Fluke or norm
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Fluke or norm
New to this forum and looking for advice and information. I sought out and found what I was looking for a Motorhome with the 6.9L international. Reason I was so set on that power plant is because I grew up with a 1986 F350 with that engine and a 3 speed manual. My parents bought it new and my mother hauled horses with it for a long time and kept very detailed logs. It still ran when my father scrapped it, to this day I am sore about that. Anyway I know it's whole history and we got 387k miles out of it with nothing but meticulous maintenance eg. oil changes without fail at milage and such. Most we had to do was 2 clutches one of those had the distinct possibility of being the result of two young drivers learning to drive in the truck. To top it off according to my mother's logs she averaged 18mpg pulling a loaded horse trailer. Is that just a fluke for this engine to be so reliable and efficient or are these engines as bullet proof as I hope.
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An engine is only as good as the owner who takes care of it. Yours got 300k+ miles because it was well taken care of. If you purchase another truck, you might not be so lucky. i.e. I have a 1998 Toyota Camry with 368k miles that I drive everyday to work, but I don't expect all camrys to get that.
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From: Virginia
No fluke. Those old diesels are known for that. They are the old school type diesels, all mechanical injection, built very very heavy, and very low on power. They are designed to be able to run with the pedal to the floor all day long. They are governed to only 3300 rpm.
18mpg was very possible in the old days. With this new watered down fuel they sell now, you will have a hard time reaching those numbers with a heavy vehicle. But you still will be in the teens, unlike a 460 rv that would barely get 8mpg in the same setup. I get 15mpg with my 7.3 diesel, and it has 4.10's with 35's and a 4 inch lift, all which hurt it some.
These engines are not very popular with the new diesel crowd. There are no computer chips to play with, and you can't get a lot of power out of them like the newer ones, but if you are patient and not in a hurry, they are very reliable. You probably need to do some maintenance to yours, like replacing the rubber lines and o-rings on the injector return system, and checking the glowplugs and the glowplug controller.
18mpg was very possible in the old days. With this new watered down fuel they sell now, you will have a hard time reaching those numbers with a heavy vehicle. But you still will be in the teens, unlike a 460 rv that would barely get 8mpg in the same setup. I get 15mpg with my 7.3 diesel, and it has 4.10's with 35's and a 4 inch lift, all which hurt it some.
These engines are not very popular with the new diesel crowd. There are no computer chips to play with, and you can't get a lot of power out of them like the newer ones, but if you are patient and not in a hurry, they are very reliable. You probably need to do some maintenance to yours, like replacing the rubber lines and o-rings on the injector return system, and checking the glowplugs and the glowplug controller.
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Joined: Jan 2014
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No fluke. Those old diesels are known for that. They are the old school type diesels, all mechanical injection, built very very heavy, and very low on power. They are designed to be able to run with the pedal to the floor all day long. They are governed to only 3300 rpm.
18mpg was very possible in the old days. With this new watered down fuel they sell now, you will have a hard time reaching those numbers with a heavy vehicle. But you still will be in the teens, unlike a 460 rv that would barely get 8mpg in the same setup. I get 15mpg with my 7.3 diesel, and it has 4.10's with 35's and a 4 inch lift, all which hurt it some.
These engines are not very popular with the new diesel crowd. There are no computer chips to play with, and you can't get a lot of power out of them like the newer ones, but if you are patient and not in a hurry, they are very reliable. You probably need to do some maintenance to yours, like replacing the rubber lines and o-rings on the injector return system, and checking the glowplugs and the glowplug controller.
18mpg was very possible in the old days. With this new watered down fuel they sell now, you will have a hard time reaching those numbers with a heavy vehicle. But you still will be in the teens, unlike a 460 rv that would barely get 8mpg in the same setup. I get 15mpg with my 7.3 diesel, and it has 4.10's with 35's and a 4 inch lift, all which hurt it some.
These engines are not very popular with the new diesel crowd. There are no computer chips to play with, and you can't get a lot of power out of them like the newer ones, but if you are patient and not in a hurry, they are very reliable. You probably need to do some maintenance to yours, like replacing the rubber lines and o-rings on the injector return system, and checking the glowplugs and the glowplug controller.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
A rebuilt E4OD would be a great choice if you have the money. They had a lot of problems with that tranny in the beginning, but by 1995 had most things worked out, and any tranny you get should be rebuilt with the updates installed. If you are looking for a tranny, I was told by a reliable source to check with the Ford dealer. They supposedly have a decent price, very good warranty, and all their trannies are built to 1995 standards. Put a huge oil cooler on it and you should be ready to go.
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Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Lost
Keep good oil/oil filter and air filter on them, and they can last well over 500K. They don't have enough power to hurt themselves.
Of course, keeping up with cooling system needs is vital to keeping them alive. They don't cope with overheating too well.......
Of course, keeping up with cooling system needs is vital to keeping them alive. They don't cope with overheating too well.......
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From: Virginia
I did a little searching on the internet, and a few years ago they said the Ford dealer wanted $1950 with a 3 year warranty. Make sure they will honor the warranty in your non-original application. They said Jasper wanted $2400 for one with the same warranty.
I believe I looked a couple of years ago, and Baumann wanted around $500 for a controller and another $150 for a wiring harness for it. You can probably get the driveshaft modified locally for a couple hundred. And you might need a flexplate, I am not sure if your c6 flexplate will work or not.
I believe I looked a couple of years ago, and Baumann wanted around $500 for a controller and another $150 for a wiring harness for it. You can probably get the driveshaft modified locally for a couple hundred. And you might need a flexplate, I am not sure if your c6 flexplate will work or not.
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