# First Diesel



## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

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.


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## Mr. Jon (Feb 24, 2010)

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.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

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.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

Mr. Jon;1568230 said:


> 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.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

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


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## snowish10 (Oct 29, 2010)

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!


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## Spool it up (Oct 30, 2012)

redskinsfan34;1567889 said:


> 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


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

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.


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## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

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


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## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

tjctransport;1568296 said:


> 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.


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## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

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. :salute:


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Mr. Jon;1568230 said:


> 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.





tjctransport;1568286 said:


> 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.


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## Mid-Ohio Scaper (Aug 17, 2008)

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

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


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## scottydosnntkno (Jan 4, 2010)

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.


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## mnglocker (Dec 24, 2008)

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.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

mnglocker;1568864 said:


> 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.


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## Plowtoy (Dec 15, 2001)

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.


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## JayN.E (Nov 26, 2012)

tjctransport;1568296 said:


> 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?


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

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


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## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

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.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

inside the column there is an aluminum tube that connects to the shift lever on top, and the shifter linkage on bottom.
there are two torx head screws that hold it tight. they loosen up with age, giving you a sloppy shift lever. 
here is a good description with picture.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12720701&postcount=3
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12724452&postcount=5


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## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

tjctransport;1569559 said:


> inside the column there is an aluminum tube that connects to the shift lever on top, and the shifter linkage on bottom.
> there are two torx head screws that hold it tight. they loosen up with age, giving you a sloppy shift lever.
> here is a good description with picture.
> http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12720701&postcount=3
> http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12724452&postcount=5


Thank you. That's very helpful. Any exhaust tips for me or should I just leave it stock?


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

high flow low back pressure muffler.

(straight pipe)

some guys remove the muffler, and put a bypass pipe in. others put a larger system on. i noticed a difference with the 4 inch turbo back system with high flow muffler. 
it is still a little loud, but nowhere near as loud as with no muffler.

i have a BD system on my 02: http://www.dieselperformance.com/index.php/product/index/67P


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## fordtruck661 (Feb 26, 2011)

You can put fuel additive in I do to every few tanks and make sure you add some anti jell in the winter to the fuel. I would do a 4" turbo back exhaust. And like everyone else said keep up on the maintenance and fix what needs to be fixed and you will be good.


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## redskinsfan34 (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks to all


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

The shifter linkage will be loose every 2 months, I even loc-tited mine the second time, and it's loose again. And it's in a miserable spot to get at.
Put a transmission temp guage in, a quality guage. Heat will kill it.
On Ebay, there's a guy who sells glow plug relays that are better quality and will last 20x longer than the stock set up. They go for like $50, and come with a switch and instructions on how to re-wire it to be a manual rather than the stock "8 second auto-cycle". Buy it, install it. Now you don't have to plug it in. Just leave the GPR switched on for like 45 seconds. It will start. If it runs rough at first, hold the switch on for a few seconds and it will run a lot smoother.
The hydro-boost line that runs from the brakes to the cooler will rub on the steering shaft, and can fail.
When it does, you can't drive it. No power steering, no brakes. So find out if it's rubbing.
The engine oil cooler is on the side of the engine, under the driver's side exhaust manifold. It's a round section of tin between two aluminum housings.
It will rust through, and if you happen to be driving when it does....bad scene. I came out of the store and saw a puddle under mine, which thank God, was shut off about the exact time it let go it seems.
If you look in there (over the tire and under the inner fender) and see it all pitted and pock-marked, just bite the bullet have it replaced. It cost me $500 parts and labor.
While they are in there, have the heating element replaced (The one you plug in over-night).
If the water pump goes, no big deal. They are as easy to change as they were on a 1960's small block. Just need to remove the fan and shroud.
The heater core is easy IF you have the tool that releases the quick connects @ the firewall. Youtube has vids on both the water pump and the heater core.
If you are tossing firewood into the back, and have the doors open to listen to the radio, ROLL THE WINDOWS DOWN. Ask me why. Again, easy as pie to replace the window glass.
The fuel filter is expensive @ NAPA, and you can not take it out and re-use the rubber O-ring. It gets distorted and will never seal again.
When you do replace the filter, and you will, open the drain, remove the filter, close the drain, pour straight power service in the housing, about 1/3 full, and pop the new filter in. When you turn it over, if it doesn't start easily, open the drain, turn on the key so the pump runs, jump back up and shut the drain off when it starts pouring fuel out. It'll start soon after that.
They like to leak oil from the o-rings on the HPOP, and the o-rings are about $0.89 each. But changing them is a job for the shop IMO.
When you have it worked on, drive right past the Ford dealer. Find an international dealership. They will know everything there is to know, way better than a Ford tech that took a 2 day class, and usually charge less.

I will add more as I recall it.

Great truck, it will work hard for you. But it's a work truck, it will need love eventually, so don't be scared by my post here.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

Buswell Forest;1570559 said:


> The shifter linkage will be loose every 2 months, I even loc-tited mine the second time, and it's loose again. And it's in a miserable spot to get at.
> i did mine 5 years ago, and replaced the tube in my nephews truck 3-4 years ago. they are still both tight.
> Put a transmission temp guage in, a quality guage. Heat will kill it.
> change the oil and filter every 30-35k miles. i have 182,000 miles on mine, the 28 in the old job all had over 300,000 miles on the original transmissions. the stock gauge works fine.
> ...


and to learn more about the truck and engine, try www.ford-trucks.com


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

Whatever you say. But I know what happened with mine, and with my good friend's. 

Oh, one more thing. The fuel tanks will rot out because the skid plate traps cultch. Drop the skid and clean it, then fluid film it. Also, keep a close eye on it for rocks that get trapped in between there. I have seen several rub holes right through.


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