I was a manufacturing engineer on this motor. It appears to be pre-1999. The valve has a 1998 date stanp. The injectors were often replaced by the factory on the two rear passenger side cylinders because of customer complaints for noise. We sometimes used the marine injector. If the cam is original it's also pre-2000. We switched from an induction heat treat that did one lobe at a time and left that blue circle to one from Contour Hardening that treated the entire cam at once. I also noticed the shaft diameter has some severe chatter during the plunge turning operation (Op20) done on a specialized machine from a company called Crankshaft machine. Lastly the rods look to be the old 4130 forged rods with milled mating faces. Later models used powdered forged cracked rods. Most forged rods were made in Indianapolis, but several thousand were made by Kaiser Manufacturing in Germany while we transitioned to powdered forged rods. Those will habe a K stamped on the weight pad on the end of the rod cap. We did have some premature cam and litter failures because the lifter supplier didn't properly heat treat the roller tip but not many. It looks like a high mileage engine.
If you were a manufacturing engineer on this project, you'd know that it's an ENGINE. Teslas, Chevy Volts and your washing machine have MOTORS. Get it right Mr Engineer. Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine.
@@Thedoug369 he’s actually correct. Motor or engine are both correct. Same thing with a rocket. Rocket motor rocket engine. Have a little respect for the guy.
@@Thedoug369 mo·tor [ˈmōdər] NOUN a machine, especially one powered by electricity or internal combustion, that supplies motive power for a vehicle or for some other device with moving parts. It's called General Motors....not General Engines. :)
This is awesome. That was my fathers truck. He owned a plumbing business and commuted over 100+mile a day since he purchased it new. The only engine work that was ever performed was new injectors due to the fact they thru him the keys and never owning a diesel before didn’t know about the lever to empty the water from the fuel. It also had the oil pan and oil cooler changed. The Trans and front end was rebuilt once. The straps broke and dropped the gas tank on the e way once but other than cam sensors it was very reliable. The maintenance was done religiously with Rotella. My Dad passé two years ago. And man would he have loved to have seen this!!!!
@@joebartolomucci8870This is really awesome ! Sorry about your Dad. He is absolutely right, cheap oil, expensive engine. You pick which one you want to replace. I think I'll change the oil. So much cheaper ! That's just awesome he got over 700,000 k miles on that old 7.3l Built Ford Tough !!!
my 97 has had rotella in it since 97. I was a truck driver and owner operator also and I always had rotella in all of them. A guy I worked for in 1974 and his mechanic showed me why I should too. they both had 40+ years in the business and knew their stuff.
I can tell you my 01 has 684000 miles right now and I drive it every day. It's had injectors, glow plugs, valve cover gaskets and water pump and various sensors replaced. Never had the oil pan or heads off. I just put a turbo on it and intend to drive it to 1000000!
I had a 350k miles 7.3 that I pulled the heads because I was curious. Bores looked just like those. The longevity of a 7.3 is legendary. Sad the EPA killed it.
All I can say is that if I had 699,341 on the vehicle and that's where my journey with it ended I'd be EXTREMELY disappointed to not have gotten all the way to that 700k mark.
Seriously! I would have done anything to get those last miles. I have 390k on my 97 and I guarantee it will make 400k whether it likes it or not. It runs great so I’m not worried tho.
Man, does that bring back memories. My first job as a mechanic, back in 2001, was in a shop that had the service contract on all the ambulances in that region (South shore of Montreal). And they all had 7.3's. Everything you did, with the exception of cam and crank removal, I have done on these engines. (We had a special tool to remove the injectors). And let me tell you something...if you think removing the heads was tough, try doing it in the enclosed space of the engine compartment of an E 350. That was one hell of a job. Now, in the shop where I work, word has gotten around that I have years of experience on the 7.3, so we have several customers who show up with their F350's because no one wants to touch them. To me, they're old buddies...always enjoy working on them for old times' sake.
@@eyerollthereforeiam1709 You have no idea. We inspected them every 7500km (4600 miles) and invariably there were at least 2 balljoints to change, brakes, tie rods very often, etc. The salt and the cold really did a number on them. Those manifold bolts on the video look awfully familiar...🤣🤣
That's a 700,000 mile engine for sure. The bearing wear says those miles were all under load, it didn't idle it's life away. Very impressive it was as clean as it was inside.
@mausball - Mate, you are dead on. I have done several off high mileage seven3’s and with proper maintainance - they look like this engine. Clean inside due to freequent oil changes They tend to trash the cam lobes and the upper rod bearing due to load and high mileage - tune and high rpm ( manuel transmission) I have one a the stand now - 252K miles for a refresh - its mint inside.
The 4E (T444E - we just called them 4E's to differentiate from the old iDi 7.3) could definitely take a flogging and still get you there and all the way back.. They really were the Accord/Camry of diesels. Only 2 real ways I ever knew to genuinely hurt it was either running low on oil for way too long, or a lot of water through the injection system, and that was about it. The old iDi was really good too but had 1 or 2 things to watch out for that the 4E really didn't have. Lack of turbo on the old iDi made it a sh*t show pulling trailers uphill
This engine looks like it was worked hard but was also very well cared for. The uniform wear on the crankshaft journals, the cross-hatching still in the bores, the cleanliness of the aluminum front cover, the general cleanliness of the inside of the engine all suggest frequent oil changes using good quality oil and filters. I believe this is a 700,000 mile engine without a lot of idle hours. If was and idler and not a workhorse, you wouldn't see that type of wear on the crankshaft journals. This shows again what my Grandpa said: If you take good care of your equipment, it'll take good care of you.
I met a man who pulled travel trailers from the manufacturer to various dealers, he was driving a 1985 Ford F250 with the 6.9L diesel engine and a 4 speed manual transmission. At that time he had 999,973 thousand miles on his truck, and was leaving to poll another trailer.. Still running great.
59 and retired with a past history of just about everything mechanical but I still will watch just about any video I can click on no matter the content. Some for 30 seconds and some I will click through to see where it goes but I can say with out a doubt I watch every minute of your videos. The longer the better and there are only about 3-4 channels I do that with and I think it's because it's not just the content but because your a good character and seem like a great guy. Keep em coming.
I agree with your assessment. The truck was probably on a strict service interval and they were driving the wheels off the thing. I bet if you told most people that the heads on that engine weigh as much as a fully assembled Honda 4 cylinder they would doubt you. That engine needs to make a ton of torque just to haul itself around.
The entire engine in my car which is all aluminum weighs like 280 pounds thats the pentastar its so lightweight 2 reasonably strong guys could carry it
@Jasper yea cause they put out max torque at a low rpm the opposite of a gasser. 7.3 best engine ever. Miss mine. Stolen 10/30/21 at home Depot Merrillville Indiana. Mint crew cab no rust 4x4 170k miles buncha recent work and upgrades. Still depressses tf outta me to talk about it. I want my truck back.
I have a 1996 F350 flatbed. I bought from a friend of mine who owns a diesel shop. He got the truck basically from a customer who ruined the motor. He replaced the motor (it was rebuilt by a shop in Cullman) and he put in a remanufactured E4OD transmission at 190K miles. I've had it for a few years. I love the truck, I use it but not abuse it, I don't have a business just some acreage. I have people ask me all of the time to buy it. I've only put about 15K miles on since I had it for 4 years. It should last me the rest of my life. It has such a sweet sound. I need to get the AC fixed.
700k totally possible, I sold my old f350 flatbed w/ a 7.3 turbo a few yrs ago & it had 639k on it when I sold it, tranny had been replaced, but engine was original & it still ran great
My great uncle had one 7.3 that showed 614k when someone stole the turbo off it. I think it would have outlasted him otherwise. As it was, he was in no shape to be driving the thing when the turbo was cut off of it. Still he kept going though. He made it through Germany in 44/45, was 83 I think when he finally had a fatal heart attack.
