First diesel I've ever owned, and have driven with a manual trans (we have many newer diesels in the fleet at work, but they're all automatics).

Truck is a 1990 F350, with banks turbo installed, 5 speed, 4x4...already bounced it off the governor a dozen times because I keep shifting it like a gasser, lol.

Is there some kind of a "Diesels for Dummies", for us 1st timers, that tells us how to handle the diesels, how to drive them, maintenance things or things to check over that the PO may not have done or done correctly...the kinds of things we wouldn't know coming from gas motors?

 

I know with these IDI motors having the correct coolant with the SCA additive is crucial in order to prevent cavitation. Understanding Cavitation in the 7.3L IDI Diesel

Also make sure that you use a MOTORCRAFT thermostat not just any old one from the parts store. When I am driving my 5 speed i start off in 2 unless hauling or under load. I don't know if that helps you any. There are also bulletins on the forums here that can help steer you in the right direction such as which glow plugs to use, how to diagnose, etc etc.

Hope this helps and welcome to FTE.

 

I would start with reading the stickies at the top of the forum. There is a lot of good information there for first time IDI (and diesel owners in general).
If you have a specific question that those don't answer, don't be afraid to post it here. Lots of people come here to learn, and those that know are not afraid to share with the newbs.

 

Your optimal power band is going to be somewhere around 24-2900RPM.
You start making decent torque right above idle. You typically don't want to load the engine fully below 1600RPM, but you can definitely part-load it below that.

On the flat, you can definitely run it way down in the revs unloaded - I'll often run 25 MPH in 4th gear, which is around 1150 RPM. Of course, if you come to a decent hill, you might need to downshift...

Also, you can generally start in 2nd unless you are towing a trailer or massive camper.

In theory, you shouldn't be in Overdrive when towing, but honestly it depends on speed and load. If you are going 50MPH when towing, you might well want to be in 4th. If you are going 60-70MPH, you want to be in 5th.

If you are going to be towing a heavy load, get an EGT gauge. This lets you see how hot the exhaust gasses are getting, and if they start getting too hot(I consider 1150F pre-turbo to be the limit), you can back off on the throttle to reduce them. It's usually not an issue until you turn up the fuel to make full use of the turbo - Generally, what I see is that if you are smoking due to giving it too much fuel compared to boost, that's when the EGTs skyrocket.

Overall, these trucks are stout, reliable, cheap to work on, and though they may not produce as much HP as a newer rig, they can put out that HP for hours on end.

Plus, with that turbo on there, if you get it tuned up and running well, you can definitely tow more than is probably safe. I hauled 16,000 lbs once without issue, but I was limited to around 45MPH going up some steep hills.... with the E-brake on. <_<