Late 2000 - Forged Rods?
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12-28-2018, 09:07 PM
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#2
12-28-2018, 09:12 PM
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12-28-2018, 09:14 PM
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Check you engine serial number on the valve cover build sticker or you need to look at the block where the oil cooler is bolted to it .
This information was saved from several years ago when I was searching.
This information was saved from several years ago when I was searching.
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12-28-2018, 09:15 PM
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#5
12-28-2018, 09:15 PM
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Credit to Y2KW57
No 4x4 truck with a 7.3L had coil suspension as originally equipped, no matter how late the year. Ford did not release the coil suspended 4x4 front ends until 2005, which by that time was well into the 6.0L territory. A 6.0L is an entirely different maintenance and repair game than a 7.3L. If you want a 7.3L 4x4, it will have leaf front suspension, and it will not have the death wobble that many coil sprung front ends with lack of caster end up having, to go along with that softer ride.
As for transmissions, there are only two choices with a late '99-'03 7.3L: The 4R100 automatic, and the ZF 6 speed manual. The final drive ratio of both transmissions is the same, so there is no taller over drive benefit to the 6 speed manual over the 4 speed automatic. The automatic has a torque converter that provides torque multiplication for granny low. The ZF 6 speed has a folkloric "when men were men" aura, but frankly, I've been following Ford truck forums for 20 years, and for the installed base of 6 speed owners (ratio of units sold in Ford trucks versus 4R100 autos), the problems with the ZF6 (clutch, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, input shaft, od gear, etc) are on par, per capita built, with the problems with the 4R100. Even when Sous, who earlier responded to this thread, finally picked up the perfect forged rod 2000 model year 4x4 with the ZF 6 speed that he spent a couple years looking for, he ended up having to take it to another FTE member (SkySkiJason) to have the 6 speed fixed and a new clutch put in at the same time.
Another example... Kenny (aka psychostroker, a diesel drag racer and puller who was one of the first to fit a T4 turbo in a 99 up Super Duty some 18 years ago, almost 2 decades before the relatively recent SXE craze existed) had a 6 speed in his late 99, which he swapped out for a 4R100 automatic, like many other Ford diesel drag racers have done, because the ZF6 slows down their track times. And these 4R100's are running behind nitrous, propane, meth, twin turbos, sequential turbos, big oil, no oil at all (P pumped with an injection unit from vintage Mack 8 cylinder diesels), the entire gamut. So all that is to say that either transmission can have problems, and either transmission can be fixed to not have problems. Pick which ever transmission you want to drive everyday, and recognize that there is about a 10 to 1 ratio of available 6 speeds to automatics in the narrow range of model years you are looking for.
There is a ZF5 five speed manual that lived behind a 7.3L, but that was in the old body style, up to 1997. Not applicable to this genre. And there is a five speed automatic, the 5R110W, but that transmission was only available in the 6.0L diesel engine, not the 7.3L. The confusion between these automatics lies in the fact that model year 2003 offered both transmissions... however, it also offered both engines, the 7.3L and the 6.0L (I'm ignoring all gas engines for purposes of this discussion). Here's what happened: The 6.0L was originally scheduled to make it's debut at the beginning of model year 2003, which would have been in late summer of 2002. But by the summer of 2001, the problems that International was having with EGR in both the 4.5L and the 6.0L engines, along with the digital valve control of the injection system, were so great that it was known then that the production deadline would be missed. So Ford and IH came to an agreement to keep building the 7.3L for another 6 months, and postpone the new 4.5L "baby powerstroke", focus solely on the 6.0L for the time being, and get it out by mid model year in 2003. There is no 5R110w that was ever fitted to a 7.3L.
