Opinions on durability of the 7.3 ford diesel

[syoungs]

I drove mine 10k miles with a broken piston, didn't realize it was that, thought I had a bad injector. It's got a new motor going in itnow, though I could have just put a piston and rings in the old one I'm sure.

Injectors and trannies are the 2 big $$ items, I wouldn't do it any other way though, love tge motor and the truck.

[whitey]

My 2001 super duty has 230,000 and no signs of it getting weak. Love the truck

[whitey]

here it is my little baby

[bhawley76]

240,000 on my 97 f 350 7.3 automatic. Great truck wouldn't think twice about getting another   

[huntnphool]

At 200k there are going to be some things to check on it. With the change to low sulphur, the water drain o-ring on the fuel bowl, as well as the other o-rings on the bowl tend to dry more quickly and crack, leading to fuel leaks into the valley. Easy fix but will need to be addressed. http://www.dieselorings.com/1999-2003-ford-7-3l/fuel-bowl-parts/fuel-bowl-reseal-kit-1999-2003.html

 Are the glow plugs original? If so its time to swap them.

 I'd consider changing the injectors as well at some point in the near future, OEM types can be found at places like http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%28roi%29+branded&utm_content=thoroughbred+diesel&utm_term=thoroughbred%20diesel where I got mine. Great people to deal with and good prices.

 While doing the injectors you will want to replace the injector/glow plug harness under the valve cover, as well as the valve cover gaskets. Easy job and not expensive.

As with other vehicles with 200k, there will be other little things to look at as well, one would be to watch the tach at idle. Does it have a tiny surge or tiny drop all the time, this is generally a bad ICP sensor, another easy fix but just one more little thing to add up.

Not a bad idea to do the harnesses and v/c gaskets while doing the glow plugs also.

 That's what I meant.........."while you're in there" type of things.

[LDennis24]

Auto tranny's need rebuilt every 50,000-60,000 miles on superduty's with the 7.3l. If you go longer it could cost you. I've never met anyone who owns an automatic that hasn't had tranny issues. What year is it and is it manual?

 I've never had transmission issues.

 And as far as the auto needing to be rebuilt every 50-60k........hogwash!

Just relaying info I was given by several owners who probably don't do regular maintenance. I even read about it online. Tranny's going out at 70,000-80,000. Had a farmer tell me his tranny went out, asked him how many miles. He said 78,000. Sounds pretty common to me.  With regular maintenance any piece of equipment should last that's common sense. Drive it and listen to the turbo as well. Again I was told this by several people who have built and driven these 7.3l diesel's for a long time. I shopped for one that had everything I wanted for over a year and read everything I could about them before I bought mine.

[Westside88]

I know what turbos sound like, is there a tell tale bad sound? Or just listening for a "bad" sound like bearings going out etc?

[JJB11B]

7.3 is historically one of the most dependable pickup engines out there. They are somewhat known for some injector issues but with good oil maintenance most of that can be averted. If it is auto trans that would be the "weakest" point. Those trucks do like to eat some ball joints but that is not engine related.

This guy knows his stuff

[2labs]

I've got a 99 superduty, crewcab, six speed with 220,000. I bought it used with 190,000 on it. It needs some front end work, bushing's, oil seal's, dust seals in the housing etc... but the motor runs great still and has plenty of power. It has trouble starting when its the slightest bit cold, under 50 degrees, not sure why. It's a long bed so it needs a little driveline work. The manual tranny will outlast the auto by far. Auto tranny's need rebuilt every 50,000-60,000 miles on superduty's with the 7.3l. If you go longer it could cost you. I've never met anyone who owns an automatic that hasn't had tranny issues. What year is it and is it manual?

I have a late 99 with 250 k on it has BD transmission kit and torque converter, no problems. Motor still strong. Replaced glow plug relay. Needs glow plugs! Summer job.

[LDennis24]

Just the tell tale worn out sounds, look in the turbo if ya can and see that it's clean, should have a little oil but nothing grainy. Check the fins and see if they look worn like an old fan blade. I guess turbo rebuilds can suck. I haven't had to do one yet. I think I'll go aftermarket when the time comes. If the fins are worn it means the guy didn't even change the air filter enough so the motor might not be any better.

[Buzz2401]

I think you might be disappointed with the power output of a stock 7.3L they are kinda dogs as far as a diesel goes.  Most new half ton pickups are close to the same amount of torque.  But you can add a few aftermarket parts to squeeze alot of power out of them.

[baker5150]

The tranny issues are usually due to maintenance and aftermarket parts.  A lot of guys think they can plug in a programmer and haul a 12k 5er over Stevens at 80mph with no issues. Just rolling coal with no care in the world until the burn the thing up. 

[fillthefreezer]

maybe i should have had 'phool do my tranny maintenance.  2003, bought it new. full flush at 15k. again at 30k. tranny grenaded at 42k. put a BTS in it, been good on that end since. my truck ate alot of alternators, is hard on springs, shocks and u joints. the starter bolts often back out too. other than that, its been very trouble free for the last 12 years

[bhawley76]

That rig with a handful of upgrades will run with ANY new truck out there hands down. The tranny is the weak link. But a oversize cooler and a aftermarket aluminum pan (B&M) 10quart. problem solved.

[JJB11B]

That rig with a handful of upgrades will run with ANY new truck out there hands down. The tranny is the weak link. But a oversize cooler and a aftermarket aluminum pan (B&M) 10quart. problem solved.

and a high speed electric fan