service truck??

[90ididoorguy]

Do these idis make really good service trucks. I drive about 40k city miles. I bought this truck in April and this is the 3rd time in the shop. I'm wondering if I should sell it and get something newer its a 7.3 idi 113k on the motor. 7k on rest of drive train. It has a moded ats turbo 088 and everything else is stock the pyro is right next to the turbo and I regularly see 1200 with about 1500 pounds in the bed. It's a 90 zf5 ext cab 4x4 pretty rust free

 

[Kevin 007]

Get the bugs worked out of it and you will have a trouble free (stress free) truck. Every older truck has a few things to get worked out. Why is it in the shop? And what kind of boost are you pushing? anything crazy enough to create problems?

I would choose an idi for any service truck I would ever imagine using. If I needed big power, I would then go with a 7.3 powerstroke; but only if that extra power was needed.

 

[90ididoorguy]

I've only seen 9 lbs but I had some yahoo change the glow plugs and he left a hose clamp in my intake, so we put in a 60-1 compressor wheel. He didn't het it balanced to it messed up the turbo. I was blowing blue smile everywhere everytime the motor got warm. Ie seal went bad in the turbo. Took it this time to a reputable shop and they are testing the oil because the turbo shop said there is a very little coolant in the oil.

 

[90ididoorguy]

I'm trying to decide if I should cut my loses and buy a newer truck I found a 99 cc lb with a 5 spd and the v10 it has 79 k and thurs asking 10k

 

[Can30Diesel]

The IDI trucks have always been pretty reliable. One of the main reasons is how simply they are designed and how they really don't rely on much for electronics to work (sensors, computer etc) so there is little that can fail on them. With newer trucks there are more pieces at play and more things to break. Parts become more expensive in most cases.

Of course maintenance is everything in any vehicle.

I'd run an IDI as whatever kind of truck I needed. I rescued mine from a farm, and it has never let me down.

 

[towcat]

I'm trying to decide if I should cut my loses and buy a newer truck I found a 99 cc lb with a 5 spd and the v10 it whas 79 k and thurs asking 10k

I'd stay away from the V10 gasser if I were you. I've done three motor swaps on these Ford V10's due to lubrication system issues.
no matter what you do wind up owning, you need a personal shop or commercial shop space to work on your own equipment. even if you are doing the basic pm work, you need to learn how to fix whatever you own eventually. paying a shop to do your work is the quickest way to go broke.

 

[Wyreth]

I regularly see 1200 with about 1500 pounds in the bed. It's a 90 zf5 ext cab 4x4 pretty rust free

Wow, IMHO that's pretty high for EGT. You may want to turn down the fuel a flat or so. I could understand if you were hauling a 10k trailer over hills and whatnot, but not just with some stuff in the bed.

As far as how good these truck do? From personal experience, what they shrug off, would break most newer trucks.

 

[90ididoorguy]

The fuel I haven't touched the pyro probe is about 6 inches from the exhaust wheel

 

[BrandonMag]

I don't use my truck for what you're doing with yours, but I have hauled my trailer over six Western states and I haven't had any major problems. The problems I DID have were due to improper installation, not a fault of the motor or the truck.

EDIT: I did have a problem with the transmission temperature while hauling. Other than that, it's been a damn good truck.

 

[icanfixall]

These engines were designed for the guy that wants simple and inexpensive to maintain. A set of injecters will cost the idi owner around $250.00 to $300.00. About the best you can hope to buy a set of psd injecters is about $1600.00. Now if you can't install a set of glow plugs then there is no way you can install a set of psd injecters. This forum offers all the help a person could ask for and then some. Many times there is members close enough to you that will drop in to help. Even paying a helpful member is much better than paying a shop as you have found out so far. From the sounds of it you found a shop that really messed up your engine. Leaving a part in the intake and destroying the turbo more than once because of less than stellar mechanical skills is horrible to read about. These engines are really simple to maintain. On the coolant in oil... My thoughts are the oil cooler o-rings have hardened and are now leaking. The parts to repair that are less than $100.00 but the work is invloved to do... Hope you keep the truck because its cheaper than any of the newer electronicly operated trucks on the market today.

 

[90ididoorguy]

Good news they ran the oil test and it came back clean. Meaning no violent in the oil. So parker diesel is going to time it adjust the ip rebuild the turbo and install it. Make sure it passes emissions. For 1700. Decided just to let them do it. They seem to know how these trucks run. Also when I get the truck bacl on Monday I'm switching out the glow plugs. Even though they were just done I have a sneaky suspicion that they are autolites they only have about 2 weeks oh use on them but don't want to mess with them. I found some Bosch plugs at napa was thinking bout useing them. But it seems you guys are mixed on if they're good or not what do you guys think

 

[90ididoorguy]

Meant coolent in oil

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Most on here will say get genuine motorcraft/beru GP's.

Personally I'm using Ac delco 60G plugs and have nothing but good to say about them.

 

[jrad235]

I'm pretty happy with the ZD9's I picked up on Rockauto. Good price and they've been in there for two years now, never any issues(Related to them, anyways.)

 

[90ididoorguy]

So does anyone here use one of these as a service truck. I use my work truck to work on garage doors here in Colorado