My 1999 Powerstroke has 245,000 miles in it. I changed o rings and glow plugs a couple years ago and it did help some but it smokes a lot when first cranked and is kinda hard to start in the winter. The truck runs fine after it cranks but a friend of mine has a set of injectors with very low miles on them that I can get at a good price. Should I keep running my original injectors and wait until one goes out or go ahead and put 8 new ones in it? Thanks

 

I just went through replacing my injectors and, in hindsight, I would have waited to replace them.

A quick background: At 305K miles I had all the symptoms of at least one bad injector o-ring. The injectors were still running fine - easy start, smooth idle (for a 7.3L), and no issues. Were they tired...yes. Were they showing any signs of age...sure. I had to take everything out to replace the o-rings (and also cups as it turns out) so I contemplated just getting new injectors since I was already in there. I ended up coming into some unexpected cash so I bought new injectors (actual new injectors, not new-to-me rebuilt/remans).

Many have had no issues swapping sticks but others have. I don't have any severe issues (my truck is still driveable) but I'm still trying to iron out some kinks and learn what is normal. For all that I've been through to just get where I am IMO wasn't worth it for me personally to save the labor costs of only going in there once.

It's easy for me to say that as I was determined to get new injectors beforehand. It's like that one movie you want to see but everyone tells you that's it's not that good. You go see it anyway because you have to see it for yourself then afterwards realize that it's not that good just like everybody said.

If I were to go back and do it over again I would have stayed with my original injectors until something happened to at least one of them then gone with a full set replacement.

Here's some good reading: https://swampsdiesel.com/files/7.3LI...Diagnostic.pdf

Some have over 400K miles on their original injectors. I should have followed suit.

Now if the injectors were a good enough price to have a spare set ready to go I would consider that. Again, that's just me and my personal opinion.

Just my .02

 

Seems to me, when a truck is having problems, most jump to the conclusion..... you need new injectors !

There are so many things with these old 7.3's that could be wrong..... that cost so much less than a set of injectors.

I've pulled my injectors and replaced the o-rings about 100,000 miles ago. That certainly helped ! And over the years, I've replaced parts or fixed every damn oil or boost leak I've ever had on this engine.

Now understand, I'm an old guy and this is my daily driver. I don't haul a load with the truck. I don't try to drag race or go mudding, although this truck is in the National Forest a lot.

But.... at 475,000 miles.... and getting around 17.5mpg average..... I'm not about to change those OLD injectors for new. Really... you all have read it online... people say your injectors are tired at 100,000miles.... really ???

Just my thoughts.... but I will admit, that my plan has always been, that when " My Old Gal " turns 500,000.... I plan to have everything refurbished to like new.... new paint job....everything !

Cheaper than buying a new truck.... and I know how to fix most anything that goes wrong with this 7.3 !

 

Test the glowplugs at the 42 pin connector to see if a couple went bad. Simple and free test.

 

You're not talking about new injectors. You're talking about used injectors with lower miles. Miles might be low, but what about maintenance? You can ruin some injectors in a lot less miles than you have if you don't change the oil properly. You can also get a bad set of rebuilts from somewhere that might be low miles, but might be worse than what you have.

If you're curious about the shape of your injectors, determine what exact circumstances and temperatures you have issues, and then wait for that set of circumstances when you have the time, and pull the valve covers and have someone start the truck while you watch the oil discharge spouts at each injector. If you have injectors not spitting oil, or not spitting as much as the others when cold, but start to spit the correct amount once warmed up, those are problem injectors.

 

I wouldn't do injectors either for cold start issues I start with the relay, glowplugs, try a synthetic oil first in that order. But if those injectors were a good deal I would pick them up and set them to the side to have rebuilt later so you are not in a position when you do injectors your truck is not down when you are waiting for your injectors. Or you want a more performance oriented injector you can have them rebuilt.

 

Please let me buy those injectors at the good buddy price, mine have 427k on them and they actually need replacing.

As for you, diagnose the problem before jumping to needing a replacement. OR replace them and sell me yours at a good buddy price.

All that aside, yours *should* be ok still so follow the already given good advice on diagnosing. On a cold start does it run rough or just smoke, and what color smoke for how long? If rough running, for how long?

 

"No sir. A 160-180/30 will run clean with good tunes."

Jason, have you noticed that manual trucks run dirtier than the auto trucks with the same tunes/injectors? Also, when I bought my FF injectors, I shipped my Hydra back to them and they loaded the PHP tunes on it (I can do it myself now, but I was worried I'd screw it up and it'd be a n/s after the injector install). When I got the JeliBuilt tunes, I hooked up the laptop and saw that the tunes FF put on the hydra were for 160/30 injectors, not 180/30 injectors. I thought maybe that'd make a difference, but when I e-mailed them, they said, they were the same, or close enough that it didn't matter. I've been running the JeliBuilt tunes for these 180/30s and in the lowest setting ('low smoke, modified stock'), she still smokes at 50-75% load. Not bad, but after a few days, the bed side is blackening up. Is there a tune you like that seems to be cleaner than others? I see you mentioned the PHP tunes as being clean. Have you been able to find a 180/30 PHP tune or is it the 160/30 tune from their files? Sorry, lots of questions. I can PM if too far off topic. Just saying that I've tried the PHP and JeliBuilt and they are both a little smokey with some load. I will try to get video when I think my kid won't drop my phone out the window...

 

I had smoking issues with my 160/80 injectors. Never did clear it up before my truck got totaled (about a year after I installed the injectors).

I went through several revisions with PHP and a couple with Gearhead (I bought tunes through them as the extended library wasn't available yet). It got better but not enough for my liking. I did get it to pass smog, but barely.

I'm too old to have a shelf of parts to swap in every 2 years for the smog check (nor do I have the time) and I'm not chummy enough with one to get a hook-up.

I don't know what turbo you have but I was only running my modified rebuilt stock turbo (with Riffraff billet 4+4 wheel). I'm pretty sure my problem was the turbo not providing enough air to my single shots. I had plans to get a GTP38R to see if that helped. I'm not sure about your smog shop but if my turbo didn't have GARRETT stamped on the housing then it was an instant fail. With all the other stuff I'd done to the truck I didn't need to draw any undue attention under the hood.

 

That's a crazy smog shop... If they are looking for 'Garrett" as an indicator of modifications on a 7.3, then a) that tech has too much time on his hands, and b) he's pretty damned knowledgeable about 7.3s.

 

They all do that in California,due to their laws.
As far as I know..

Here in Finland they looks only for the numbers,you can swap all the parts you want.