Wow, the first pages of this thread were pretty negative with "dont do this dont do that" but then on page 3 or 4 it picks up and some really helpful guys start giving out some good info. Sure, the helpful guys came in 6 years after the negative nancies were posting, but i guess 6 years is a lot of time go gain knowledge and for technology to advance and new tested methods to be shared.

Thanks to both Dave's (David) really learning a lot from this forum, let alone this thread!

Love this forum!

 

Just think how much more popular these trucks would have been if so much disinformation hadn't been spread in the past.
They'd be a alot more expensive now.

 

By 2002, most of the IDI engines had never been apart yet.

If they were apart, it was most likely abuse.

And at that time, new truck prices were not completely out of sight yet.

 

The ones that were apart had holes in the cylinder walls (7.3L) and that didn't do anything for their reputation.
The GENERAL, average information out there is that these motors are little better than the early GM diesels.
It's wrong but that's the general feeling amongst "truck people."

 

Sorry but i have to disagree with that one.

The first GM diesel was almost the end of anyone wanting to put a diesel in anything smaller than a semi.

The International/Ford IDI is why every manufacturer now offers diesels in pickups.

The rebuild reputation might not be great, but at least they were the most powerful diesel offered at the time and lasted well beyond anything that had been offered before them at anything close to that power level.

If the 6.9 and 7.3 had never been, I doubt we would have Power Strokes, Cummins or Duramax engines today.

 

Well now I have to disagree. All I know is I spend a lot of time around truck and/or four wheeling guys of every concievable brand, style etc., and even more time talking about them, and the IDIs are not well respected engines IN GENERAL.
How many times has a PowerStroke, Cummins or Duramax owner looked down their nose at your IDI and then been totally suprised by it's performance? That's because the general public expects little or nothing out of them.

I'm not saying they are right, they are totally WRONG, but that is the general concensus.

I'm sure someone will call it brand bias but I think that the Turbo charged Cummins-Dodge combination that really got the ball rolling and took diesels mainstream.
Ford sold A LOT of IDIs but the Cummins option opened up the diesel market to people who wanted a modern diesel and the direct-injected and turbo-charged Cummins started the modern diesel explosion. When Dodge put the motor in a/the next generation of truck in '94 it took another step forward.
I agree that the IDI-Fords were a big step ahead in the evolution and got many buyers into a diesel but people look BACK on them NOW and mostly only see the problems that neglect and abuse have caused.

Again this isn't just my opinion it's A LOT of people's opinion, especially in main-stream diesel publications. The Cummins sparked the turbo diesel revolution and the turbo diesels popularity up until today.

 

Don't be so nice about it oreo.

But rusty, starting a new thread will get you more bites and be on topic so its probably a better idea to start a new one.

 

Its funny, I am subscribed to about 15 different forums for different interest. And the trend is always to bash a person for starting a new thread, usually started with "USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION!!" also people hate when others start new threads on topics already covered. Then again theres the other half, like you, who advise the opposite for other reasons "more replies" etc... nobody is ever happy.

 

You're right.
It would be AWESOME to only have one thread on every topic and just add to it but it doesn't seem very realistic.
Plus the guys on here will usually jump right on a post and solve your problem without having to do any "searching" so many won't bother to search, it's easier, it works and I can't hardly blame them.

 

I really think we should have a sticky at the top related to "hard starting" or "starts then dies". Kinda like the glow plug sticky - it would probably be very helpful.

 

Read this,

Ford Diesel History | From IDI To Power Stroke

Then read this,

Cummins Power Rating Timeline

And the Cummins never showed up untill the second year of the 7.3 IDI.
No Cummins for 83 thru 87 against the 6.9.
No Cummins for 88 the first year of the 7.3.

Looking at HP numbers, 1996 was the first time the manual tranny Cummins was equal to the Ford diesel.


If the IDI diesel was not so popular in the F series, GM and Dodge would never have put a Cummins in their trucks.

Read this,

http://www.musclemustangfastfords.co...ory/index.html

I remember guys coming into my grandfathers dealership trying to get 4.30 gears behind the 6.9 engine after they owned one of the GM fiasco's.

I also remember them being sorry that they had insisted on 4.10 gears when they found out 4.30 gears were not a factory option and downshifting to third was not required on most hills.

Remember the early 80's were a far cry from speed limits and highways we have today.
Also the loads people expected pickups to be able to pull was nothing like they expect today.

The drivers of modern vehicles always look down their nose at old vehicles.
Wonder what someone sitting behind the wheel of a modern 2011 Mustang thinks of the 1964 model?
Probably about the same thing the guy in a 2011 F350 thinks of the 1983 F350 6.9.

But if the 1983 6.9 was never there, the 2011 6.7 Power Stroke never would have been, just like the 1964 Mustang created the Comaro, Firebird as well as the 2011 Mustang.

There are magazine articles all over that give the 6.9 IDI the credit for starting the diesel revolution.
Someone always has to be first, GM.
Someone always has to get it right first, Ford/International.
And then everyone has to follow or get left behind, Dodge and GM.

 

If this is true, its hard to argue, impossible really.

 

What part don't you believe?

 

im no diesel expert, just bought this red truck 2 days ago. only knowledge i have is 2 days old, been on the internet for hours each day. Its not that i dont believe, but im sure the dodge/cummings guy has something to back up what he was saying, he sounds pretty confident. So im just eating pop corn and enjoying the show.

 

ford and gm got the diesel market going. dodge came along late in the game putting a cummins in there trucks..... cummins is a great engine. can make loads of power pretty cheap. but to say that cummins is solely responsible for the diesel market taking off is unrealistic..... all 3 makers are responsible for the diesel engine taking off in the pickup market. while i will say GM lagged behind in power. there are still die hard GM fans, and ford i know one guy who bought a 6.9 then a 7.3 IDI then a 7.3 powerstroke, then a 6.0.... and of course there are die hard cummins fans.