First Diesel

[redskinsfan34]

Just bought my first Diesel. 2002 F-450 Dump. 7.3. 2wd. 70,000 mi. I won't be plowing with it. Any and all tips, suggestions, warnings, etc. welcomed. Thanks.

[Mr. Jon]

A good fuel additive like Opti-Lube. The new ultra low sulfur diesel does not lubricate the injectors. I ended up replacing the engine in my 2001 F450 7.3 because of this.

[Holland]

7.3's are a very dependable little engine. Still have 3 here. an 03 with 200k an 02 with 250k and another 02 with 270k. And all are still going strong. The highest mileage one is currently seeing a little over 1,000mi a week. Just keep them serviced well and you wont have any major problems. Only thing ive ever had to do to any of them is replace a couple fuel lines, and chase down a couple oil leaks.

[tjctransport]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jon

A good fuel additive like Opti-Lube. The new ultra low sulfur diesel does not lubricate the injectors. I ended up replacing the engine in my 2001 F450 7.3 because of this.

bullshevik. all the lubrication you will ever need is already in the fuel.
if a mechanic tried feeding you that line as to why the engine went, he is full of elephant droppings.

[tjctransport]

buy fuel from a known dealer, not from some no name station with the lowest price.
keep your filters clean, change the oil every 3-5 k miles, and have the transmission serviced every 30-35k miles. if you notice play in the shifter, tighten the shift tube up or it will wallow out the holes and you will need to replace the shift tube.
i now have 181,000 miles on my 02 without any problems except for having to change a bad glow plug relay

[snowish10]

Keep an eye on the oil pan in the future, high rust spot. Also if your worried about mpg look into air flitters programmers and exhaust.

Its a great motor, congrads!

[Spool it up]

Originally Posted by redskinsfan34

Just bought my first Diesel. 2002 F-450 Dump. 7.3. 2wd. 70,000 mi. I won't be plowing with it. Any and all tips, suggestions, warnings, etc. welcomed. Thanks.

maintain oil , fuel filters every 5 k.

oil pans are notorious for replacement after as low as 70 k

welcome to the wonderful world of torque

[MickiRig1]

I drove an old 7.3 backup unit all week with a big EMS box, full equipment and duel tires. It Has 309,000 on it. The truck is no barn burner getting on the highway. But, it will still pull this huge long hill shifting gears and hitting 55mph at the top. The exact truck with the 460 CI gas motor (brand new) never did the hill hitting more then 35mph at top. Take care of the engine and you can see 400,000 miles on some. It will be throwing smoke but still running.

[redskinsfan34]

Thanks for all the input guys. What would be the best option for exhaust?

[redskinsfan34]

Originally Posted by tjctransport

if you notice play in the shifter, tighten the shift tube up or it will wallow out the holes and you will need to replace the shift tube.

Shift tube? I'm not sure what you mean.

[redskinsfan34]

My mechanic told me first off to look at the oil pan. It's alittle rusty but not too bad. I am keeping an eye on it though, thanks.

[dfd9]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jon

A good fuel additive like Opti-Lube. The new ultra low sulfur diesel does not lubricate the injectors. I ended up replacing the engine in my 2001 F450 7.3 because of this.

Originally Posted by tjctransport

bullshevik. all the lubrication you will ever need is already in the fuel.
if a mechanic tried feeding you that line as to why the engine went, he is full of elephant droppings.

Thank you. Took the words out of my mouth and modified them a bit.

Mr. Jon, you need to find a new mechanic. I wouldn't trust that one to fix my red wagon.

[Mid-Ohio Scaper]

I think this guy is a wealth of knowledge on powerstroke anything.

http://www.youtube.com/user/powerstrokehelp/featured

[scottydosnntkno]

all he's good for is drumming up and promoting business for his shop, and making everyone think that they're truck is a ticking time bomb waiting to blow up.

for every bad story you hear online there are 100 trucks out there with no issues. Ford sold millions and millions of 6.0s across the truck/ambulance/HD market. There are bound to be some bad ones in there. Look a the 5.4l with the spark plugs, you don't see everyone panicking with those

People just love to hate on the 6.0.

[mnglocker]

Just watch the oil pan and keep up on oil and fuel filters. 7.3's are not meant for extended idling btw. if it's more than 115 minutes, just shut it off. The pistons cool enough and will cause excess wear on the bores.

I'd add to the conversation pull out the fluid film and keep that truck from rusting.

[Holland]

Originally Posted by mnglocker

Just watch the oil pan and keep up on oil and fuel filters. 7.3's are not meant for extended idling btw. if it's more than 115 minutes, just shut it off. The pistons cool enough and will cause excess wear on the bores.

I'd add to the conversation pull out the fluid film and keep that truck from rusting.

The 02 here with 270k has almost 12000 hrs on it. Idling hasnt been a problem for us. Heck ive got a 6.0 that had 7500 hrs and 165000 mi before its first egr issue! I dont do anything special, no additives. Just maintain them.

[Plowtoy]

RUN IT HARD. ALL Diesels LOVE to be worked hard and not just babied around town. Load it up and push it hard and it will give you years of trouble free service.

Now to contradict my self Avoid at all costs (per my trans guy) full throttle starts if its an auto. The torque converters are the weak point in those transmissions.

[JayN.E]

Originally Posted by tjctransport

buy fuel from a known dealer, not from some no name station with the lowest price.
keep your filters clean, change the oil every 3-5 k miles, and have the transmission serviced every 30-35k miles. if you notice play in the shifter, tighten the shift tube up or it will wallow out the holes and you will need to replace the shift tube.
i now have 181,000 miles on my 02 without any problems except for having to change a bad glow plug relay

.
Do you have an idea of how much I would be looking at to have the shift tube replace?

[tjctransport]

i think it cost me $62 for the one i replaced in my nephews truck 2 years ago.

[redskinsfan34]

When you say shift tube do you mean the actual gear shift coming out of the column? There is a little bit of play in that.