Question on the Ford 7.3

[goin camping]

Any experience with how many miles a 1993 7.3 diesel will go before rebuild? Assuming the engine was serviced per schedule.

 

[bfdiesel]

A few hundred thousand.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have seed over 900,000 on one before with out anything internal... but the owner was also a mechanic on large ships so that might not me typical...lol

 

[DT75FLH]

I agree. if maintained, and the coolant changes/additive kept up, i see 250-400k is possible for the long block.

I have owned one with over 100k trouble free miles. My friend has over 190K miles on his. (1999 stock auto tranny too).

a friend bought an old 7.3 N/A with over 300k on it. his is still running.

on ford-Trucks they had a old timer who bought a brand new 00 or 01. he delivered trailers all over the place and has 1.4 million miles on it IIRC

 

[Stoney126]

350 k miles is pretty common, depends on what year you get. Difference in rods and such . Most likely go through injectors and a few transmissions before the engine for a bad .

 

[Rot Box]

The only major flaw with the 7.3IDI (indirect injection) is the possibility of cavitation. If you are considering an IDI this is a good read: http://oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10350 better yet search around that whole sight--it is the one stop place for anything related to the 6.9 and 7.3 IDI motors and the trucks they come in.

Why are you asking? Assuming the coolant additives have been kept up on and the motor had not been neglected/overheated or abused I would put an easy 400k miles on a bottom end before any issues arise. Valve guides will go if oil changes are pushed past 5k and things like the oil cooler, injector pump/injectors and head gaskets obviously need attention on higher mileage motors. Anyway like the Dodge trucks with the 5.9 Cummins I would buy a truck based off of condition and service history long before I even looked at the odometer...

btw check out the link in my signature. I have a few bits and pieces that help the IDI live longer.

 

[SLO_F-250]

Im not sure about the 1993 7.3L, but I have a 99' that has over 206k on it and still running strong. No major work, just typical maintenance and taking care of it.

I see a lot of guys on other diesel forums into the 300k range easy on their DD's. Good luck!

 

[cnynrat]

We have 100k on our 99. The only engine problems have been the cam position sensor, which subsequently was recalled by Ford. They seem to have fixed that now.

We've also replaced the torque convertor.

 

[Stoney126]

Ya cps go bad, the recall versions seem to cause more issues then the ones they replace . There newer versions from international that seem to be working better . You can even buy the originals from certain places .

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Anyway like the Dodge trucks with the 5.9 Cummins I would buy a truck based off of condition and service history long before I even looked at the odometer...

I learned many years ago, mileage is almost irrelevant with it comes to diesels.

 

[shortbus4x4]

I learned many years ago, mileage is almost irrelevant with it comes to diesels.

Yep a lot of times the rest of the truck wears out around the engine.

 

[chasespeed]

Okay... just to be clear... the 93 is a naturally aspirated IDI, not a Powerstroke.

I had almost 300k on mine when I sold it. Only major problem I had was a lift pump....

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[tlbrewer]

As chasespeed and rotbox stated, the 93 is an IDI. The IDI was available factory turbocharged as an option in 93 and 94. Even though the factory turbo says "Ford" on the aircleaner. It was a kit made by ATS and delivered to Ford for installation at the factory. There are some other desirable differences between factory turbo and non-turbo IDI's. Read the link rotbox put in to understand them all. The Powerstroke was introduced mid-year 94. The only thing the two engines share (IDI and DI) is displacement and manufacturer. They are completly different animals. Then with the advent of the SuperDuty came intercooling...and on and on and on.

In the end, the IDI is an ideal engine for dependability. It is completely mechanical...no computer (unless it has an E4OD tranny) and, once started only requires one 12v wire to run (fuel shutoff solenoid on the injector pump). Although no speed demon, they can be made powerful enough for most needs. I currently have two that have over 200K and that I have turbocharged myself. Fun, easy, and cheap engines to maintain.

Tom

 

[random]

My 89 has 457,000 miles. Still runs great, no issues. This new diesel fuel is hard on injection pumps, make sure you run an additive in your fuel for lubricity. I dump in a quart of ATF every time I fill up. Make sure the fuel system is well sealed and that the glowplugs are good Motorcraft plugs.

 

[HuskerTrev]

I have a 1993 F250 with a 7.3idi in it. I have around 232,000 odd mile on it and still going strong. There are several simple things that help to keep these engines running strong with the biggest being coolant additives. You can either add the SCAs when you change coolant, buy coolant with them in or install a filter setup with an impregnated filter to add them.

I totally agree with random that the new diesel fuels are too dry. I like to add a quart of used ATF to each tank when I fill up. (I work for a dealership and have access to used fluids!)