[Mdub707]

Going to go check out a truck for my buddy tomorrow, he is in the market for a 7.3 and I honestly don't know much about them at all, I know 6.0's inside and out unfortunately.

Truck in question is a 2002 extended cab 4x4 auto 7.3 with 160,000 miles. They said it has new tires and a new exhaust on it, I believe they said it was "chipped", but I don't know what they're running on it until I get there. I believe DP and TS are the good ones for 7.3's correct? I haven't talked to the owner of the truck personally so I don't know what has or hasn't been replaced other than that. Obviously I will look for the generic truck items to see if it needs balljoints or brakes or anything of that sort, but what about the tranny and engine? How long does your typical 4R100 last? The owner said they used this to tow a horse trailer once in a while to Montana, so I'm guessing a lot of the miles came from that.

Anything I should be looking for guys? Thanks :ford:

 

[NE-STROKE]

Ts and Dp are the best 2 styles to get. The one thing I always do is take off intake tube and check out condition of intake wheel. Also see how much blowby comes out of oil fill cap.

 

[li'l tugger]

mdub.. DP and TS are the good chips for the 7.3l. the tranny doesnt like much more horsepower than stock, so if he had a hot chip and a stock tranny their could be some trouble. a valve body goes a long way in the 4r i think. someone with more experience can tell you better. i know i toasted mine with a generic ts chip, exhaust and intake. other tan finding out about the chip and tranny, just general diesel stuff would apply i think. check for blowby, filters, fluids, etc. again, someone else with more knowledge can tell you better.. just my .02 :ford:

 

[deiter5262]

:whs: Check it for oil leaks, check the valley for oil, push down on the front bumber to check for squeeks, (could be bad bushings) go test drive it for a little while..bring it back and let it sit for atleast 10 minutes while you are looking it over..check for any oil drips...I evidently didn't look too hard when i drove mine and found a hell of a oil leak when i drove the truck 300 miles home!

Pretty sure someone has a good sticky on this somewhere here as well

 

[JerseyJim]

Check the oil pan for rust. The only way to replace it is pull the motor.

These injectors are good for 200k if fed a steady diet of clean fuel and oil. 160k is getting in the neighborhood of needing injectors. Might be there already if preventitive maintenance was spotty.

I would want to start the truck up completely cold to see how it does. Stiction (still not sure I understand what that is) doesn't seem to be an issue with these motors like with the 6.0. However, these injectors can take a little encouragement to wake up as they age.

IDM (what you would call a FICM) loses voltage over time and can get water in it due to it being in the left front wheel-well. Knowing what I know now, I would send it out for overhaul to one of the site vendors.

Smell the tranny fluid; if it smells burnt its been worked hard - maybe too hard. If it's been worked real hard - and the owner didn't clean it up - you might find ATF burned onto the outside of the torque converter.

Does the truck have a full set of gauges? They are preferred, if not necessary, for safely turning up the wick on this motor. This is especially true of a western truck due to elevation and mountains.

I'm sure the more experienced guys will post some more. Good luck!
Best,
Jim

 

[Mdub707]

Good info so far guys, keep it coming. I don't know if the truck has gauges or not, but obviously they will be going in if my buddy gets it. It's a pretty fair price @ $8500 I'd say... hoping it doesn't need too much work. This will be a vegistroke 7.3 shortly after (if) he gets it.

 

[Mdub707]

Also what year trucks had the forged rods? What years had the PMR's?

 

[Arisley]

Also what year trucks had the forged rods? What years had the PMR's?

How can I tell if I have forged rods? - Powerstroke Nation

 

[Sluther]

I would want to start the truck up completely cold to see how it does.

I know this has already been said and is common diesel knowledge, but don't underestimate it. If it has any temperature in it at all, walk away. I got burnt real bad with this on my first 7.3. Truck wouldn't start without being plugged in even in the summer. Good luck.

 

[Mdub707]

I know this has already been said and is common diesel knowledge, but don't underestimate it. If it has any temperature in it at all, walk away. I got burnt real bad with this on my first 7.3. Truck wouldn't start without being plugged in even in the summer. Good luck.

Good call. We are going out around 5pm, so I will have my buddy call earlier in the day and tell them we want to hear it start cold.

 

[JerseyJim]

This will be a vegistroke 7.3 shortly after (if) he gets it.

Your friend might want to talk to 2000XLifted. He's running a vegistroke Excursion.

