I Just Can't KILL Her!
 

My truck that is............:-X04


200,700 miles on the OD and the old girl is still kickin'. Not only kickin', but kickin' about as good as she did at 40,000......which is when I bought her.


Before today, she was in DIRE need of basic maintenance. Stuff I'd been planning, but didn't get around to. Took a trip to Oak Ridge (TN) a couple of days ago, and the mileage was about what it was when she was new(er). Roughly 280-mile trip. On the way up, got 18.5mpg...and on the way back, got 20.5mpg.


Yeah. Empty. But still......Pretty good mountain driving along the way too.


So....Took advantage of a NICE day today (mid -50s....sunny)...and gave her some much needed TLC. Changed the oil and filter. Pulled the AFE and cleaned and oiled her up. Cleaned the engine bay some (not a detail job......but knocked some of the oil off the patina. Changed the fuel filter, and let me tell YOU sportsfans, it was frickin' filthy. I'm surprised she was running as well as she was.


LONG overdue. Almost embarrassed to tell you guys......but over 15,000 since my last oil change. Yeah....I've been topping her off regularly, but it was, shall we say, getting a little thin........:o


It had been about 70,000 since I changed the fuel filter. Again......How she ever forgave me I'll never know.........:-innocent


Aaahhhh, WTH. I don't post here enough, so I decided to throw some rookie crap at the board. I'm sure some of you went for periods of time where you didn't dot all the 'I's and cross all the 'T's with your 7.3s.......


Only downside (upon my 160,000-mile reflection since purchasing the old girl) is it's not a longbed.


Dammit

Good thing its a 7.3 that can tolerate some overdue maintenance.

Yeah....


And I'm almost afraid to bring up the transmission.......:-innocent

I get that it's a hassle to be diligent with the fluids and filters. I have other things on my ever-growing bucket list yet unfilled - and changing oil distracts me from that.

I won't pass judgment or lecture you, because we all have our own priorities - God Bless America. I will share some numbers:

• Since you postpone your fluid/filter changes, I assume you won't be the one on the wrench at motor swap time. That will cost at least $10,000 when the blowby starts.
• A brand new diesel Superduty King Ranch is sneaking into the $70,000 range, and getting the base diesel Superduty will pop $50,000.
• A diesel Superduty 7.3L P/U with 40,000 (if you can find one) will draw at least $20,000 on Craigs List, and I've seen trucks with higher mileage sell for $25,000 to $28,000.
• You are at 1/3 to 1/5 the life expectancy of the engine with proper care. 200K is not miraculous... I'm at 300K with good compression numbers and zero blowby - many here are over 400K
• Your injectors with teeny-tiny parts are moving up and down at 1000 cycles per minute on the freeway - while bathed in your oil (the 7.3L HEUI injectors are oil powered). Remans are unreliable and don't last as long as new, 8 new ones are $2600.

If time is the thing, shops can do it for you. If money is the thing, I have given you more data to factor into the "How Much I Save" calculation.

200k? Is that it? Just getting broke in!

I've had her 160,000 miles. Actually, Tug.....Except for this last iteration....I've been fairly consistent with maintenance. Especially oil, of course. I don't do a lot of severe duty stuff (some.....but not a lot), and it's been about every 7500 miles with oil/filter....

Except for this last time of course.....lol.
Actually the stuff I described in the OP is about the extent of my mechanical 'bonding' time-skill level with my truck.........lol

About the only thing I did myself with the beast is change the original airbox over to the AFE cold-air intake...........and change the CPS. Minor stuff with fuses....bulbs. That sort of thing.

I've got a pretty good shop I take her to for more major stuff.....Like brakes......and had both ball joints replaced.

*****I don't want to give the impression I've been a neglectful butt-head the last 9 years........

......I've just been one for the last year.........lol

I've heard that. Which gets to my next point.........(doh!)

OK. Now to set Tugly off.....lol

I've NEVER replaced my tranny fluid or the tranny filter..........Ever. Don't know what, if anything was done the first 40,000 miles with it vis-a-vis the tranny.

Now I've heard one school of thought say 'Steve......leave it alone. The fluid in it is just what your tranny needs........just top off when needed'.....

And the other school which says 'Steve....you IDIOT....change that s--t out now!!!'........

Thoughts?

(and yeah....I've heard the 4R100 is the weak link for my model/year superduty....)

BG PF5 every 30k is your friend....Big fan of amsoil also

Bought 1 of these at an Estate sale for 1k and a 4 hour drive to N.C
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...09298bcf80.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...30c69614f2.jpg

Gawd... I don't want to come off as the 7.3L maintenance Gestapo. It's your truck, your life, and your wallet.

Now... come at me about bling on Stinky and I'll break out in Sailor Speak - set to music with a strong downbeat.

Too late.......lol

So. Don't screw with the tranny oil/filter?

Or drain, drop the pan, replace the gasket and filter, and refill?????

Steve....you IDIOT....change that s--t out now!!! :D

ford recommended trans service interval is every 30 to 35 thousand miles.

Yeah....I know I'm wayyyyyy past the recommended intervals........That's a gimmee.........

I've just heard that once you go far enough past the interval, that doing the full service is worse than the disease....(i.e., the 'cure' will kill the patient).......

Is that an old wive's tale? Changing out the fluid, filter, gasket is not going to kill the truck's tranny????

But yeah. To your point. I am an idiot......

If you don't have a pre-fuelpump filter, you need to be changing out your fuel filter every 8-10k miles. It's only $15, and 10 minutes of your time. Gotta do it.

As for your tranny...well....

And now comes the scary part...have you EVER changed out your brake fluid? Spend the $50 and go to a BG shop and have them do it. It can save your life.

And the rear differential fluids?

I know, these things can take some serious maintenance neglect. But fluids break down even without use, and especially with use. You gotta do a little TLC every month or so. Put together a 12-month plan of one thing every 2 months (Brake fluid tomorrow, tranny flush in March, rear differential in May, etc. Do that, and the truck will last you another 20-30 years.

tough question. will changing the fluid now kill the trans? probably not.
but who knows how long it will last if you do not service it?




kinda like the guy that feels because the prostrate cancer he has had for the past 4 years has not killed him so far, so why have it removed?

I'll have to check on the brake fluid thing.....


My rear brakes failed about 100,000 miles ago. I basically had a new rear-end put in (rotors, calipers, the works). Scary time.


The garage has a complete service history. I'll check.


But I've not been changing that stuff out. :-X16