I think the 7.3 is the hands down winner for durability, ease of maintenance, people know how to work on them almost anywhere, cheaper parts and availability, definately built for 500K + miles. The 08, nice truck, turns sharper, nice options etc, butttt, the entry cost, high cost of maintenance, bugs to be worked out, and another new engine with more EPA goodies, remember the 6.0 nightmares,the wing nuts for cab removals, and the new short engine warranty. Rumor, Ford is lean on warranty repair funds. Question, how bad do you want new paint?

 

i was thinking more along the lines of things like brakes, springs etc. i prefer the bench with the fold down console myself, no capt chairs available in the 2008?

 

No there still available as long as you want an auto. Brakes, springs etc. should be better in the 08. Brakes in the 08 should give you better stopping power, especially with the tow command system, but my 7.3 brakes are still factory at 230,000 miles. Kinda hard to beat that, but the ole stick shift helps in that area.

I'm just bitter because I think for that kind of money I should be able to sit my but in whatever seat I want to.

 

As I was talking with my co-worker he mentioned something about having to buy Ford brand (Ford Gold Antifreeze) only. Also the 6.4 can only burn 5% or less biodiesel.

His understanding also is that while driving down the road, every so often a vibration shows up, which is the new particulate burner firing up. Evidently there is nothing you can do about it.

Tracie

 

you got some serious mile's there going on 663,000,i see you had a suncoast in your truck before going to a BTS,how did the suncoast holdup? and what do you like or dislike about both of them?, what kind of oil are you useing in the engine and what are your oil change interval's and also what have you had to replace in part's,your doing something right and wonder what your doing to get mile's most only dream about,GOOD JOB ON YOUR PART!! wondering with the high mile's you have,do you haul new RV'S from the factory to the dealer's all around the country, are you going to try for a MILLION MILE'S,your 2/3's of the way there, thank's for any info you want to share,saw a guy 3-4 year's ago deliver an rv for a woman whose husband pass away to our park and he had over 400,000 on an 01,not a thing major done to the truck,just a couple water pump,s and brake job's,can't remember if he had a stick or auto,dam 7.3's are just TOUGH.

 

You match the color. Red in red, green in green, gold in gold. That is standard for any new car or truck. Also, every manufacturer will recommend you purchase their oil, antifreeze and filters. Nothing new there.

That is what is recommended. Also the gas engines are set up to use only 10% ethanol (E-10) gas.

The truck does go through a cycle to burn off the particulate in the filter, but I have never heard of this causing a vibration.

So, does this guy own a Ford or is he just an avid reader? He sounds like a Super Duty Wanna Be.

 

poppie, I will try to keep this short. The suncoast converter worked fine for 200,000 + miles. I had a BTS installed at 300,000 + miles, great tranny, flawless performance, 2 sets of injectors, 3 alternators, 2 starters, 2 waterpumps, 1 turbo 4 sensors including cps. Oil, Delvac1, FS2500 bypass, since first oil change, switched to Rotella synthetic, 15K oil changes. Yes, I sure would like to see a million miles. I do deliver new rvs, mostly to western Canada. The 08's have some nice features, but My needs are for a workhorse that is reliable, so the 02 7.3 has been the ticket. I am just a little biased.

 

what is this reflash you speak of ?

 

www.dp-tuner.com

Most folks get a chip with several programs/files/tunes on it, but the cheapest way is to just have them reburn the PCM with one tune.

Come check out the 7.3L section if you're interested in 7.3L performance.

 

Thank's for the reply,you have 599,000 MORE mile's than i have on mine,64,342 as of today,my oldest son hauled for horizen rv transport for a year between job's but no longer,traded his 03 6.0 at just over 100,000 when the warrantee ran out, too many issue's,he did not want to get stuck with the kind of bill's that ford had been paying , down sized to an expedtion and is now a forman for a excavation company in helena Mt, your post's are a testament to the durability of the 7.3 power stroke and the care you give it and you have the powerd metal rod's no less ,hopefully by the time you 02 get's tired the 6.4 will have some history behind it so you dont get stung like my son did on his early 6.0h oh , good luck on your quest to reach 1 million mile's, I for one would like to know when you reach that milestone and for any non beliver's how about a photo of the spedo showing all what is possible with a GREAT truck driven by a PRO who gave it great service and got great service from the truck in return .

 

Redford
No my co-worker has the 2000 7.3 350, it pulls a 37foot 5th wheel just fine.
Tracie

 

Pulling 15,000 down the road, I'm a rookie towing with the 99 7.3/350, though I've done a lot of towing ocean to ocean with a 89 4.9 250 24000 CGVW. The questions I'd suppose to ask, old/new automatic/manual, the 99 has a massive cooling package
and towing 10k I've not seen the temp vary much above the usual normal running.

How much time is going to be spent towing versus driving? As the numbers get higher
toward towing, you want big brakes, big cooling and plenty of leeway for safety and
durability. I wouldn't think any of the newer diesels from Ford / Dodge / GM are slouches or the word would get around and they'd not sell. Sure there's failures in
everyones barn, but did they do maint by the book or better? Old doesn't mean its
going to break down, the odds may be higher, the 89 will die from rust sooner or later but not breaking down, maybe breaking in half. Comfort is a big safety item, if you're comfortable on the road, you can focus more on driving and less on annoying little stuff. If I had the need to tow 15k, I'd look for something that was rated for 20, bigger margin, bigger cooling hopefully longer life, the only part that bothers me is that
towing ratings seem based more on a burst of acceleration versus sustainable towing
of a given load, 4.11 gears get a lot more towing than 3.80's but the cooling and all other packages, brakes and such are the same. Ford-Trucker84537 was right, don't go comparing newer to older. Brand new likely involves more $$ and less tinkering
and repairs for a bit, older may be tougher, and it may be tougher on you, comp the 99 to the 89, the 99 is way easier down the road, better seats and much better, smoother ride, the automatic makes me nervous for no good reason and a new CPS did add peace of mind by getting rid of stalling but the 99 is new for me, even almost now going 10 years newer to 2008, more problems have been fixed and spiffed up.

-Jason

 

thanks i was aware of the DP, im stashing money to replace my hypertech with one, but i was misunderstanding whoever mentioned the reflash i thought they meant the dealer

 

It is true, you must remove the cab from the chassis on an '08 to remove the engine. That may be a consideration if you plan on keeping the truck. I have 413K on my 2000 and I just replaced the engine at 385K. It was a job to get IT out of the truck, 1000 pounds of iron to lift over the crossmember and it barely clears the cowl with the turbo removed. Can't imagine removing the cab too!

 

Removing the cab is how I prefer to work on any Superduty engine. So much easier.