Hey guys posting on here again as a rookie when it comes to diesels and what to look for. Been looking for a good all around farm truck as well as a truck to haul cattle in. Am going to look at an 89 7.3 f250 with a 5 speed. The guy I talked to about it said it had some injection pump work done on it 2 years ago says it starts right up and runs no problem. Now I have heard of cavitation problems with these. I am planning to take a look at it tomorrow wondering what would I look for in figuring out if it is a good running motor or if it will be a pain in my ***. The guy said the owner before him rebuilt the engine himself. Thanks for all the input.

 

Well... there isn't much I can say without pictures or any real information, but:
IDIs are nearly bulletproof if you keep water and oil in them. Cavitation can be a problem, but it's fairly rare.
Basically, once you get the truck, put something like Zerex HD ELC coolant in it and don't worry about it. That's my go-to coolant, though others will recommend using a standard green coolant with Napakool additive, and then checking the levels of the additives every 6 months.

The overall scoop on cavitation is pinholes which show up in the cylinder wall, letting coolant into the engine. While it's not a total loss at that point, it generally requires a sleeve. Also, you will find engines which ran with standard green coolant with no additives and never had an issue, along with ones which did.

The other thing to remember here is you are buying a truck that's over 25 years old. it /WILL/ need TLC. Basically, most of the rubber will be disintegrating at this point, so you'll be thinking about ending up replacing hoses, O-rings etc. in the next few years if they weren't already replaced.

The good news is that if you can work on things yourself, these engines(and trucks) are pretty simple to work on, and parts are available far cheaper than the Powerstroke trucks.

 

I just got a 1989 f350 7.3 idi with the sidewinder kit and im new to diesels. We replaced the batteries and the alternator is new but its not charging the batteries. The wiring is jerry rigged to say the least. But the engine turns over when the ignition is off as well. Just looking for advice.