Im thinking about getting an older (1990s) 7.3L idi ford truck as they are quite cheap.
Im con sidering this because of how hard it is the find a decent well- priced Dodge diesel, no one wants to get rid of them. So I'm thinking of getting an old 7.3L IDI or even the PSD( no newer than 1997). So are these engines reliable? How well can they stomach biofuels, (SVO, WVO, etc)?
I have this vision of when I have time and money, to put a 5.9L into a older ford. So what about the engine in it? Thank you all. I figured Id ask here to get a more realistic view, ( as opposed to asking on an IDI forum) Thanks again.


[Rant on] WHY is it so hard to find a CTD??? I might just go buy a Duramax instead of a Dodge. [/Rant off]

 

Some of it initial sales volume, some survivablity. Most of the non turbo fords are beat to death, modified to death, or rusted out.

I'd look for the 97 model P Stroke and take one with high miles and moderate blowby over one with a bunch of new parts and gauges.

 

Because they work, and are dependable

 

Had a '92, the only engine related issues were the glow plugs, replaced twice, rebuilt the auto tranny once, sold it with over 200K on it, worked it hard for the 9 years I had it. As far as I know, the landscaper that bought it from me is still running it today, tows a 16' enclosed trailer with it.

 

They are known to be hard-starting engines, especially in fairly cold conditions. Keep extra glow plugs on hand. The bottom end (main bearings) are also prone to failure, and while repalceable, it's a little more work than some people want to go through.

May I ask - what's wrong with your old 300 cid Ford? It's about as close to a Cummins as a gas engine will get, although its no-where near as powerful and the fuel efficiency may be less - by a small margin. Unless you really need to extra power for towing or hauling heavy items, I really doubt that you will be better off, in the long run, with an 7.3 idi ford/navistar diesel. Accelleration and fuel economy may be worse, and with diesel's prices as they are, you may be ahead anyway in terms of cost.

A realtor told me something once, and It's stuck with me. Get a house in the location you really want to live in as no matter how nice of a place you purchase in another location, you'll always be wishing you had moved into the area you intended to in the first place.

 

The big problem is coolant cavitation corrosion. If the antifreeze isn't kept fresh the cylinder walls corrode and you wind up with holey cylinders.

They are also known to blow oil coolers and spit out head gaskets.

 

The 7.3 IDI had issues with cavitation. If the proper coolant additive was not used, pinholes can develop in the block and cylinder sleeves, which pretty much ruins the engine. From what I have heard, electrical issues are pretty common with the Powerstroke and the engine can be expensive to work on. The local 7.3 IDI owners claim between 10 and 13 mpg average fuel economy, so nothing impressive at all. The powerstroke is usually a little more efficient.

If you remain patient and look around for a while, you should be able to find a good Dodge.

 

I had an 89 Ford 7.3, problems, glow plugs - easy to replace, just like spark plugs, auto trans E4od had design issues, later rebuilds fixed the problems, correct mix of antifreeze and additive will hold off the cavitation problems, leaking o-rings on fuel return lines are easy to replace. No real problems in 225k miles. standards like water and fuel pump don't count.

 

we had a 91 1 ton 2wd dually w/ 5spd. it handled all/most of our pulling duties for the business. when we sold it it had if i can remember correctly(ive posted mileage about this truck in older posts) but it was in the high 200K area. Problems: put one clutch, changed glow plugs once, a couple of altenators and water pumps, etc. just the normal maintenance items. it averaged around 14-16 mpg empty, and around 8 or 9 when pulling, but it had 4.10 gears in the rear. over all it was a good truck, and fairly easy to work on. i am considering looking for one of these as well, but im lookin for a late 80's 3/4 or 1 ton with the ole 6.9

 

i had a 93 non turbo. I was going to turbo it but decided that i was better off buying a cummins. They are decent reliable motors but they had their problems. Mine didnt have any pin holes from cavitation but My oil cooler o-rings kept going bad so it would put oil into the coolant. It wouldnt hardly start even after replacing the glow plugs and controller when it was below 80*F. It was so underpowered and there was really nothign that you could do to make a whole lot more power.

IMO i think you are far better off finding a mid 90s cummins!!

Or you could find a F250/F350 and put a 5.9L in it. Thats what i had about decided to do before i bought my new truck

 

I did fleet service on them, and they where had starters, and did go thru glow plugs, and the boss did get mad at the amount of glowplugs I installed, but that was what kept them going, or got them started anyway.

 

I had a 90 with a 7.3 & a 5spd, before i started playing with the pump I would get 20-21mpg with 4.10s. It was a good truck just some nickle a dime expenses. I always had to plug it in if it got below 30 degrees. That truck got hooked to a sled every week in the summer for 3 years and it never broke even after I put a turbo on it. But it werent no cummins, my brothers 1st gen would walk all over my truck hands down.

 

Nothing is wrong, but I just REALLY want a diesel. I want a cummins, (hence why I obsessively read this board), but mostly I'd like to experiment with biofuels.I have this idea that I can be self-sufficient with my fuel. I dont really want to get old cooking oil, Id rather make my own oil. Id like a a diesel that is durable enough that I can test fuels in. I also LOVE the diesel sound, I love how they drive, I just want a diesel.

another thing that concerns me is the, from what I read on here, shoddy build of the dodge truck. I mean, it kinda worries me, but I also dont know how many people here over-exaggerate small problems. Are the dodges as the truck build well? That is really another reason why Id like to consider an older ford then do a Cummins swap in it.

I mean, I can wait, and most like will, but, is it worth it to spend extra for a dodge that might be of inferior quality for an awesome engine, or would it be better to buy an old tough ford and use that engine for a while, then down the road swap a cummins into it?

Thank for bearing with me.

are the 80 and 90s Chevy diesels good and easy to swap a cummins into?

 

I wouldn't recomend a 7.3 IDI for the simple fact of low power, hard starting in the cold even if all the glow plugs are working.

 

Here's what I know about the IDI:

You can't spell IDIot without it

Ba-dum CHING!