Well, I had a couple questions for you guys, I searched around and this has been talked about a lot! But I wanted to hear input directly.
I just sold my half ton to upgrade to a 3/4 ton. I will be pulling the racecar on a trailer this summer and only care about mileage, and cost of maintenance.
I am pretty much determined to get an idi because of the cost of parts, I looked at parts under my shop account today and I can buy 8 injectors for an idi for the same price as 1 powerstroke.
I have been surfing craigslist and I cant find the perfect truck, which would be an extended cab 7.3l 5 spd 4x4 with under 100k. But I have found some nice candidates, Im looking to spend in the $1500 range, because where Im at, theres tons at that price!
Ill keep an eye out, but I did find 2 today for 1500, number 1 is a 86 turbo 6.9, 4x4 regular cab 4 speed, 160k, the guy says the return line leaks. drives it all the time. its about 30 minutes away from where I live
number 2, is a 89 7.3 non turbo, auto, standard cab, the guy swears its 80k, not 180k. but its 3 hours away, same price, 1500
who knows what trucks I will find tomorrow on cl!

So my question for you gentlemen, im looking at getting a ford diesel to pull a trailer, i only care about mileage and cost of mainenance, and of course, the initial amount of the truck. What is gonna be the best truck to look out for? 6.9? 7.3? turbo? non turbo? I much prefer a 4 speed to auto, but if the auto will get better mileage, id go that route. thanks for any info!

 

Both are great engines, but the 6.9 is sturdier in that all a 7.3 is a bored out 7.3.

A manual will get you better mileage then an auto unless you're comparing an OD auto to a non-OD manual. Get the 5 speed manual if you can.

I prefer non-turbo myself, but that is not a popular opinion. And since your truck sounds like it'll do a lot of towing a turbo probably would be a good idea.

 

And I'm with you on the cost of maintenance, the parts costs of IDIs are a fraction of the Power Stroke.


Here's a thread that has some good info that'll help:

6.9/7.3 IDI Diesel New Owner FAQ

 

Good luck is all i can say. Most trucks around here in decent shape are 3k+ Im buying my dads 92 super cab F250 7.3, 088, ZF 4x4 272k for $4000 Youll find a hard time getting one under 100k, and frankly, i wouldnt be too concerned with the mileage on it, these things last forever. As far as maintenence goes, probably the cheapest diesel there is to maintain.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, its hard to get a good opinion where im at, EVERYONE here is a cummins person, and I cant stand them, parts are expensive, they suck to work on (im not even a diesel technician and I have to work on them) so of course all anyone has to say when I say "Im thinking about an old idi" is "well its not a cummins so its gonna explode" haha.

what year did the 5 speed come out behind the 6.9l?

I keep reading the link you gave me but already its helped, the 4 speed truck i was looking at has a leaky return line i guess, and apparantly its a common problem as expressed in the thread!

 

Im seeing lots here between 1000, and 3000. The fact that the 6.9 is so cheap to maintain pretty much seals the deal. Im waiting for an email back on one that needs a clutch, just keeping my options open. Its nice to know they last forever, I told a friend I found an 86 with 160k and he said "buy it"

Like i said in the previous post, everyone here is a cummins person, the fords are a dime a dozen.

 

'87 was the only year the 5 speed was behind the 6.9. But plenty are getting them after the fact, I'm about to do it myself to my '85.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the E4OD (auto with O/D) was ever behind the 6.9, so your auto options are C6 if you're staying with the 6.9. Good transmission, but not efficient, you'd be better off even with the 4 speed if you're after economy.

 

You know, it's fine other people have those opinions about the IDI, it keeps the price down on these trucks for the rest of us.

 

Is it a big deal to swap from the T19 i believe? to a zf5? If not, I work for a towing company, you never know when we will get a truck thats been rolled, and the trans is still good that i could buy from my boss. ( we got a 94 f150 rolled over, thats how i got the drivetrain for my 77! )

 

good point! haha

 

It's not really that difficult, it's pretty much a bolt in swap as long as you have all the right parts. There's a few good threads in this forum on the swap.

 

6.9, 6.9 turbo, 7.3, 7.3 turbo, witch ever comes in first for you, go for it. There all the same.

Earlier 6.9's have a bad glow plug system, but can easily be upgraded to the 7.3 system with just a swap of the harness and controller.



Depending witch driveline you get, these things range between 12-18mpg for a 4x4.


For best mileage, a standard truck will be ideal. Keep away from 88 and older autos, you'll get the bullet proof C6, but it's a 3 speed and sucks down that gold stuff we put in the tanks!


And yes, parts are pretty cheap for these things considering there diesel.

 

I bought mine for 1200 its awesome I habe been dtiving it for 3 years with no issues... glad to hear your gonna join the coal rollers!!!!

 

coal rollers! thats awesome, well I come from a long line of ford people, im not really a fan of diesels but im gonna have to make the switch, so i figured id see what ford diesels were most popular

just to give you an example, this is the kind of stuff i have been looking at ( i really hope this isnt against the rules posting links )

This one is 3 hours away from me. '87 Ford F-250 diesel 4WD w/topper & 5th wheel hitch

 

My mpg is about 14.5 .... with 122, 000 on original pump n injectors. OE tire size and no mods... im not sure what a stock idi is capable of getting if I t was just tuned up.. does and one have an idea?