About 6 months ago I picked up a 1999 F250 crew cab long box to primarily use as a rig to pull a fifth wheel camper on occasion. When I bought it the transmission & transfer case were replaced in 30k miles ago, and new rear end 1k miles ago. I have since added 4000 miles to it and have discovered that I needed a new EGR line, EGR sensor, ICP sensor, CCV o-rings, and boost solenoid vacuum line. Other than that the truck runs pretty well. I have only used 1 quart of oil in 4000 miles, it starts easy in -20 F temperatures, doesn't smoke under load, or too bad after a cold start. However, it seems a little sluggish on the throttle response and has a hard time maintaining speed on a few rather gradual hills. It currently has 350,000 miles on it but doesn't seem to leak (after the CCV o-ring replacement) or use oil. My question is, when should a guy consider a rebuild of the 7.3?

 

If I were you, I would make sure there were no exhaust or intake leaks and tune it with a hydra. Nothing fancy, but enough to get you where you want to be. Then enjoy another 500,000 miles...

 

I will check for intake leaks. A new set of boots were next on my list.

I forgot to mention it has new exhaust and a slight amount of blow-by (not enough to fail the cap test).

 

Welcome to the board. Does it have bellowed up pipes or the original style. do you see any sign of soot toward the back of the engine bay.

 

I'm with Sous,

Do the validity check on the boots R@R and see what you see.

As far as the slug goes, a chip will put a big smile on your face. Wakes up the sleeping giant.

15 years ago or so I was a Chevy guy. Had a 6.5 diesel in a 1 ton dually with a stick. Snappy as hell and strong.

Traded it on my E99 and two weeks into the marriage I wanted a divorce because it was like trying to throw the dog off the bed. (Retriever)

Short story. I put a TS 6 position switch in with the chip, after much very well received research and the world was my oyster. Totally different truck and my right foot lost alot of weight.

I still have it and always will. It hauls the mail and has never even winked at me when I walked away.

The one thing I would say and echo is to make a place to put an EGT gauge if your towing heavy.

Denny

 

So far it doesn't sound like it needs a rebuild. However, there is no EGR anything on this engine. There is an exhaust back pressure sensor (EBPS) and a tube that it feeds off of. And if you're starting good at -20 I'd say you're doing pretty damn well there.

 

The up pipes are original. There is some minimal soot around the boots overall it is fairly clean for a 20 year old motor.

 

The EBPS and tube were replaced two weeks ago. The tube broke in two when I took it off to clean it, so it was time.

 

I am looking at adding EGT, Boost, Trans Temp, and possibly Fuel pressure gauges at some point, I just need to figure out where to mount them. I'm not a big fan of the driver side pillar so am looking for other options; but that is a different story.

 

I did notice a small amount of oil on the cold side of the turbo (enough to wet a few q-tips), but was thinking that was due to the CCV leak I had (there weren't any o-rings, someone tried to use silicone instead). Would it be out of the normal to consider a turbo rebuild at the minimum?

 

Slow your roll here a bit. If it will pass the oil cap test, you are likely golden.
Next up, do a boost leak test. Do you have a boost gauge?
After you fix the boot leaks, rig up a boost gauge (any 0-30psig gauge will work).
Tee it into the map sensor line. How much boost does she make under load?
18 and above and its OK, Under 15, I would push the up pipes to the top of my list.

 

If your able. With that mileage I would certainly look at the turbos health and consider not just a rebuild because you tow, but look for an upgraded unit after talking around this forum.

The prices seem very reasonable and sure it's not a 200 dollar bunk to rebuild, slightly higher, but the gain in longevity, performance and enjoy ability weighs less.

Just putting in the chisel as hard as I can

 

Before you add any HP on 7.3, you must always consider the trany if its an automatic.
That turbo upgrade may verywell cost a lot more than you have anticipated!
A little chip here, a little turbo work here and what do you know?
You are getting a 20% bump in power and torque. If its a hand shaker, go for it!
If not, tread lightly until u are ready to upgrade the tranny or your next post may have a completly differnt $$ subject.

 

I am not either as I have a grab handle there that I will not part with. There are several options out there: overhead pod, instrument cluster mount, steering column, dash pod, and 650 lower dash are some that I can think of off the bat. I have an overhead pod and 650 lower dash and am happy with how it turned out. Things start to get tricky (and time consuming) for installation/wiring when you go outside the standard pillar mount, especially if you mount in different locations like I did.

 

When one or more cylinders have lost compression or there is a mechanical failure in the bottom end. Yours doesn't sound like it needs a rebuild, you just need to check to make sure everything is working properly with no boost leaks and make sure your injectors and high pressure oil system are in good shape. Then you can do a few mods to get some more power.