Looking at F250 with 7.3 powerstroke- Advice

24 Valve cummins with a 12 valve front cover and mechanical pump and you would have a good motor to put into whatever you want. Easiest swap ever. one wire to the fuel shutoff and a throttle cable. You can get adapters for just about any bell housing to mount to a cummins. Easy to make major power and will still hold together. The new 6.7 worries me a bit. Very little metal between the cylinders.

The only thing I hated about the fords were the leaf spring front end and its terrible turning radius. Always had to park in the back 40 at parking lots because you couldnt get into a spot. Actually watch a guy who got stuck in his spot and had to wait for the guy inn front of him to come out and leave. Stock the engine was a dog but a chip really wakes them up.

upgrading 24v to mechanical pump fixes that motor only weakness. lots of racers have done it. sold my backup 12v mechanical pump when I realized odds are will not be needing it.

person that purchased it for $1200 was happy.. high output pump from a wrecked 97 5sp w/90k miles, going into his 24v.

Under the valve covers there is a wiring harness that can come loose and cause CEL codes, and rough running, sometimes without even throwing codes. All it takes is two quarters ground down a little bit shoved in the clip to prevent the harness from coming apart and causing problems. Its a somewhat common issue, and a fairly easy cheap fix.

I never have done the napa air filter mod yet. I go through air filters like a mofo (live and drive lots on gravel) and didnt like the idea of it not being washable. I see riffraff diesel sells washable filters now so Ill have to order one up when I need to order parts. (dont know how familiar you guys are with diesels, but if you ever need parts, give Clay at riffraff diesel a shout, he is awesome to deal with and his prices + shipping are generally half price of what I can find up in Canada!)

I know ELC isnt absolutely necessary, but the trouble free operation and not having the hassle of having to test your coolant was worth it to me. Its more of an upgrade or modification, then an absolute necessity!

I am prepared to do this in the next year or so. Don't you still need to add the anti-cavitation juice?

Thanks

I followed a thread on ford-trucks.com that had pictures in it, cant find it right now at work though. Ill post a ink to a thread that has a video though, I know a ton of guys watch the video and seem to like it.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1199905-50-cent-mod.html

And as for the coolant, once ya switch to elc, its pretty low maintenance. Just keep it topped up with the right mixture and your good to go.
No need to add any anti cavitation juice!

Question.....


Truck has been running GREAT!!!

Problem.... When run for 3-4 hrs the clutch, after stopping, surges, bucks when letting it out...really bad!!!!!

Pressure plate?? Read some online forums regarding this. Currently in the shop..... "We cannot replicate the problem"....

Duh!!!! I told them it was after several hrs driving. Ideas, suggestions?????

Help!

Does it still have the dual mass flywheel? Kinda hard to diagnose but sounds like an organic clutch that's reaching the end of its life.


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how many miles on her now? it simply may be time for a new clutch. transmission/clutch are always weak part of drivetrain.

lots of aftermarket high performance options. went with a full Sachs ceramic clutch on my 96 12 Cummins pulling about 450hp. found it at Oriellys for about $300 for entire setup, brand new.

high performance clutch mfg want $600+ for similar setups. full ceramic are bullet proof but grabby. little to no slip... go with one side kevlar/ceramic for towing.

depends on the gearing on the speed you drive. Mine (well my dad's), is an F-350 with 4.10 gears. It won't touch 20 if driven at any speed on the interstate above one which will get you killed by Peterbilts. More like 15 mpg with the stock tune on and 15.9 with the economy tune turned on. Empty. It's a dually but only 2wd. We use a DP-Tuner with the +80 HP economy tune for tooling around unloaded. It makes all the difference in performance and a little difference in economy.

A single rear wheel 250 non- 4x4 MIGHT best 20 at highway speeds on a perfect day.

When it comes to diesel trucks you hear a lot of fairy tales. I haven't found most of them to do anything incredibly spectacular with regards to mileage when running lightly loaded.

My uncles F-450 (4.88 gears) will only return 8 mpg. Yeah that's right...eight. That's with a heavy 5th and 100+ hp tractor and hay making machines and shit aboard. Don't think he ever hardly runs it empty.

but yeah...it's fairly well accepted that the Cummins is better. Not that the 7.3 is any slouch. I haven't yet run across a kit to swap a 7.3 into a Dodge

DaFoole,

My bet is the DMF (Dual Mass Flywheel) is starting to go and you really do not want to ignore this if that is the problem.

https://www.google.com/search?um=1&...50,d.aWc&fp=6e1b4cbf8831ab1e&biw=1591&bih=873

The Ford ZF transmission and Bell housing are cast as one unit and when the flywheel finally lets go you will be lucky if the bellhousing/transmission do not crack. I bought my 97 as a mechanics special with this very problem because the former owner did not want to replace the transmission and could not afford to have a shop do it.

Our 99 7.3 brush truck was replaced just last year when it started shifting funny. Ford has a solid flywheel for the 99-03 or you can get a reputable aftermarket such as South Bend, Valair, etc . . .

good point ... have never heard of anyone transplanting a 7.3 into a dodge

not that there's anything wrong with that. a local builder specializes in transplanting 6BT and 4BT Cummins into low mileage 1/2 ton Pickup trucks of all different flavors. then selling for $$$ ..

do late model Ford truck folks in need of a new motor transplant a 7.3 instead Cummins 6BT?

But to be honest. Why would anyone want to have a Dodge body? The swap for the Cummins into the Ford is to get the best of both worlds.

That's a good question. I would imagine that in many locations they don't do either due to emissions regs.

I believe that the 6.4 and 6.7 Fords are ok and don't often need replaced. A 6.0 is another story. Some of the 6.0 are old enough that a same model 24V should be able to take its place without hassel from the man.

found the answer .. holy cow .. no wonder folks don't do 7.3 swaps for dead 6.0.

"to swap a 7.3 in thats a lot of wires and modules. the 7.3 runs 110v 15amp dc to fire the injectors. so you will need the body harness, the idm, the engine harness, the pcm, the bjb and the cjb, I also think you may need the psom as well depending on year of the 7.3 then if you need the psom you will need the dash wiring as well."

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/953072-6-0-to-7-3-swap.html
http://powerstrokenation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37306

Love mine....the computer won't activate the glowplugs any more, so I put an auxiliary relay and indicator light/switch in. This just means I have to push a button in cold weather, count to 5, then fir it up. 180K, no problems.

I have a 7.3 in my 2000 excursion. Awesome engine. The DP tuner chip really wakes up the power and is so smooooth. Went to TN this weekend w the family and calculated 23.2mpg. I use diesel Kleen additive in every tank and my MPGs show a definite difference.

Read about this engine for two years before I was able to find one. It will not disappoint. They are just getting broken in at 200k. You may have to replace injectors or glow plugs but the engine will probably outlast the body.

They're getting harder and harder to find. Snap it up.

BTW- they are great platforms to run WVO or used motor oil in too!