Remove the spill spout at the top of the injector next to the connector before removing injector so you don't break them. Usually removing the lower bolt, sliding the retainer plate upward to clear the top bolt, then prying the bottom of the retainer plate gets them out unscathed.
That's precisely how I did mine when I had to re ring my injectors. That retainer also is a solid remover, and makes pulling injectors a LOT easier. I even got #7 and 8 with a much shorter prybar in the engine bay on mine. It's a true champion of an engine, no question about it.
I can believe it's a 700k mile engine. If it was a reman deal, at least 300K+ on it with that bearing and lifter wear. The crosshatching still being on those cylinders is a testament to how far lubrication engineering has come in the last 50 years. It used to be that 200k was considered an insanely high number to get out of an engine outside of something like a semi truck. Now we're seeing this engine might actually have 700k on it without any internal work needed. That's a damn impressive number. Something to note is that this was in a pickup and is an engine designed for a medium duty application (Think ~10-12k unladen weight, 18-26k loaded), so it's had a relatively easy life as far as load goes. Let's not forget about engineering. This was probably one of the last engines at International designed and built by the older generation who had the concept of quality (things like TQM) coursing through their veins from top of management down to the lowest guy on the totem pole, with some advancement in modern tech thrown in to spice things up. They way overbuilt it for the stock power level. Very similar to the engineering and manufacturing coming out of Japan in the '80s through early '00s (Toyota and Honda mainly). Their thought processes were in decades, not quarters, and it shows here. You can also see how that got thrown out the window with the 6.0L and 6.4L engines that followed this one. They were a disaster by comparison. The crazy thing is how much they had in common with the 7.3L, but they still managed to screw it up. I don't know anything about the corporate structure or management history at IH, but my guess is that there was a generational shift change that happened right around the time the 7.3 was being phased out. You need to have everyone in the organization knowledgeable about engineering (at least from a layman's perspective) to get quality products like this. Good engineers can't make high quality products by themselves. They need good management backing them up and the manufacturing side needs to be on point too.
A lot of what went wrong was the rushed development of the 6.0 and trying to meet the ludicrous emissions standards imposed by the EPA i feel like the 6.0 could've been a great engine had it not been neutered with all the bullshit as they are great and reliable when egr deleted and bulletproofed
It's Ford. Since Int'l only makes diesels, Ford can't blame International for the 3-Valve 5.4 gasoline engine, even if they want to like they did with the diesels. It's gasoline and they only make diesels. They're(5.4) not repairable, in comparison the GM Northstar can have the block threads repaired
@@randr10 You understood the reply wrong. Ford basically told International how to make the engine, then blamed them for it. If Fords own gasoline engine worked, and then Int'l's engines failed, then you could isolate the problem and say it's Int'l's fault, but one cannot
Cam lobes have worn through the surface hardening. Not happening on a 70,000 mile 7.3 unless there was oiling issues. Bearings tell the story. The cracked piston was probably getting close to failing catastrophically. She’s definitely got some miles.
Thank you! The 7.3 (and earlier 6.9 [nice]) has a long history of being one of the most reliable diesels available in a consumer-grade truck. This teardown makes it pretty obvious why: It is ridiculously overbuilt for the power it is expected to output. I suppose that's why, even in my shop, the valve cover gaskets and harnesses still have order points and regular stocking even after it has been discontinued for nearly twenty years. I have actually lost count of the million+ mile 7.3s that have crossed my counter over the years. Engine Requests: Ford: 300 Inline Six, Windsor, FE, 1.0 EcoBoost, 1.4 EcoBoost, 6.0 PowerStroke, 6.7 PowerStroke General Motors: 3100/3400/3800 Olds, LUW/LWE 1.8l i4, 5.7L Olds Diesel, L5P Duramax, L86 6.2 (shouldn't have too much trouble finding that one) Chrysler: Slant Six, MORE HEMIS, 1.4L FIRE, AMC 4.0/4.2 Honda: B Series, D Series, K Series Toyota: 1LR-GUE (lol yeah right), 1GZ-FE, 1ZZ or 2ZZ Subaru: FJ series, EZ30/36
I'm a fleet manager, that was a service truck and it has 700k on it. Fleet managers and techs drive a lot. They take care of their tools, and their truck is the most important tool they have.
My 2003 7.3 powerstroke had over 600,000 km (400,000 mi.) It was the cleanest engine inside that I had ever worked on. Couldn't get a white rag dirty wiping inside the valve covers with solvent. 7.3s had no EGR to pump pollution into the block or intake stream. Also it's best to run good old conventional oils as the detergents keep the soot in suspension and drop it out with each oil change. They also cannot be run low on oil as below 9 quarts in the pan there isn't enough oil to feed the HPOP, so they simply will not fire.
@@screener545 Without the injectors firing, there won't be any combustion, so there will be no load, minimal heat, and not much stress on the internals. An engine will survive a LOT longer without oil pressure when being spun externally such as from being in gear or cranking than it will under an actual load. Considering the fact that engines can idle for hours and drive for 20+ minutes under load with no oil before failing, odds are good that if there was a total oil loss, just the residual oil left on the moving parts will protect them for the perhaps 30 seconds of 'run" time it might take the driver to pull over when the engine cuts out. An engine running under its own power is COMPLETELY different than being spun externally with no fuel supply and the oil film won't disappear as soon as oil pressure is lost.
It’s great waking up Sunday morning, and having a coffee while watching a tear down and waiting for the world to wake up. There’s a project waiting for me in the driveway afterwards.
I bought new and still own my 2003 7.3 Superduty with a 140000 miles . it's a rust free Arkansas truck . I'll keep the F250 crewcab probably until it gets too expensive for me to have repaired when it does need repair . Never been apart except for a waterpump . I learned so much from your teardown . Really awesome video that I've been waiting on for a long time . Great video .
THANKS!!!!! S7 bricked with my teardown pics...this is gonna save me a ton of time...little stuff like water outlets, harness routing...perfect 2002 Excurion THE OG 7.3
The skit with the waterpump had me laughing. Usually these get tossed without much ado, but this one get pampered as if it was something rare and special 🤣🤣🤣
As a owner of several high mileage 7.3s valve cover gaskets always will go out and out of 5 all but one has had to have the number 7 and 5 injectors replaced. Cam Positioning sensors on all of them. We do oil testing on all of them and have for the intire time weve owned them. One borke 700k last October but in its last service showed to have copper and other metal's in the results of its last test. So its a yard and parts running truck now. All have very high idle times being we live in the mountains of Colorado. All pulled Bobcats skids and mini excavators. The other trucks are doing fine and are in the 600k range. Starting this year we will be replacing all of these trucks with 2024 6.7s. My dad had a 2000 7.3 with 863k before it finally grenaded and threw a rod out the oil pan lol. Best engines we have ever had.
That's a high-mile workhorse. My '95 F-350 has 645,000 miles on it now and aside from a set of injectors, two sets of valve cover gaskets, three water pumps, an alternator, and a set of glow plugs has never been apart. Even the turbo's original. I've run Chevron Delo 15w-40 and NAPA Gold filters on 6,000-mile intervals since it was new and you could still eat cereal out of the valve covers. It's that clean inside. Oh, and it still gets 19 mpg on the highway. I have no complaints.
I worked at UPS for thirty years and we used this engine from 1997 to 2020 when I retired the last one in my fleet of package trucks the last one had 650,000 Milles on it I only retired it because the truck body was just to worn out to be safe anymore this was the original engine the only engine parts changed were the injectors fuel lift pump and water pump
Your channel is great! It reminds me of my job at an US Army Aviation Intermediate Maintenance unit in Germany in the early 80s. We had a saying “ if we can’t fix it, we’ll fix it where nobody can”
I don’t care how long your videos are, I have loved every one. I’m going with almost 700k. Keep up the great work. On a side note hope mom and baby are doing well. And congratulations on having another kid.
