Diesel truck question

I'm looking at a 94 F250 HD extended cab with a 7.3 IDI and an automatic with 235,000 miles on the clock. I'm wondering what I should be looking for and what kinds of problems are common and what kind of mpg's they get. I know these things are pigs compared to a power stroke but I'd only be using it to occasionally haul stuff and to tow my car when it's done.

Nothing?

Those dinosaurs are a thing of the past, but they are pretty decent for an older mechanical diesel. Those years did have a bad airbox design, but other than that, look at anything you'd normally look at. IIRC, there was some issues with the glow plug system too. I had a couple old 7.3 N/A's runnning around the farm and had good luck with them, but like you said they aren't much for power.

Thanks Schmitty. I think I'll look for a 2WD Dodge with a Cummins My buddy's really into them and comes across some pretty good deals, but the idea of a Dodge towing my Ford just don't sound right.

I'm with you on the Dodge pulling a Ford, but you really have to look at like it's a Cummins pulling a Ford, and the Dodge is just the wrapping paper around the Cummins.  

I got a 93 with the 7.3 IDI it pulls fine I have had it 2 years it got a little over 272,000 it is no speed demon on take off but pulls like a freight train. Mine has the 5 speed not a automatic I get 17 mpg empty around town 20 mpg at 70 to 75mph on the interstate, pulling my 24' enclosed Pace trailer with my truck in it, it gets 14mph running 70mph gets 15.5 pulling a open trailer with the truck on it. The only thing I have done was put a $100 set of injectors in it and put 2 summit racing 3 1/2x18 glass pack back to back on it. The original muffler stopped up and was killing the power and making it want to over heat. I went and put a pipe in place of the muffler but the straight exhaust with no muffler was way to loud for me so I bought the glass packs for it.

schmitty wrote:I'm with you on the Dodge pulling a Ford, but you really have to look at like it's a Cummins pulling a Ford, and the Dodge is just the wrapping paper around the Cummins.   

Friend told me once that having a Dodge with a Cummins is like having a candy bar wrapped in shit! Seriously, my cousin has two Dodge cc duallys with Cummins and one has had trans problems and neither one gets the "great" fuel mileage that we hear about, these get approx 16 pulling nothing.

I had a 93 cummins years ago, Engine was awesome....... Rest of the truck was a POS. Stay away from and early diesel with an automatic get the manual trans if you can find one.

Now put a Cummins in an older 80's-early 90's vintage Ford...... now you got something.

like 69F100 my buddies 92 7.3 gets nears 20 with a manual trans and has upper 200k on it. we have pulled his other giant jacked up trucks with it and had no troubles. it might top out at upper 80mph, but down low it has a bunch of towing power and with the manual its not a total turd running around town. he loves the truck and they still hold value when reselling. the usual diesel stuff is all that comes up but no more than any other model.

Rob,i've got a 89 f350 w/7.3 w/c6 & od unit on it's tail.When I traded for it they had taken the fuel injector pump and housing off because the pump went bad.And now because they took the housing off,I have to retime the pump.I'm ready put a pump back on it, but can't see the tm mark on lower gear. Was just curious if you've ever worked on one. Same deal as 6.9.

Never had a pump off of one. Had other troubles, but never with the pump.