A really clean 02 Supercab 4wd show up at the local dealer with 59k on the clock. I have been educating myself on the 6.0 for months in anticipation of purchashing an 05 but haven't researched the 7.3 much. What issues do these engines have & is there anything special I should look for? It sounds & drives great. Thanks for your input.

Mark

 

The 7.3's are almost bullet proof. I have a pair of them...an 02 with 110k and a 03 with 66k and havn't had any major problems with either. They start good, sound good and run REAL good if you put a chip in them. This is not to say they don't run good "stock", it's just that if the extra power is available, why not use it!

 

Check the SCA level of the coolant. Check inside the intake at the turbo for grit. Oil is OK but not grit. Also look at the leading edge of the turbo fins they should be almost sharp and no dings or any bent fins. The dealer can tell you if it was chipped. Here is a link to a good website on PSD info. Scroll down to find the section on buying a PSD.
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevebaz/_i...az/index3.html

 

He's looking at an '02. Comes with the gold coolant good for 100K.

That link does provide good stuff for those looking at the PSD with the 7.3L. It's almost an overload of info. Have fun reading.

 

We've run the 7.3's in our ambulances for several years. Needless to say, we run them hard and I can't recall an engine failure. I also have an F-250 Superduty with 70K on it. No problems at all. As posted prior, check the intake for dirt. The stock airbox was garbage and was the subject to many "engine dusting" problems. I retrofitted mine with the Ford AIS air box. Great engine!

 

about the gold coolant i have a o2 psd with the gold coolant but its a little low. were can i buy the gold coolant to top it off? and do i need to use the same stuff or can i mix?

thanks gabe

 

i bought an '02 F350 SRW 7.3 psd supercab sb almost a year ago. the only thing i have put on it is tires. it had 58k then, i have almost 88k on it now, i tow a 28' fifth wheel that weighs 10k about 12-14 times a summer, and i do a little light duty plowing in the winter. only thing on the truck that is not stock are the tires, they are 2 sizes over, and they look great. the first thing that has to be done this year are the ball joints. i am told that the ones from the factory are junk, and they are. i will put good ones in that can be greased so i never have to do it again. the guy at ford who came up with the idea to put those sealed ball joints in the super duty should be shot..! the only other thing to do this year is change all the fluids. my opinion is: this is the BEST truck I have ever owned..! it is a real workhorse, and yet it is very comfortable. Own one of these for a year and you will think of it as a member of the family, I know I do..!

 

Thanks for the comments guys. This truck is really clean. I can see where a 5th wheel hitch was mounted in the bed. Almost surely an older fella that pulled his RV. Have to go out of town Monday. If it's still around, may check it out some more but would like to hold out for a new one.

 

Last year I was lookinf to up grade from my 1997 F350 PSD DRW. I was looking at new 2004's and suffering a major pain in the pocket book. I found the 2002 XLT, CC PSD DRW with 55,000 mile, clean and ready to roll. I drove a couple of new 6.0 L PSD's in a like equipped truck and then the 2002. The newer truck was nice an quiet, but so was the 2002. I liked the way the 7.3L ran better than the 6.0L, and especially the price differences.

The 2002 7.3 L is a good engine and the 6.0L is still in the proving stages. We tow right at GCWR wit hour 36' 5er and often a bit over. The truck now has 67000 miles and made rwo trips to south Texas from NE Oklahoma as well as numerous shorter trips. Last Xmas on the 510 mile run to houston, we ran 9.5 hours stopping for fuel and dinner, running 65 to 70 MPH ad got 11.2 mpg. This is a DRW with the 4.10 axle.

It runs and pulls a a mad bull. We get 15 to 16 pmg running 65 to 75 MPH. A friend with a new F250 6.0L is getting 15 to 16 with a 3.73 axle and a lighter truck.

Don't think you can go wrong with a good clean used 7.3L and have extra money in your pocket for other toys.

Ken