7.3 PSD Costs

[luggw1]

I've got a 95 F350 with the 7.3 PSD and a 4 speed automatic. She has
204K on her right now. We are considering the relative wisdom of
buying a newer used truck, saving for a new one in one or two years or
saving our money with an eye toward repairing this truck as it needs
it.

First, it has been hard on transmissions in the past (it's on its
third) before we bought it. All seems well now, but if I was forced
to replace it what would be the best choice for a replacement
transmission (OEM or aftermarket)? What kind of cost am I looking at
for this?

Second, the engine seems to be running strong now. In the event that
it experiences a serious failure, what would I be looking at for a
replacement engine?

Thanks.
Bill Lugg

 

[JimmyDee]

What you are dealing with is a non issue in Michigan. Usually a truck or car that has run the Michigan winters are rusted out and junk after 10 years.
If you are in it for the long haul, a good after market tranny will hit you $3500-$4000 and well worth it. Engine replacement for factory rebuild I understand will hit you somewhere around $10k to $15k but with only 200k on yours it should be good to go for another 100-200k with any type of maint program at all. Some would say it is just getting broke in with only 200k on it.
You may want to consider what the truck is worth after it is fixed and what you have in it. I personally like a newer truck but thats just me. I've seen a lot of the pre Super Dutys that I would mind having.
Sooo, it is one of those things you have to decide for yourself.
Jim

 

[threejacks]

I have a 1995 CC 4 speed automatic that I bought new. It has 327,000 miles on it. Very little work has ever been done on it. I am like you in that I have been wondering about replacement of Tranny and engine if needed. I can get the original tranny rebuilt locally for $1200-1500 including labor. For a 10-11 year old truck I can rebuild or find a replacement engine from $3000-$5,000. My engine has been serviced regularly and nothing internal has ever been touched. Good luck.

 

[BJS]

The tranny will not last very long if it gets too hot and if you're on your third I'm guessing you tow rather heavy quite frequently so I'd recommend getting a trans temp guage if you don't have one and upgrading the trans cooling system this is a couple hundred spent now that can save you several thousand down the road. For a reasonable aftermarket upgraded transmission around 3-4k. Should the engine head south amotor from ANY 7.3L powerstroke will swap in you'll have to put your acessories, injectors etc in there.

As far as engine maint goes here's the list of what I can think I've read of guys having fail and If I know a ball park price for the parts, since I do labor myself that's all I'm worried about.

Injector O-rings $10/injector
internal injector failure set rebuilt aprox $600
IPR o-rings $30
Fuel pump $100
Vac pump $100
Starter $130
Alternator $120
Fuel bowl $200+ (only if you don't drain water regularly is this a problem)
Water drain o-rings $10
Water Pump $130
Power Steering Hose $30
CPS $ 80-150 (depends on where you buy it)
Ball joints (4wd) $200 All 4
Steering linkages $250

With my '95 In the past year I have spent about $1000 in maint (not counting oil changes) over the past year and part of that was upgrading the injectors as well as several of the expensive wear & tear items though I did have some with problems. When I compare that to a new truck payment I'm well ahead of the game even though I am looking at rebuilding/upgrading my trans shortly even after that I'm still ahead of a new truck. The big consideration is the interior and body of your truck. In most cases I'd say that the diesel engine is going to last far longer than the interior of the truck.

 

[luggw1]

Actually, the trannies were replace by the previous owner who tows a four-horse trailer full fairly commonly. I've had no problems with it in the two years we've had it and we tow a four-horse trailer very occasionally and with no more than three horses. In any event, you're probably right that some additional cooling equipment would be a good idea as a safety measure.

Regarding the fuel bowl, how often are you supposed to drain it?

The interior of this truck is in remarkably good condition for its age. That's why I'm giving this some thought. The engine is running strong except that I'm only getting about 16 mpg and I never get it over 2K RPM except on a vary rare occasion. Is this average for this vintage of truck?

Thanks for all the info. I really appreciate it.
Bill

 

[95_stroker]

Bill,

Welcome to SDD.com, glad to have you. Now at 200,000 miles you probably have alot of useable, trouble free miles ahead of you in your PSD. BJS gave a very comprehensive breakdown of costs of typical items. At 200K, injectors will probably be first up on the list shortly, but in all reality 600 or so dollars is pretty cheap considering the cost of a new vehicle. If the truck doesnt have an aftermarket tranny cooler on it already I would seriously consider putting one on it even if you only occassionally tow with it. Look for a stacked plate low pressure drop cooler that is rated for at least 28,000 GVW.

Your fuel mileage is a hair low, but not terribly abnormal for a 1 ton PSD, is it 4 WD? Do you run any type of fuel conditioner or additive such as Power Service or Stanadyne?

 

[BJS]

Your mileage is a touch low the fuel bowl there's no real required time to drain it. I trypically drain mine whenever I change the oil so there's flow I'll drain mine w/ the engine running.

My mileage was right around the same ballpark, When I did my injectors which was coupled w/ a fuel pump & ipr o-rings it shot my mileage up to right around 18. I did have to remove my chip because the chip I have is a bit too smokey for my taste in daily driving but with the stock injectors I did actually get a mileage increase if I drove reasonably.

Some will consider it a modification for horsepower but if you look into open air intakes and downpipes I noticed about 1mpg increase with those.

 

[Ggg]

Hello Bill welcome, I am Gregg who answered your post in Yahoo groups.

 

[Big K]

Where can i get a Water Pump for $130??????

Mine was $250!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tranny will not last very long if it gets too hot and if you're on your third I'm guessing you tow rather heavy quite frequently so I'd recommend getting a trans temp guage if you don't have one and upgrading the trans cooling system this is a couple hundred spent now that can save you several thousand down the road. For a reasonable aftermarket upgraded transmission around 3-4k. Should the engine head south amotor from ANY 7.3L powerstroke will swap in you'll have to put your acessories, injectors etc in there.

As far as engine maint goes here's the list of what I can think I've read of guys having fail and If I know a ball park price for the parts, since I do labor myself that's all I'm worried about.

Injector O-rings $10/injector
internal injector failure set rebuilt aprox $600
IPR o-rings $30
Fuel pump $100
Vac pump $100
Starter $130
Alternator $120
Fuel bowl $200+ (only if you don't drain water regularly is this a problem)
Water drain o-rings $10
Water Pump $130
Power Steering Hose $30
CPS $ 80-150 (depends on where you buy it)
Ball joints (4wd) $200 All 4
Steering linkages $250

With my '95 In the past year I have spent about $1000 in maint (not counting oil changes) over the past year and part of that was upgrading the injectors as well as several of the expensive wear & tear items though I did have some with problems. When I compare that to a new truck payment I'm well ahead of the game even though I am looking at rebuilding/upgrading my trans shortly even after that I'm still ahead of a new truck. The big consideration is the interior and body of your truck. In most cases I'd say that the diesel engine is going to last far longer than the interior of the truck.

 

[BJS]

Where can i get a Water Pump for $130??????

Mine was $250!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My pump was about 122.99 (checked reciepts sept '04) @ autozone w/ lifetime warranty though price checking today says it's 175.99 Keep in mind that mine is an early '95 so the pump is cheaper for whatever reason but when I did my waterpump My total bill including coolant, DCA, hoses, fan clutch wrench was $270.