can you give me any info on the ford non-turbo 7.3 diesel strong points? weak points? bombable? reliable? just any info you got thanks

 

I had an idi,

similar to that, but mine was a 1993 factory turbo 7.3 idi, Full details, 1993 f250, regular cab long bed 7.3 idi factory turbo 4.10 gears ZF5, warn manual hubs, alcoa rims and caps, white, two door long bed 4x4 sticker was red, and 265 10 ply tires..

It was a reliable truck for me, they are SUPER EASY to work on, injector pump on the outside, but i do have a friend that has a 166 HP non turboed idi of the same year. THAT IS ONE LOUD SONVABUCK straight piped.. anyways, bombable, mine got an ATS turbo, i was disappointed cause i got no more than 11PSI, very mad.. pump was mildly tuned, gauges are a must if your gonna do this..

Main repairs i did in 80K of ownership, Tires, brakes (front and rear) glow plugs, glow plug relay, injector pump (which i didnt get around to, sold the truck gave owner pump) injector lines, seals, oil changes, and that was about it.

It wasnt a running truck, but it pulled very well, the 4.10s and five speed were a dream, i had limited slips front and rear so it wasnt too bad off the beaten path either, cept anything over 2K RPMs or 60MPH, would kill ur mileage, i used to get under 60 mph about 16 highway, and 10-12 city, anything over 2000 RPMS would reduce me to about 12 mpg highway.

Cold starts OH MY that was NO FUN, anything under 50 degrees would pose some problem, and that with with new plugs, new batteries and new relay, i couldnt figure out, but probably the wiring harness were needing replacement. truck would warm up much quicker than a cummins would however..

Reliability, it never left me anywhere, it was easy to work on, cheap to fix, served its purpose, sold it cause i went to montana and needed money, it was a pleasure to work on honestly.. cept for the last glow plug on the passenger side lol!!

Strong points IMHO, are simplicity, reliability, and the fact that it was a gutsy lil engine, lacking on HP only had 185 stock, took out the ATS sold it on the side and put back the garrett as well, pulled better and kept my egts lower with the stock for some odd reason...

i just plain loved the truck i wont lie, its new owner has it with a new IP, new injectors, and it runs like a dream, i dragged him tho and left his **** too far behind to even mention lol!, but the truck pulled real well and has that unmistakable international diesel rumble, before the powerstroke, IDIS will always have a special place in me, that truck sure did, but if it wasnt for montana, i never would have seen the light... PM me if you have any specific questions, i might be able to help ya out

as for a good first diesel? nuttin wrong with it, straight pipe it and go raise he double hockey stick....

TxDiesel007

 

When the turbo was put on did anybody turn up the inj pump??? It is an internal adjustment that can be accessed after removing the top cover of the inj pump. If you do not turn up the pump when adding a turbo, you will actually loose power. when you replace the pump it will most likely be calibrated for the naturally aspirated version.

 

Suzuki,

Had a '92 F-350 dually 7.3 non-turbo. In a 5 year period put $12, 000 into the truck for repairs and labor. I think I had to replace everything but the steering wheel. Went through glow plugs like mad. Below 50 degrees had to use a block heater in order for it to start. That's when I decided to buy a Ram.

Alan

 

well im getting mixed opinions on these IDIs keep the opinions coming

 

Drove one for work, a 92 7.3 IDI. The thing couldnt get out of its own way. Didnt have many problems with it but it was seriously lacking in the power department. A bunch of us that worked there were dynoing our own personal trucks. For the hell of it, we put that truck on the dyno. Gave us a solid 104 hp. Other than that, it was a great truck.

 

Hemi cat

I turned it up, MUCH EASIER WHEN THE PUMP IS OUT not much difference, just more smoke, or until u stomp on it, a lil faster acceleration, thats all It does have to be calibrated for best results somethin I didnt do..

Wilson

I think ur talkin bout the 166 HP version.. I had the 185, and i do believe i was puttin out about that at my rear wheels, but then again i had it tuned slightly for a while, until i reverted it to stock... needed cash and was rather disappointed anyways...

TxDiesel007

 

I have one in a motor home , a 94 , which has gave me no trouble at all.The thing had no guts till I put the Banks kit on it, wieghs 13000 empty and I was pulling a jeep Grand Cheroke.I like it now with the Banks kit ,but anyone who thinks they are easy to work on probaly has not worked on one in a class C motor home, a real pain to work on.I turned pump up a little not a whole lot since the non turboed 7.3 does not have oil nozzles on cylinders for cooling.In the Mt. I could get it up to 1200 pulling the jeep but most of the time it stayed around 900.Trans has been good to but I put a kit in it to, its a e4od. Hope this helps.

 

Have the 6.9L version now. It is slow, if you're used to a CTD, but they are LOUD straightpiped. Not quite the cummins roar, or a gasser sound, it's a mix, very different. Turned up the pump, not much difference without a turbo, wich I'm working on,,,(old 35 off the CTD being put to good use lol. ) Cold starts are a problem, but I haven't had any major problems with it. 230k. 5spd. Original clutch lol. OHHHH and it makes the engine brake sound with stacks if you downshift getting off the freeway :-) I love it, it's the redheaded stepchild, and I've considered getting rid of it but I don't think I could bring myself to do it lol.

 

My Dad had a '93 F350 7.3L with the ATS turbo setup to run at 8psi (no aftercooler). Dang good truck. Much more reliable than his current 2k F350 Super Duty. The weak link with these trucks is the auto tranny. He replaced the stock tranny cooler with a much larger aftermarket B&M cooler and added a shift kit.

MikeyB

 

Much better unit overall that the 6.5L GM diesel unit as far as I have known. I have witnessed a few 7.3 IDI's needing bottom end work with about 200k on them. Solid engine, difficult to start cold. I once heard something about a "spacer" or special extra-think gasket that could be installed on the heads of either the 6.9 or 7.3 (do not remember witch one) that was supposed to slightly increase compression to assist cold-start. Best-bet, make sure if you're in New York plan to have a place to plug it in overnight so cold-starting won't be too bad.

Watch out for units with floor & quarter panel rust. Several of the older Fords (all gas) I've worked with at a camp in Norther Wisconsin have had sheetmetal installed in the floor to at least "keep the mud out."

All this being said, it's questionable if you're really come out ahead cost or reliability or even mileage wise over a 351 gas engine. Good luck in your search!

 

ok i got something to put into this discussion, i had an dumptruck, with a 6.9 ford, i bought it new and had it till about 4 years ago then sold it for a gasser dodge dumptruck

Anyways i snow plowed and did work in winter.

Anyways one year it hit around -15 in illinois and that truck started on the first try, that truck was the best i ever had.

tell you the truth, i never had one mechanical problem with that truck, changed the oil filter and fuel filter, and trans fluid regularly, still sorta miss that truck, no Airconditioning sucks though Dont know how i survived back in the day with no air...

 

Man the one we had was super hard to start.Watch out if you get a superduty some have like 5.88 gears.

 

I hope this doesn't violate policy, but I found an inexpensive 12V auto regualr cab on the internet near where I live. If you wanted me to take a look at it I could probably do that this week.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=en&cardist=29

 

i had a 1992 ford f-350 flatbed dually 4x4 w/the 7.3,when all was said and done i ended up sinking about 3x's what it was worth into it and that included a brand new drop in 7.3 for $5500.00...i would not get it if i was you!