Tuff but Fragile?

[7point3]

I have only had this thing a few months. You learn as you go. I love my truck & I have acquaintances that have them, and a couple guys I know work on them for a living. It would appear that the longevity of these motors comes at a hefty price. They may go 500k, but takes many $$$$$ to get there as often as not.

I am not bashing anything or trying to start S**t. I read and read and read, and talk and ask, and the more I do the more I have these............."huh oh I shouldn't have bought this" moments.

Seems as tuff as they are, they kind of run on a "fragile ecosystem".....like the motor itself is bulletproof but the peripherals ( injectors, pumps,yada yada) are all made of egg shells or something. Like setting a blacksmith anvil on a glass bench.

Seems like there is always so much to be done, you don't have time to do it all. It appears this is the case on all brands too, not any particular engine.

Obviously this is only MY perception. How skewed is it?

 

[Denver]

You bought a used vehicle. There is no telling how the previous owner(s) took care of it and it's a mystery to find and fix everything. The best replacement parts you can put on them is oem parts.

 

[dietoremain]

In my experience of course things wear out over time, but my truck has almost 200k and it was well cared for by its previous owner so I have had to do very little to keep it going... and its I dont doubt it will be more reliable than any gasser motor at these miles, but with anything age wears components out.

 

[Jason]

277k miles here no mechanical defects. Trans, clutch fan, radiator (kinda went hand in hand), water pump (same deal...still worked no leak, but fix it while I've got it apart), starter. Outside of that it's oil, fuel, and batteries when they go bad....which face it they all do so that's a given.I'm on original hpop, injectors, turbo, CPS (knock on wood) etc.

 

[Arisley]

Biggest thing you can do to help your truck is fresh oil, good oil filters, fuel filters, and keep the fluids happy.

 

[7point3]

Biggest thing you can do to help your truck is fresh oil, good oil filters, fuel filters, and keep the fluids happy.

This I do know. I have had it for 5k miles, already changed oil twice, did complete tranny fluid change and filter after I had it a week, all other filters have been changed twice, and I am not hard on the truck. When spring / summer gets here I need this thing to pull a big ass 5th wheel, so it is an important tool.

Admittedly, as much as I love the truck, I am contemplating fixing it (correctly) and selling it. I still have a 97 250 with a big 460 in it. Needs a bed, so instead of working on that I bought this truck.

I have a friend in the wrecker business that wants to trade me the 97 (cab and chassis) for an 86 GMC 7000 cab and chassis. It has a new commercial 336 big block........its just that the frame is about 28 feet long so I need to cut it down, put a bed and a 5th wheel hitch on it. Then I definately will not need the powerstroke.

I say all this, because I am really having trouble deciding whether or not I really want to keep this truck or not. It would be a gamble as to whether or not it is gonna be an albatross or not. I bought it because it felt right, and it probably will be, but if I keep something I may inevitably not need, and then it causes trouble ($$$$$) I may not have the $$$$ to fix it, or the want to to fix it, and it will then be a 10000 piece of equipment just sitting there collecting dust and bird poop.

Old gassers are just easier to work on and way less costly. You can get a crate motor for what a set of injectors cost.

It has just been a real sh!tty week, everything falling from the sky at once, and I feel like there is a bunch regular ol' guys on here that know what the hell I am talking about

 

[Jason]

Stop over servicing, and being so worrisome. I change my oil every 5k miles, and I do fuel filters with every oil change. Air filter every 25k miles, I don't test my coolant, I just mix green coolant and water...almost 300k miles and will still break the tires loose on 2-3 shift, and tows great. I gotta be doing something right.

That 7000 series truck, will make you wish you kept your powerstroke. That big boat anchor 366 gassed won't pull worth a damn, and will drain your bank account dry. If you can't afford to fix your 7.3, you won't be able to keep fuel in that thing, in addition to other repair issues that will arise. I maintain my truck best I see fit, without overdoing it, I run the exact same oil in my 565 cummins and change it every 15-20k miles, no reason I can't do 5k in my pickup. Also, I might add I've never done an alignment on my pickup, I realized that the other day...I've had it stock, lifted, then leveled, and now dropped back down..and it stillgoes straight as an arrow at 70. Or...maybe I just got a lucky truck.

 

[sethc24]

Maintenance is the most important thing on these trucks. If the maintenance history is non existent or sketchy the truck will have problems and suck a lot of money. If the truck has good history it will last a long time.

 

[Fordcowboy]

When I bought my truck, I had the same thoughts as you in mind. My plans however included upgrading the motor to where I wanted it. I wanted more power, so I intended to replace certain parts when the time came, and to upgrade them. Some got replaced before they were due, but some were forced upgrades because the original parts needed replaced. Yes, I have replaced HPOP, Injectors, and Trubo, all for upgrades. Did they need replacing...for optimal performance, YES. Would it have out pulled your 460 without being replaced, YES.

I could still be running my truck with 300k miles, completely stock, with no issues at all. Well...issues to someone concerned about details, but to your average Joe, no issues. My HPOP was performing sub-par, but still ran fine. Same goes for all the other parts that have been upgraded.

Aside from my optional upgrades, it has been normal wear and tear parts. Water pump, alternator, batteries, and that is it.

Your truck may not be running at optimal performance, from what you have researched on the forums, but you are also dealing with us folks that are concerned with every little detail. That doesn't mean that your truck won't perform great for what you need without replacing those expensive parts...it just may not perform at it's peak potential.

 

[7point3]

Stop over servicing, and being so worrisome. I change my oil every 5k miles, and I do fuel filters with every oil change. Air filter every 25k miles, I don't test my coolant, I just mix green coolant and water...almost 300k miles and will still break the tires loose on 2-3 shift, and tows great. I gotta be doing something right.

That 7000 series truck, will make you wish you kept your powerstroke. That big boat anchor 366 gassed won't pull worth a damn, and will drain your bank account dry. If you can't afford to fix your 7.3, you won't be able to keep fuel in that thing, in addition to other repair issues that will arise. I maintain my truck best I see fit, without overdoing it, I run the exact same oil in my 565 cummins and change it every 15-20k miles, no reason I can't do 5k in my pickup. Also, I might add I've never done an alignment on my pickup, I realized that the other day...I've had it stock, lifted, then leveled, and now dropped back down..and it stillgoes straight as an arrow at 70. Or...maybe I just got a lucky truck.

Oh...I ain't over servicing, I just decided to change to to synthetic midstream. I am not as much of a worry wort as I seem. It's not that I can't afford to fix my truck in general...real bad timing right now, after Christmas, new plasma getting ruined, and some other stuff. I am familiar with the 366 and have used them. The truck itself is what I am after more than the motor. I just pull a big 5th wheel so it will do that fine, as did the powerstroke and the 460ci. Matter of fact the 460 pulled it too good. If I wasn't paying attention I'd be running 85, with 37ft of 15k trailer. Not that big or heavy but 85 is not good. I have a big block 454 dressed up for RV duty waiting for a good home.......about 400 hp worth. I am just not sure I need to keep the 7.3....kind of bought it on a whim, then liked it more and more

 

[cw96stroker]

Bought mine with around 230K on it, and it was ragged out by city deer hunters, its had things replaced on it such as injectors, Glow plug relay, starter, and several other things. But I am working all the bugs out of it as I go, it wasnt the best takin care of by previous owners, but I have had it over a year now and as it sits I have NO oil leaks (as of the moment) and I'm not afraid to take it anywhere, matter of fact just got back from a trip to Colorado in it. Basically I think once you get all the lil bugs worked out you will be good to go and will be happy with it.