1997 7.3 will not start.

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Jul 18, 2012 | 02:42 PM

#31

427 fordman

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From: Plankinton, SD

Do you know of anybody with a 7.3 from 94.5-03? The superdooty trucks just have a little more voltage on theirs. I'd try yours on someone elses truck if you can, instead of trying theirs on your truck in case their is some other problem, hate to hurt someone elses.

Jul 18, 2012 | 04:09 PM

#32

2ndhandstuff4sale

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Yup I checked the resistance at the idm plug and got 3.2 on every injector.

Jul 19, 2012 | 06:48 AM

#33

DIYMechanic

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From: Orrville, Ohio

Sounds like you need to try another IDM.

Jul 19, 2012 | 08:10 PM

#34

jay mat

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try the relay under the hood ther is one under the hood on the drivers side its a big black box. take the cover off the fuse blck under the hood and turn it on like you were going to start it and see if you hear one of the relays making a werd sound if you do it is that one. It is your glow plug relays. you have a deal that looks like a igniton relay be hing your fuelfilter housing that may be bad also

Jul 24, 2012 | 05:15 PM

#35

2ndhandstuff4sale

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Thank you Thank you and Thank you can not say it enough to everyone who chimed in to help me. Replaced the IDM and it fired right up and sounds great!!! thanks again to all you guys!

Jul 24, 2012 | 06:34 PM

#36

427 fordman

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From: Plankinton, SD

Great news!

Jul 24, 2012 | 10:20 PM

#37

zthayer

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From: Peach Grove, KY

1997 F-350 7.3 with E40D Transmission

Hello, I'm new to the diesel world I just bought a Ford F-350 with the 7.3 Diesel and the E40D Transmission. i just wanted to ask and see if there is anything i should be looking out for on this Truck? The truck has 81,000 miles on it.

Thanks!

Jul 25, 2012 | 06:53 AM

#38

DIYMechanic

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From: Orrville, Ohio

Quote:

Originally Posted by zthayer

Welcome to the site! Below in italics is a good place for you to start. This is meant to be a place for someone to start looking at a truck before they purchase, but the same stuff applies in your situation. A couple things I would suggest you address are the stock auto transmission cooler and the air filter setup. The stock axillary (there is one in the radiator too) transmission cooler is a joke. It is that little 4x10" thingy hanging just behind the grill on the upper corner of the passenger side. If you do any towing (or even if you don't) you need to upgrade that thing to a bigger aftermarket cooler. Getting the heat out of the transmission fluid will help that E4OD last a little longer, and since it is a weak link in these trucks, anything we can do to help it is money well spent. If you want to go farther than that, I suggest a valve body from RacerX and one of his triple disk torque converters. The stock air filter and box on these trucks is a poor design also. Many of us have upgraded to the 6637 filter. You can get the filters at NAPA and assemble your own "kit" of sorts, or you can buy one all shiny and new from Clay at Riffraff Diesel. And that is a big tip too. Riffraff has all kinds of stuff for these trucks that you either can't find elsewhere or will pay a lot more for if you get it somewhere else. And his customer service is great. Here is the link to the filter kit.

Again, Welcome! Stick around and we will help you keep that thing alive. Sounds like you have yourself a really nice truck there.
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9; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--> Buying Used Power Stroke Diesels
Things To Look For When Buying A Used Power Stroke Diesel

Turbo:

You might take the air tube off the back of the air filter and look inside of it. If there is dirt build up, that is a very bad sign, so are the turbo fins looking sand blasted or bent. A little oily film is normal since the valve cover breather exits inside the tube.

Airbox:

Check the two bolts holding down the airbox lid. If they are plastic with a square recess, it is a recalled part. The recall is expired, but without the updated lid the risk of dirt infiltration is greater, the lid was updated with more supports and the updated bolts are metal with a straight slot. If it is the old style, you spend around $80 to update it.

Tranny:

If you buy a truck with an auto tranny, finding out if it's been maintained is essential, as the E4OD is an expensive transmission. Also, (if auto) seeing if the truck has an auxiliary transmission cooler would be worthwhile. For sticks, listen for clunking when shutting off or small vibration while operating. It could be an indication of a dual mass flywheel going out. Many have replaced them with single mass units.

Rear Gear Ratio:

4:10 will pull better, get slightly lower mpg’s and run a higher RPM compared to 3:55.
Coolant:

Ask the previous owner about the coolant - have they been adding FW16 or DCA4 to keep a proper SCA level? It is very important for stopping cavitation. You can get test strips to check the SCA level from NAPA, International, or Ford. I would test the current condition while looking over the truck, the SCA level should be between 1.5 and 3.0. Also, see if it has a block heater (it was an option on 97's).

Front end:

Check the front end for wear, or have an alignment shop check out the ball joints and steering linkage (tie rod ends). If they are shot, it is spendy (all four tie rods are around $400 just for parts, ball joint labor is also very spendy)
Oil:

The questions to ask are how often the oil was changed (at least every 5,000) and what kind of oil they used (diesel rated)? An oil analysis could tell you if there might be an engine problem or not.

Aftermarket stuff:

Seeing if the truck has got an aftermarket downpipe would be nice, a chip, or gauges (pyrometer, trans temp, etc.). Ask about any added items and who installed them.

Glow Plugs/Relay:

Find out if the glow plugs are in good working condition as well as the relay. Ask if either has been changed and when. You can check the glow plug resistance through the valve cover connector if needed ( http://forums.ford-diesel.com/cgi-bi...&f=21&t=005210), and the relay should have power to both large terminals on top when the key is turned on, and one of the terminals should go out before ~2 minutes.

Injector o-rings:

The injector O-rings have been known to be a problem. The new o-ring sets have a pink middle seal. If the truck has an o-ring problem, one of the signs can be a discoloration of the fuel in the filter bowl. There is a drain on the passenger side front of the filter bowl for draining water (the filter is also the water separator) and you can catch some of the drained fuel in a jar – it should be dingy yellow and not blue or dark.

Leaks and Drips:

You can check the valley between the heads of the V8 for moisture and/or fluid. It should be dry not wet. Most leaks will run through this valley and down the back of the motor dripping off by the tranny/engine coupling.
VIN number:

If you take the VIN to any dealer, they can tell you when it was built, when it went into service, and some of the work that might have been done on it. You can also run prospective VIN's through Carfax.com to see the title history.