Alright, so I have heard some bad, bad stuff about the Ford 7.3l diesel. I also have heard bad stuff about the 6.9l diesel. I love both, but would like to clarify these rumors...

I have heard that the 7.3l has problems with pitting in the cylinders, fact or fiction?

Well, okay, so one rumor. I told my parents about all the rumors on the 6.9l, and they were sold on me getting a 7.3l, then I told them the 7.3l rumors, and they are now set on me getting a 6.9l. Is the 7.3l really so bad that it would be undesirable to have one? I highly doubt it, but would like some input.

 

Absolutely 110% recommend the 7.3 Navistar........she is the sweetest thing you can have. Treat her well and she will treat you well.......and give you years and years and thousands of miles of good service.....WELL WORTH IT!!!!

 

The 7.3 is a great engine I am not familiar with that complaint but there were problems with the cooling systems causing pitting of the block but that is due to not following proper maintainence and using the correct additive in the cooling system. There are more 7.3's on the road than cummins 5.9 or duramax. the old chevy 6.5 were a gas engine block with diesel heads. using diesel fuel additives can compensate for the low sulfur fuels mandated in the USA see the DFA threads for more on this. get a Powerstroke over the older IDI 7.3 or 6.9 they are completely different engines and a generation ahead technology wise

 

i got my 02 F350 from a dealer i was working for... within 6 months they tried to buy it back from me TWICE because they had customer come in looking for a USED F350 with the 7.3 because they didn't want the new 6.0, (some people have had problems... mostly when the motor was first introduced in 03 & 04).... from what i have been told... the 7.3 is one of the BEST diesels u can get in a truck... and... the psd is solid... lots of guys have hundreds of thousands of miles one their's... i have 92k on mine and just 3 weeks ago a guy at the convienence store asked me how i liked my new truck... he wouldn't believe me when i told him it had 92k on it... until i showed him...! the only bad thing on these trucks are the original ball joints... sealed units.. junk... replace them with quality greasable ones and you are good to go... and the tranny's are a weak link if you do a lot of towing or mod up and go hot rodding... you can beef them up though.... sonnax kit is only $60 or so... and not to bad a job to do... or you can have it done when you get the fluid changed like i did... shifts AWESOME now...!

 

I know this is off topic but the above statment is not true. The early 5.7 was a gas motor with different heads, those were junk. Gm then got together with detroit and came up with the 6.2 and the 6.5. Nothing is interchangable with the 5.7's. The 6.2/6.5 has a bad reputation because it looks like the old 5.7. Ok I'll shut up now.

 

i'm no expert on this, but i think vcpower is right... and the 5.7's were garbage... i don't think the 6.2's were all that great either, but they were a different motor...

 

I started looking for a 99+ S/D diesel pickup because I kept hearing how strong the 7.3 Engines were and the newer 6.0 were having some problems(early models)
I am very happy with my 2002 F-350 lariat, it has just over 82K, bought it with 79K
I did have to have the dealership replace a new T/C and solenoids, under warranty, the 4R100 tranny has its share of troubles, I guess

 

i got mine with 58k on her... so over 30k since i got her and no problems...! you can't ask for much better than that...!

 

When you do decide to buy a 7.3, make sure it's not a lemon by checking the VIN.

 

good advice... also... you can buy from a private owner... then you will know who owned it and be able to ask them about how the truck was taken care of..

 

Hey toyota hauler what are the T/C and what solenoids did you replace? I also have the 4R100 and will start to tow a 38' fifth wheel and don't want to break down in the middle of my trip.
Thanks

And to johnny8, what brand of shift kit did you put in your tranny? Do you know what alse I would need to do to upgrade before I pull?
thanks

 

martin14... i tow a 28' 5ver that's 10k lbs.. i run the sonnax valve kit... great mod.. tranny works soooo much better... i also put another tranny cooler on in addition to the stock setup... plus you GOTTA HAVE GAUGES...! even if you are stock... your stock gauges are junk..! gotta have pyro, tranny temp, and boost... plus i am adding oil pressure, coolant temp, and voltmeter... and get some new synthetic tranny fluid in there... this is a large list... but a new tranny is much more expensive..! just my opinion... but others in here would probably agree...

 

Thanks for the clarification, I an NOT a GM person so never really investigated it either way they are a piece of .....
thats why we are on this forum haha.

 

The old 7.3L IDI engine is the same engine block as the 6.9L IDI bored out, which of course resulted in thinner cylinder walls and more cases of premature cylinder wall perforation due to cavitation. I don't know what you have heard bad about the 6.9, but is is a very good engine in my opinion.

The 7.3L DI (Powerstroke) engines are a different block than the 7.3 and 6.9 IDI engines. It is cast with cylinder walls of an appropriate thickness and pretty much took care of the premature cylinder wall erosion seen in the IDI 7.3l.

 

The T/C is the torque contervor and the solenoids are in the valve body
I bought my truck used from Willowbrook Ford and they didn't check it in as thoroughly as I would have imgained they should have, driven it more than like 10 minutes
When I first drove the truck home, the O/D light on the column shift started blinking, about after 1/2 hour of driving, I immediatley mentioned to the service writer and he told me it must be a tranny trouble code, they got it in and dignosed it as a bad torque convertor.
I bought a extneded warranty, through FoMOCO, called an ESP, 2 year, 24000 miles cost like $2000
Anyway, they replaced the T/C and then within a day, the light was blinking again, I called, all Pissed off and they told me to bring it back and I did.
I got a loaner car that was paid for by the warranty and they said the solenoids were bad, they replaced them.
I paid the $100 deductible and a little for the upgrade to the rental they provided.
I have been driving it for over a month with no other tranny issues
I have since done a drain and refill, using Mobile 1 ATF and the MAG HYTEC tranny pan, it holds 8 extra quarts of fluid!!!!