Time to retire the 7.3 OBS?

[ctrout]

I've had this 1997 F250 diesel for over 15 years and in that time, it has left me stranded just 3 times. Once a dozen or so years ago when the fuel bowl heater shorted and took out the ECS fuse with it, once when the water pump catastrophically failed after about 500 miles into a trip from Idaho to California, and today when I was towing my camper into the mountains for a weekend deer hunting trip.

I'm not sure yet what the failure was. I was towing up a steep grade that usually has me down to about 60mph as I reach the top. Today I was at 40mph and still losing speed. I found a turnout so I pulled over and the truck immediately stopped running. I suspected a clogged fuel filter so I pullet the filter to look. The fuel in the bowl was either boiling or air was blowing through it from the lift pump. I could not get the truck to start again so I had it towed to the dealership.

The last time I had the truck in for maintenance they said that I really should get the gaskets and seals redone because I have numerous, significant oil leaks. They said that this will be an engine-out repair and would cost roughly $2-$2.5k. The truck has about 230,000 miles on it. The AC hasn't worked in about three years (Idaho, 90-105F in the summer).

I am feeling like it might be time to put this one out to pasture and get something newer, but I don't have $30-$50k to spend. My wife and I prefer to pay cash for everything because we are approaching that time in life when income will soon become pretty fixed. Our house will be paid off in 6 months and we will be debt free. We were right in the process of saving to pay cash for a new to us camper sometime in the next 12-18 months so I do have a tiny bit of cash to work with ($5000).

Would I be better off pouring the $5000 into getting my Powerstroke overhauled, or selling it for maybe $5-$6k and finding a bulletproofed 6.0, or something else that I could get maybe in the spring when I have maybe $15k to spend?

We are planning a trip to Italy next summer so we weren't going to do too much camping anyway. I may possibly be able to live without a truck for a year and a half and save even more to buy one the following year but that would not be an ideal plan from my point of view.

[Grit_dog]

^ What he said. Barring verifiable maintenance records, 100k miles and 15 years old, change every fluid on the truck and start fresh.

Also if it has the old style hydro boost pump still, start saving your pennies for a new one and get the new style pump.

[ppine]

I had the front end of my Ford rebuilt with all Moog parts for around $1,200. Now every part has a grease fitting.

AC is not that hard to fix. Even a new compressor is not that much.
A windshield is just part of maintenance.

The Fords have some odd electrical problems in the cab. That is the one thing I am going to get fixed. It takes an auto electrician.

At 175 k mi I am tempted to get a rebuilt trans for my 2002. The new torque converters are totally superior.

I am choking on the idea of spending $40,000 in American dollars for a truck with 100k miles.

[LIKE2BUILD]

ctrout wrote:
....This was a very hard decision.....I decided that it's best to let this one go. The front suspension was in need of quite a bit of work. The AC was not working, interior is pretty tired, windshield is broken, tires are getting thin, and brakes are probably due soon.

In the meantime, I bought a 2006 5.9 Cummins in exceptional condition yesterday. It has brand new tires, AC blows cold, interior is in excellent condition, body is excellent with no dents and great paint, all glass is good, 103,700 miles on the clock.

These are always tough decisions, but in the end I think you went the right way. I'm all for keeping old things running rather than buying new(er) if I can help it. In situations like your truck, there comes a point where you have to find your point of diminishing returns. If you aren't able to do the work yourself, all the repairs your truck needed would add up quickly.

Even though you upgraded about 10 model years, the truck you bought is still 14 years old. When I buy a used vehicle I like to do the following so I know I'm starting off with a 'fresh' vehicle:
1) Coolant flush and fill
2) Transmission: drain, replace filters, band adjustment, refill. DO NOT POWER FLUSH!!!!!
3) Filters: air and fuel
4) Oil Change with filter
5) Axles: drain and refill with quality gear lube.
6) Brake Fluid: Flush the brake lines with fresh DOT3 fluid.

If you can't do this work yourself it will cost a decent amount but I bet you can find an independent shop that will do this for a fair price. I like to do all of this stuff because I don't assume the previous owner maintained it properly. At 100K miles your truck is right at the mileage (and beyond in years) when all of these service items are needed anyway. None of this will guarantee is problem free, but it's definitely a good insurance policy so you can be confident the routine stuff is all covered.

There is one small common issue in the front axle you'll want to have inspected. The right side CV Joint (u-joint) will go bad over time and will click or clunk. It's not an expensive fix and won't leave you stranded, but you just need to watch it and make sure it's all good. Just ask the shop to look it over when you have the the above preventative maintenance work done.

KJ

[bucky]

Welcome to the club. You won't be wondering for long how well your new truck will pull.
Old truck 210 HP 425 Torque
New truck 325 HP 600 Torque some spec sheets say 610

[Grit_dog]

It’s a bummer to “have” to step up to a newer vehicle if you’re not wanting to spend a bunch of money, but your analysis of your old truck, sounds like it was the right choice.
Congrats on the new rig.
We have essentially the same truck with a 6 speed stick.
IMO, the one necessary thing to do, if not done, is get secondary fuel filtration on it.
It’s pretty common the stock type filters contribute to early injector failure. Lost a couple of mine at about 120k even with quality stock filters.
Add a secondary spin on filter base that takes 2 micron filters, between the OE filter and injection pump.
There are kits for about $200 or if you’re a bit resourceful you can get the parts for under $100 and a little ingenuity.

