Who’s still using a 7.3 diesel truck

[Jtime]

Who’s still using a 7.3 diesel for there TC? How long have you had it? What TC do you have? What’s are some of the must haves to keep it chugging along happily with TC on top?

Cheers

[adamis]

F-350shortBed wrote:
I haven’t owned mine very long but I’m definitely going to recommend ear plugs. I went on a 4.5 hour trip two days in a row to buy a TC.

For about two days afterwards, I could still hear turbochargers ringing in my head. I don’t know if that’s due to aftermarket modifications but seriously, ear plugs are a necessity for my 7.3.

For reference, mine is 2000 super duty with banks chip, banks waste gate, 4”exhaust and air raid air filter box housing K&N air filter.

Vehicle has 190,600 miles so far no fuel in coolant doesn’t burn oil. I’ve only put about 1000 miles on this recently acquired vehicle.

The noise is definitely one of the few downfalls of the 7.3. It isn't even really the engine as a whole but rather the injectors that make most of the noise. I ended up going to single shot injectors which are notoriously louder than OEM so I went backwards in the sound department. Your 4" exhaust is probably the largest culprit along with the filter box.

My truck isn't my daily driver (stays indoors except to haul the camper) and the noise actually helps to put the twin babies to sleep so it actually kind of is a plus (though still annoying after a long drive). Long term if we were cross country RVing I would need to make changes. Either figure out a way to make it quieter or heaven forbid purchase a newer truck and keep the old girl stored as a classic.

I have looked into sound dampening and I think there are some things that could be done to make it quieter but it will never be as quiet as a modern diesel. There are hush panels from the Excursion (hard to find now) that can go on the inside and take a few db off. I've considered adding some thicker sound dampening material to the firewall in the engine bay but that would be very difficult without pulling the engine. Another person considered making under engine panels with sound deadening material on it based off their experience of driving in snow and noticing how much more quiet it was but figuring out how to mount it all correctly would be a pain.

I've seen a few Youtube videos of guys taking their interior apart and adding dampening all over it. It seems that most of these guys are not as happy as they thought they would be. I think insulating the cab helps with road noise but when the engine is making the most noise, it doesn't matter if you reduce road noise while the engine is still the loudest part of the equation.

[Kayteg1]

Yeah, the noise is often downplayed by actual owners.
When I drove my 7.3l truck to customers, they would wait for me on driveway as they could hear me 2 blocks away.
With 6.7l I could listen to opera music while pulling 7500lb on 6% grade.
That thing would pull heavy at 1300 rpm.

[Grit_dog]

F-350shortBed wrote:
I haven’t owned mine very long but I’m definitely going to recommend ear plugs. I went on a 4.5 hour trip two days in a row to buy a TC.

For about two days afterwards, I could still hear turbochargers ringing in my head. I don’t know if that’s due to aftermarket modifications but seriously, ear plugs are a necessity for my 7.3.

For reference, mine is 2000 super duty with banks chip, banks waste gate, 4”exhaust and air raid air filter box housing K&N air filter.

Vehicle has 190,600 miles so far no fuel in coolant doesn’t burn oil. I’ve only put about 1000 miles on this recently acquired vehicle.

Pretty much any mod to intake/exhaust or turbo will make it louder. Just for giggles, try stuffing a piece of foam over the top of the filter inside the AFE box. And if your truck is straight piped, the most economical bang for the buck to quiet it down is a 30” auger type resonator. Like a FTE or similar.

[NRALIFR]

Yeah, I remember now that we rarely listened to the radio in my ‘95 F350. The cab just wasn’t quiet enough for that.

Just about every air intake modification available that lets the engine breath easier will also let a lot more intake and turbo noise be heard than the OEM air filter setup. Plus, you may have a non-OEM turbo and some of them just make more noise than others.

Does your truck have a muffler? When I put a 4” exhaust on mine I did away with the muffler and converter. The only thing in my exhaust was a US Gear exhaust brake.