The turn of the century 2000 model year is well liked in particular because of having all the latest engine updates along with the traditionally forged rods. The 2000 model year is also well liked because Ford fitted a newer design but defective mechanical diode to the 2001 automatic transmissions (that later was changed again). By this time though, many of the transmissions that had the faulty diode have been pulled out, torn down, and fixed, so that may not really be an issue with any given 2001 you might find today. But there is still the forged rod issue, and for that, the late 99 through 2000 is the goldilocks window of what some consider to be the most desirable 7.3L to have. Yet there are many more people who believe that ANY year 7.3L is a more reliable choice than a 6.0L or 6.4L. And I suppose that is why you are here. Welcome to the 99-03 corner of FTE!
No 4x4 truck with a 7.3L had coil suspension as originally equipped, no matter how late the year. Ford did not release the coil suspended 4x4 front ends until 2005, which by that time was well into the 6.0L territory. A 6.0L is an entirely different maintenance and repair game than a 7.3L. If you want a 7.3L 4x4, it will have leaf front suspension, and it will not have the death wobble that many coil sprung front ends with lack of caster end up having, to go along with that softer ride.
As for transmissions, there are only two choices with a late '99-'03 7.3L: The 4R100 automatic, and the ZF 6 speed manual. The final drive ratio of both transmissions is the same, so there is no taller over drive benefit to the 6 speed manual over the 4 speed automatic. The automatic has a torque converter that provides torque multiplication for granny low. The ZF 6 speed has a folkloric "when men were men" aura, but frankly, I've been following Ford truck forums for 20 years, and for the installed base of 6 speed owners (ratio of units sold in Ford trucks versus 4R100 autos), the problems with the ZF6 (clutch, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, input shaft, od gear, etc) are on par, per capita built, with the problems with the 4R100. Even when Sous, who earlier responded to this thread, finally picked up the perfect forged rod 2000 model year 4x4 with the ZF 6 speed that he spent a couple years looking for, he ended up having to take it to another FTE member (SkySkiJason) to have the 6 speed fixed and a new clutch put in at the same time.
Another example... Kenny (aka psychostroker, a diesel drag racer and puller who was one of the first to fit a T4 turbo in a 99 up Super Duty some 18 years ago, almost 2 decades before the relatively recent SXE craze existed) had a 6 speed in his late 99, which he swapped out for a 4R100 automatic, like many other Ford diesel drag racers have done, because the ZF6 slows down their track times. And these 4R100's are running behind nitrous, propane, meth, twin turbos, sequential turbos, big oil, no oil at all (P pumped with an injection unit from vintage Mack 8 cylinder diesels), the entire gamut. So all that is to say that either transmission can have problems, and either transmission can be fixed to not have problems. Pick which ever transmission you want to drive everyday, and recognize that there is about a 10 to 1 ratio of available 6 speeds to automatics in the narrow range of model years you are looking for.
There is a ZF5 five speed manual that lived behind a 7.3L, but that was in the old body style, up to 1997. Not applicable to this genre. And there is a five speed automatic, the 5R110W, but that transmission was only available in the 6.0L diesel engine, not the 7.3L. The confusion between these automatics lies in the fact that model year 2003 offered both transmissions... however, it also offered both engines, the 7.3L and the 6.0L (I'm ignoring all gas engines for purposes of this discussion). Here's what happened: The 6.0L was originally scheduled to make it's debut at the beginning of model year 2003, which would have been in late summer of 2002. But by the summer of 2001, the problems that International was having with EGR in both the 4.5L and the 6.0L engines, along with the digital valve control of the injection system, were so great that it was known then that the production deadline would be missed. So Ford and IH came to an agreement to keep building the 7.3L for another 6 months, and postpone the new 4.5L "baby powerstroke", focus solely on the 6.0L for the time being, and get it out by mid model year in 2003. There is no 5R110w that was ever fitted to a 7.3L.
The turn of the century 2000 model year is well liked in particular because of having all the latest engine updates along with the traditionally forged rods. The 2000 model year is also well liked because Ford fitted a newer design but defective mechanical diode to the 2001 automatic transmissions (that later was changed again). By this time though, many of the transmissions that had the faulty diode have been pulled out, torn down, and fixed, so that may not really be an issue with any given 2001 you might find today. But there is still the forged rod issue, and for that, the late 99 through 2000 is the goldilocks window of what some consider to be the most desirable 7.3L to have. Yet there are many more people who believe that ANY year 7.3L is a more reliable choice than a 6.0L or 6.4L. And I suppose that is why you are here. Welcome to the 99-03 corner of FTE!
