Got wind of a Ford 3/4 ton 4wd diesel. It is an extended cab and lower miles for the year. Mid 90's Have not contacted to confirm the year but was told it was in pretty nice shape. Price is $8500.
I am not sure it is still for sale. Kind of afraid to call as I might really want it if not already sold.

So these mid 90's 7.3's what do I need to know?

Love the body style!

I had a 95 f250 with the power stroke 7.3 It was a great engine with lots of power and torque. But it did have issues with burnt wiring harness pins and glow plugs

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Got wind of a Ford 3/4 ton 4wd diesel. It is an extended cab and lower miles for the year. Mid 90's Have not contacted to confirm the year but was told it was in pretty nice shape. Price is $8500.
I am not sure it is still for sale. Kind of afraid to call as I might really want it if not already sold.

So these mid 90's 7.3's what do I need to know?

They're real good motors. My mechanic buddy disconnected the glow plugs and leaves them disconnected unless temps drop below 60F, it doesn't need them and protects the harness. He will also dump up to 15 gallons of drain oil right into the fuel tank just strained through a paint strainer and the truck runs perfect on it, better and quieter than with straight diesel.....so if you do an oil change, just dump the drain oil right into the fuel tank. They tend to tear up the front end and that's their weak point so check ball joints and such.

My '97 has around 280k miles on it and it has been pretty trouble-free. I wish I could buy another one new, just like it.

Never been a fan of the 90's body style, but if everything checks out, go for it!

From a guy who wishes he still had a 7.3 from that vintage. Up here in Maine they rust to death. Overall you can't kill a 7.3 from wear with regular oil changes. I'd never as suggested feed it crap for fuel. I've over a million miles on 7.3's of that era across a few ford pickups. There is nothing to fear on these engines. I always carried a cps as that was a roadside weak point.

quote:

So these mid 90's 7.3's what do I need to know?

the local trucksters love the 7.3 despite the noise/stink/age. Any that put enough miles on them OR the pick up body to actually wear stuff out whine incessantly trying to find a 7.3 replacement, which are becoming more & more scarce.

Then when the ones I know find a newer model with a different motor design, begin singing the praises of the new one.

The 7.3 remains well regarded in this woodsy area by those who can't afford the actual newest /better stuff. And there's always the battle with the Cummins crowd in dissent. No one speaks well of the Ford 6.0 as far as I can tell.

I'm not a diesel pickup guy so have limited direct exposure. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
From a guy who wishes he still had a 7.3 from that vintage. Up here in Maine they rust to death. Overall you can't kill a 7.3 from wear with regular oil changes. I'd never as suggested feed it crap for fuel. I've over a million miles on 7.3's of that era across a few ford pickups. There is nothing to fear on these engines. I always carried a cps as that was a roadside weak point.

The diesel at the fuel pumps today, is NOT the diesel the 7.3 was designed to operate and run on. The ultra low sulfur fuel has a lot less lubricity than the old high sulfur fuel the 7.3 was designed for. Running some oil (a lot of diesel mechanics throw a quart of 2 cycle oil in at fill up on even almost new ones) in the fuel puts that lubricity back that the engine, mechanical fuel injectors, mechanical injector pump, and valves were designed to operate with. The motor runs quieter and has more power with 10 gallons of drain oil mixed with diesel. I don't know but the guy has 550,000 miles on that 7.3 and it runs perfect and he's never had it apart. It's very similar to running UNleaded fuel in a 1960's muscle car with a high HP (for it's time) motor.

I would not add oil in a diesel that runs DEF fluid.....Prior 2007 diesels yeah.

The new 6.0 liters do not stand up to any abuse. Most lead a very early death if chipped and modified for more power. They're good motors if you put head studs in them and change the rods or leave them stock.

But you guys do realize that most of the waste oil that everyone drops off at their local Auto parts store is recycled into either offroad diesel OR coolant.

Anyways, here's a highly scientific explanation of running waste oil:
https://usfiltermaxx.com/en/co.../9-make-black-diesel

Articles about benefits of adding 2 stroke oil to a tank:
http://www.trucktrend.com/feat...-fuel-additive-test/

http://www.thedieselstop.com/f...ing-oil-fuel-212443/

Don't get me started on 6.0 motors. Junk. But if you don't like the situation on today's fuel then add the correct additive ( readily available) not oil with all kinds of abrasive crap in it.
Like I said hard to kill a 7.3.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
Don't get me started on 6.0 motors. Junk. But if you don't like the situation on today's fuel then add the correct additive ( readily available) not oil with all kinds of abrasive crap in it.
Like I said hard to kill a 7.3.

If you let the drain oil sit, and it's in a clean container and you pour 95% of it in the tank through a paint strainer like body shops use. Anything that might be in it will be caught by the secondary fuel filters on the engine which filter 2-10 microns depending on the manufacturer and it's fine. I know a lot of people that do it and have been for 100s of thousands of miles. These are certified diesel mechanics that are doing it that I know. You don't even see any visible smoke if you mix 10 gallons of clean drain oil with 10 gallons of diesel. The motor runs much quieter and has more power. I wouldn't go get drain oil from billy bob that has tree leaves and other contaminents in it.

Thanks guys. I value your opinions and knowledge. I will call to see the status of this rig. I will be seeing my mechanic buddy next week to see what he thinks unless it is already sold. He would probably go look at it with me.

Make sure you have a good inspection done.

I have a friend with a 7.3 that they have had since new. They recently had two separate mechanics tell them that it needs new injectors. Parts and labor from both sources was approximately $4K.

Truck still runs well and starts fine, but doesn't make it's usual pulling power, so if you aren't familiar with the feel of the vehicle, you might not know about this until you had it looked at and tested.

One warning on the 97 and earlier trucks. Burnt wiring harnesses are a known issue and the harness isn't an available part anymore.

I know trucks from this era that are sidelined because the owner can't get a wiring harness for it (mainly the Diesel's trucks).