I've been a gas GM guy my whole life (I've owned three GMT800 platform trucks), but I want to make the switch to a 7.3 SuperDuty.

What are the main issues to look for?

What are "deal breakers?"

 

Deal breakers are blow by or damages turbo blades. Blow by only gets worse and damages turbo blades lead to blow by.

Blow by leads to damaged cylinder walls, low compression and oil consumption.

All of the above cost lots of money and can only be fixed by pulling the motor and rebuilding or replacing.

Check blow by on an ice cold motor and then again with a hot motor by taking the oil fill cap off and evaluating the quantity and force of the smoke. You shouldn't have much or any on a cold motor and very little on a hot motor.

There are some great YouTube videos on the process.

 

The process that is generally used in determining excessive blow by is to take the oil filler cap off of the engine while it is running and place it upside down over the hole. If it just sits there and shimmies with the engine you're good to go, if there is excessive blow by it will blow the cap away from the hole.

 

Buyers Guide...

 

Start by looking for 1/10th of a liter less displacement. It will make your searches far more fruitful.

7.3L = Ford 444 Diesel
7.4L = Chevy 454 Gas

 

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