Hello all, I have made the move from a 6.0L diesel to a 7.3L diesel for the sheer fact of reliability. Im new to the 7.3 L diesel and dont have all the abbreviations down yet that I have been reading up on. Some I know, some have me scratching my head.

I bought this truck with 318000 km's on it which I find to be just broken in. Was having issues starting up in the mornings when cold. Would turn and turn and turn. Blowing smoke out the exhause. I changed out the glow plugs by doing some research. Now it starts every time. Havent had a problem yet. Not even a puff of smoke at start! Also installed a AFE stage 2 cold air intake kit. Cleaned up the engine compartment a bit more.

I could tell that this truck hase'nt seen the inside of a shop for some time. The valve covers were baked with soot and the boost tube plastic boots felt like they were glued on. I cleaned them up and removed the foil from the one (looks much better) and cleaned the valve covers. Thats when I found the bright orange engine sticker.

There were a few things that I noticed. At an idle when first started, I can hear what sounds like air escaping from somewhere. (near back of engine). It dosent start right away. About 2-3 min after startup from cold.

The next is the idle. Its a little rough but no skipping. More like a small variation of about 20-50 rpms. You can watch the tac slightly move up and down. More or less does it when engine is warm. No power issues when hitting the throttle.

The drive belt is frayed possibly to the pully idle arm? Tried looking at it to see how straight it is and for any movement. Picked up a second belt just in case. Will get this looked at soon.

I did one time had the spedometer start jumping around and my stereo stopped. Just the sound. The stereo was still getting power. Im guessing this could be a shafe wire grounding out somewhere. Turned off and on. Has not done it since.

Last but not least, cosmetic! Yes, there is rust and the front shocks are gone. Possibly replace with stock for now. Fender flares covered up the rust. Looks much better until replacement.

Now, what else should I look for? This truck drives great besides whats listed above. Any common sensors, leaks, or weak links I should give a look over? Wanting to keep it mostly stock but if I can do anything to get it back to running new by doing a little TLC would occupy my afternoon and be able to get a few beers down .

This is what has been replaces before I purchased the truck:

Warn locking manual hubs
New front wheel hubs
New gas tank
New steering column
New fluids
Brakes and calipers (They squeek in the front)

Engine oil is Rotella 15w-30 Conventional (looking at switching to synthetic)
Looking at doing a coolant flush and I heard that the coolant can be replaced with the Motocraft Gold? Same at the 6.0L. Not sure on that. Currently using the green stuff.
Transmission shifts soo smooth I barely notice it sometimes. Bonus??
Thanks in advance for your time and support. I'm going to scout the forums and see what else I can find.

Oh and its good to be back!

Reid Carrico

 

Welcome !! As you know your are in the right place. Reps for coming back to the 7.3 side !!

 

Good choice.

Bump for right now.

 

The air escaping is the EBPV opening to help the engine warm up faster...it's normal, sounds like a jet

small variation in idle seems to be characteristic of some trucks, my truck I drive everyday does it too...for a looong time! While some of my others don't do it.

idler arm...well, it's probably time

As for your speedometer thing...it definitely wasn't your tach jumping? that would lead to a CPS (crankshaft pos sensor) very common little nuisance w/ these trucks...keep a spare in the glovebox. you could also be getting some water leaking from the windshield and wetting the gem module under the dash...will cause weird things too but that's just a guess.

when you do your brakes...make sure you check your caliper pins...they will freeze up if not maintained and the caliper will not work correctly. if their not frozen, be sure to grease them up good.

Oil: The T6 Rotella is cheap ( and synthetic) at WalMart

 

You said that you changed out your glow plugs, Did you check your GlowPlugRelay (GPR) to make sure that it was working?

As for the idle. Make sure that you have no boot leaks. When you were under the valve covers, you should have re torqued the injectors and rocker arms.
You may have an injector out or an electrical harness problem that may be a little loose under the valve covers. you should also ohm the plug in to see if they are fine. Some one will give you the info for all of this.

I know that you said that you want to keep it 'stock' but I would recommend getting a Chip or Tune. You will really like the way it runs and the increase in MPG and Power.

Welcome to the forum.