Filling those cylinders with oil is common even when doing glow plugs. When we did my brother in law's 7.3 glow plugs I used a spray bottle sprayer with a long hose added on to evacuate the fluid to avoid hydrolocking it. We used the same trick a few years later to get all the oil out of a snow plow pump reservoir that had a stripped drain plug.
Mine had lots of blow by is why I rebuilt it. Piston #5 has pieces fall off when it came out and #7 the compression ring land was deformed downward angle. Still fired up and ran everyday. E99 has AB code injectors a few CC's smaller than L99 which arr AD code. 94-01 73's are more desirable cause they have forged rods.... L99 has PMR rods.
A brother saint Louisan. I wish I was much younger, to do those type things again, I would love to visit your shop at some point in time, to watch you tear down any newer motor. I'm not into newer motors, I'm an old school gearhead.
2003 7.3L with 445k miles here. owned since 40k miles. Never had the valve covers off. Only major component replaced is the turbo at 400k miles and it was not because the turbo was bad. I just was not putting a 400k mile part back on when I was fixing a oil leak. Still running original ECM, original injectors, original HPOP, original glow plugs, original transmission. Obviously things like the water pump, alternator, starter have been replaced but those are wear parts. oil changed every 5k and trans fluid drained and topped off every 30k with full pan drop and filter every ~100k.
I do not like UA-cam's idea of shorter and shorter videos. Are they trying to rival TikTok? I love hour long videos of interesting things. Great video, Mitsu 3CYL, PEACE!!!
looking at that engine inside and out is exactly why i run lots of additives and keep the outside of my engines super clean as well. i want my engines to look like new the day they finally wear out.
Very much enjoyed. Thanks. I won't let go of my 1996 f350 7.3 even though hardly use it no more. 1996 with 98500 miles actual odo. Only issue is small rear main seal leak (mechanic in bottle not really helping) but its real slow leak only when running and hot.
Are you sure its not leaking down from the turbo pedestal? There is a drain hole in the block to let liquids run down behind the flywheel or flex plate.
@@fogeyes if that mechanic in bottle is a stop leak for the oil, expect to have a lot of oil leaks. I've seen people use that stuff and I usually end up replacing every oil seal on the engine.
@@snoopytheace4487 Oops! i put three 16 oz bottles in it 1000 miles ago. i used Bar's Leaks Rear Main Seal Repair, after oil change. Guess I'll change oil again. Thanks.
Nice teardown. My early 99 7.3 has 450,000 miles and going strong. Maintenance is the key. Fluid and filters. I replace the 4R100 trans at 423,000 and last year 2 injectors needed to be replaced at 435,000 miles. Other than that, no other engine work has been done. Long live the 7.3! Thanks for sharing.
I always save the longer videos as a Sunday morning watch activity and don’t mind at all! The hairline crack in the bore at 45:18 might be an indication of cavitation pitting the cylinder liner from the cooling jacket. It can happen with on any diesel engine (especially with the non turbo 7.3 IDI) if the additive levels in the coolant aren’t properly checked and maintained over its lifetime. From what I understand it may be repairable by boring out the cylinder and pressing in a new sleeve Disclaimer: I own a truck with the non PS 7.3 IDI but I am not a professional tech so I’m armchair guessing and defer to people who do work with the PS 7.3 if I’m wrong about anything
Although I retired as a school superintendent and a university teacher, I did my own maintenance on our private vehicles and helped my brother doing maintenance on his airplanes which he used in his fumigating business...When I joined the U.S. Airforce, I went through formal training in aircraft maintenance...I trained myself to work on BT-13s, N3s, and other lighter aircraft...I trained on the B-25 and B-26...I then trained on the B-36, B-47, B-52, and other aircraft...I worked on the Canberra and the XC-99 as well...To make a long story short, I still tinker with anything mechanical, but most of all, I watch videos of other folks, such as you, take different engines apart...I thoroughly enjoy that and will continue to watch your videos and those of others until who knows when...By the way, my brother, a WWII veteran was a licensed instructor pilot, in different kinds of aircraft including helicopters, and he took time to teach me to fly...
Had a 99 Superduty, I had the first one in my town of the new design, I put 900000 on it all highway miles, then sold it to a friend, truck still looked new no rust, he rebuilt the engine, well over 1 million miles. Only problem I had with the truck was the auto locks front differential and recall on airbox for the filter. Did have injector change and routine maintenance and a crap load of tires.. I bought a new Dodge ram 3500 and as soon as warranty ran out I needed to have transmission rebuilt, made it bullet proof and ended up being a great truck minus the fast acting rust that the Ford never had. Both was used in hauling marine equipment and boats. 7.3 was a beast!
We had over 400k on an 88 non-powerstroke 7.3. It still ran good. Transmission was never apart. We did put head gaskets in at about 300k. Clutch was about every 4 years. Rarely because the clutch was bad but the clutch plate would rust up and destroy the throw-out cylinder. After 20 years of great service. We gave up trying to keep the body together. Used it as a farm truck for a couple more years and then sent it to scrap.
I totally agree with your assessment. There was a video of a fella tearing down a 900k 7.3 and it was in similar condition. They are just really tough low hp engines.
I have a 7.3L in a 1995 Super duty service truck with an IMT truck body and crane that 10K short of rolling over 400K and it still runs like a clock. Those engines are legendary for their reliability and ability to break well over a half millions miles without a sweat just as long as you keep the oil changed pretty much. Oil changes being the most important of all since it not only protects the engine but also all the parts in and around the fuel system including the injectors all of which are very expensive if any of them fail. And bad oil is what causes failures in the HPOP System on those engines the majority of the time.
I have a 97 F350 with this engine and it was pretty cool to see how it comes apart. My parents bought the truck new and it was passed down to me. I hope I can get 700K miles from it, although I doubt I would drive it that much. Currently it has just over 100K miles and still running strong. I have only had to replace the vacuum pump and rebuild the AC compressor. It have been a very reliable truck.
They will run with a cracked piston it will just push all that compression into the crankcase. Love the vid and I would totally get that as a builder if I was local. I have 2 7.3 powered trucks and they both have 250k+ and still run great
Safety third! Disregard if they were already tilted, but you're killing me with the forklift. Tilt the forks back a bit toward the cab so that if ish goes south, the chain and engine slide toward the middle of the machine rather than them surprise falling off the fork.
I worked on a barn find truck a few months ago. 2002 7.3 dually with 40k miles. Beautiful truck. I can attest those down pipes are fun to do in the truck.
When working on diesels lifting equipment is you friend! I remember trying to get a 671 Detroit head down a ladder into a boats engine room. Even with 2 of us I thought for sure I was going to blow out my back. I think the 671/12v71 head is well over 200 lbs it really sucks to deal with.
Obviously a 2 day tear down as the shirt colors indicated. Seriously, I am darn impressed about the condition of the internals on that engine. I understand that class 7 and 8 trucks have engines that go to 1 million miles or more before an overhaul (some do, some don't) but I never expected a light duty engine like that one would go so far. Kudos to the owner who took care of it.
very nice! I am on my third diesel truck, two of which were purchased new. I rebuilt my '86 6.9 liter that had less than 100,000 miles on it. Fairbanks cold starts with 15/40 oil, as well as lugging the engine (manual shift), made my engine crank look similar to the condition of this one. With age, one tends to get wiser on how to make an engine last longer. Hopefully, my well maintained 2016 6.7 liter makes it to 300,000 without major complications. Just don't know how tuff this engine is, but it pulls a trailer uphill at an acceptable speed with plenty of throttle left.....
