LD diesel February 24, 2020, 05:10:44 am Hi,Has anyone had experience owning and driving the LD with the 7.3 Power Stroke? Clearly a L D with the 7.3 will be different than the V10. Any thoughts and or experiences would be of interest.Thanks,Jack
Re: LD diesel Reply #1 – February 24, 2020, 09:07:36 am AFAIK, the only diesel engine in the Ford E-450 (that LD offered) was the 6.0; 2005 was the last model year for that option.
Re: LD diesel Reply #2 – February 24, 2020, 09:53:08 am Joan,While searching for our present LD, we looked at a 2002 with a 7.3L diesel.It was being sold by the original owner with about 100K miles.My concern with the 7.3L in the E-450 was the dissipation of heat in the tight engine compartment. My 7.3L diesel guru shared that Ford had to detune the 7.3 L to address this problem and the resulting horsepower and torque reduction made the diesel less attractive. It is a great engine for longevity, reliability, and power in the F series trucks, but not nearly as good in the van.Harold
Re: LD diesel Reply #3 – February 24, 2020, 10:49:36 am i drive a 2000 ld bath diesel. have about 240,00 miles on it. have never had a real problem with it. when traveling with other ld's, i have to make sure that i slow down,esp up hills, or i will pass everyone. do hate the $ of lube/oil/ filters. 1 Likes
Re: LD diesel Reply #4 – February 24, 2020, 10:52:42 am Thanks, Harold! I used the 'Changes by Year' doc as a resource, but didn't look carefully enough. From the information there, the diesel option (up to 2005 when LD discontinued any diesel option) is variously listed from a 7.3 to a 'Power Stroke' diesel (no size info) to a 6.0. My brother had diesel 6.0 engines in two F-250s; his opinion (offered frequently and at volume) was the result of experiencing most of the issues described in this article:Common 6.0L Power Stroke ProblemsI like my V-10 'gasser'!
Re: LD diesel Reply #5 – February 24, 2020, 11:24:29 am Joan,Friends have owned the Ford diesels produced after they stopped using the excellent International Harvester 7.3L and have also shared their frequent and various tales of woe. I have enjoyed the 7.3L and plan to keep it until the truck is no longer repairable. The harder it pulls, the happier it is. It is stone reliable.I was excited to see the 7.3L in the 2002 LD and disappointed when we learned that it wasn't going to perform like the one in the truck. I have been pleasantly surprised by what a nice engine the V10 in the Lazy Daze is, but it has taken a while to get used to running it at higher revs, unlike the 7.3L diesel or my old gasser 460cid.Harold 1 Likes
Re: LD diesel Reply #6 – February 24, 2020, 11:43:35 am Quote from: agiltydane - February 24, 2020, 10:49:36 ami drive a 2000 ld bath diesel. have about 240,00 miles on it. have never had a real problem with it. when traveling with other ld's, i have to make sure that i slow down,esp up hills, or i will pass everyone. do hate the $ of lube/oil/ filters.Should that be 240,000 miles?
Re: LD diesel Reply #7 – February 24, 2020, 12:18:07 pm The diesels were never popular for several reasons, the engine is detuned and does not have the intercooler the pickups use, resulting in much less horsepower and torque. There is a mileage increase with the diesel but it is only 2-3 MPG, not much for the $5000 option. Also, the diesels have propane powered generators that are fueled from the propane tank,With propane's lower energy density and a limited supply of propane, the generator run time is significantly reduced and if you run out, the other propane appliances will stop working.But in return, the diesel engine promises a lot of racket, smelly exhaust and if you do your own oil changes, used diesel engine is the dirtiest, nastiest stuff, it will stain your hands and anything is gets on. And when fueling, diesel fuel leaves your hands smelling so....exotic.There is a reason why Ford discontinued them.Ex-diesel mechanicLarry 1 Likes
Re: LD diesel Reply #8 – February 24, 2020, 12:18:21 pm 240,000 miles on the 7.3 is about broken in. My son and I looked at a 2001 F350 7.3L PSD with the 6sp. manual. 750,000 miles on the odometer. The truck was mostly worn out, but the diesel ran very nicely, no smoke and pulled hard. We didn't buy it.That is a great engine.Harold
Re: LD diesel Reply #9 – February 24, 2020, 12:34:18 pm Quote from: Blueox25 - February 24, 2020, 12:18:21 pm240,000 miles on the 7.3 is about broken in. My son and I looked at a 2001 F350 7.3L PSD with the 6sp. manual. 750,000 miles on the odometer. The truck was mostly worn out, but the diesel ran very nicely, no smoke and pulled hard. We didn't buy it.That is a great engine.Too bad Ford didn't give the 7.3, used in the E450s, the same horsepower and torque as the pickups, the lack of an intercooler is what reduces the output. We had E350 diesel vans at work and they were noisy dogs, everyone hated driving them, especially after having experience the trucks with the intercooled diesel.Larry 1 Likes
Re: LD diesel Reply #10 – February 24, 2020, 12:39:00 pm I do agree with Larry on diesel engine oil changes: What a dirty job! I was laying under the truck and removing the big Motorcraft FL1995 filter, which holds at least 2 full quarts of oil. It was hot and slippery and when it came off the last thread, it slipped out of my hand and fell exactly upside down, dumping all 2 quarts of hot, sooty oil all over the floor, my coveralls and me. The coveralls still have a giant, dark stain from that. It will never come out.After that, I learned to punch a hole in the bottom of the filter and drain it before removing it all the way from the threads...HD 1 Likes
Re: LD diesel Reply #11 – February 24, 2020, 01:06:43 pm Quote from: Blueox25 - February 24, 2020, 12:39:00 pmI do agree with Larry on diesel engine oil changes: What a dirty job! I was laying under the truck and removing the big Motorcraft FL1995 filter, which holds at least 2 full quarts of oil. It was hot and slippery and when it came off the last thread, it slipped out of my hand and fell exactly upside down, dumping all 2 quarts of hot, sooty oil all over the floor, my coveralls and me. The coveralls still have a giant, dark stain from that. It will never come out.When I was a mechanic working on the the small diesels, I would try have my helper(s) do the oil changes, most of us came up through the ranks only after paying our dues . Delegating was an important thing to learn and it enabled the helpers learned their new trade faster . Many times, jobs would've gone much faster if I had done the work myself, instead of having a helper learn by doing. It's how knowledge is passed along. I try to do the same here on the forum, passing along accumulated LD knowledge .Larry 2 Likes
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