:):)

[F-350shortBed]

I haven’t owned mine very long but I’m definitely going to recommend ear plugs. I went on a 4.5 hour trip two days in a row to buy a TC.

For about two days afterwards, I could still hear turbochargers ringing in my head. I don’t know if that’s due to aftermarket modifications but seriously, ear plugs are a necessity for my 7.3.

For reference, mine is 2000 super duty with banks chip, banks waste gate, 4”exhaust and air raid air filter box housing K&N air filter.

Vehicle has 190,600 miles so far no fuel in coolant doesn’t burn oil. I’ve only put about 1000 miles on this recently acquired vehicle.

[Ramp_Digger]

I will post my experiences with the 7.3 diesel ford. This is simply my 2 cents worth, I will not agree or disagree with anyone's prior comments. I will consider the OP's question as referring to the 7.3 engine it's self rather than the entire truck. I consider the alternator,belts,filters,hoses,starter,water and fuel pump, clutch disc,glow plugs and so on as engine accessories that require regular scheduled and occasional maintenance of wear items that would likely need done to any engine.
I have owned 3 of them.
The first was a 1987 F-350(7.3) with a manual trans. Hauled an old starcraft slide in camper thru all 49 states and most of canada. In 1993 truck was repurposed to use as a work truck when I started a business,installed a dump bed and was used as a heavy hauler in a delivery service. At 200k injector pump leaked fuel, replaced a seal my self 35 dollars. At 275k using excessive oil, engine rebore and new pistons/rings.All crank,camshaft,valves,and injectors still in factory specs and not serviced at that time. Truck sold at 496k in 1999 to my nephew who still drives it occasionally. I did have a battery short out internally in a VERY remote location one night. drained All energy from both batteries,not even the oil or amp light would come on. Manually closed the kill solenoid in the injector pump and roll started the truck.No electrical accessories lights but The simplicity of no onboard computer systems saved a very long walk. In the event of an EMP these old trucks could be the only thing running.
2nd truck with a 7.3, a 2000, 4x4, ford excursion. still drive it daily. 270k on the clock,never a wrench on the motor except for one CPS sensor under factory warranty. A glow plug controller,109 dollars about 230k. 15-16 mpg every time around town. Would not even consider selling it.
3rd truck, with a 7.3, a 2001 F-550 4x4, 6 speed. heavy,heavy hauler,18-20,000 GVW used daily in a delivery type service in mountainous terrain. 390k on the clock, truck has an hour meter on it with over 18,000 hours on it. Driven many hours in the lower gears at subdivision speeds. Do service on the truck by the hour meter not the odometer. Only problems with the engine, turbo pedestal o-ring leak fixed under warranty. Replaced full set of injectors at about 275k (about 13000 hours). Changed them myself 2200 dollars. Got some contaminated fuel I believe is what caused it. Also a set of new glow plugs at the same time. The EGR valve does rattle a bit, sets off a code. just needs taking off and thrown away. Engine does now need a quart of oil added every 50 hours or so where it did not use hardly any before.
I have never had any problems with oil-cooler leaks, coolant tanks, major oil leaks or cooling issues (oh, once I had a thermostat stick open and the engine would not warm up enough),injector o-rings or valve cover gasket wiring harnesses as others have mentioned.I did have the fuel in tank filter clog once because the new biofuel dissolved the crud, not Fords fault.
My overall 2 cents worth,they will not win any races, may be a little less fuel efficient but they are as dependable as any other truck, and maybe even a little more so. Besides insurance,taxes,and parts cost less than newer trucks and mine are PAID FOR.

[sonuvabug]

jimh425 wrote:
I did have the vacuum reservoir spring a leak. In my F450 case, you can manually override the hubs by hand. I don’t know if that is standard on most Super Duty trucks now.

Yes my 2001 ESOF hubs are also "overidable". However, even doing this doesn't work so it appears there is something inside both front hubs that are not working correctly. Could be gunked up with two much grease etc. preventing them from operating properly.