I have 200K in my 12 6.7L psd. Runs great, burns no oil. I dont see why it wouldnt make it to 300K easily. I use it on a service truck that weighs 20,000 lbs so its always under a load.
Geez that’s quite the talent you have. Never seen anyone that can heat steel with his breath. Keep up the good work I love your video’s. Very relaxing for me.
I hope you have a good Monday morning and enjoy your day today and I enjoyed your 700k tear down but if you are going to sell builder's packs keep the parts in order where they came from and you can get it done. It's easier, cheaper, and more easily rebuilt if you can get what you need and use some old stuff. Hense keeping it in order, can't reassemble a motor putting parts all over the place. Great job and great day to you Eric!
Love my 7.3 it has 576.000 km and still going strong but I did replace the transmission. Engine runs great but everything else around it is rusting away on me. Joy's of the rust belt. Great job 👍
Love my 7.3 F250 Bought a 70s model F600 with 4 speed split rear and a 16ft dump bed. 53k original miles, was an old grainer spent alot of time in the barn or doing occasional odd jobs, great interior and body. Doors close with the press of a finger, really nice truck. I've heard that pulling these gas torqers like the 330 that's in it and dropping 7.3 set up in them makes a good difference on older 600 series trucks. F250 sometimes cant bite because not enough weight for the torque especially in low 4x Would be interesting having another 12k pounds of traction on that 7.3 with the split rear 4 speed. I bet it could crawl about anywhere it could get a good bite.
Very nice! Looks like a well used engine, though amazing how good the crosshatching can look with proper maintenance. I know you don't typically get VW/Audi engines in but would love to see a teardown of the 1.4 TSI or a 24V VR6. As well as a FCA 2.4L Tigershark or 1.4 Abarth engine
My friend has one of these with around 450,000 miles on it. Still sounds brand new. He also has an Oldsmobile 350 diesel with over 500,000 on it that also runs like a brand new engine. Had one rebuild in 1987 at 350,000 but just top end and bearings. Even the timing chain sprockets are still original.
Great job. Great call to tear it apart.... Looks like 700k, I agree. 700k is impressive. I'm still baffled by the mileage discrepancy.... I guess we have to presume some variation of cluster swapping....
I'm going with 700,000 but it has had some work done (as shown by 2 reman injectors). depending on the specs of the cylinders might be rebuildable. Note the cross hatching is below the wear ridge of the cylinders thus indicating they were done more recently (after) the wear on the cylinders and so were lower in the bore than normally done in a build.
Those cylinders look amazing for 699K miles. There’s a reason guys love the 7.3 , just like the older 2 valve triton gas motors they were simply better than the newer stuff. Ford kinda went backwards for a minute..
The 5.3l in my 02 avalanche just hit 700k. Motor has never been re-built. Its burning a little oil, and is very tired, and the piston slap its done since new has gotten to diesel sounding levels, but its still ticking.
@@jessepitt Keep it maintained and they will last forever. It's had one transmission rebuild around the 300k mark, and the rear end around the same time. And the band on the trans is starting to slip, so it'll need its second rebuild soon, which I will gladly rebuild. My goal is to see if it'll hit a million
I believe it. I’m a dodge guy. I’ve had 3 cummins and many hemi trucks and I will say without a doubt I think the 7.3 is the best engine ever made for a half ton to a 1.5 ton truck.
The crankshaft bearings and connecting rod bearings have way too much wear for a 69K engine. I vote for 699k. As for the cracked piston, when you were showing the side view, it looked like the land between the top and second piston rings might be cracked.
The one saving grace for the 7.3's was they would quickly start to misfire with bad/dirty oil, as the injectors were oil actuated. That required an oil change to remedy.
Bearings look about what I would expect from a 500K mile + motor. All components look very stout! I guess that’s because of it’s I.H. Navistar background. Awesome video, thank you..
I was a manufacturing engineer on this motor. It appears to be pre-1999. The valve has a 1998 date stanp. The injectors were often replaced by the factory on the two rear passenger side cylinders because of customer complaints for noise. We sometimes used the marine injector. If the cam is original it's also pre-2000. We switched from an induction heat treat that did one lobe at a time and left that blue circle to one from Contour Hardening that treated the entire cam at once. I also noticed the shaft diameter has some severe chatter during the plunge turning operation (Op20) done on a specialized machine from a company called Crankshaft machine. Lastly the rods look to be the old 4130 forged rods with milled mating faces. Later models used powdered forged cracked rods. Most forged rods were made in Indianapolis, but several thousand were made by Kaiser Manufacturing in Germany while we transitioned to powdered forged rods. Those will habe a K stamped on the weight pad on the end of the rod cap. We did have some premature cam and litter failures because the lifter supplier didn't properly heat treat the roller tip but not many. It looks like a high mileage engine.
I’ve always wanted to talk to someone in the production of the 7.3
If you were a manufacturing engineer on this project, you'd know that it's an ENGINE. Teslas, Chevy Volts and your washing machine have MOTORS. Get it right Mr Engineer. Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine.
@@Thedoug369 he’s actually correct. Motor or engine are both correct. Same thing with a rocket. Rocket motor rocket engine. Have a little respect for the guy.
@@Thedoug369 mo·tor [ˈmōdər] NOUN a machine, especially one powered by electricity or internal combustion, that supplies motive power for a vehicle or for some other device with moving parts.
It's called General Motors....not General Engines. :)
This guy motors.
This is awesome. That was my fathers truck. He owned a plumbing business and commuted over 100+mile a day since he purchased it new. The only engine work that was ever performed was new injectors due to the fact they thru him the keys and never owning a diesel before didn’t know about the lever to empty the water from the fuel. It also had the oil pan and oil cooler changed. The Trans and front end was rebuilt once. The straps broke and dropped the gas tank on the e way once but other than cam sensors it was very reliable. The maintenance was done religiously with Rotella. My Dad passé two years ago. And man would he have loved to have seen this!!!!
Also the cluster went out about 2 years before the wreck so I would guess the true miles as closer to 800,000/850,000
Also once when it was having trouble starting a knucklehead lumbaryard mechanic used ether which is what probably damaged the piston.
I still have his ‘95 Lincoln Mk VIII with the 4.6 32v with 360,000 on the original engine. He always said oil was cheaper than engines…
@@joebartolomucci8870This is really awesome ! Sorry about your Dad. He is absolutely right, cheap oil, expensive engine. You pick which one you want to replace. I think I'll change the oil. So much cheaper ! That's just awesome he got over 700,000 k miles on that old 7.3l Built Ford Tough !!!
my 97 has had rotella in it since 97. I was a truck driver and owner operator also and I always had rotella in all of them. A guy I worked for in 1974 and his mechanic showed me why I should too. they both had 40+ years in the business and knew their stuff.
I can tell you my 01 has 684000 miles right now and I drive it every day.
It's had injectors, glow plugs, valve cover gaskets and water pump and various sensors replaced. Never had the oil pan or heads off.
I just put a turbo on it and intend to drive it to 1000000!
Are you running the stock pcm?
More times than not the engines survive, the ford truck doesn’t lmao
I hope that glorious day comes for the old 7.3!!
Please make a video
My 03 has 300k and still drives like new
I had a 350k miles 7.3 that I pulled the heads because I was curious. Bores looked just like those. The longevity of a 7.3 is legendary. Sad the EPA killed it.
All I can say is that if I had 699,341 on the vehicle and that's where my journey with it ended I'd be EXTREMELY disappointed to not have gotten all the way to that 700k mark.
I would have pushed it the next 659.
Seriously! I would have done anything to get those last miles. I have 390k on my 97 and I guarantee it will make 400k whether it likes it or not. It runs great so I’m not worried tho.
Right
Had a fire transit 2.5 turbo with 398654 will make it to 999999 surely
Should of used synthetic oil, and it would of made it pass 700,000 probably.