[ctrout]

Thanks for all of the replies. This was a very hard decision, but for the price these are going for in my area and the condition that mine was in, I decided that it's best to let this one go. The front suspension was in need of quite a bit of work. The AC was not working, interior is pretty tired, windshield is broken, tires are getting thin, and brakes are probably due soon.

All together, if I were to fix everything and get the engine sealed back up (front and rear crank seals, oil pan) I would probably be looking at spending $6-$8k to make my truck worth maybe $11k. If I find that the issue it is having is repairable, I can pay for the repair and sell it for around $4500. If it is not repairable, I can keep the junker around my house for 6 months while I wait for someone to give me $600 for it, or I could take it to the scrap yard. I'll know more when they tell me what is wrong with it.

In the meantime, I bought a 2006 5.9 Cummins in exceptional condition yesterday. It has brand new tires, AC blows cold, interior is in excellent condition, body is excellent with no dents and great paint, all glass is good, 103,700 miles on the clock. Now I just hope that this one lasts as long as my Ford did and hopefully it tows at least as well as the 7.3.

[Killingsworth]

I am in the keep it fix camp.
I have a 1997 f 150 with 200k on it and the transmission went south. It was $2000 for a rebuilt installed, I just couldn't come to grips with spending $2000 on a truck that was probably worth less than $3500. After looking for another used truck, that were more roughed up than mine, and the price of a new truck, just couldn't see the sense in that either. I went ahead and put the new transmission in and 20k miles later its running great, and I am really glad with the decision to keep the old truck.
If you do decide to buy a different truck, I got a 1999 F 250 7.3 with 148K for sale.

[wowens79]

I’d say fix it and keep it going. I don’t think you would gain any reliability going to a 6.0 or 6.4. Fix it up, and keep saving up for a significantly newer truck. I’m driving a 2002 Chevy 6.0 with 245k miles, and put about $2k into fixing leaks etc about a year ago. It’s only broke down once in 18 years.
Once that house is paid paid off, sick the money away for a newer truck.

[4x4ord]

If you buy another old used truck you could end up needing to spend money on it as well. If you sell it in non running condition it won’t be worth as much as it is after fixing it. I’d fix it. It will likely go another 15 years if you need it to.

[ORbiker]

You might be surprised how much your truck is worth. The 7.3 engines are highly desired.
I got $17,000.00 for our 2002 F350 long bed sight unseen. Granted; it only had 67,000 miles on it.
If you like your truck and it can do the job, fix it and keep it. KEN

[ferndaleflyer]

I had my 6.0 “bulletproofed” for $3300. Included head studs, head gaskets, injectors, egr delete, and whatever else was required. Been trouble free for over 100k miles.

[FishOnOne]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

Bird Freak wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:

My buddy just had the EGR cooler on a 6.0L replaced. IIRC, it was about $10k ! :E

Wow, your buddy got ripped big time. $10K for a EGR cooler! I just replaced mine 2 years ago for $300. That was with a stainless steel tube unit and having a Ford tech install it.

Just talked to my buddy, besides the EGR cooler they decide it need new head gaskets (?) which meant new head bolts (torque to yield).

He said "close to $10k" when everything was done.

One of his big problems was finding a shop that could get him in and out in under 1 month !

That was still too expensive and took too long. I can assure him that tech did him no favors.

[theoldwizard1]

Bird Freak wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:

My buddy just had the EGR cooler on a 6.0L replaced. IIRC, it was about $10k ! :E

Wow, your buddy got ripped big time. $10K for a EGR cooler! I just replaced mine 2 years ago for $300. That was with a stainless steel tube unit and having a Ford tech install it.

Just talked to my buddy, besides the EGR cooler they decide it need new head gaskets (?) which meant new head bolts (torque to yield).

He said "close to $10k" when everything was done.

One of his big problems was finding a shop that could get him in and out in under 1 month !

[Bird_Freak]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

ctrout wrote:
Would I be better off pouring the $5000 into getting my Powerstroke overhauled, or selling it for maybe $5-$6k and finding a bulletproofed 6.0, or something else that I could get maybe in the spring when I have maybe $15k to spend?

A lot of the answer to that question depends on the condition of the rest of the truck !

How are the brakes, shocks and springs ? If you have not dealt with them in the past 5 years, you will be soon ! Also things like brake line and fuel lines. Those do not last forever.

The whole front suspension need to be inspected. Ball joints, etc, etc.

Remember, this is NOT a full engine overhaul ! Basically gasket and some maintenance items. My buddy just had the EGR cooler on a 6.0L replaced. IIRC, it was about $10k ! :E


As much as you love your 7.3L, the hay day of the pickup truck diesel. IMHO, they are just not cost effective. The 6.0L and the 6.4L have many more issues that the 7.3L. The current 6.7L makes good power, but the the fuel economy is not as good as the 7.3L and it requires DEF.

Unless you are putting +50K/year on your truck, most of that time hauling a full load, it is time to look at the new 7.3L gas motor w/10 speed automatic.

Wow, your buddy got ripped big time. $10K for a EGR cooler! I just replaced mine 2 years ago for $300. That was with a stainless steel tube unit and having a Ford tech install it.