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7.3 IDI diesel on a Econoline

Antti

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Joined
Feb 18, 2022
Member Number
725
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Finland
Going to check one `92 E350 with 7.3d non turbo IDI and automatic transmission. Anything special to look after other than whats "normal" on any 30yr old car..?
Possible cold start, strange engine noises, fluids, clear changes and sniff on the tranny dip stick? That would be great hauler for 950 and kind of a campervan.
 
Look up zipties n bias plies on YouTube. He beats the ever living shit out of those motors. Yes, they are slow but durable. Assuming you're looking in Finland per your location, parts are probably non-existent.
 
Injector fuel return lines.

Take some hearing protection, can't imagine an idi in a van.

Injector pump usually need attention around 160k.

Cold start system is a pos. Probably been bypassed by now.
 
Look up zipties n bias plies on YouTube. He beats the ever living shit out of those motors. Yes, they are slow but durable. Assuming you're looking in Finland per your location, parts are probably non-existent.
Mad videos :)
We are happy to have at my home town probably biggest used US car parts importer at Nordics. They have a ranch at south west and send containers weekly, at least for GM they have all serviceparts at stock. But the old 6.9 / 7.3 isn`t that common, 6.2 / 6.5 engines are much much more common.
 
Seems like you're onto a better engine choice if you already have a source for parts on the 6.2/6.5 engines.

I don't know how it is for you, but older parts vehicles are harder to find today than they were 30 years ago. The recyclers around me tend to smash and shred everything at 20 years or so. The U.S. also had a Cash for Clunkers program several years ago that has had some impact on used parts availability, too.
Your junk is (or at least used to be) hobby for us here in Europe. There's a huge scene of enthusiasts and parts dealers for just about any forgotten US car brand from the 1920s to the 1990s.
 
There's still some of that here, but many salvage yards filled with rows of decades old steel have turned into much more organized operations. I believe that environmental regulations are at least partially responsible for the changes, and not without cause.

I don't know how the decisions are made, but large yards typically pull the drivetrain and palettize it, along with pulling other high value parts like airbags. Once the major parts are picked clean, the hulk either sits for a bit in the yard or is immediately sent to the steel plant. The pulled parts are cataloged and available for purchase online. LKQ is the largest of these operations in North America: https://lkqonline.com/

I used to be able to sign into a yard with my bucket of tools, and spend as much time as I wanted pulling parts. Liability concerns have ended that practice, too.
Yes, that's the way it used to be here as well. The public part picking is long gone but there's still some resistance and especially with the exotic US stuff.
 
But: we are now derailing Antti's thread.

His original question: a 92 E350 with 7.3d non turbo IDI and an automatic transmission. Anything special to look after for?

Keeping in mind that it's not a sensible mode of transportation but more or less an exotic hobby vehicle.
 
Man, I don't get the hate for the IDI.

Yeah, it came out before the current arms race of diesel pickups, but do you really NEED a 800hp engine for a standard pickup? IDI's are not hotrod toys camouflaged as pickups so some dude can get permission from his wife to buy a toy, they're just good, usable trucks.

They're good trucks. I've seen them move a lot of weight with no issue. The transmissions can shift rough if the selector thing gets out of adjustment on the side of the transmission, but it's easy to get to and adjust. Two minute job without getting dirty. Most troublesome thing on IDI's that I'm aware of is the glow plugs. When they fail they swell and basically become lodged in the head. Fortunately, it's a simple engine, so if you were forced to pull the heads it's a Saturday morning project and not some elaborate cab removal/ dealership computer song and dance.
 
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Man, I don't get the hate for the IDI.

Yeah, it came out before the current arms race of diesel pickups, but do you really NEED a 800hp for a standard pickup? IDI's sre not hotrod toys camouflaged as pickups so some dude can get permission from his wife to buy a toy, they're just good, usable trucks.

They're good trucks. I've seen them move a lot of weight with no issue. The transmissions can shift rough if the selector thing gets out of adjustment on the side of the transmission, but it's easy to get to and adjust. Two minute job without getting dirty. Most troublesome thing on IDI's that I'm aware of is the glow plugs. When they fail they swell and basically become lodged in the head. Fortunately, it's a simple engine, so if you were forced to pull the heads it's a Saturday morning project and not some elaborate cab removal/ dealership computer song and dance.
The last time I drove anything IDI was in ~2000. That thing was so shockingly slow, and got such bad fuel economy, that I was seriously convinced I had some trailer brakes dragging. I stopped at least 4 times trying to figure out what the issue was.
 
Any common rust problems?
In my experience all '80's and '90's Ford trucks had rust issues. Towards the mid-late '90's things started getting much better for whatever reason. Just body rust. I'm not aware of any frame rusting issues.
 
The last time I drove anything IDI was in ~2000. That thing was so shockingly slow, and got such bad fuel economy, that I was seriously convinced I had some trailer brakes dragging. I stopped at least 4 times trying to figure out what the issue was.
7.3 IDIs are around 200hp and 400tq IIRC. Ain't gonna be fast. A standard 454 Chevy gas motor can stomp one.

They feel even slower than they are if you've become accustomed to the modern diesels that turn pretty high rpm similar to most gasoline V8 engines. IDI are old school low rpm motors for sure.
 
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Well.. I didn`t get that IDI but 7.3 Powerstroke on F250.
Imported at 2009, been stored since then and first registeration at Finland this year.

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Even has some meaty tires, and it's a Quattro!

How many miles/kilometers are on it?
Yep someones Audi is missing windscreen :)

It has 175tmiles on, intact interior (even drivers seat), and dash. AC and all electronics work. As it is a truck in register it has low yearly taxes. Other ride is i3 so they make a nice couple.
 
My roommate had a F350 dually with the 7.3 and other than oil and filters I don’t remember that he had any problems with that truck. Great find!
 
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