#6
12-29-2018, 04:11 AM
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Credit to Y2KW57
No 4x4 truck with a 7.3L had coil suspension as originally equipped, no matter how late the year. Ford did not release the coil suspended 4x4 front ends until 2005, which by that time was well into the 6.0L territory. A 6.0L is an entirely different maintenance and repair game than a 7.3L. If you want a 7.3L 4x4, it will have leaf front suspension, and it will not have the death wobble that many coil sprung front ends with lack of caster end up having, to go along with that softer ride.
As for transmissions, there are only two choices with a late '99-'03 7.3L: The 4R100 automatic, and the ZF 6 speed manual. The final drive ratio of both transmissions is the same, so there is no taller over drive benefit to the 6 speed manual over the 4 speed automatic. The automatic has a torque converter that provides torque multiplication for granny low. The ZF 6 speed has a folkloric "when men were men" aura, but frankly, I've been following Ford truck forums for 20 years, and for the installed base of 6 speed owners (ratio of units sold in Ford trucks versus 4R100 autos), the problems with the ZF6 (clutch, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, input shaft, od gear, etc) are on par, per capita built, with the problems with the 4R100. Even when Sous, who earlier responded to this thread, finally picked up the perfect forged rod 2000 model year 4x4 with the ZF 6 speed that he spent a couple years looking for, he ended up having to take it to another FTE member (SkySkiJason) to have the 6 speed fixed and a new clutch put in at the same time.
Another example... Kenny (aka psychostroker, a diesel drag racer and puller who was one of the first to fit a T4 turbo in a 99 up Super Duty some 18 years ago, almost 2 decades before the relatively recent SXE craze existed) had a 6 speed in his late 99, which he swapped out for a 4R100 automatic, like many other Ford diesel drag racers have done, because the ZF6 slows down their track times. And these 4R100's are running behind nitrous, propane, meth, twin turbos, sequential turbos, big oil, no oil at all (P pumped with an injection unit from vintage Mack 8 cylinder diesels), the entire gamut. So all that is to say that either transmission can have problems, and either transmission can be fixed to not have problems. Pick which ever transmission you want to drive everyday, and recognize that there is about a 10 to 1 ratio of available 6 speeds to automatics in the narrow range of model years you are looking for.
There is a ZF5 five speed manual that lived behind a 7.3L, but that was in the old body style, up to 1997. Not applicable to this genre. And there is a five speed automatic, the 5R110W, but that transmission was only available in the 6.0L diesel engine, not the 7.3L. The confusion between these automatics lies in the fact that model year 2003 offered both transmissions... however, it also offered both engines, the 7.3L and the 6.0L (I'm ignoring all gas engines for purposes of this discussion). Here's what happened: The 6.0L was originally scheduled to make it's debut at the beginning of model year 2003, which would have been in late summer of 2002. But by the summer of 2001, the problems that International was having with EGR in both the 4.5L and the 6.0L engines, along with the digital valve control of the injection system, were so great that it was known then that the production deadline would be missed. So Ford and IH came to an agreement to keep building the 7.3L for another 6 months, and postpone the new 4.5L "baby powerstroke", focus solely on the 6.0L for the time being, and get it out by mid model year in 2003. There is no 5R110w that was ever fitted to a 7.3L.
The turn of the century 2000 model year is well liked in particular because of having all the latest engine updates along with the traditionally forged rods. The 2000 model year is also well liked because Ford fitted a newer design but defective mechanical diode to the 2001 automatic transmissions (that later was changed again). By this time though, many of the transmissions that had the faulty diode have been pulled out, torn down, and fixed, so that may not really be an issue with any given 2001 you might find today. But there is still the forged rod issue, and for that, the late 99 through 2000 is the goldilocks window of what some consider to be the most desirable 7.3L to have. Yet there are many more people who believe that ANY year 7.3L is a more reliable choice than a 6.0L or 6.4L. And I suppose that is why you are here. Welcome to the 99-03 corner of FTE!