My 2000 F250 has 509,000 miles on it with the origional injectors. I ordered it new in june 2000. Raised 3 kids and still runs great.
Man, does that bring back memories. My first job as a mechanic, back in 2001, was in a shop that had the service contract on all the ambulances in that region (South shore of Montreal). And they all had 7.3's. Everything you did, with the exception of cam and crank removal, I have done on these engines. (We had a special tool to remove the injectors). And let me tell you something...if you think removing the heads was tough, try doing it in the enclosed space of the engine compartment of an E 350. That was one hell of a job. Now, in the shop where I work, word has gotten around that I have years of experience on the 7.3, so we have several customers who show up with their F350's because no one wants to touch them. To me, they're old buddies...always enjoy working on them for old times' sake.
That works for you and the boss..
boss can charge high prices because no one else will touch them..
and you can do the work without comebacks.....
I love a happy ending. 😃
And that is why having a worker with solid experience on something is always a good idea.
Montreal ambulances... They must have been run to hell and back!
@@eyerollthereforeiam1709 You have no idea. We inspected them every 7500km (4600 miles) and invariably there were at least 2 balljoints to change, brakes, tie rods very often, etc. The salt and the cold really did a number on them. Those manifold bolts on the video look awfully familiar...🤣🤣
I am not a mechanic by any means, watching these engine break downs are just fun to watch.
That's a 700,000 mile engine for sure. The bearing wear says those miles were all under load, it didn't idle it's life away. Very impressive it was as clean as it was inside.
@mausball - Mate, you are dead on. I have done several off high mileage seven3’s and with proper maintainance - they look like this engine. Clean inside due to freequent oil changes They tend to trash the cam lobes and the upper rod bearing due to load and high mileage - tune and high rpm ( manuel transmission)
I have one a the stand now - 252K miles for a refresh - its mint inside.
The 4E (T444E - we just called them 4E's to differentiate from the old iDi 7.3) could definitely take a flogging and still get you there and all the way back.. They really were the Accord/Camry of diesels. Only 2 real ways I ever knew to genuinely hurt it was either running low on oil for way too long, or a lot of water through the injection system, and that was about it. The old iDi was really good too but had 1 or 2 things to watch out for that the 4E really didn't have. Lack of turbo on the old iDi made it a sh*t show pulling trailers uphill
Interesting, thanks.
Absolutely Correct! There are many diesels that will go 700K. Just not the ones they now put in pick up's.
that truck had to drive 112miles a day for 17 years straight to get to 700k in that time that truck had a hard life
the lack of junk all over the engine like these newer ones is amazing. so simple and so beautiful these older engines are.
This engine looks like it was worked hard but was also very well cared for. The uniform wear on the crankshaft journals, the cross-hatching still in the bores, the cleanliness of the aluminum front cover, the general cleanliness of the inside of the engine all suggest frequent oil changes using good quality oil and filters. I believe this is a 700,000 mile engine without a lot of idle hours. If was and idler and not a workhorse, you wouldn't see that type of wear on the crankshaft journals. This shows again what my Grandpa said: If you take good care of your equipment, it'll take good care of you.
I met a man who pulled travel trailers from the manufacturer to various dealers, he was driving a 1985 Ford F250 with the 6.9L diesel engine and a 4 speed manual transmission. At that time he had 999,973 thousand miles on his truck, and was leaving to poll another trailer.. Still running great.
My 87 just hit only 100K but waterpump went this a.m..
Eric, I do not mind the longer videos! I kinda enjoy a deeper dive in to them. Thank you.
59 and retired with a past history of just about everything mechanical but I still will watch just about any video I can click on no matter the content. Some for 30 seconds and some I will click through to see where it goes but I can say with out a doubt I watch every minute of your videos. The longer the better and there are only about 3-4 channels I do that with and I think it's because it's not just the content but because your a good character and seem like a great guy. Keep em coming.
I agree with your assessment. The truck was probably on a strict service interval and they were driving the wheels off the thing. I bet if you told most people that the heads on that engine weigh as much as a fully assembled Honda 4 cylinder they would doubt you. That engine needs to make a ton of torque just to haul itself around.
The entire engine in my car which is all aluminum weighs like 280 pounds thats the pentastar its so lightweight 2 reasonably strong guys could carry it
Yes, that engine weighs right around 1000 pounds by itself so heavy sucker twice as much as the gasoline V 10 in the same truck
Alot lighter than all the other power strokes the 6.7 is the heaviest.
"Put some heat on it " 😂😂😂 Well done, sir!
I'm personally leaning towards the high mileage being accurate. These things are beasts
I don't work on diesels, but I am amazed at how heavy-duty those pistons are! Mercy. That's a lot of mass flying around in there.
The pistons needs to be heavy duty. Diesels don't have sparkplugs to ignite the fuel. It uses high compression instead.
@@lonniefreeman4278 the cup in the piston is where the magic happens.
@@coltoncavanaugh4614 all HD engines gas or diesel run slow. The diesels they race with rev fairly high and use lighter pistons
@@lonniefreeman4278 yes they fire from the heat created by the compression. Had a 7.3 that was stolen from depot two years ago and miss it every day
@Jasper yea cause they put out max torque at a low rpm the opposite of a gasser. 7.3 best engine ever. Miss mine. Stolen 10/30/21 at home Depot Merrillville Indiana. Mint crew cab no rust 4x4 170k miles buncha recent work and upgrades. Still depressses tf outta me to talk about it. I want my truck back.
I have a 1996 F350 flatbed. I bought from a friend of mine who owns a diesel shop. He got the truck basically from a customer who ruined the motor. He replaced the motor (it was rebuilt by a shop in Cullman) and he put in a remanufactured E4OD transmission at 190K miles. I've had it for a few years. I love the truck, I use it but not abuse it, I don't have a business just some acreage. I have people ask me all of the time to buy it. I've only put about 15K miles on since I had it for 4 years. It should last me the rest of my life. It has such a sweet sound. I need to get the AC fixed.
I love how gentle you were with the water pump this time around. XD Your deadpan irony is top notch.
And with a broken one, to boot!!🤣🤣🤣
He walked it all the way to the table! I think he did that on purpose to see how many of us would notice lol.
Very opposite of his "this guide looks great" *yeets across shop*
@@malachimarko7963 I believe this is the heart of the joke - this time he said it looks terrible and babied it. Chefs kiss.
@@robertwest3093 ... vs the usual toss like a UPS driver on the steps.. LOL.. that was hilarious for sure..
The respect you show worthless parts says a lot. Not quite sure exactly what its saying, but its a lot! Love your videos, Eric!
700k totally possible, I sold my old f350 flatbed w/ a 7.3 turbo a few yrs ago & it had 639k on it when I sold it, tranny had been replaced, but engine was original & it still ran great
My great uncle had one 7.3 that showed 614k when someone stole the turbo off it. I think it would have outlasted him otherwise. As it was, he was in no shape to be driving the thing when the turbo was cut off of it. Still he kept going though. He made it through Germany in 44/45, was 83 I think when he finally had a fatal heart attack.
First time seeing a 7.3 tear down thanks for the education 👍
Now I know why the engine’s are legendary in their reliability, super robust.
Remove the spill spout at the top of the injector next to the connector before removing injector so you don't break them. Usually removing the lower bolt, sliding the retainer plate upward to clear the top bolt, then prying the bottom of the retainer plate gets them out unscathed.
@Kevin Stearns thanks for the heads up 👍
I about shit when I saw him not pull both bolts...
@@dieselmunkey don't need to pull both plugs on the head.
That's precisely how I did mine when I had to re ring my injectors. That retainer also is a solid remover, and makes pulling injectors a LOT easier. I even got #7 and 8 with a much shorter prybar in the engine bay on mine. It's a true champion of an engine, no question about it.
