Question for you Ford 7.3 guys

[RidgeRunner]

I'm looking at buying a '99 F350 SRW 7.3L, Auto, 4 door long bed w/ 177k. It fires right up and drives fine round town, although it does seem a little sluggish. The problem is it seriously lacks power when towing. I'm totally new to this and as usual, all the diesel forums talk about the same problems but drop off before anybody posts a solution. Can any of you point me in the right direction of things to check? I have the truck for the week and am hoping to see how much I'm going to need to spend to fix it before I pull the trigger.

So far I think I need to check:
Intake tube boots
EBP sensor and tube
Check resistance on UVCH
exhaust leaks in the up pipes
Have someone test the injectors (really don't want to spend $ on it right now)

Anybody have any thoughts?

TIA

[CS79bronco]

Hey, Dave,
I'm not up on the turbo diesels, but go on Rocky Mountain Ford Truck Club. rmftc.com I know one guy who has one similar on there & pretty knowledgeable about them.

[RidgeRunner]

Well, a bit of a false alarm. All my info is from the current owner who is really a chevy guy. After driving the truck today it seems that it is actually a tranny problem. At WOT, 1-2 shifts fine, 2-3 doesn't shift unless you lift off the throttle, 3-4 doesn't shift unless you lift off the throttle. I think I need to check the electrical connector at the tranny. It has a rebuilt tranny with a transferable 100k warranty, maybe I'll send it back in.

[AccordRanger]

If you have time to go to Longmont check outs luckys diesel repair. He will answer any questions you have and seems like a great guy.

[ctracy5]

Don't know the cause of the issues but I can verify that there is one. You should defiantly have plenty of power towing with the 7.3, I've been driving a 2000 7.3 for the last few years at work and even with our waste gate having issues (dumping the turbo early), hard shifting problems, and dead glow plugs I can still tow heavy loads down 25 fine.

[carpenle]

I was also thinking problem with the turbo, but seems like you are on the right track!

[The StRanger]

Do you have any codes ??
My Dizzle dude says we need PCM code 1st !!

[gm4x4lover]

does it smoke excessively? Do the rpms stay the same while mph gains? Does it have enough oil in it? Does it smoke at idle? Is the air filter super dirty? Does it have extra gauges? If so what is the boost psi? What are the egt's?

[The StRanger]

All of the above ..
We are thinkin fuel or high pressure pump !!

[RidgeRunner]

Good info guys. Air filter is dirty, picking up a new one tomorrow. No black smoke, no smoke at idle that I've noticed. No extra gauges, bone stock. I did notice MPH increase without RPM gain during higher speed acceleration, thought that was odd. Checked codes with a simple OBDII scanner and no codes, no CEL. Engine oil level was OK but near the bottom of the hash marks. Haven't checked tranny fluid. It has a Mag-Tech tranny pan and the tranny HAS been rebuilt and has a 100k transferable warranty.

Current owner said that it seemed to tow fine on flat ground but did 30 mph up 285 with a 35' 5th wheel camper.

[Bob]

I have a 2001 F350 7.3. Good suggestions so far. Although it sounds like the transmission is involved, I suggest also replacing the fuel filter. They should be replaced every 10K miles and can severely limit power. Diesel engine power is controlled by the amount of fuel being supplied, not by the amount of air. Given that the air filter was dirty, it's a good possibility that the fuel filter is also.

[RidgeRunner]

Do the rpms stay the same while mph gains?

What causes this? CPS or tranny problem?

[Brian]

CPS will cause a go/no-go situation. Either it works or it doesn't. You’re kinda describing a problem that can be attributed to several different components (as you know). Stuck EBPV, dusted turbo, leaking intercooler boots, up-pipe leak (severe), waste gate actuator, slipping tranny, nasty fuel filter, just to name a few. Also, the 7.3L is a Hydraulically Actuated Electronic Unit Injector (HEUI) System, and relies heavily on high quality oil and plenty of it (15 qts~4 gallons). The High pressure Oil Pump (HPOP) sits atop the engine and feeds the injectors to fire, so it’s critical to make sure oil is full and fresh. Rotella T5 or better yet T6 should do the trick. Just some basic things that are easy to see and or test. Not sure of all the sites you visited but I can recommend that link below and say that they are a bunch of good guys and have kept me straight on my 7.3L for over seven years. Easy to search there and tons of threads. Good luck man!

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum31/

[gm4x4lover]

What causes this? CPS or tranny problem?

A gain of mph and not rpm can only be attributed to a transmission problem. Considering he was towing on 35's I would think the torque-converter would be a good be place to start. A standard OBD2 scanner will not pick up tranny codes. I would take it to a tranny shop and have them scan it.

[RidgeRunner]

I have access to a Snap On Solus scanner so I went and scanned the tuck yesterday. Results are:
Memory code:P0500 Vehicle Speed Sensor Fault - cleared it and it did not come back
Ran an injector buzz test, no fault
Glow Plug test, no faults.
HPOP pressure stabilized about 16,800 kPa ~ 2400 psi
Cylinder contribution test resulted in code P0284 Cylinder 8 contribution/balance fault.
No access to tranny codes.

Decided to pass on the truck. Something is definitely wrong with the tranny. It is under warranty but I'll let my friend deal with that.

Drove another one last night, a 2000 w/ 211k. HPOP, glow plugs, front hubs, and ball joints have all been done withing the last year. Nice solid truck with airbags in the rear, a matching topper, and new tires. May be pulling the trigger on that one today.

[RidgeRunner]

Considering he was towing on 35's

Truck is bone stock on 265's, he was towing a 35' trailer.