Hey guys im looking at getting an f350 diesel. Ive been looking around and my buddy has a 97 f 350 7.3 turbo he told me to look at the 94-97 f350s and i found a 91 diesel 4wd single cab 170,000 miles for 4,600 obo. Is this a good deal and what should i look for?

 

4600 seems like a lot of money to me, but if the truck was in near mint condition I could see that price. Your buddys truck is a powerstroke while the 91 is not, so dont expect the same kind of performance out of it.

 

id agree, un less its super clean, and turboed that seems like a lot of money. and id have to second the performance of the idi will not be the same of the 7.3 powerstroke.

 

4600 is a little high unless it has extremely low miles and is near mint. but again that depends on your location. do you have any pics or info on the truck? where are you located?

the 83-94.5 diesel's are not powerstroke diesels but they are made by international the same company that make the powerstrokes. the 7.3 your looking at is the more reliable version

the maintenance cost of the 91 your looking at is exponentially lower than the cost to maintain your buddies stroke. (im in the same position i have a 94 IDI and my buddy has a 95 stroke) take a look at some of these figures

powerstroke fuel injector:
List: Fuel Injector - 1997 Ford F-250 | O'Reilly Auto Parts
IDI fuel injector:
List: Fuel Injector - 1994 Ford F-250 | O'Reilly Auto Parts
Powerstroke fuel Injector Driver Module:
List: Diesel Fuel Injector Driver Module - 1997 Ford F-250 | O'Reilly Auto Parts
Powerstroke High Pressure Oil Fuel Injection Pump:
Pensacola Fuel Injection | Worlds #1 Diesel Rebuilder - FORD POWERSTROKE 7.3L :: HIGH PRESSURE OIL PUMPS AND COMPONENTS
IDI Injection Pump:
Pensacola Fuel Injection | Worlds #1 Diesel Rebuilder - FORD 6.9L - 7.3L :: REBUILT FUEL INJECTION PUMPS

this is not all of the comparisons i could list. ^^^^^^

basically the things you should focus on when looking to purchase a IDI is make sure the glow plugs are working at cold start. they should glow about 10 seconds on the first start of the day. and if its had a chance to cool all the way off. and SCA's in the antifreeze. the 7.3L engines can have issues with cavitation because the block was cast thin in comparision to the 6.9 counterpart. but if treated most of its life chances are minimal the cavitation will set in. make sure you flush the system and add SCA to your new coolant or use ELC coolant with the additive in it if you get a 7.3L truck. look at the rubber injector return lines for leaks when the engines running. if they are leaking don't let you scare that a way from buying it thats just some little rubber orings that go bad over time with the heat of the injectors. they are not hard to change. there are some other things but its early and im not able to think of them all right now lol

 

With these motors there is really only a handfull of problems that are common and all are ALOT cheaper to fix then a psd. You can buy a whole pump and injector set for the price of 2psd injectors, they are mechanical which i like a lot better then the psd's fly by wire design. However it won't make the power of a psd without a turbo. $4600 seems like a lot if you can get it down into something that at least starts with a 3 then you should be sitting ok.

 

I just bought a 94 idi turbo and i got it for 3000 dollars. It had a fuel leak and was an easy fix thanks to the guys in this forum. It also has some rust problems that i am fixing myself so a number with a 3 in front is about the right price. P.S. my truck had 200,000 pretty much even when I bought it.

 

@ Idaho nice looking rig!!!

 

Thanks I appreciate it. Once I finish the body work it will look even better with out the rust.

 

Dont be scared of those pesky strokers!! maintenance of the truck is important to me so i am glad i wound up with an IDI and not a stroke. I can replace injectors cheap like mentioned above and i dont have to worry about failing electronics. My mechanical monstrosity suits me fine!

 

so i spoke with the guy today it is a 7.3 non turbo light rust on the bed fenders, which ive noticed is normal, and needs a transmission gasket it has a small leak. frame has a little rust on it but nothing to bad have seen much worse, engine looks clean and the interior is an 8 out of 10. Said price is neogotiable but not by much so i might try for $3500 or $3800. plus might have to travel from ct to nj so gotta look into it big time.

 

he didn't happen to give you the mileage did he? or how many owners it had? i don't think they had the digital odometers yet so it will only go out to 5 digits plus the 1/10th so you'll really have to trust the guy..... is he a older guy or younger guy by the voice.... usually old guys are more trustworthy..... transmission gasket would lead me to believe automatic cause i don't think any manuals have gaskets i know mine don't. but you should fix that before any major driving.. in my experience this can be done in less than 30 min in the driveway if you use a real gasket and not RTV.. also since your going to have the pan off to change the gasket if you get it then you might as well change the trans filter while the pan is off....

 

it has 170,000 miles and i would say he is older. The gasket i would change and do a filter while there. And yes automatic

 

I have both, my favorite is which ever one I'm driving at the time. The 6.9 with turbo is not bad when compared to the factory stroke, but I don't drive one of them neither. I paid $3800 4 years ago for the '83- 6.9 350 with utility bed listed on here from an older gent. I love it, don't care if I get stroked. Guy welded a Snap On box in the compartment, cost a mint to fill the drawers. 124,XXX only drive it when I need tools on the job.

 

Looking into it if I can get him down into the threes I think I'm going to get it. I like the simpleness of the idi. My next question is where can you find performance parts for them?

 

Pumps can be turned up a little, but think the early '94 were said to be best injectors and injection pumps. Available at a variety of places. Pensacola Diesel maybe? Exhaust is fairly simple, 3" pipe and an open muffler or straight pipe. Swamps used to sell Hypermax Turbo's, cheaper than Bank's and both have innercoolers or mod in the 7.3 powerstroke IC,as seen on FTE. As they tell you on here, before you crank up a pump invest in the pyrometer. I have the K+N filters but no reason you can't mod for a 6637 either. You are limited to you wallet and imagination.