7.3 Durability?
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Trailering
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 24
Likes: 4
7.3 Durability?
Now that it's been over 3 years with the 7.3 on the road, what is the general consensus on the 7.3's long term durability? In the beginning we were hearing the tales of cams and crankshafts "de-laminating" or galling up taking the whole engine down. There was mention of this being most common on delivery vehicles that spent a lot of time idling and the variable output oil pump might be the cause. Seems like after the first two years, that chatter all went away. While camping I personally have now encountered a lot of RVers running the 7.3 and have not heard of engine issues. There are always going to be the unexpected failures but it seems to me that the original talk about impending, low mileage doom was without merit. Our 2021 Class C is closing in on 40K miles and still runs smooth and quiet as new. I was suspicious when people were pointing fingers at both cams and cranks. I could not see where two different components could both have bad batches. I'm assuming they come from the same sources of other Ford hard parts that are pretty damn solid so it would seem unlikely they would each be problematic. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,483
Likes: 273
From: Tulare U.S.A.
I have never heard of a crankshaft problem with the 7.3s. I think the consensus is the lifter metallurgy is suspect, This has more than likely been fixed as you hear of fewer 7.3s taking a dump. I did hear of a few early 2023s having the lifter issue but, I have yet to see any 2024s. The problem seems to be a vendor issue, all the big three are having the lifters fail. It's not a design issue as a set of Johnson lifters eliminates the problem.
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 700
Likes: 478
My father purchased a 2021 F600 with the 7.3L and we lost it a little over 30k. We were planning to purchase more 7.3L trucks and ended up waiting a few more years. We now have three more 7.3L trucks in the company and they are all 2024 so hopefully the engine has been refined. Hardly any mileage on the new trucks so time will tell.
Forums will definitely have you overthinking the issue though. Im surrounded by contractors on a daily basis with the 7.3L being plenty popular now and I cant say anyone else I personally know of has had a 7.3L failure.
Forums will definitely have you overthinking the issue though. Im surrounded by contractors on a daily basis with the 7.3L being plenty popular now and I cant say anyone else I personally know of has had a 7.3L failure.
4wd Low
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 13
Likes: 1
Might want to read thru this thread;
7.3L Engine Failure ~ Rough Idle, Low Compression, Lifter Taps - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com)
7.3L Engine Failure ~ Rough Idle, Low Compression, Lifter Taps - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com)
Mountain Pass
Joined: May 2024
Posts: 138
Likes: 93
Until Ford issued the CSP for the ‘23 and ‘24 models, we had to guess if Ford was doing anything about the issue. Actually, we’re still not sure what the CSP means. That is the opposite of how you build consumer confidence. As a counter example, now that Toyota has identified the root cause of their engine failures and issued a recall, I would feel confident in their company and the Tundra. Until Ford does this (never will) 👎.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2023
Posts: 227
Likes: 139
I would love to read threads where everyone was thrilled with their truck and almost no problems at all. Most owners go onto forums to discuss problems, few comment on how great and trouble free their truck is. So it can look like the trucks are just junk, when in reality not true. My 2020 F150 has not had a single problem. But many others have experienced issues like transmissions etc. Hoppefully Ford is actively addressing the AC problem in new Superduty trucks for example.
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More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 667
Likes: 156
2021 F250 CC 7.3, 39,000 miles 95% towing and not a single hiccup.
Long time personal friend is manager of Ford dealership and unaware of 7.3 issues and has sold 17 trucks since 2020.
One engine failure gets a magnifying glass 🔍 ...... That's the issue.
Long time personal friend is manager of Ford dealership and unaware of 7.3 issues and has sold 17 trucks since 2020.
One engine failure gets a magnifying glass 🔍 ...... That's the issue.
Trailering
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 19
Likes: 6
From: Port Coquitlam
22 F250 CC 7.3, 29,000 KM's towing 80% no issues. Drove 18,000 KM's last year across Canada as far east into Newfoundland and back home to B.C. through the US. This truck has outperformed any other tow vehicle I have owned. Only issue with the truck was a bad electrical connector when the truck was brand new. Dealer repaired and no other issues so far. Love towing with this truck!
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,951
Likes: 2,658
From: The Great State of Texas
17 trucks from a dealer is statistically insignificant so not surprised they haven't seen any.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 216
Likes: 107
From: Ruther Glen VA
2021 F350 XL CCLB 7.3l 4.30 rear. Used as daily driver farm use its it babied and at 63k miles. Not had anything major. Only has stuck me once my fault. The battery died it was the stock one. I knew it was out of warranty and needed to replace it ASAP. Was procrastinating and pushing it off until my next maintenance but she died on the farm while feeding cows. I tow tractor bailer hay cattle. I cannot complain one bit. Easy to maintenance and pulls anything I have placed behind it so far.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,668
Likes: 4,765
From: Itinerant
More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 700
Likes: 478
Ive got one truck on its second time bomb and purchased three more time bombs this year. Wish I knew this guy or gals uncles, brothers, mothers, son of a mechanic thats seen all the 7.3 lifter failures. Im the only one out of my non internet group that's had this problem so far.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,951
Likes: 2,658
From: The Great State of Texas
LOL...In all seriousness he's been a Ford tech since '94