Hey y'all,
First time posting but been following this forum for a while now, and I wouldn't want advice from anyone else except this group of folks!! So I'm in the market for an IDI and have finally narrowed it down to two and I'd like some advice seems how I cannot test drive either truck. Neither seller knows how to troubleshoot a diesel and both have given up. luckily for me, I'm a former Marine diesel mechanic ( figure If I Can tear down and rebuild a german marine diesel than I should be able to figure out a 90's ford lol) so there is a 93 f250 with 250k miles and the guy put a new injection pump on and cant figure out why it runs horribly with a lot of white smoke. And a 92 f350 with 120k original miles (only two owners because granddad died) and very well taken care of, I'll post pics of the f350, he also bought a new IP and cannot get it running. Both $3,000. So now the part I need advice on...... Cavitation! Neither one has any clue about maintaining coolant and neither has any maintenance records. Would cavitation have already set in if its going to by 250k miles or do i have better luck with preventative maintenance with a truck that has only 120k miles? Or what can I look for to tell if I cant run either??? Any advice or input would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance. Unfortunately no pics of the one with 250k miles but appears to be fairly decent shape.

 

Hello. Unfortunately, most people don't know about cavitation in the 7.3 idi. If, however, the cooling water is changed, some liquid is then poured in out of ignorance ... I don't think that any cavitation damage can be seen from the outside. the white-smoking idi COULD have cavitation damage, but it doesn't have to. It is normal that most of the idi no longer start after changing the injection pump and / or after a long downtime; Correct bleeding and getting it to run is mostly possible and most stress-free with a provisional electrical fuel pump. Greetings from Germany.

 

And that exactly what it sounds like with the black one I put pictures of. Sounds exactly as if he doesnt know about air in the lines and he assumed the injection pump would fix everything. So what im gathering is it is a roll of the dice when it comes to cavitation happening/ already has happened?

 

yes i think so, but maybe another forum member knows a little more about cavitation than me. But, cars that don't start offer a lot of negotiation leeway 😇

 

Thats what I'm hoping for!!!

 

I think the cavitation risk is negligible. Sure, running your 7.3 without sca's probably could cause some damage, but it's not as likely as everyone makes it out to be. Any engine with a quarter million miles will be a risk of more than just some cavitation issues, so it's a roll of the dice anyway, and it's far more likely to have bearing issues, ring issues, and other issues than the mystical cavitation crisis.

Regardless, the pics look nice and all, but a truck that smokes like a chimney and probably has a low-quality rebuilt IP (I assume they didn't buy it from R&D or other repudable vendors) shouldn't be as high as $3000. Especially if it's just a basic non-turbo non-4wd pickup. My guess is, the OP replaced the IP trying to diagnose a different problem, and took the gearhousing off. Then he didn't line up the timing gears right because it's really hard to do with the front plate on, and now it's out of time. He probably turned the IP to the max just to keep it running. Or, maybe he installed the IP correctly, but didn't have a timing gun and ferret meter to get the timing just right, and just timed it by ear. Or, he didn't replace the injectors and one or two are popping out of sync. Hard to say. If you buy it, you'll need to address those issues to try and narrow down the smoking issue.

 

3k is too high for something that either doesn't run, or runs bad enough that it's probably going to be either expensive, time consuming, or both to fix.

Not a bad looking truck, but 3k is just too high. What if the motors shot? Do you have another 3-5k laying around to overhaul it?

 

Yeah, that's a very good point ya got there. And. Since it would be an almost daily driver i would not have another 3-5k laying around to overhaul it. Can only tell so much without running the truck. Guess I was being a little too optimistic. Glad I heard from y'all before I made an emotional purchase! Thanks everyone for your input. I'll keep looking unless I can talk him down quite a bit. Thanks again!!

 

No problem, save you're money and when the right deal comes along you can jump on it. I waited almost two years before buying my 85, then five years and I got my 89, both were good deals, but did also require some work to be daily drivers. Finding one good enough to dd right away for a fair price might seem hard but just keep looking.

 

I did the same thing. I probably spent 18 months looking for the cleanest and well-maintained IDI van I could find. We ended up driving to Phoenix, Albq, Las Vegas, Central Calif, and San Fran before finding a van I felt was "wife-friendly" enough. It wasn't hard to find an IDI, the hard part was finding one that was worth the price.

 

F350 for sure. Sounds like either one is pump timing most likely. 350 is worth if its a crew, and the D60 front

 

Good point scripter! Wife wants me to buy something newer but I don't want that kind of debt right now. Not if I don't need to anyway.


Thats what I was thinking too! In Colorado that (where I'm at) if running the 350 would be an 8-9k dollar truck! Seems like a steal at bat. But like previously said, how do I know the motor isnt in need of an overhaul. Cant really tell from trying to just crank a truck with out it starting.

Now that I'm reading all of this and while im typing it, I guess I was looking for validation for a gamble thats not really any dofferent than any other 28 yr old truck. Right?

Always wanted one but cant really go broke for it either haha

 

Harbor freight sells a compression gauge, I had to modify the adapter by making it shorter with a grinder but it works well for $30

That would give you an idea of the health of the engine. 350+ is what you want. I'd personally say 400+ would be a good tight motor.

 

Okay so ive seen smoke rings come out of oil fill caps on marine diesels. Is that the same rule of thumb for these motors?

 

maybe if you plugged the CDR valve on a worn IDI you might get some smoke out of the Oil Filler.

6" water is max Blowby Pressure speced by Ford with the CDR plugged..measured @ 3300 RPM