I've already performed part of the diagnostic routine and the dash electronics, transfer case & servo motor, and front drive shaft and axle connections all work as they should. Pretty much leaves the vacuum line or the hubs themselves.

[jimh406]

I did have the vacuum reservoir spring a leak. In my F450 case, you can manually override the hubs by hand. I don’t know if that is standard on most Super Duty trucks now.

[sonuvabug]

deserteagle56 wrote:

sonuvabug wrote:
front hubs stopped engaging

... snipped ... Do yourself a favor and get rid of those "auto-locking" front hubs. ... Replace them with a quality set of aftermarket hubs and you'll never have a problem again.

I'm thinking about this approach. On the Ford Truck Enthusiasts site, probably 1/2 of the people have done just that. I'm of the mind, I'll trouble shoot the problem and if it is a vacuum line leak or something equally simple and cheap, I'll probably just replace the lines/fuse etc. and be done with it. However, if it is something more serious and costly that require $$$ parts, I may just replace the OEM hub's with Warn manual hub lockers and be done with it. I actually do not use them that often.

[Jtime]

sonuvabug wrote:

Jtime wrote:
Wow! That’s some serious seat time, that first beer must have tasted good haha.
And yeah I’m picky so far have looked at about a half dozen trucks, looking for trucks that have had a lot of the big ticket items done already and or some records of maintenance

You are aware the first sentence of the on-line Adventurer 910DB write up states: "The Adventurer 910DB is a dry bath truck camper that fits LB (long bed) trucks only."

Oh yeah. It’s been a struggle to find a truck that’s for sure. Actually just stumbled onto a f550, but need to drive 6hrs for look

[deserteagle56]

sonuvabug wrote:
front hubs stopped engaging. Perhaps a vacuum line leak or a good hub cleaning MAY solve that but I won't know until the warm weather comes.

Do yourself a favor and get rid of those "auto-locking" front hubs. Everyone I've known who had those had trouble with them - and generally in the worst possible places when they really needed the 4x4 to work. Replace them with a quality set of aftermarket hubs and you'll never have a problem again.

[sonuvabug]

Jtime wrote:
Wow! That’s some serious seat time, that first beer must have tasted good haha.
And yeah I’m picky so far have looked at about a half dozen trucks, looking for trucks that have had a lot of the big ticket items done already and or some records of maintenance

You are aware the first sentence of the on-line Adventurer 910DB write up states: "The Adventurer 910DB is a dry bath truck camper that fits LB (long bed) trucks only."

[Jtime]

Wow! That’s some serious seat time, that first beer must have tasted good haha.
And yeah I’m picky so far have looked at about a half dozen trucks, looking for trucks that have had a lot of the big ticket items done already and or some records of maintenance

[sonuvabug]

Jtime wrote:
sonuvabug

Great write up, and thanks for taking the time to do so! Our soon to be ours 7.3 will also be getting an adventurer But the 910DB model, So it’s going to be a dually. With all the things you listed for maintenance that’s pretty much every long standing 7.3 owners check list for these trucks. I’m in Alberta, Canada so truck bodies don’t last around here either unless the previous owners took good care.

Either way I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of one!

Thanks Jtime. The 910DB is a beautiful model ... heavy puppy too so the dually will come in handy. Like anything old, the 7.3 takes time and money to maintain but it sure beats the cost of buying a new)er) one. At least AB doesn't put salt down like ON.

FWIW - One of our chitlins calls Grande Prairie home. I drove out there a few summers ago with the truck and a cargo trailer full of furniture for them. 52 hours straight driving from KW ... that included about 2 hours of rest time as needed.

[Jtime]

sonuvabug

Great write up, and thanks for taking the time to do so! Our soon to be ours 7.3 will also be getting an adventurer But the 910DB model, So it’s going to be a dually. With all the things you listed for maintenance that’s pretty much every long standing 7.3 owners check list for these trucks. I’m in Alberta, Canada so truck bodies don’t last around here either unless the previous owners took good care.

Either way I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of one!