Swapping a 7.3 turbo from a 94 e350 into an 86 f350.

[Bigmanbrock07]

I've been looking for weeks at what exactly it entails but keep coming up with questions so I'm gonna take my licks and just ask them outright.

1: When swapping the van turbo engine into the truck, will the factory cross over tube work?

2: I have to swap the drivers side header from the factory 69 onto the van 7.3 for the N/A engines, but will the turbo affect this somehow?

3: The van is an auto, and my truck is a manual. Will my flywheel work or do I need to get one from the right year 7.3 turbo? I've read that on the N/A engines it doesn't matter, but that on the turbo engines it could effect it, possibly.

4: I'm hoping to keep the glow plug controller setup from the van. Is it located in about the same place as the trucks? I know the solid state is better and hopefully will just use it all off the donor vehicle.



Sorry for all the newb questions. I love my fords from this era (80-86) but this is my first diesel and the 6.9 was almost rusted solid. I got it moving but for $500 I think I'm better throwing an engine in with 140000 miles that I can hear run. So long as I can swap it in without needing some non-existent part that is.

Thanks in advance for any and all help fellas.

 

[hotshotidi]

You flywheel will work if its diesel if 460 then no.I think the motor mounts a different .I would swap everything over then make a list and go to the junk yard

 

[hotshotidi]

Of ur f350 is diesel just make a list and compare the two side by side

 

[Bigmanbrock07]

You flywheel will work if its diesel if 460 then no.I think the motor mounts a different .I would swap everything over then make a list and go to the junk yard

Yeah, I currently have a 6.9l diesel that just refuses to come to life. It was stored for years without an oil filter and was locked up. I got it spinning over but can't get it to take a breath on it's own unfortunately. Just looking for other alternatives to rebuilding it.

 

[hotshotidi]

I would just take it out side by side comparison

 

[Bigmanbrock07]

I'd like to know ahead of time that I can make it work without buying it if it's not what I need. That's my biggest problem. I guess for the money it's hard to go wrong? I'm supposed to go look at it tomorrow, but I don't want to waste his time or mine.

 

[hotshotidi]

I would go on craigslist and just by a 6.9 or 7.3 how much is the van and were r u located

 

[Bigmanbrock07]

He wants a grand for the whole van, but it's having some issues and was parked. Supposedly the engine and trans are fine though. Is it better to just buy the whole thing and scrap it. Anyone need the trans?

 

[hotshotidi]

Were r u located

 

[Bigmanbrock07]

Sorry, I'm in the panhandle of Florida.

 

[hotshotidi]

I would find a truck engine that had no problems

 

[hotshotidi]

http://pensacola.craigslist.org/pts/4314416187.html

 

[Bigmanbrock07]

Other than being a turbo engine, these are one in the same other than the one I'm looking at is $1300 less and has 140k miles. For $1800 I'd install a 12V cummins I'm afraid.

 

[DaytonaBill]

You flywheel will work if its diesel if 460 then no.I think the motor mounts a different .I would swap everything over then make a list and go to the junk yard

Umm, no...

The factory turbo engines were produced only in '93 and '94... And they use different dampener, flywheel and flex plate balance offsets...

Their rotating assemblies are heavier due to the connecting rods and piston wrist pins being bigger and heavier, so the dampener and the flywheel (and flex plate) by necessity have a very different weight offset to balance the rotating assembly... Sorry...

I have changed a van 7.3 N/A over to the F series configuration and the motor mounts, driver's side exhaust manifold plus the oil cooler has to be swapped over...

I confess that I don't know about the way a turbo hooked up to the driver's side van manifold, but I suspect that you will be unsuccessful in making the whole thing work with the change over to the N/A F-Series exhaust manifold...

Perhaps a driver's side exhaust manifold from a '93 or '94 F-Series with the corresponding downpipe would enable the turbo to work, I'm sure others with a more hands on experience will chime in before long...

There is another thing to think about... The N/A oil cooler has less fins and tubes (less cooling capacity) than the oil cooler does on the turbo engines (more fins and tubes), so...

You really should re-seal your oil cooler when ever you have the engine out, so since you have to change the oil cooler over to a F-Series configuration...

Just take the van's oil cooler apart...

Then take the two end headers from your F-Series oil cooler and use them with the better oil cooler tube from the van with NEW o-rings and that problem will be taken care of...

 

[Bigmanbrock07]

Umm, no...

The factory turbo engines were produced only in '93 and '94... And they use different dampener, flywheel and flex plate balance offsets...

Their rotating assemblies are heavier due to the connecting rods and piston wrist pins being bigger and heavier, so the dampener and the flywheel (and flex plate) by necessity have a very different weight offset to balance the rotating assembly... Sorry...

I have changed a van 7.3 N/A over to the F series configuration and the motor mounts, driver's side exhaust manifold plus the oil cooler has to be swapped over...

I confess that I don't know about the way a turbo hooked up to the driver's side van manifold, but I suspect that you will be unsuccessful in making the whole thing work with the change over to the N/A F-Series exhaust manifold...

Perhaps a driver's side exhaust manifold from a '93 or '94 F-Series with the corresponding downpipe would enable the turbo to work, I'm sure others with a more hands on experience will chime in before long...

There is another thing to think about... The N/A oil cooler has less fins and tubes (less cooling capacity) than the oil cooler does on the turbo engines (more fins and tubes), so...

You really should re-seal your oil cooler when ever you have the engine out, so since you have to change the oil cooler over to a F-Series configuration...

Just take the van's oil cooler apart...

Then take the two end headers from your F-Series oil cooler and use them with the better oil cooler tube from the van with NEW o-rings and that problem will be taken care of...

I've read a bunch of threads about swapping in the N/A engine, and figured that one out, but was worried when I'd read of the internals of the newer engines being different. I'm about to head out now and see what it has to offer. Seems hard to pass up for the money. I guess worst come to worst I'll get it simply for the turbo kit and then swap it all onto my 6.9 if I have to coax it into living again. It's just been so abused before I got it that I don't know if it'll ever run again without serious tear down and rebuild.

Thanks for any input as I'm so new to this engine it's ridiculous. I've always had the gassers in these trucks and was actually planning on swapping in a small block stroker originally but once I started learing about these IDIs I really like what they have to offer. Now to just make them work for me.