I've recently bought a 93 IDI turbo and am still in the process of getting lined out after some apparent neglect of maintenance. I was wondering why you guys on here chose an IDI over other diesel engines; power, mileage, dependability? How do they compare to PSD, Cummins?

 

I like them. IDI's are mechanical injection, minimal electronics, easy to work on, pretty good on fuel (my 84 2x4 got 25 mpg), psd are very expensive to fix, the new psd's are impossible to work on and I'm poor and I like to fix my own stuff, cummins are cool but I wouldn't drive a dodge, I like Fords.

 

Simple and reliable. Parts are readily available and reasonably priced. Fairly reasonable at least, anything diesel is expensive. But you can replace the entire fuel injection system on an IDI for about what 2 injectors would cost on a PSD.

Good power as well with a turbo, and they're fairly easy to turn up too. Maybe not a much as a PSD, and you woln't get as much power full out, but you'll get enough to do most things.

Cheap to buy too. A decent IDI truck can be had for under $2000 out here. Cummins trucks seem to all be over $3000.

 

i bought my first diesel back in 86 . after driving a chebby with a 6.2 i knew that was never going to be one of those junkboxes in my driveway. even the 6.9 had more power than the 5.9 cummings pos.
my stock 88 7.3 was 195 hp without a tubo. the 88 dodge diesel was either 165 hp or 175 hp with a turbo.
after i put the turbo on and opened up the exhaust my 88 7.3 was twice the engine the cummings was. and i proved all the naysayers wrong with my piece of junk ford that now has 493,000 miles on it and still runs like new. all the dodges that everyone swore would last forever are all melted down and made into japanese cars.

 

I don't know how everyone else's trucks are, but I absolutely love how mine starts in the cold. One night a couple of weeks ago was -10 here; I was too busy trying to thaw some of our trucks out and forgot to plug mine in-she fired right up.

 

both the 88 and the 02 will crack rite off at -15F as long as the glow plugs are working.
the 88 has only failed to start twice. that was due to a few bad glow plugs each time.
the 02 needs a glow plug relay every year. i can tell when it is bad because it will not start. put a new relay on and it fires rite up no matter how cold it is.

 

The IDIs hold back a lot better than the Cummins too.... at least stock.

 

i thought a 7.3l was a 7.3l power stroke.i dunno how i ended up with this old school junk.

seriously,i went looking for a diesel truck i could afford.this meant completely making right,dependable again and transforming to my needs with never borrowing 1 penny.had i started with a psd truck,for the same $ it would have had 200-250k instead of 50k miles on it.
i found a low mile idi truck well worth fixing for the right money.no regrets.