Proud owner of 2 7.3's good trucks....looking at the new 6.7 forum (sure look purty), and thinking to myself... if in 4 or 5 years....after warranty is out...how will we maintain them ourselves? I have looked briefly under the hood at one, and judging from several posts in different threads, seems like a lot of vague symptoms occurring and may be more electrical than mechanical.

Guess we will need to purchase a $$$$$$ load of some windows based pc hookup programmer for our trucks....or pay mega moohlah for the dealers to diagnose our precious powerstrokes....

I like my ole 7.3 simply for the fact that I can work on it with minimal computer/scanner input and sensors are easy (mostly) to locate and troubleshoot....

sorry, just in the "thinking" mode again......

Hopefully, when/if i retire or go into the grass cutting business and get one for the job....will have a nice new diesel....

Powerstroke ON!!!!

 

I have often wondered the same thing. My old New Holland diesel with mechanical injection will run as long as I have fuel and air. No electronics needed.

On my 6.0 I could change an injector or most things on the truck without worrying about programming the computer. The 6.7 has the injector profile that needs to be programmed in the computer for each injector (I think, but still trying to figure this out). I am hoping that in 5 or so years AE has advanced enough where I can do this on my own. If not, I am at the mercy of the dealer or will need to purchase my own IDS from Ford.

 

I think it is headed where all technology is headed -- "no user serviceable parts inside". I think the shift in my mindset has gone from me servicing a lot of things on a vehicle to a subset of things I can service.

The obvious risk to the manufacturer is if the cost of ownership gets too high (i.e. we pay a lot for out of warranty support), the consumer will begin looking for even more reliable products --- wasn't this one of the basic attributes of Toyota & Honda that enabled to get a foothold into the U.S. market?

 

Well said both of ya.... wonder if I could get a King Ranch interior look for my f350....probably come out cheaper and I would be all happy!!! These engines and probably like most of us "tinkerers" could fix most problems if we only had a diagnosis. Plus the fact of the matter is I gave Ford a large chunk of my money in 02, I hate to give them more if I can get away with it

 

It is just getting used to them, in 5 years we will be alot more comfortable with them and think of it as normal. I was a ford tech when the 7.3 came out, on one hand I thought it was cool as hell, on the other I was scared to death to have to work on it-scared of the unknown as usual.

 

Just like airplanes...the closer to the tip of the spear you get in performance, the more expensive it is to maintain.


You're normal Joe Blow can't replace an engine in an F-22 in his garage. Same applies here.

And yes....injector profiles need to be programed into the ECU. This is why all of the new trucks have their injector serial numbers programed in and a sticker placed on the top of the engine.

Cummins does this as well.

My hopes are these newer injectors that are not high pressure oil fed will last longer since they are less complex (injector...not fuel system).