hi friends

i'm dany from very south of the world , i have an 1989 E350 7.3L IDI
and i live in deep patagonia , so is very hard to find parts
so , now i want to change my old navistar 7.3 for another turbo engine because an turbo kit is very expensive to me

i'm thinking in a 7.3 powerstroke , international navistar dt466 or cummins 6.7L

you have some advices ? anyone knows if the 7.3 powerstroke fit in the 1989 rig ?

all your comments are wellcome

 

A powerstroke of cummins swap would be very time consuming and expensive.

For much less time and money you could purchase a new hypermax turbo kit and install it on your IDI. Is your IDI in good shape?

 

In 89 I dont think they were tubo'd from the factory at least as I recall my BIL F350 wasn't. Remember that the van has a different setup for the turbo (late ones anyhow) not sure on yours. There is a guy in another post installing a cummins in his van (4x4 I think) so search for it. One of the magazines just had a history of ford diesels but I cant remember when they went to a factory turbo on the 7.3. Do a ssearch on you tube maybe find something there?

 

The vans never had a factory turbo option. Banks made an aftermarket kit for a while, but they re no longer available. Hypermax still makes a kit. Finding either one of them used is almost impossible.

The hypermax kit is $2400
https://www.gohypermax.com/ProductDi...c-d47c4d84fb8d

If you do turbo the van, I would recommend moving everything possible to the the frame rails. Fuel filter, batteries etc.

 

thanks for the answers
my engine have 92k miles , i dont know if is real , but this van was an ambulance
the engine needs an rings change, with everything that takes that , its oil consume
one micro crack was fixed in a seat
engine is running good , i drove 7000 km average last year
i have some issues with temp , engine doesnt have the original fan and fan clutch , just a electro fan

here is really hard to find parts to reinforce the engine , my mechanics says that we need to change head cylinders to put a turbo kit

all taht is more expensive than a powerstroke full engine

 

At 92K, or even 192K, the engine should still be in good shape. How do you know it needs the rings changed? If it is consuming oil, it could be that you need to clean/replace the CDR valve. A faulty one can cause a lot of oil consumption. Do you have any oil leaks, maybe the valve covers?

If your rings are sticking, you could always run a few doses of AutoRX with the oil. Some say it doesn't help, but I personally know of a number of motors that it greatly helped.

As far as reinforcing the engine, there is no need for it. A stock engine will have no problems running up to the 12-13psi boost range. You may want to look into re-torquing the head bolts.

Why do you need to change the cylinder heads? Stock ones are fine. Only thing to look for is if the head gaskets are leaking. If they are, then you can replace the head bolts with studs when you do the gaskets.

The issue with swapping in a powerstroke or cummins is that it is far from being a simple swap There is a lot of custom fabrication, as well as electrical work that needs to be done. That means time and money. Plus you are looking at needing a different transmission, custom driveshafts etc etc etc.

You would be pulling the IDI for any swap. Why not pull it, take the heads off and inspect it? If everything looks okay then add head studs, replace the head gasket, reseal everything and install your turbo?

I would bet that it would end up being less time, work and money to keep the IDI and turbo it.

What do you hope to get out of the swap? More power? More mileage?

If it were me, I would keep the IDI and add a turbo to it.

 

hi jayro88 , your answer makes me more hopefull jajaja

i take off the CDR valve and clean once 2 years ago , but now is smoking again , the engine consume 1 GL in 3000 Km +/- , dont have leaks and when a refill with oil y add no smoke additive and works fine

the heads change is for an micro crack in one seat valve , as my mechanics says , i dont see or inspect the heads in person
no leaks in the gaskets
how can i determinate if the heads are in good shape?

i want the turbo kit just for better performance in mountain roads and climbs

and i love the IDI engine , no electronics is a paradise when you are traveling so far from any town , i i can keep it i'm gonna do

thanks jayro88

 

Hey Danyrock!!! I would like to ask you if you did the swap. because just a few weeks ago I finished the swap on my 89 E350 7.3 idi to a 2003 7.3 power stroke.

 

If you have details or a smallish "how to" do this sort of swap I'm sure it would very interesting to a few here!

 

Your biggest issue is the fuel pumps, processor and wiring harness you need for the Powerstroke
That can be done but not easily in Patagonia
You will need about eight million bucks
Ship another newer powerstroke van down there
That will be ckeaper IMO
Live with the one you have?
The one you have will outlive us all possibly