Ford 7.3 Diesel...only 185 HP

[v10superduty]

Hard to believe that the first 7.3 was only 185 horsepower.

Was also IDI (In Direct Injection) and non turbo for those who were not paying attention to diesel powered trucks back in the late 80's.:S

Then came a Turbo IDI, still gutless but tough and a puller.

Then came the one many on here call the "best" diesel Ford had, the
7.3 DI Turbo so there was basically 3 versions of the 7.3 over the years.

For you younger guys who weren't around then, the 7.3 was NOT Fords first diesel.
That was the 6.9 IDI at about 160 HP in the early 80s.

Just reminiscing after reading bout all the 500HP high tech, high maintenance, high cost, current diesel engines here on the RV forums.. :B

[Powerdude]

You got that right.

A 7.3L PSD, 2001 vintage with 175k miles sells for 12k-14k, usually upper end of that range.

A 6.0L PS, 2003-4 vintage with 150k miles goes for around 9-11k, asking prices.

Both for 4x4 crew cab varieties, asking prices on Craigslist.

Kind of telling.

[mr61impala]

majorgator wrote:

ib516 wrote:

The only thing you can fairly compare it to is a 96 Ford or GM diesel which were even more gutless.

As an owner of a '96 F350 PSD, I greatly disagree with such a comment 😉
I think the sticker on the side of my 7.3 says 215 HP, but after only a few mods that joker will put you in the back of your seat just as good as many of the newer diesels. I'm at about 270K miles now, and have ZERO interest in upgrading any time soon. The most I've pulled was about 9K pounds without trouble. I've been considering moving to a 5th wheel in the 9k to 11k weight range, and the only thing I would add for pulling this is an intercooler (due to the aftermarket stage 1 injectors).

We purchased hundreds of new delivery trucks between 1995 and 1998, they were all IHC w T444E (7.3 PSD with mechanical fuel pump) or F/L with 12 valve B series (6BT). These are all the lowest HP versions available and we still operate many of these trucks.

As other have said, these are not powerhouses, probably the reason many have achieved 600 to 700K miles without engine replacement.

Both are rock solid platforms, however there are differences.

200k tune-up, set of injectors for 5.9L around $300, about 90 minutes to change.
200K tune-up, set of injectors for 7.3L around $2400, about 8 hours to change.

If you run either one too long with a bad injector tip you risk losing compression in a cylinder.

Lifetime MPG range for the 5.9L fleet +/- 12 mpg.
Lifetime MPG range for the 7.3L fleet +/- 10 mpg.

7.3L has a complex fuel management system which is increasingly problematic with age, the 6BT has no engine management system (Briggs and Stratton technology).

The big downside to the 6BT is it's more prone to oil leaks, some of which can be costly.

Nice examples of trucks equipped with either of these fine diesel engines will continue to be highly sought after.

[mr61impala]

ib516 wrote:

Kevin O. wrote:
Nothing but great things to say about the 7.3!!! No they don't put out 400hp/800tq but who cares.. My old girl is coming up on her 15th birthday(151,000mi) and still runs great!..With no truck payments anymore and low property taxes, I have no intentions on ever getting another truck! 🙂

One of the best they used in a Superduty.

x2

[dougger222]

Would love to replace one of the old diesels with a new one but it seems to make more sense on paper to keep maintaining mine rather than dish out $60K+ for a new one. Haven't seen a car payment in 5+ years.

[bucky]

The trick with the older Cummins engines is to goose them a little bit. They are not under powered then.
I refuse to pay $50k or better for a TV that sees about 5k miles a year. My 215HP 98 Cummins now carries ~350HP and ~650FTLBS with very little investment. I'll have to find a dyno around here to get some real numbers, but a Banks kit that includes trans protection, some better injectors and a BHAF mod is all that has been done. Poor little thing just flys under the radar, looks bone stock.

[ib516]

Kevin O. wrote:
Nothing but great things to say about the 7.3!!! No they don't put out 400hp/800tq but who cares.. My old girl is coming up on her 15th birthday(151,000mi) and still runs great!..With no truck payments anymore and low property taxes, I have no intentions on ever getting another truck! 🙂

One of the best they used in a Superduty.

[Kevin_O_]

Nothing but great things to say about the 7.3!!! No they don't put out 400hp/800tq but who cares.. My old girl is coming up on her 15th birthday(151,000mi) and still runs great!..With no truck payments anymore and low property taxes, I have no intentions on ever getting another truck! 🙂

[nevadanick]

Jus2shy, someone from Fl once said that was the biggest hill they had to endure. I cant go any direction without having to go uphill, none are steep though.

[blt2ski]

FishOnOne wrote:
Wow... I sure would hate to live next to that bridge.

Not too bad really. It is pretty short overall. Down south on I5 are some shorter 2-3 mile stretches that will slow just about anything down.

Marty

[FishOnOne]

Wow... I sure would hate to live next to that bridge.

[jus2shy]

nevadanick wrote:
Overpasses ?

It took a while, but that was pretty damn funny! 😉

If you really want to see mountains and hills right next to each other, come to the PNW and try driving from Puget Sound to any direction. Same in regards to the Willamette valley. Even driving North / South on I-5 you still come across plenty of good grades between the major towns. Even our bridges have serious grades in these parts.

This is the Astoria bridge on Hwy 101.

[cutty72]

Growing up on the farm, we had an '83 F250 with the 6.9 and a 4 speed. Did pretty good with anything we hooked behind it.
In '93 we picked up a new IDI 7.3, better mileage and a bit more power to pull.
When the '83 finally gave up (after 500+k) we picked up a used '94 7.3 IDI turbo, that sucker was a hot rod!
In '00 we stepped up to the Super Duty 7.3 powerstroke and 6 speed manual.
Trade that for an '02 just to get a bit newer.
I currently have an '01 and dad picked up a hold over '12 with the 6.7.
BIL runs a 6.0, so the only one I have no experience with is the 6.4.
I like the 6.7, but longevity and maintenance costs are yet to be seen.
I love my 7.3, cause I can do almost everything myself.
6.0 isn't terrible, if you maintain properly and take precautions to bulletproof it first.

[blt2ski]

nevadanick wrote:
Overpasses ?

IIRC the road grade on the bridge that goes from the two Michigan peninsula's is 6% going up in ea direction. some cases, one can have some short "steep" grades on interstates. Local roads here In seattle ca be upwards of 24% which is the steepest I have found. 33% for a clients driveway on Lake washington going up to the main road.

marty

[nevadanick]

Overpasses ?