I can believe it's a 700k mile engine. If it was a reman deal, at least 300K+ on it with that bearing and lifter wear. The crosshatching still being on those cylinders is a testament to how far lubrication engineering has come in the last 50 years. It used to be that 200k was considered an insanely high number to get out of an engine outside of something like a semi truck. Now we're seeing this engine might actually have 700k on it without any internal work needed. That's a damn impressive number.
Something to note is that this was in a pickup and is an engine designed for a medium duty application (Think ~10-12k unladen weight, 18-26k loaded), so it's had a relatively easy life as far as load goes.
Let's not forget about engineering. This was probably one of the last engines at International designed and built by the older generation who had the concept of quality (things like TQM) coursing through their veins from top of management down to the lowest guy on the totem pole, with some advancement in modern tech thrown in to spice things up. They way overbuilt it for the stock power level. Very similar to the engineering and manufacturing coming out of Japan in the '80s through early '00s (Toyota and Honda mainly). Their thought processes were in decades, not quarters, and it shows here. You can also see how that got thrown out the window with the 6.0L and 6.4L engines that followed this one. They were a disaster by comparison. The crazy thing is how much they had in common with the 7.3L, but they still managed to screw it up. I don't know anything about the corporate structure or management history at IH, but my guess is that there was a generational shift change that happened right around the time the 7.3 was being phased out. You need to have everyone in the organization knowledgeable about engineering (at least from a layman's perspective) to get quality products like this. Good engineers can't make high quality products by themselves. They need good management backing them up and the manufacturing side needs to be on point too.
I know the lifters had the same part number and they both use HEUI but I don't know if they share that much
A lot of what went wrong was the rushed development of the 6.0 and trying to meet the ludicrous emissions standards imposed by the EPA i feel like the 6.0 could've been a great engine had it not been neutered with all the bullshit as they are great and reliable when egr deleted and bulletproofed
It's Ford.
Since Int'l only makes diesels, Ford can't blame International for the 3-Valve 5.4 gasoline engine, even if they want to like they did with the diesels. It's gasoline and they only make diesels.
They're(5.4) not repairable, in comparison the GM Northstar can have the block threads repaired
I wasn't talking about the modular engines. This is about the International diesel V8s. Completely different conversation.
@@randr10 You understood the reply wrong. Ford basically told International how to make the engine, then blamed them for it.
If Fords own gasoline engine worked, and then Int'l's engines failed, then you could isolate the problem and say it's Int'l's fault, but one cannot
Cam lobes have worn through the surface hardening. Not happening on a 70,000 mile 7.3 unless there was oiling issues. Bearings tell the story. The cracked piston was probably getting close to failing catastrophically. She’s definitely got some miles.
I'm going to bet the cracked piston is from someone shooting it with ether.
@chrismoore2906 tell that to peg and if you don't know who I'm talking about zip ties and bias ply on youtube he will use a hole can 😂
@@chrismoore2906
Could be a bad injector as well
@@elliottn8672 double can it 🤣. Definitely a high mileage motor. You don't put new water pumps and valve cover gaskets on low mileage motors.
Thank you! The 7.3 (and earlier 6.9 [nice]) has a long history of being one of the most reliable diesels available in a consumer-grade truck. This teardown makes it pretty obvious why: It is ridiculously overbuilt for the power it is expected to output. I suppose that's why, even in my shop, the valve cover gaskets and harnesses still have order points and regular stocking even after it has been discontinued for nearly twenty years. I have actually lost count of the million+ mile 7.3s that have crossed my counter over the years.
Engine Requests:
Ford: 300 Inline Six, Windsor, FE, 1.0 EcoBoost, 1.4 EcoBoost, 6.0 PowerStroke, 6.7 PowerStroke
General Motors: 3100/3400/3800 Olds, LUW/LWE 1.8l i4, 5.7L Olds Diesel, L5P Duramax, L86 6.2 (shouldn't have too much trouble finding that one)
Chrysler: Slant Six, MORE HEMIS, 1.4L FIRE, AMC 4.0/4.2
Honda: B Series, D Series, K Series
Toyota: 1LR-GUE (lol yeah right), 1GZ-FE, 1ZZ or 2ZZ
Subaru: FJ series, EZ30/36
Nissan A12, Nissan L16, Nissan 2.7TD....
buick 3.8 V6 made top 10 engines on the planet several times running.
The 5.7 Olds Diesel would be cool to see, if he could find one lol.
Chevy ecotec II from the 2009 ish aveo. (Really a Daewoo) but I would still like to see it.
This 7.3 powerstroke and the 7.3/6.9 IDI are completely different engines, both are reliable though.
watched the whole thing. as a tech who now sales insurance and mortgages. i really enjoy these. its like watching bob ross but for cars
I'm a fleet manager, that was a service truck and it has 700k on it. Fleet managers and techs drive a lot. They take care of their tools, and their truck is the most important tool they have.
Pour one out for the waterpump. Respect to you Eric for treating it with respect. It took the hit, to save the block.
I just saw a news article on this episode. Congratulations
My 2003 7.3 powerstroke had over 600,000 km (400,000 mi.) It was the cleanest engine inside that I had ever worked on. Couldn't get a white rag dirty wiping inside the valve covers with solvent. 7.3s had no EGR to pump pollution into the block or intake stream. Also it's best to run good old conventional oils as the detergents keep the soot in suspension and drop it out with each oil change. They also cannot be run low on oil as below 9 quarts in the pan there isn't enough oil to feed the HPOP, so they simply will not fire.
If your HPO res doesnt fill, you have no LPO either. You are still cranking dry.
@@screener545 Without the injectors firing, there won't be any combustion, so there will be no load, minimal heat, and not much stress on the internals. An engine will survive a LOT longer without oil pressure when being spun externally such as from being in gear or cranking than it will under an actual load. Considering the fact that engines can idle for hours and drive for 20+ minutes under load with no oil before failing, odds are good that if there was a total oil loss, just the residual oil left on the moving parts will protect them for the perhaps 30 seconds of 'run" time it might take the driver to pull over when the engine cuts out. An engine running under its own power is COMPLETELY different than being spun externally with no fuel supply and the oil film won't disappear as soon as oil pressure is lost.
The fact that the HPOP won't make pressure for the injectors if the oil level is low is such a maintenance dream, these engines are really great.
It’s great waking up Sunday morning, and having a coffee while watching a tear down and waiting for the world to wake up.
There’s a project waiting for me in the driveway afterwards.
This 2-part Powerstroke saga has more twists and turns than most Hollywood movies ever have.
I bought new and still own my 2003 7.3 Superduty with a 140000 miles . it's a rust free Arkansas truck . I'll keep the F250 crewcab probably until it gets too expensive for me to have repaired when it does need repair . Never been apart except for a waterpump . I learned so much from your teardown . Really awesome video that I've been waiting on for a long time . Great video .
I was in the 70k camp before, but I think you're right, it's got 700k. Crazy how clean it is.
THANKS!!!!!
S7 bricked with my teardown pics...this is gonna save me a ton of time...little stuff like water outlets, harness routing...perfect
2002 Excurion
THE OG 7.3
" this part looks good " , throws part , " this one looks smashed and bad " , gently lays it on the table 🤣🤣
Yeah Dragon Breath is like that.
@@gwick358 I think you have the wrong comment
@@thomasfletcher760 I'm trying to give Eric a new name. Dragon Breath.
I especially liked the part where he patted it.