No 4x4 truck with a 7.3L had coil suspension as originally equipped, no matter how late the year. Ford did not release the coil suspended 4x4 front ends until 2005, which by that time was well into the 6.0L territory. A 6.0L is an entirely different maintenance and repair game than a 7.3L. If you want a 7.3L 4x4, it will have leaf front suspension, and it will not have the death wobble that many coil sprung front ends with lack of caster end up having, to go along with that softer ride.
As for transmissions, there are only two choices with a late '99-'03 7.3L: The 4R100 automatic, and the ZF 6 speed manual. The final drive ratio of both transmissions is the same, so there is no taller over drive benefit to the 6 speed manual over the 4 speed automatic. The automatic has a torque converter that provides torque multiplication for granny low. The ZF 6 speed has a folkloric "when men were men" aura, but frankly, I've been following Ford truck forums for 20 years, and for the installed base of 6 speed owners (ratio of units sold in Ford trucks versus 4R100 autos), the problems with the ZF6 (clutch, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, input shaft, od gear, etc) are on par, per capita built, with the problems with the 4R100. Even when Sous, who earlier responded to this thread, finally picked up the perfect forged rod 2000 model year 4x4 with the ZF 6 speed that he spent a couple years looking for, he ended up having to take it to another FTE member (SkySkiJason) to have the 6 speed fixed and a new clutch put in at the same time.
Another example... Kenny (aka psychostroker, a diesel drag racer and puller who was one of the first to fit a T4 turbo in a 99 up Super Duty some 18 years ago, almost 2 decades before the relatively recent SXE craze existed) had a 6 speed in his late 99, which he swapped out for a 4R100 automatic, like many other Ford diesel drag racers have done, because the ZF6 slows down their track times. And these 4R100's are running behind nitrous, propane, meth, twin turbos, sequential turbos, big oil, no oil at all (P pumped with an injection unit from vintage Mack 8 cylinder diesels), the entire gamut. So all that is to say that either transmission can have problems, and either transmission can be fixed to not have problems. Pick which ever transmission you want to drive everyday, and recognize that there is about a 10 to 1 ratio of available 6 speeds to automatics in the narrow range of model years you are looking for.
There is a ZF5 five speed manual that lived behind a 7.3L, but that was in the old body style, up to 1997. Not applicable to this genre. And there is a five speed automatic, the 5R110W, but that transmission was only available in the 6.0L diesel engine, not the 7.3L. The confusion between these automatics lies in the fact that model year 2003 offered both transmissions... however, it also offered both engines, the 7.3L and the 6.0L (I'm ignoring all gas engines for purposes of this discussion). Here's what happened: The 6.0L was originally scheduled to make it's debut at the beginning of model year 2003, which would have been in late summer of 2002. But by the summer of 2001, the problems that International was having with EGR in both the 4.5L and the 6.0L engines, along with the digital valve control of the injection system, were so great that it was known then that the production deadline would be missed. So Ford and IH came to an agreement to keep building the 7.3L for another 6 months, and postpone the new 4.5L "baby powerstroke", focus solely on the 6.0L for the time being, and get it out by mid model year in 2003. There is no 5R110w that was ever fitted to a 7.3L.
The turn of the century 2000 model year is well liked in particular because of having all the latest engine updates along with the traditionally forged rods. The 2000 model year is also well liked because Ford fitted a newer design but defective mechanical diode to the 2001 automatic transmissions (that later was changed again). By this time though, many of the transmissions that had the faulty diode have been pulled out, torn down, and fixed, so that may not really be an issue with any given 2001 you might find today. But there is still the forged rod issue, and for that, the late 99 through 2000 is the goldilocks window of what some consider to be the most desirable 7.3L to have. Yet there are many more people who believe that ANY year 7.3L is a more reliable choice than a 6.0L or 6.4L. And I suppose that is why you are here. Welcome to the 99-03 corner of FTE!
