Would you purchase a 7.3 PSD with 257K miles on it? The truck is very very clean, just concerned about the miles.......It's an out of state vehicle so i can't just hope in and go check it out.
Any help would be great
Any help would be great
Mileage on 7.3's
- Thread starter Yellow4.6
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I would say it all depends on the service history. IIRC, the 7.3L is suppose to be a 300k motor. Check out powerstrokehelp.org (.com) to help you make a more educated decision. If they don't have service records, I'd probably steer away unless its that great of a deal.
if the truck can be had at a bottom basement price (which is most certainly ought to be at 247K) it is still economical to perform a rebuild on the motor and make it new again.
have a shop take it, break down the motor, change out seals and gaskets, examine the block, machine it, and make any repairs then replace the crank rods pistons and rings and install head studs while your at it and you she'll go another 300k.
diesel motor rebuilds aren't as expensive as you'd think....buy the truck cheap and use the rest of the money to freshen it up.
have a shop take it, break down the motor, change out seals and gaskets, examine the block, machine it, and make any repairs then replace the crank rods pistons and rings and install head studs while your at it and you she'll go another 300k.
diesel motor rebuilds aren't as expensive as you'd think....buy the truck cheap and use the rest of the money to freshen it up.
200k on those motors is break in. you take care of it well enough it will last a lifetime. your keep up on maintence. their aren't really any problems with the 7.3L as opposed to 6.0's but with a few tweaks to the 6.0 they can be just as reliable. but as I was stating before, 200k is break in for those motors.
Only really known problems for the 7.3L is the turbo and some minor things.
Only really known problems for the 7.3L is the turbo and some minor things.
Saying there isn't really any problems with the 7.3 is a bold statement. I'd personally take a 6.0 any day of the week over the dinosaur 7.3. My statement may be bold but to each his own.
Minor things like oil leaks, fuel leaks, water pumps, high pressure oil pumps, the high pressure oil lines are external and are known to blow off leaving you stranded, high pressure oil leaks from worn injector o-rings, uvc harnesses. Injectors are expensive as hell for 7.3s, so if it has the original ones in it be ready to un-ass roughly 3k or better for a new set of stock replacements. These minor things can really lighten your wallet up fast.
The 7.3 is not a bad motor, but it isn't the jesus like motor most people make it out to be. It has it's own set of problems just like the 6.0 does. The problems may not be as severe but they are there.
200k is the jesus mentality most people have about these motors ever since the 6.0 left a bad taste in their mouth. To say that you better have ran synthetic and changed it every 5k, put a new fuel filter in it every 10k, cycled the glow plugs EVERY time you start it, plugged the block heater in any cold weather condition and let it come up to operating temp before taking off EVERY time you drive and it MIGHT make it to 200k with no injector issues or any of the issues I stated above. The bottom end on that motor is very stout however and can last a very long time at stock power levels and good care.
With 257k you need to make sure the front suspension isn't about to fall out from under it. If its 4x4 chances are the front leaf springs are sagging pretty bad. Check the ball joints, hubs, etc. Last thing you want is to be driving down the interstate and a front tire falls off at 70mph. If its got 257k on the original trans and it hasn't been serviced or treated properly, you will be on borrowed time.
I have had my 02 7.3 since it had 12K miles on it. It now has 135K on it and I have had very few issues. Only replaced the injector computer with a swap reman $150.00, a battery cable, a crank sensor (that was later recalled and Ford actually sent me a check for the repair I paid for). And that is it. It has been very reliable! I change the engine oil with Rotella T 15-40 religiously at 5000 miles and change the transmission fluid at 30K intervals. The truck runs like the day I purchased it.
Everyone I know who has or has had a 6.0 has had many, many problems with them. Most people say they won't hold up to mods. My buddy has a bone stock '06 Harley Davidson F250 with NO mods and is blew the head gaskets towing his enclosed motorcycle trailer down from Daytona. He had 60K miles and they wouldn't warranty it because he was over 5 years. It cost him thousands to repair. He was (and still is) not happy about it.
Everyone I know who has or has had a 6.0 has had many, many problems with them. Most people say they won't hold up to mods. My buddy has a bone stock '06 Harley Davidson F250 with NO mods and is blew the head gaskets towing his enclosed motorcycle trailer down from Daytona. He had 60K miles and they wouldn't warranty it because he was over 5 years. It cost him thousands to repair. He was (and still is) not happy about it.
We have a 96 f350 with a 7.3 and it has 450,000 and still runs strong. Been worked almost everyday of its life. Running Royal purple 15w-30 oil.
I work on AOT of HIGH mileage 6.0 and 7.3's. Like TJ04Cobra said, 7.3's do have there problems but are VERY reliable...as long as you take care of them. I've come to be more partical of 6.0's over 7.3's now because with the right stuff they run that much better and have more power on tap. Not many people know that the injectors, or whole fuel system at that, are run off high pressure oil, so lack of oil changes with ruin your day. Sometimes you may get lucky but it will catch up to you in the long run.
I've worked on alot of 200,000+ mile 7.3's and alot of them started and ran like new, but leaked oil and fuel which is real common. 7.3's are GREAT motors but are dinosaurs like stated. My biggest thing against them now is everyone that owns one thinks there gold and worth alot more then what they really are, some in the price range of 6.0's. Injector seals and high pressure oil leaks are real common on them and get rather expensive to fix in a hurry.
6.0's aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. They run off high pressure oil just like the 7.3's only are a little more tempermental persay. With a few mods they will run forever. (ARP Head Studs, EGR delete kit, Exhaust, Tuner[SCT], ELC [Extended Life Coolant] and a fuel pressure reguator kit (Blue Spring Kit) to bump the pressure up and help save those injectors) Had an '05 6.0 in with 674,...+ miles on it. Had everything I mentioned and the guy has no major problems with it.
Just some food for thought there but everyone has there own opinions. Some great places for excellent information is Ford Powerstroke Forum and PowerStrokeNation : Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum
:beer:
I've worked on alot of 200,000+ mile 7.3's and alot of them started and ran like new, but leaked oil and fuel which is real common. 7.3's are GREAT motors but are dinosaurs like stated. My biggest thing against them now is everyone that owns one thinks there gold and worth alot more then what they really are, some in the price range of 6.0's. Injector seals and high pressure oil leaks are real common on them and get rather expensive to fix in a hurry.
6.0's aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. They run off high pressure oil just like the 7.3's only are a little more tempermental persay. With a few mods they will run forever. (ARP Head Studs, EGR delete kit, Exhaust, Tuner[SCT], ELC [Extended Life Coolant] and a fuel pressure reguator kit (Blue Spring Kit) to bump the pressure up and help save those injectors) Had an '05 6.0 in with 674,...+ miles on it. Had everything I mentioned and the guy has no major problems with it.
Just some food for thought there but everyone has there own opinions. Some great places for excellent information is Ford Powerstroke Forum and PowerStrokeNation : Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum
:beer:
my parents is a 97 with almost 300k on it now.
rear seal leaking has been the only issue they've had with it. it needs new ball joints and tie rods but other than that....it just goes and goes.
rear seal leaking has been the only issue they've had with it. it needs new ball joints and tie rods but other than that....it just goes and goes.
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