well i just sold my 94 idi turbo crew cab and im look in at a 02 7.3 crew cab short box 4x4 with 84000 miles and i was just wondering whats your avg fuel eco im presumin this has a 3.73 im hopping and when i start it up today seem to blow blueish smoke? for like 6 min or somthin i dont round about my idi never smnoked that much but my neighber has a 01 7.3 and his does it anything to look for ? i know there good motors alot better then the 6.0 thats why i want a 7.3 any info would be nice thanks

 

Well mine gets roughly 14 ish with three different exhaust leaks, and me driving it like it was stollen... other than that, I'd look into the smoke on startup...

 

Well i've got basically the same truck, and i'm getting just a shade under 15 mpg. I've only tested 2 tanks though. And my truck is stock by the way.

 

I get 15-16, combination city/highway and bursts of hitting it hard. My best is just under 19 on the highway keeping it around 65ish. I have a similar truck, in the 2WD version.

 

My truck is almost identical to Joes, and so is my mileage.

 

I have a 2002 with a lift and 35 inch tires, 85,000 miles and a superchips tuner, I drove a 200 mile round trip this last weekend and my "lie-o-meter" read 22mpg for the trip. Averaged about 65mph. I dont know how far off this reading is, but even if its off a couple numbers thats still impressive numbers for such a big truck. My 6.0 wasnt near this unless I had alot of help from the WIND.

 

With the superchip that lie-o-meter gets worse. I know my X showed 21 or 22 going down to Denver a couple of weeks ago bucking a nasty crosswind and driving 85, but the calculated was only 17. Which i thought was quite good considering the conditions.

I would definitely get a tuner, the mileage is much better!

 

soo what about the motor i know the older ones are proven for over 300 plus i just dont want to buy a anotherheadache expecialklywith a payment

 

Here's the what to look for link. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...questions.html

Mileage varies greatly across different parts of the country, different driving styles, types and length of trips, but everyone agrees that 2,000 RPM's is the magic number. Go over that and the mileage goes down quickly. If I'm running empty (about 500# tools etc in bed) I average 19.85 with my CC LWB stick shift with 3.73 rear. The 02 should get a little worse mileage than your 94 if it's in good shape.

As for longevity. From what I read here, it seems that the people with lots of mods or very few miles, or the ones that only take short trips and never get up to and stay at operating temperatures seem to have the most problems. I've never been into my motor. Just had the CPS issue and a chaffing problem.

Sorry for the long response. Good Luck.

 

i really just want to put a edge program and a exhaust and intake thats it for that nothing crazy i just want to buy a strong runin truck soo id ont have to worry about this one blowing up like my idi turbo did at 200,000 miles

 

Same truck as yours, no mods. On a recent road trip with no towing and averaging 70-75 MPH going 1000 miles each way there and back, I averaged 15.8 MPG. That was through quite a few mountains, hills, etc. Towing a 3000 lb boat on the same route, same MPH is about 12.5 to 13 MPG. I have 120,000 miles and almost no issues other than two alternators, a couple of GPR's and a neutral safety switch. Change the oil every 6ooo miles.

 

I went on a short road trip... about 200ml from where i live and averaged 21mpg. No lie-o-meter just basic math... Granite that could be wrong... I too had a good amount of white blueish smoke on start-up just like you said for about 6 mins. or so. For whatever reason after I got my new CPS last monday i can say it only lets out one puff when it first fires and thats it. So I would start by seeing A. if it is within the recall and B. if it needs a new one. See if that dosnt fix the smoke problem... Good luck!!!

 

It's always a crap shoot buying a vehicle, new or used. If the rest of the truck is in nice shape and she runs good with no other obvious signs of emminent headaches, a little blue smoke on COLD start up is normal. That is normal for these engines. My '01 has done that since new. If it does it on a warm engine start up then there could be a few issues.

Here's a run down on possible blue and blue/white smoke causes:

normal when engine is cold or idling for extended periods
insufficient fuel or oil consumption.
excessive smoke could be air in the fuel, contaminated fuel, loose or plugged injectors, worn or leaking injector o-rings, thermostat stuck open, or plugged crankcase depression regulator valve.
also PCM inputs such as MAP or ICP sensors.

If only on cold engine starts I'd probably go for it. Trust your gut feeling about the truck and the seller.

good luck,

Austin