#7
12-29-2018, 07:39 AM
Thank you guys so much. I don't know if I'll be able to get the engine serial number from this seller. Like I said, it is a 2001 model - but was hatched in Dec./2000. I can shoot him an email, and see. Reading up on here the past few weeks, the forged rod thing really made since to me for a diesel. I'm not planning to "hop it up" much, but would like to boost the torque up a bit, as I'll be doing some towing. I watched the Powerstroke Video where he shows some minor things you can do without going "internal" (which I would not want to do). Oh......I almost forgot - I traded emails with the local shop that is known to be the automotive diesel geniuses here. They very politely warned me about 6.0's. This is another reason I'm back looking at low mileage 7.3's.
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#8
12-29-2018, 07:49 AM
Thank you guys so much. I don't know if I'll be able to get the engine serial number from this seller. Like I said, it is a 2001 model - but was hatched in Dec./2000. I can shoot him an email, and see. Reading up on here the past few weeks, the forged rod thing really made since to me for a diesel. I'm not planning to "hop it up" much, but would like to boost the torque up a bit, as I'll be doing some towing. I watched the Powerstroke Video where he shows some minor things you can do without going "internal" (which I would not want to do). Oh......I almost forgot - I traded emails with the local shop that is known to be the automotive diesel geniuses here. They very politely warned me about 6.0's. This is another reason I'm back looking at low mileage 7.3's.
#9
12-29-2018, 08:25 AM
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Thanks, Guys.
I've been doing lotsa study. I suppose I would "prefer" the forged rods, but it won't be the ONLY thing I consider.
I've done quite a bit of reading, and watched numerous videos - including the one below.
As we have discussed, of course, a vehicle manufactured in Nov./Dec. of 2000 would be sold as a 2001 Model.
In my Truck hunt, I will ask for the engine serial number, but not that they crawl down underneath and look.
This guys is a 2001 F350:
Check it out -
I've been doing lotsa study. I suppose I would "prefer" the forged rods, but it won't be the ONLY thing I consider.
I've done quite a bit of reading, and watched numerous videos - including the one below.
As we have discussed, of course, a vehicle manufactured in Nov./Dec. of 2000 would be sold as a 2001 Model.
In my Truck hunt, I will ask for the engine serial number, but not that they crawl down underneath and look.
This guys is a 2001 F350:
Check it out -
#10
12-29-2018, 09:38 AM
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Hi Men,
This is another nice low mileage 7.3 Truck I'm looking at - 1999 Model.
It was manufactured in Oct./98. So, it for certain would have the forged rods.
One other thing, though - this would be one of the "early 99's" instead of the "late 99's".
I know there were some differences. Anything to worry about with the Early '99's?
Thanks - This is a BIG help for me. When I buy an awesome Truck, I'll post pictures for you guys.
#12
12-29-2018, 10:13 AM
I believe the number you are looking for is on the drivers side valve cover. Like someone mentioned above, I wouldn’t let the PMR’s be a knockout factor unless you are planning to modify in to the upper reaches of what is even practical for the 7.3. At that point, why not just go to a newer platform. Although I have forged rods, it would not hurt my feelings one bit if mine had PMR’s because I would never modify out of what’s “ practical” for a 7.3 anyway.
#14
12-29-2018, 11:34 AM
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Thanks, everyone. The Powerstroke Help guy's video on this said that he didn't feel the rods were that big of an issue. I'm going to see what the local shop gurus say about it, as well. I'm not looking for a drag racer, just a brute to pull a big *** trailer full of hay once or twice a month.
Great point about the quietness factor - I have looked at some gorgeous '03 Models with low miles that I would consider.
Great point about the quietness factor - I have looked at some gorgeous '03 Models with low miles that I would consider.