It is a diesel thing.....though it actually stand for "Indirect Injection". It is the family of Ford Diesel Truck/Van engines (technically International Harvester) prior to the Power-stroke motors. It means that the fuel is injected into a precombustion chamber and then sucked it into the cylinder. The Power-strokes are direct injection, where the fuel is sprayed directly into the cylinder.

 

I USE MINE TO MOVE STUFF THAT WON'T FIT IN MY CORVETTES

oops caps

 

Ahhh---okay then I've learned something new today!

Diesels are absolutely no interest to me---their use and utility past heavy construction equipment or big OTR trucks totally escapes me. They do have a fanatical fan base though---that too escapes me.

 

Yes Jayro is correct, Indirect Injection, I didn't get around to it fast enough lol

Diesels are great. You only need one wire for our variant of the diesel to start. Maintenance is really not too much more than have a 460 engine but the fuel economy is usually around double of the 7.5 once you start towing or doing any hard work.

It's very hard to kill an IDI, from most owner's accounts they just start slowly getting tired but never really die.

And in comparrison to say a Powerstroke our parts are much more affordable. Some have said you can get a whole fuel system (injection pump and injectors) for the cost of 1 injector on a Powerstroke.

It's mainly a preference thing. Gas engines can do most of the same work and without the potential cold weather starting issues, but once you get a diesel going you don't have to worry about it.

To the best of my knowledge our van as @ 234k on the odo and the truck probably has about 270k on it. I'd imagine that they've had fuel system replacements but I have no documentation and for all I know they're original

 

Diesels make a lot of torque....so everything has to be upgraded...they also last 2 to3 times longer than gasoline engines if properly maintained....There is also the possibility of growing /making your own fuel....My Powerstroke is closing in on 435K and oil tests still come back with virtually no wear on the engine.....Did I already mention the Torque ?

 

For the IDI generation though the 460 (7.5) had comparable torque numbers. Advantage goes to the diesel though because that torque was avaiable right off idle and it has a very flat torque curve. The RPM at which max torque is available is right were you want it to be for work

But 100% agree, diesel vehicles tend to be built more sturdy to handle the extra weight and vibrations associated with a compression ignition engine

 

Not sure if I am a total fanatic, but I could be getting there. Currently, only 1 out of our 4 vehicles are diesel.

Diesel vs Gas, each one has it's strong points and it's weak point. Just have to pick the one whose strong points fit what you use it for. I wanted to be able to tow a car hauler and a travel trailer, so I picked diesel. Gas would do it, but there is more of a mileage hit and gas engines (overall) don't seem to last as well when worked hard. I don't have a towing mileage on mine yet, but my dad pulls a 5th wheel. He pulled it with a tow packaged gas Tundra and would get 10mpg if he was on flat ground with a tail wind. He now pulls it with a RAM 2500 6.7 Cummins. He gets 13-15mpg running through the hills with a decent head wind......over 20mpg unloaded in good terrain.

I do like that my version of diesel takes very little electricity to run. Had my alternator go out and I was able to drive it for 4-5 days without one until the weather warmed up a little. I did put the batteries on a trickle charge at night.

 

use mine for work "contractor"

 

You'll be a total fanatic once you reach my point. I have 7 IDI's now

Ones just an engine waiting to go in an F150, and one hasn't run since 2002 in a parts truck I bought before winter. All others run/drive and get used.

 

I have an '88 E150 six and an '87 E350-based ambulance with 460.

I must have got them because it makes so much sense for a fat, stiff, elderly man who prefers to do his own mechanical work to have vehicles in which the engine is mounted directly beneath the dash and firewall, nearly inaccessible from front or rear, and which are new enough to be covered in wires and hoses and air cleaners and ducts and fuel injection manifolds and smog pumps and heaters and air conditioning components so that one need not have to look directly at the actual engine. These rigs serve to keep my profanity fresh and varied and creative.

Selling my old '66 Econoline Supervan HD, with its readily-accessible and dead-simple 240, and getting one of these newer rigs was one of the dumbest things I've ever done. I am in the process of deleting as much of the smog stuff, the EFI on the '88, and as much of the rest of the modern garbage as I can. I hate unneeded complexity. I hate "features." I hate modern. I hope to get this rig to a state of simplicity and reliability that I only have to fight my way under the bleeping firewall on rare occasions.

I recently bought the ambulance (ref. some other threads here) as a possible camper, but learned from members that it probably weighs half again what the listed "scale weight" on the registration claimed (4630lbs), so I'm going to sell it. It could be a good work vehicle for somebody. If you are in the Seattle area and want it, first look for the thread on this sub-forum and then PM me.

 

Not quite sure what to say about that?!?! Well maybe "there's one in every crowd" ??

You sir are indeed the exception to most rules about van ownership---I love it that someone is so passionate about such a thing.

I know diesel motors are superior to gasoline in many, many instances---in fact my entire livelihood involves working around them daily. Diesel motors tend to be long lived but require maintenance that's critical not only for that longevity but reliability too. While routine upkeep should be part of any vehicle ownership it seems gas motors are slightly more forgiving.

Add in the expense of diesel repairs that often times exceed something similar in gas motors and their benefit escapes me just a bit more. If they're necessary in an on-going manner and essentially the only way to go I completely understand. For the average commuter or occasional "heavy" use they're very impractical, generally speaking.

Just IMHO ya know.................

 

Since the thread is already sidetracked, I'll throw in my $.02. The company I worked for the past couple of years (I just recently left),used diesels for the past several years, but has been moving over to gas engines in their truck. With the initial higher purchase cost, 30% higher cost of diesel fuel, the higher maintenance costs and the newer diesels being far less reliable than the older ones which cost thousands to fix when they break down, they figure they are way ahead using gas trucks. However, they don't use them for towing.

 

Yeah, I haven't looked into them a lot, but new diesels seem expensive to buy and repair. That is why I like my old 7.3 IDI. Super simple to fix, cheap to buy, pretty cheap parts. Definitely under-powered by today's diesel standards, but will still do everything I need it to.

Fuel is usually a little bit more (maybe 20%), though it was cheaper over the summer at times. I get about 20-30% better mileage, so I guess it evens out......I just get the added functionality which was why I bought it.

I like my old diesel, but wouldn't spend the $ on a new one.

 

A small percentage of the commercial truck fleets are now using CNG and LNG engines...mostly local use, such as sanitation trucks, city buses, local delivery, etc.

I'm not sure if there will be consumer-level vans on the road with CNG or LNG anytime soon, but it could happen.

In the meantime, for heavy work (towing, hauling) I think diesels are THE way to go, but for just normal driving, very light towing, and around town grocery-getting, gasoline is the better short-term and long-term solution., especially when you figure cost-per-mile.

That doesnt mean I wouldn't buy a common-rail oil-burning Jeep Wrangler assuming we could buy them and I could afford one...but thats another topic...

 

I do construction work and it is easier to keep things organized and dry, and also more safe.