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What to look for on a Ford 7.3

P

Patsdeere

Well-known Member
I am looking at a 2000 Ford 7.3 diesel. Don't know the miles on it, but being as how I have never had a diesel, what should I be looking for? If I get it, what would I be looking at in terms of repairs at what mileage?

What kind of mileage am I looking at?

It will mainly a commute vehicle (60 mi a day) but weekends will be tractor play time. Probably haul 1-2 a month and my current F150 is just plain tired and old.

Thanks.
 
It should start easy, not show oil in the exhaust (no blue smoke)and run out well. If it has the automtic tranny, it should shift smoothly and the fluid should be clean and smell fresh. Have someone put a diagnostic reader on it and see if there are any codes. Look for signs that it"s done a lot of heavy towing (overheated tranny oil sloppy shifts, etc). Sure someone could wipe the codes and change the fluids before selling it but the most of folks that beat the sh** out their vehicles won"t bother to put $200-300 worth of fluids in it before they get rid of it.


My 1999 F350 7.3L has 80K miles on it and it drives the same as it did when new. It does all the heavy towing (GN stock trailer and GN flated)on the ranch. I just brought a NH TD95D from near Roswell, NM up to Montana at max combined towing weight and averaged 10-11 mpg with it.
I just recently put a SuperChip tuner (mild tuner) on it and it runs much better while it"s not any kind of a hot rod and I don"t rod it arouns either. Most folks will tell you the 7.3 L turbodiesel was the best engine ever put in the Super Duty Ford"s. I don"t know if that"s true or not but I"ve been very happy with mine.
Good luck!
 
Yepper,

I always liked mine, 'cept it had the extended cab, short box.

I'm tellin' you, when that gooseneck was back there, what a rough sonna gun to ride in. :>)

Pretty good power for it's day too.

Allan
 
Yepper,

I always liked mine, 'cept it had the extended cab, short box.

I'm tellin' you, when that gooseneck was back there, what a rough sonna gun to ride in. :>)

Pretty good power for it's day too.

Allan
 
Like Allan says the cam position sensor was problematic on the 7.3. The good news is it is covered under a Ford recall. The original factory sensor is black. Sensors installed under the recall will be gray or dark blue. (The recall-installed sensor in my '99 is dark blue...)

Other things to look out for:

- Has the coolant been maintained? A DCA additive is required to prevent cavitation damage to the cylinder walls.

- Glow plugs all working? If you can, start the engine after it's sat 12 hours in temperature below freezing. You'll know quick whether the glow plugs are good(!)

- If the truck has been run where deicing salt is used, check for corrosion on the oil pan.

----

Properly operated and maintained the 7.3 is pretty bulletproof. I have 100K on mine. The only maintenance it's needed are routine filter changes, and coolant replacement, and a couple fresh sets of batteries. (I live where winters seem to last about 7 months. Replacing the batteries every 4 years is cheap peace of mind for me...)
 
I had an 01. Good engine! My only major problem was the spring in the fuel pressure regulator somehow broke, and gave me and the mechanics alot of grief before it was discovered. The main problems I hear of are the valve cover gaskets, which also I think the injector harnesses, or the glow plug harnesses one, I cant recall. Bigger problems were with the transmission. Theres TONS of aftermarket items for the Powerstroke, alot of them help, and some undo the Fords detuning of the engine. Best part is that ALOT of parts are avavilbe through Navistar, and are cheaper than Ford. The cam sensor was recalled, but the recall was recalled, and Im not sure they ever got it 100% fixed, but I never replaced a cam sensor the whole time i had it, and I still had the origianl one the dealer took out in the glovebox. Oh I did have to replace the batteries once, and YES if one goes bad, repalce them BOTH!
 
You will love it, we have a 91 F250 no turbo and a 99 F350 powerstroke. 91 has 124000 on it and the 99 has 108000. Both have had been strong trucks with exception of a transmission rebuild in the 91 and a few recalls on the 99. Both have had nothing else except routine maintanence since we have had them. Hope it turns out well for you.
 
Bought my f-350 super duty 7.3 off ebay out of Memphis, Tn. seemed to run good with good power, hooked my 4,500# trailer with 10,000# tractor and it fell flat on its face, down shifted on the least little grade (auto. trans.) 58mph on flat ground, had a friend that worked in a d. shop install a different chip in the computer, runs and pulls like a different truck now, 168,000 mi.uses no oil but does like fuel 10-12 mpg loaded.
 
