ in parts

Oh I know! But without me being able to get it running eith the bad battery terminal, I have no way of knowing how good the engine is either. Looks like it has a possible rear main leak as well as an oil pan leak too. Trans pan was covered in trans fluid. Other than that I found nothing major wrong with the truck minus the broken battery terminal.

 

[nj_m715]

your rear main leak is probably coming from the top of the engine, the drain is in the back everything runs down there

by the sounds of it, you may need to pressure wash the engine and run it to see where the leaks are

if you are serous about getting the truck, buy/find/steal a pair of batteries and bring them with you next time
how many truck have you looked at that need them anyway?

1500$ for a psd 150k might be worth the chance you could sell the rad support, tail gate and glass and get most of your money back

if you get it running in front of the seller, you might raise the price
I managed to get a few good deals on non-running trucks

anything you buy for 1500$ is going to need something
I paid 6k for my 96 in good running condition

 

[Drake Smith]

Has a 5th wheel tailgate. He said he didnt even care if it ran or drove he just wanted it gone. I'm just worried about the tranny. And the dually is probably a better choice

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

IMHO, both of the IDIs are a little crusty. I think you could make either of them work for you, but I would also say I wouldn't touch anything that had been known to be started with ether. I know it can be done with some precautions, but there's a reason most class 8 shops will fire you for having a can of ether in your tool box.

If it were me and the Powerstroke was as clean as you say it is, I'd negotiate your best deal on the Powerstroke, and make it a "pending it runs" deal. Then get a hold of two known correct batteries (should be group 65s, but don't trust me, look it up), put a new terminal on the harness and see if it runs. If it doesn't start, you are out a little bit of time, two batteries and a terminal.

Good luck whatever path you choose.

 

[nj_m715]

he just wants it gone? offer 700$

if you're up to the task of swapping a clutch, you can swap a trans
but again, most e4od problems are electronic

I'd take a newer old man driven truck with half the miles, but thats just me

 

[Spooner454]

Sounds like a lift pump problem to me, my 91 idi would have a hard starting problem then the batteries would die, I took out the lift pump, put a cap over the location then I put in an electric pump, I read the info on here and it cured my problem, now if i want i can leave it sit for a month and it will still start almost immediately like second or third crank