Personally, I would plan on overhauling or upgrading the injectors with that many miles on them - and figure that into the purchase price. I can't say enough good things about the work Swamps did for me. I went the overhaul route on my stock injectors. They did my IDM overhaul as well. Absolutely no romping or smoke at startup. Coldest its been here since I did this is 40*. Just get r done now and avoid the drama later.

Best,
Jim

 

[Mdub707]

Your friend might want to talk to 2000XLifted. He's running a vegistroke Excursion.

Personally, I would plan on overhauling or upgrading the injectors with that many miles on them - and figure that into the purchase price. I can't say enough good things about the work Swamps did for me. I went the overhaul route on my stock injectors. They did my IDM overhaul as well. Absolutely no romping or smoke at startup. Coldest its been here since I did this is 40*. Just get r done now and avoid the drama later.

Best,
Jim

I already know pretty much all there is to know about the vegistroke. I've installed one on a buddies 6.0, and I just bought one for mine, and will be installing my own very shortly as well as another one for a 2005 cummins.

That's some good advice, I will ask to see if the injectors have ever been replaced or if they are original.

What's the cost of overhauling 7.3 injectors and the IDM?

 

[JerseyJim]

I already know pretty much all there is to know about the vegistroke. I've installed one on a buddies 6.0, and I just bought one for mine, and will be installing my own very shortly as well as another one for a 2005 cummins.

That's some good advice, I will ask to see if the injectors have ever been replaced or if they are original.

What's the cost of overhauling 7.3 injectors and the IDM?

A homebrew expert - very good! I'm sure the price of #2 will eventually make me think about switching too...

Swamps charges $150/injector for overhaul and I think the IDM tuneup was about $200. There are DIY kits available too from other vendors if thats your thing. One of the benefits I really enjoy from Swamp's work is how smooth the motor runs. They do some sort of electronic magic that balances all 8 injectors and the IDM. Way above my head but it really made a difference.

Best,
Jim

 

[Mdub707]

Thanks for the input Jersey Jim

Went and checked the truck out. It has 168,000 miles. new tires, balljoints, u-joints, brakes, alternator, transmission was rebuilt around 135,000 and the rear end was also rebuilt at that time. It has 4" exhaust, and a hypertech programmer (boooo). A little rust on the extended cab doors and cab corners, but my buddy who is buying it owns his own spray in bed liner business so the whole bottom of the truck is getting coated. The oil pan was replaced about 6 months ago and sprayed with an undercoating.

The truck has been off the road for a little while and was not warm or plugged in when we showed up. It is probably only 40 degrees out if that, and snowing here, so it was chilly. I cycled the glow plugs, and it cranked for about 3 seconds and fired right up and idled very smooth.

It is an older couple who owned the truck and it was definitely a horse farm tower. Other than the rust it looked great. No dents or dings to speak of, had a line-x bedliner already.

Ended up buying it for $7500. Told the guy the injectors and IDM were gonna need to be rebuilt. He was OK with that. I think my buddy is just gonna run the truck for a while, it seems to run great even with that many miles. His mom has an 04 with 135,000 and it doesn't run this smooth. I'll have to get pics when we go pick it up friday.

 

[deiter5262]

Sounds great, my stock injectors have 186K still running very strong/smooth! My 97 had almost 230K on stock injectors ran perfect. We had a work truck 7.3 that had 400K on stock injectors little tired but the truck still ran strong! I wouldn't worry about the injectors for a while unless you think it really needs them or your going for performance/power!

 

[JerseyJim]

Congrats to your friend! Sounds like a good by. Since it started well cold, I concur with previous post on the injectors...see how it goes. IMHO it is money well spent, but other things may come up as he lives with the truck for a while.
Best,
Jim

 

[Mdub707]

He has money set aside right now to replace anything that might need replacing. Vegistroke is first, then we'll see how it goes. The farmer did mention he has ONLY run offroad (500ppm sulfur) in this truck so perhaps the injectors will last a while yet...

 

[Sluther]

Sounds like he got a pretty good deal. No better feeling then hearing it fire up so smooth on that first crank.

 

[JimboPSD7.3]

Interesting, I bought my F250 at 170K and it had a new tranny. It is now at 210K and running better than when I got it. I installed the trans cooler from the 6.0 and now the trans temp never creeps up. I had to replace the viscous clutch on the fan and the radiator after it started leaking. Make sre you check the nitrides in the radiator coolant and add the Ford coolant supplement as needed. This winter I replaced all of the tie rod ends with Moogs. I use the dk blue camshaft sensor and carry an extra fuel pump so it will not leave me stranded.
Love my 7.3L!

 

[Lt.Dan]

10 year old thread.