Open the rad cap and make sure there's no bubbles.I bought a 7.3 in a van and first thing I noticed the antifreze was being pushed out.Turns out I had 2 cracked heads.Then I knew why it was so cheap.Cost of new head is $1400 each.It did have over 300000 Km on it.
 
I have a 2003 with the 7.3 tourbo and love it. It has 189,000 miles on it and runs like a champ. My rear seal is leaking on it and needs fixed but other than that I have no complaints.
 
I don't know what year they started putting on the turbo's, but I always thought the non-turbo engines were dogs. Slow, no guts, and it seemed like you had to to put the pedal to the floor to move at any decent speed.
 
patsdeere, I have a 01, F350, Crew-cab, 4X4,Auto, on single wheels. The 7.3 is basically a bullet proof engine. I have replaced the cam sensor like most, My water pump shelled out about a yr ago, and alt was replace last summer. I have had mine for just over 2 yrs and put close to 100K on it, currently at 205K.
The 7.3 is a 14-15-16 MPG engine ALL the time. All a chip will do so make your truck have more low end/RPM pep. It will just not help to any real noticeable amount on MPG!! Mine has 4:10 gears it get 15-16 MPG consistently,Non chipped, I do run cruse most every where even on short runs of 5 mi.
*****What to watch is... If you have a Auto tranny, And the (OD off) light on the shifter goes to flashing,,,, Get to the trans shop immediately you have less than 100 miles before the tranny GRENADES. After that $3000 is all you need to fix your truck. Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.
 
Oh. Just where should I look for the 710? Is it something I have to fill regularly like headlight fluid? or does it have something to do with the little gas pump that comes on my dash?
 
I have 2 a 1999 with 48k miles and a 2002 f350 dual with 97k miles,both are great trucks,as far as I am conserned it it the last diesel that ford made.I have the Banks Power Pack System in both of them best money that I ever spent.
 
Just a question on the price of fuel. Over here in the UK, we are paying about $10.00 per gallon for diesel, about $9.00 for petrol(gasoline). What are you guys paying? I run a 2001 Land Rover Discovery with a 5 cylinder BMW diesel engine, I get about 32 mpg, I am about to have it modified to try and get anither 2/3mpg.At our prices, thats worth doing.
 
My 7.3's have been pretty bullet proof. Have done nothing internal to either one. They like to wear out glowplug relays, not a big deal. Another minor issue is with the exhaust backpressure sensor getting plugged. Both have had some or all accessories replaced. Both have started leaking some fuel, a product of the ULSD switchover, I am told.
My '95 with 260k has worn out 3 auto transmissions, and I think I had to do a valve-cover wiring harness. Still has the original Cam sensor.
The '96 with 160k on it has worn out 1 transmission and a cam sensor. I do have a 60-100hp "Edge" chip in it. Was a dog when I bought it. I keep it set on the 80 hp setting. Rarely get better than 13 mpg, but it I recon some of that is the fuel dripping out(aka underbody rust protection) I do have to keep an eye on exhaust temps when towing hard, but you shouldn't have that problem with your intercooled engine. BUT if you do ANY mods to it, you need a pyrometer and, if and auto, a trans temp guage.
Friend of mine that owns a diesel performance shop told me if you can find one of the older rigs that is in good shape, KEEP IT. The newer ones are a PITA.

Ben
 
Thanks for that information,State of Jefferson. I know this is not the right place to ask such questions, its good of you to answer.With you prices, I may have to think about emigrating to the US.
 
Look in the valley of the engine. More likely the seals on the turbo pedestal or the intake manifold seals are leaking. All turbos leak a small amount of oil and it will find it"s way out at each joint in the induction system. The valley has a drain hole that drains in to the flywheel area making you think you have a rear main leaking.
 
I have a 2000 Powerstroke.Its geared pretty good.It will get 17.8 mpg on hwy and pulls a load of cattle good too.I use overdrive on a good hiway.Ive had it 6 years,bought with 120000 miles,she has just turned 204000 with no trouble other than a fuel filter,brakes,rotors,hubs,tires.Ford recalled it once for cam sensor,but Ive never had one go bad.I plan on driving it into the ground.Its been a good Ol girl,and I dont baby it either.Its been buried and pulled out more than once pulling hay and cattle trailers
 
I have 296,000 on my 97 powerstroke. It"s a great truck and would buy another one if this one ever wears out. I have replaced all the typical wear items, but it"s still going strong.
 
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