Love Eric lol
The skit with the waterpump had me laughing. Usually these get tossed without much ado, but this one get pampered as if it was something rare and special 🤣🤣🤣
If a part is good it gets thrown in the trash if a part is bad it gets treated like a baby
As a owner of several high mileage 7.3s valve cover gaskets always will go out and out of 5 all but one has had to have the number 7 and 5 injectors replaced. Cam Positioning sensors on all of them. We do oil testing on all of them and have for the intire time weve owned them. One borke 700k last October but in its last service showed to have copper and other metal's in the results of its last test. So its a yard and parts running truck now. All have very high idle times being we live in the mountains of Colorado. All pulled Bobcats skids and mini excavators. The other trucks are doing fine and are in the 600k range. Starting this year we will be replacing all of these trucks with 2024 6.7s. My dad had a 2000 7.3 with 863k before it finally grenaded and threw a rod out the oil pan lol. Best engines we have ever had.
I drove one with 1.5 million miles on it. It was still running strong when was pulled. They are resilient engines.
That's a high-mile workhorse. My '95 F-350 has 645,000 miles on it now and aside from a set of injectors, two sets of valve cover gaskets, three water pumps, an alternator, and a set of glow plugs has never been apart. Even the turbo's original. I've run Chevron Delo 15w-40 and NAPA Gold filters on 6,000-mile intervals since it was new and you could still eat cereal out of the valve covers. It's that clean inside. Oh, and it still gets 19 mpg on the highway. I have no complaints.
I worked at UPS for thirty years and we used this engine from 1997 to 2020 when I retired the last one in my fleet of package trucks the last one had 650,000 Milles on it I only retired it because the truck body was just to worn out to be safe anymore this was the original engine the only engine parts changed were the injectors fuel lift pump and water pump
Your channel is great! It reminds me of my job at an US Army Aviation Intermediate Maintenance unit in Germany in the early 80s. We had a saying “ if we can’t fix it, we’ll fix it where nobody can”
I don’t care how long your videos are, I have loved every one. I’m going with almost 700k. Keep up the great work. On a side note hope mom and baby are doing well. And congratulations on having another kid.
Filling those cylinders with oil is common even when doing glow plugs. When we did my brother in law's 7.3 glow plugs I used a spray bottle sprayer with a long hose added on to evacuate the fluid to avoid hydrolocking it. We used the same trick a few years later to get all the oil out of a snow plow pump reservoir that had a stripped drain plug.
Mine had lots of blow by is why I rebuilt it. Piston #5 has pieces fall off when it came out and #7 the compression ring land was deformed downward angle. Still fired up and ran everyday. E99 has AB code injectors a few CC's smaller than L99 which arr AD code. 94-01 73's are more desirable cause they have forged rods.... L99 has PMR rods.
A brother saint Louisan. I wish I was much younger, to do those type things again, I would love to visit your shop at some point in time, to watch you tear down any newer motor. I'm not into newer motors, I'm an old school gearhead.
You’re funny with the “looks good” and throws part then “looks horrible” and gingerly walks it to the table 😂
2003 7.3L with 445k miles here. owned since 40k miles. Never had the valve covers off. Only major component replaced is the turbo at 400k miles and it was not because the turbo was bad. I just was not putting a 400k mile part back on when I was fixing a oil leak. Still running original ECM, original injectors, original HPOP, original glow plugs, original transmission. Obviously things like the water pump, alternator, starter have been replaced but those are wear parts. oil changed every 5k and trans fluid drained and topped off every 30k with full pan drop and filter every ~100k.
I do not like UA-cam's idea of shorter and shorter videos. Are they trying to rival TikTok? I love hour long videos of interesting things. Great video, Mitsu 3CYL, PEACE!!!
looking at that engine inside and out is exactly why i run lots of additives and keep the outside of my engines super clean as well. i want my engines to look like new the day they finally wear out.
Very much enjoyed. Thanks. I won't let go of my 1996 f350 7.3 even though hardly use it no more. 1996 with 98500 miles actual odo. Only issue is small rear main seal leak (mechanic in bottle not really helping) but its real slow leak only when running and hot.
Are you sure its not leaking down from the turbo pedestal? There is a drain hole in the block to let liquids run down behind the flywheel or flex plate.
@@brendawernicke7663 Well It seems dry up there but wet at rear of engine. But I;ll take a closer look tomorrow. Thanks
@@fogeyes if that mechanic in bottle is a stop leak for the oil, expect to have a lot of oil leaks. I've seen people use that stuff and I usually end up replacing every oil seal on the engine.
@@snoopytheace4487 Oops! i put three 16 oz bottles in it 1000 miles ago. i used Bar's Leaks Rear Main Seal Repair, after oil change. Guess I'll change oil again. Thanks.
Nice teardown. My early 99 7.3 has 450,000 miles and going strong. Maintenance is the key. Fluid and filters. I replace the 4R100 trans at 423,000 and last year 2 injectors needed to be replaced at 435,000 miles. Other than that, no other engine work has been done. Long live the 7.3! Thanks for sharing.
I always save the longer videos as a Sunday morning watch activity and don’t mind at all!
The hairline crack in the bore at 45:18 might be an indication of cavitation pitting the cylinder liner from the cooling jacket. It can happen with on any diesel engine (especially with the non turbo 7.3 IDI) if the additive levels in the coolant aren’t properly checked and maintained over its lifetime.
From what I understand it may be repairable by boring out the cylinder and pressing in a new sleeve
Disclaimer: I own a truck with the non PS 7.3 IDI but I am not a professional tech so I’m armchair guessing and defer to people who do work with the PS 7.3 if I’m wrong about anything
That was more a problem on the IDI than the PS. They're completely different engines of the same displacement.
Although I retired as a school superintendent and a university teacher, I did my own maintenance on our private vehicles and helped my brother doing maintenance on his airplanes which he used in his fumigating business...When I joined the U.S. Airforce, I went through formal training in aircraft maintenance...I trained myself to work on BT-13s, N3s, and other lighter aircraft...I trained on the B-25 and B-26...I then trained on the B-36, B-47, B-52, and other aircraft...I worked on the Canberra and the XC-99 as well...To make a long story short, I still tinker with anything mechanical, but most of all, I watch videos of other folks, such as you, take different engines apart...I thoroughly enjoy that and will continue to watch your videos and those of others until who knows when...By the way, my brother, a WWII veteran was a licensed instructor pilot, in different kinds of aircraft including helicopters, and he took time to teach me to fly...
Love 7.3s, you handled the heads perfectly , those loops up top are for moving them , I’ve always done them with a engine hoist , anyway good content
Had a 99 Superduty, I had the first one in my town of the new design, I put 900000 on it all highway miles, then sold it to a friend, truck still looked new no rust, he rebuilt the engine, well over 1 million miles. Only problem I had with the truck was the auto locks front differential and recall on airbox for the filter. Did have injector change and routine maintenance and a crap load of tires.. I bought a new Dodge ram 3500 and as soon as warranty ran out I needed to have transmission rebuilt, made it bullet proof and ended up being a great truck minus the fast acting rust that the Ford never had. Both was used in hauling marine equipment and boats.
7.3 was a beast!
I really like the longer, more in depth videos. Thanks for this one.
We had over 400k on an 88 non-powerstroke 7.3. It still ran good. Transmission was never apart. We did put head gaskets in at about 300k. Clutch was about every 4 years. Rarely because the clutch was bad but the clutch plate would rust up and destroy the throw-out cylinder. After 20 years of great service. We gave up trying to keep the body together. Used it as a farm truck for a couple more years and then sent it to scrap.
I totally agree with your assessment. There was a video of a fella tearing down a 900k 7.3 and it was in similar condition. They are just really tough low hp engines.
I have a 7.3L in a 1995 Super duty service truck with an IMT truck body and crane that 10K short of rolling over 400K and it still runs like a clock. Those engines are legendary for their reliability and ability to break well over a half millions miles without a sweat just as long as you keep the oil changed pretty much. Oil changes being the most important of all since it not only protects the engine but also all the parts in and around the fuel system including the injectors all of which are very expensive if any of them fail. And bad oil is what causes failures in the HPOP System on those engines the majority of the time.
You are a Good Man !
