I've got 153k on mine, and no issues whatsoever.
Have a complete Banks towing upgrade, and flat out pulls !
Changed my fuel filter yesterday, just because, and took a pic.

I recently grabbed a spare 7.3 with 88K on it for when mine bites the dust.
215K and still going strong.

Well, post again after you have 305,000 miles on it like my Duramax.

I have 300,000 on my 99 7.3. Only surprise repair was an IPC sensor. Cost me $166.

My truck rarely leaves the driveway without a trailer attached to it.

Yeah, heres my trailer !

Lol, it was competitive in its time, but 150K? That’s not even gas motor mileage.

I’ve taken three of them to over 300 K, wasn’t impressed. Cylinder kits wear out, lots of blow by, and the the EXPENSIVE injectors go all at about the same time. Not economical to overhaul.

Compared to the Cummins inline six it makes much less power and is less durable. I still have one on the farm, but I sure wish my ex hadn’t wrecked the dodge.

A stock 7.3l has little to bring to the modern diesel engine table, I agree.
Mine is far from stock, and for an 18 yo truck, still looks good, and low mileage.
I'm hoping to get another 150k out of it.
We all like different engines, for different reasons.
My whole package suits us perfectly.

412,000 miles on my 1999.

Can’t say I disagree.

Had 245k on mine when I turned it in, don't remember what was on the one before that.
It had to be able to go anywhere at a moments notice,never failed.

2001 with 308,000

I wonder how much HP/Tq the big 3 would be putting into OEM Diesel engines if EGR and DPF/SCR weren't required? Would we have seen the move to common rails, new turbo gas plumbing, etc or would we still be running sub 300HP ~500Ft/Lb motors that average 15-18 going down the highway?

the 7.3 is an OK motor , but hardly in the class of a 12 valve 5.9 Cummins

lots , lots more complicated and more stuff to go wrong

I can't see the engine!

Is that a Banks filter? I don't know about them, but the very similar K&N oiled gauze filters have a bad reputation for "dusting" turbo diesel engines.

How'd you get that many miles on a Duramax? Coasted down mountains or towed behind your Class-A?

Awesome and clean as a whistle!

I run a mid-80's GM 6.2, my first diesel vehicle, and it is nowhere near as clean as that one. However in its simplicity and drabness there is a certain beauty.

Not a pickup guy (so far at least) but if I were I'd be looking for one of those older 7.3's sitting in a dual tank version 4x4.

Glad you're happy with your diesels. By the way, Toyota engineers bought and tore down one of the two million mile Toyota Tundras...short verdict? Out of wear spec but above specs when put on the dynamometer. By the way, both million mile pickups were oilfield "hot trucks"...frequently overloaded. You Texans and Okies know about hot trucks.

The 7.3s were good engines.


The IDI and the Powerstroke.




Only real issues we worked on much were bad valve cover gaskets and oil galley plugs.


Both of which were actually pretty serious problems!



One nice thing about the Powerstroke.......you cant run one out of oil. Its impossible.

True that, & I don't have one nor a dog in the fight, but I make parts for them all & deal with several major bulk / volume engine rebuilders.

The 6.7 Cummins is the class of the market &, surprisingly, I've gotten a lot of good reports on the 6.7 Ford, not only from the regular rebuilders but also from the some that deal with the high performance market.

MM

"Diesels are just like sex- - - - - -highly overrated and stinky" One of Dad's favorite sayings after 60+ years in the auto repair business!
Jerry

The filter is a yes, and no answer.
In my package, it came with a K&N factory shaped filter in the stock holder.
New Banks packages come with this style. So I bought one, and swapped it around.

Paleeze....🙄😎

Heres the Banks filter.

I also have the Banks (jake) brake.

They are fine when one tows heavy on a regular basis. Rest of the time, putting on a couple 100,000 riding around on a cement block with wheels isn't..

The 7.3 was a good engine in a good era.


If they still offered that exact same engine now, the govt would fugg it up with all the emissions crap.

That's a fact.

How true.
Emissions were the death of the 7.3l.
Heres what else it pulls around.

I have a 7.3 IdI in my 88 F350 that I work hard on my firewood business, it has only 250 thousand miles on it, which isn't very many for a 32 year old engine, love the 7.3, don't need a turbo.

Mechanics say the 12 valve Cummins is the best. They are both good.

I had one 7.3 - in a '99 F-350 SC dualie.. Pulling a mere 12K# camper it struggled and took a LONG time to get to speed.. (Pure stock).. Only way to get it moving would be chipping it - and I just didn't wanna mess with all that stuff.. But that's just me.. My current 6.7 PSD would out pull that 7.3 by miles..

Friend of mine's a Dodge tech - and tells me the new Cummins is having a ton of problems, but I cannot recall in what way, although he did mention that one guy who just bought one (80K$ dualie) gets 25 miles and the truck goes into 'limp' mode... Dealer hauled it back - fixed it and he got another 25 miles and it went right back into limp mode... Three times now, and the guy's right pizzed... To me, that sounds more like a software issue not necessarily related to the engine.. I hope to learn more next time I see him..

See?

Govt fugged the Cummins up too.

Yeah, but the 7.3 didn't cost $70K. That price is not relative by any stretch of the imagination.

