1992 deisel questions.
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1992 deisel questions.
one of the guys I know local to me offered to trade me his 92 3/4 ton diesel, auto extended cab 2wd. for my 79 f150 351m, auto, 4x4.
I guess his 92 has an issue with shifting from drive to overdrive and back, on its own while driving. He said he has the box for the trans. but hasnt put it on.
My 79 is having some engine issues that make me nervous as well.
I was wondering a few questions for those who can provide input.
1) does the trans. issue on the 92 sound that serious?
2) what kind of issues did these trucks have, Diesel eng., trans. electrical, etc.?
3? I'm curious if they had a bench or jump seats behind the drivers seat in the extended cabs?
4) What kind of fuel mileage did the diesel automatics get?
5) did these motors have a turbo or not?
I know a couple of those are somewhat trivial questions, but, its kind of a long drive to go see the truck, and I wanted some input before I spend a whole afternoon on it for no reason.
Any input would be appreciated guys, thanks!
I guess his 92 has an issue with shifting from drive to overdrive and back, on its own while driving. He said he has the box for the trans. but hasnt put it on.
My 79 is having some engine issues that make me nervous as well.
I was wondering a few questions for those who can provide input.
1) does the trans. issue on the 92 sound that serious?
2) what kind of issues did these trucks have, Diesel eng., trans. electrical, etc.?
3? I'm curious if they had a bench or jump seats behind the drivers seat in the extended cabs?
4) What kind of fuel mileage did the diesel automatics get?
5) did these motors have a turbo or not?
I know a couple of those are somewhat trivial questions, but, its kind of a long drive to go see the truck, and I wanted some input before I spend a whole afternoon on it for no reason.
Any input would be appreciated guys, thanks!
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,802
Likes: 1
I'd like to first state that I acquired my diesel as a trade for my '78 F150 that had a high-compression 429 in it, and also 4" lift and 35s. While I do miss the cool body style of that truck, and the 4x4 with a monobeam front axle, I don't for a minute regret trading it for the truck I have now. Just for the record I did not need a diesel for towing, or for burning bio, or anything like that - just thought it would be cool to have one, so basically replaced one daily driver with another. All that said, on your questions:
1) The trans issue with that '92 sounds more like a torque converter to me. When these transmissions shift into OD they lock the converter almost immediately, so most people don't even know that happens, and whenever a torque converter lockup issue develops the driver automatically assumes the transmission is slipping out of OD, while in fact it stays in OD all the time, and it's just the converter locking and unlocking (which actually causes the engine speed to jump up and down 500 rpms, hence the faulty impression of 3-OD gear hunting). There is, however, a known issue with the TCC lockup circuit of these things - I don't recall what causes it, but it's possible to have the trans lock and unlock the converter because the PCM commands it so, and not because the converter itself is failing. Ambulances seemed to suffer from that most, and the typical solution for it was installing a manual switch so that when the trans goes into OD the driver hits the button and converter stays locked for good, till he or she unlocks it again - while this is not the best way of solving the issue, it certainly does work, just as long as the converter is in good shape. If it's any indication, about anyone who tows heavy with an E4OD-equipped truck seems to have done this mod too.
2) I apologize to the FTE admins and mods, but I'd like to post a link to another side, where there is a specific thread about what to look for if one is considering purchasing an older diesel truck like that: New to the IDI? Buying a used one? Read on.... Again, sorry for outsourcing the info, but it's just way too much to cover in a single post.
3) Not really sure on that one, I believe it was a full bench, but then again what do I know, to me ext cabs are just crew-cab wannabes
4) That really depends on the truck, and even more so on the driver - when I hop on the freeway I can get 20mpg tank after tank after tank, but I cruise at 60mph and drive for the most part like a grandpa. These trucks are not fast, generally the lower your engine speed the better the fuel economy so if you want any decent mpg numbers you will keep her under 2200 rpms and either drive with the big rigs, or regear the axle for something more freeway-friendly. Realistically, I think you should be expecting 17-18 mpg freeway, and 12-13 within city - again, some get better, some get worse, it will greatly depend on how you drive and where you drive.
5) No, there is no factory turbo on this truck, unless an owner installed it - '93 and '94 are the only years these trucks came with a turbo from the factory, and even then it was not all trucks, but only some. To add to the confusion in '94 you could get three 7.3 diesel engines - the good old n/a IDI, same IDI but beefed up and turbocharged, and the then-new PSD that was also turbocharged. Installing a turbo on a n/a IDI engine is very much a piece of cake if you have all the OEM parts, and there are still aftermarket setups that are specifically designed for these trucks, some even come with an intercooler for running higher boost numbers consistently. Plan on spending about $1k for a good-working used setup, and about $3.5k for a new system.
1) The trans issue with that '92 sounds more like a torque converter to me. When these transmissions shift into OD they lock the converter almost immediately, so most people don't even know that happens, and whenever a torque converter lockup issue develops the driver automatically assumes the transmission is slipping out of OD, while in fact it stays in OD all the time, and it's just the converter locking and unlocking (which actually causes the engine speed to jump up and down 500 rpms, hence the faulty impression of 3-OD gear hunting). There is, however, a known issue with the TCC lockup circuit of these things - I don't recall what causes it, but it's possible to have the trans lock and unlock the converter because the PCM commands it so, and not because the converter itself is failing. Ambulances seemed to suffer from that most, and the typical solution for it was installing a manual switch so that when the trans goes into OD the driver hits the button and converter stays locked for good, till he or she unlocks it again - while this is not the best way of solving the issue, it certainly does work, just as long as the converter is in good shape. If it's any indication, about anyone who tows heavy with an E4OD-equipped truck seems to have done this mod too.
2) I apologize to the FTE admins and mods, but I'd like to post a link to another side, where there is a specific thread about what to look for if one is considering purchasing an older diesel truck like that: New to the IDI? Buying a used one? Read on.... Again, sorry for outsourcing the info, but it's just way too much to cover in a single post.
3) Not really sure on that one, I believe it was a full bench, but then again what do I know, to me ext cabs are just crew-cab wannabes
4) That really depends on the truck, and even more so on the driver - when I hop on the freeway I can get 20mpg tank after tank after tank, but I cruise at 60mph and drive for the most part like a grandpa. These trucks are not fast, generally the lower your engine speed the better the fuel economy so if you want any decent mpg numbers you will keep her under 2200 rpms and either drive with the big rigs, or regear the axle for something more freeway-friendly. Realistically, I think you should be expecting 17-18 mpg freeway, and 12-13 within city - again, some get better, some get worse, it will greatly depend on how you drive and where you drive.
5) No, there is no factory turbo on this truck, unless an owner installed it - '93 and '94 are the only years these trucks came with a turbo from the factory, and even then it was not all trucks, but only some. To add to the confusion in '94 you could get three 7.3 diesel engines - the good old n/a IDI, same IDI but beefed up and turbocharged, and the then-new PSD that was also turbocharged. Installing a turbo on a n/a IDI engine is very much a piece of cake if you have all the OEM parts, and there are still aftermarket setups that are specifically designed for these trucks, some even come with an intercooler for running higher boost numbers consistently. Plan on spending about $1k for a good-working used setup, and about $3.5k for a new system.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,802
Likes: 1
Well then, register there, if you're serious about getting a diesel then I guarantee you you'll be using that site just as much as you'll be using FTE's diesel forum, and getting an account at TDS wouln't be a bad idea either... See, I can copy-paste all the info here, but I just don't think that will be fair to the person who went through all the trouble of collecting the info and organizing it in that nice article... Hope ya understand.