Not seen much any more this day in time .
Stay true to your self ,Thank you .
Another good one to watch is Rainman Rays Repairs. Another one that’s honest as the day is long.
I have a 97 F350 with this engine and it was pretty cool to see how it comes apart. My parents bought the truck new and it was passed down to me. I hope I can get 700K miles from it, although I doubt I would drive it that much. Currently it has just over 100K miles and still running strong. I have only had to replace the vacuum pump and rebuild the AC compressor. It have been a very reliable truck.
They will run with a cracked piston it will just push all that compression into the crankcase. Love the vid and I would totally get that as a builder if I was local. I have 2 7.3 powered trucks and they both have 250k+ and still run great
Safety third! Disregard if they were already tilted, but you're killing me with the forklift. Tilt the forks back a bit toward the cab so that if ish goes south, the chain and engine slide toward the middle of the machine rather than them surprise falling off the fork.
For those rusty exhaust bolts, I have had huge success with the Irwin extractor sockets, they bite hard on even fully rounded heads
I like the towel he uses to lay parts to rest. I call it the automotive shroud of Turin. ;)
Very interesting video. Not into this sort of thing but I now understand why repairs to diesel engines are expensive.
I worked on a barn find truck a few months ago. 2002 7.3 dually with 40k miles. Beautiful truck. I can attest those down pipes are fun to do in the truck.
When working on diesels lifting equipment is you friend! I remember trying to get a 671 Detroit head down a ladder into a boats engine room. Even with 2 of us I thought for sure I was going to blow out my back. I think the 671/12v71 head is well over 200 lbs it really sucks to deal with.
6-71 Detroit , main engines in an lcm 8 ( landing craft mechanized for those who don't know ) US Army , watercraft engineer ( formerly )
Intertubes say 238# with valves, 320# with rockers, bridges and followers. Makes my back hurt just thinking about it.
Always enjoyed that era 7.3. Used an F350 at work and always shined. Definitely earned all those miles for sure! Great video!
Longer videos are always welcome as long as the content and details are justified by any extra time keep it up highly enjoy watching
Obviously a 2 day tear down as the shirt colors indicated. Seriously, I am darn impressed about the condition of the internals on that engine. I understand that class 7 and 8 trucks have engines that go to 1 million miles or more before an overhaul (some do, some don't) but I never expected a light duty engine like that one would go so far. Kudos to the owner who took care of it.
My 2000 has 396,000 miles and it’s still running very well.
very nice! I am on my third diesel truck, two of which were purchased new. I rebuilt my '86 6.9 liter that had less than 100,000 miles on it. Fairbanks cold starts with 15/40 oil, as well as lugging the engine (manual shift), made my engine crank look similar to the condition of this one. With age, one tends to get wiser on how to make an engine last longer. Hopefully, my well maintained 2016 6.7 liter makes it to 300,000 without major complications. Just don't know how tuff this engine is, but it pulls a trailer uphill at an acceptable speed with plenty of throttle left.....
I have 200K in my 12 6.7L psd.
Runs great, burns no oil. I dont see why it wouldnt make it to 300K easily.
I use it on a service truck that weighs 20,000 lbs so its always under a load.
Geez that’s quite the talent you have. Never seen anyone that can heat steel with his breath. Keep up the good work I love your video’s. Very relaxing for me.
I hope you have a good Monday morning and enjoy your day today and I enjoyed your 700k tear down but if you are going to sell builder's packs keep the parts in order where they came from and you can get it done. It's easier, cheaper, and more easily rebuilt if you can get what you need and use some old stuff. Hense keeping it in order, can't reassemble a motor putting parts all over the place. Great job and great day to you Eric!
Definitely a workhorse of an engine!
I know next to nothing about engines, yet found this video surprisingly cathartic.
Love my 7.3 it has 576.000 km and still going strong but I did replace the transmission. Engine runs great but everything else around it is rusting away on me. Joy's of the rust belt. Great job 👍
The 7.3 has always been a million mile motor. I've owed plenty of them. It doesn't get great mileage or make modern power but it will last.
Love my 7.3 F250
Bought a 70s model F600 with 4 speed split rear and a 16ft dump bed. 53k original miles, was an old grainer spent alot of time in the barn or doing occasional odd jobs, great interior and body. Doors close with the press of a finger, really nice truck.
I've heard that pulling these gas torqers like the 330 that's in it and dropping 7.3 set up in them makes a good difference on older 600 series trucks.
F250 sometimes cant bite because not enough weight for the torque especially in low 4x
Would be interesting having another 12k pounds of traction on that 7.3 with the split rear 4 speed. I bet it could crawl about anywhere it could get a good bite.
Very nice! Looks like a well used engine, though amazing how good the crosshatching can look with proper maintenance. I know you don't typically get VW/Audi engines in but would love to see a teardown of the 1.4 TSI or a 24V VR6. As well as a FCA 2.4L Tigershark or 1.4 Abarth engine
My friend has one of these with around 450,000 miles on it. Still sounds brand new. He also has an Oldsmobile 350 diesel with over 500,000 on it that also runs like a brand new engine. Had one rebuild in 1987 at 350,000 but just top end and bearings. Even the timing chain sprockets are still original.
Loved this longer tear down, thank you posting this!
Great job.
Great call to tear it apart.... Looks like 700k, I agree. 700k is impressive.
I'm still baffled by the mileage discrepancy.... I guess we have to presume some variation of cluster swapping....
Best Saturday entertainment on UA-cam!
Amen
That put some heat on it still cracks me up.
[Mr Burns voice] Excellent [/Mr Burns voice]
I'm going with 700,000 but it has had some work done (as shown by 2 reman injectors). depending on the specs of the cylinders might be rebuildable. Note the cross hatching is below the wear ridge of the cylinders thus indicating they were done more recently (after) the wear on the cylinders and so were lower in the bore than normally done in a build.
The idea of a video and a “builder’s package” is a great idea. It would answer a lot of questions for the buyer.
Those cylinders look amazing for 699K miles. There’s a reason guys love the 7.3 , just like the older 2 valve triton gas motors they were simply better than the newer stuff. Ford kinda went backwards for a minute..
That's a million mile motor. 7.3 PowerStroke is a beast of a motor. One of the best.
The 5.3l in my 02 avalanche just hit 700k. Motor has never been re-built. Its burning a little oil, and is very tired, and the piston slap its done since new has gotten to diesel sounding levels, but its still ticking.
That’s good to hear. I have an ‘02 Tahoe 5.3 with only 200k. It runs great.
@@jessepitt Keep it maintained and they will last forever. It's had one transmission rebuild around the 300k mark, and the rear end around the same time. And the band on the trans is starting to slip, so it'll need its second rebuild soon, which I will gladly rebuild. My goal is to see if it'll hit a million
I think they have a recall for your truck.. not that there’s anything wrong but GM wants you to buy a new truck now 😂
I love the way the 7.3 starts up. It has a growl like no other.
I like how you *breathe* on the bolts to *Heat them up* haha you must've had them new spicy hot peppers
Weed
I believe it. I’m a dodge guy. I’ve had 3 cummins and many hemi trucks and I will say without a doubt I think the 7.3 is the best engine ever made for a half ton to a 1.5 ton truck.
The crankshaft bearings and connecting rod bearings have way too much wear for a 69K engine. I vote for 699k. As for the cracked piston, when you were showing the side view, it looked like the land between the top and second piston rings might be cracked.
love the hotwings trick
The one saving grace for the 7.3's was they would quickly start to misfire with bad/dirty oil, as the injectors were oil actuated. That required an oil change to remedy.
One of many saving graces. Being overbuilt and underpowered is a great recipe for longevity.
Bearings look about what I would expect from a 500K mile + motor. All components look very stout! I guess that’s because of it’s I.H. Navistar background. Awesome video, thank you..