Well, actually you have an EXHAUST brake. What is called a Jake brake (Jacobs engineering and Pacific engine brake) is an ENGINE brake. The exhaust brake is just an exhaust restriction, remember pounding a potato up your buddy's tailpipe? The engine brake is far more complex and effective, it converts your engine to a 7.3 liter air compressor by hydraulically altering the valve timing. The original exhaust brake was called the Blue Ox, in the '50's...they were very effective...at blowing exhaust manifold gaskets. Not that you care, just sayin'.

Well, I didnt want to go into details, so just called it that.
It's an exhaust brake for being technically correct.

Nor is your post...

I have a 2004 dodge and a 2018. Both 3/4 ton. The 2004 is a little stronger, but the 2018 only has 8000 miles on it, so it isn’t broken in yet.

Once a guy has btdt a few times, has the t-shirts and the scars, you just find something that works and go about your little life. Sounds like you've got it figured out splattermatic. It works, and that's what matters most.

Yep.
Good truck, plenty of cab space, long lasting motor, and enough power to do what I ask of it.

Duramax..........isn't that the motor that's in the Obama Motors trucks?

I wouldn't admit to owning one.................lol.

Govt didn't have to bother with fugging that one up.

GM beat them to it...

the ford 7.3 sounds to me like very bearing on the front of the engine is about to explode like a hand grenade. I have also noted there is a very different level of noise depending on the particular truck at idle, one has the bearing grenade sound and another could have way less of it.

Huh?


Are you referring to single vs multi shot injectors?

My 01 F250 only has 198,600 miles. I don't figure I'll ever have to shop for another diesel, unless this one gets totaled in a crash. Does what I ask of it and only thing I've had to do under the hood is a water pump and GPR. Although I did also have to put a tranny in it some time ago. Apparently the early 01's had a manual diode, whatever that is, that caused the tranny to loose 2nd gear. Exactly what happened to mine.
Are the new diesels much quieter? Yep. But mine is paid for...and doesn't need DEF.

Ding !
TRnCO nailed it !

420k and counting on my early 99, 6-speed manual. I spent the dough last summer to rebuild the turbo with a bigger turbine wheel and billet compressor wheel, and a programmer. Towed the 12k boat+trailer twice to the top of Vancouver island, first stock, second with the programmer set to 20hp tow setting, and modified turbo. Night and day difference; no downshifting on the lower island's rolling hills, and big power pulling the hills on the upper island. Stock I was in between direct and overdrive all the time on those mild rolling hills.

Stock it had less poop than a 7.3IDI with aftermarket turbo. That's not much poop.

It is a mix of lots of complicated parts, but generally they're reliable and easily diagnosed. Every 7.3 owner has a cam sensor and 10mm wrench in their glovebox, and every 7.3 at some point needs new glowplugs and injectors, and some top end oil sealing and fuel bowl rebuild work, none of which is difficult. My injectors are stock at 420K...I'm entertaining a swap but will see how this tow season unfolds. Will probably do some compression/leakdown checks before swapping injectors. I bought the truck cheap, have put in some money/effort on springs/shocks/brakes, engine top work (fuel bowl and high pressure oil), and some comfort items (soundproofing and better seats) and now it works great and doesn't owe me much.

It doesn't take much work or modification to harness the big 7.3L displacement and blow the pants off of any non-variable-vane single-turbo 5.9 cummins, of any configuration. Big 5.9 power with a single turbo is certainly available, but you can't have that cake and eat it too: low rpm power is replaced by clouds of smoke. Different story with the variable vane turbo on the 6.7 cummins; that one is a monster.

It's kind of a shame that gas engines have gone from late 70s 7.5:1 low-compression hot constipated big blocks (454 and 460, carbed and fuel injected) to high-strung fuel suckers, with zero reprieve. GM's 8.1L was getting close to sanity, but it too was constipated by poor head port design and engine air/fuel programming. Ford's new 7.3 gas should be a welcome change back to real big block gas power.

Diesels with EGR, SCR, Exhaust Filtration and such are non-starters for me. Way too much drama. Next truck will be big block gas, old or new. If old, the engine will be modified to address poor compression and quench and increase airflow. A 454 or 460 making legit 400hp at 4500-5000 rpm should be a monster.

splattermatic, where was that pic taken ?

....yup 10,600 hours on mine ....ford backwards ..driver returns on foot.

12 valve cummins............

Not since the recall on them. They seemed to have fixed the issue.

could never understand why Ford, when it bought Volvo, didn't use the Volvo diesel, long considered the best marine diesel.

true, lots of cummins used for marine also.

Dennis 81082,
Navajo reservoir, the dam side.

I have 2 friends with F350's with the 7.3 one has 300K and the other has well over 500k on the motor. Neither of them have any desire for a modern diesel and they both love that old 7.3.

Personally I am a year in and 15K miles on a '17 model year 6.7 and don't have anything to complain about as the truck and motor put a big smile on my face every time I get in it. The modern diesels do use DEF. Mine uses so little DEF it's hardly a concern or expense worth talking about.

Chuckle chuckle chuckle. Cylinder kits? When will I need them? My injectors were replaced under warranty at about 60,000, but the new ones are fine. I did replace the water pump at 250,000, but it still has the factory heater and water hoses.
A cummings is OK, but I can't drink a bottle of beer in one without knocking my teeth out.
You guys sucked me into mine is bigger than yours. Chuckle chuckle, ain't no winners here!

http://www.cumminsnewsletters.com/td/brennan_magee.html

No explanation or justification needed...................