03 Heritage Edition

Noticed a real nice looking truck listed for sale in my area. 1989 Ford F-350 Crew Cab 4X4 automatic 7.3 Power-Stroke Diesel with 231k miles. Body looks exceptionally clean, considering in a rust belt state. Were the 7.3L engines back in 1989 any good? Never owned a Ford truck with a diesel engine. Always gas. Heard the older 7.3L Diesel was tough. What typically goes wrong with these engines or what to look out for? Actually, a truck of this size is way overkill for my needs. However, considering the overall condition, supposed maintenance and reasonable price definitely caught my interest. Any feedback about these particular year 7.3L Power-Stroke Diesel engines would be appreciated. Already know lots about this chassis/body style. Thanks.

sdmartin65

Reliable motor but non turbo in that year. Many found still alive will have an add on Banks turbo system.

BLDTruth

Like sdmartin65 said, its not a powerstroke unless someone went to the trouble of swapping it into an 89. Powerstrokes didn't hit the market until mid-1994.

That being said, the IDI is one of those motors that you either love them or hate them. It really depends on what you are going to be using it for.

Price? Pics?

03 Heritage Edition

Thanks for the replies. It would only be for personal use as a daily driver and rarely used for hauling heavy payloads or towing, which is why it's really kinda overkill for my needs. Haven't talked to the owner yet (private sale and think it might be a one, original owner truck) or looked at it in person. Just read and browsed the photos posted with the add a couple of days ago. The engine is described as a 7.3L Power-Stroke Diesel and didn't mention having a turbo. Not looking for a race truck but does it have adequate power in stock form to get out of it's own way, or is the engine a noisy, rattling slug? It's a big old crew cab with an eight foot bed, but in surprisingly good condition considering the year, both inside and out. Truck is currently listed on Craigslist/Maine for $7500.00 (put "1989 ford" in the search box under cars & trucks for sale), and it's one hour away from where I live. Only hoped to hear from some previous or current owners whether these engines are pretty bullet proof given basic, routine maintenance or if they turned out to be money pit, often requiring costly repairs to keep it running good.

Eric Fullerton

Apparently they cost more there than here;
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ct...348590647.html
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/ct...323405678.html
Though in fairness, there are some here in the higher $
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ct...336939946.html
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ct...332939543.html

BLDTruth

Nope no way I would pay that much for an 89. And again, just by looking at it, I can tell it is not a powerstroke. Its an IDI. If it is turbo'd then that helps, but there is no way for me to tell in the pictures if there is a turbo in the engine bay.

If you still really really want it, then I would ask him to prove it has some type of turbo system with pics. And even if it does, I would start closer to 5K for my price point.

In answer to reliability, they are very reliable with routine maintenance. Generally speaking you need to change fuel filters and coolant much more often in a diesel. And yes, they are friggin loud and annoying.

03 Heritage Edition

Again, appreciate the replies! I'm not desperate for another truck. My 03 still looks and runs great with no issues. Biggest reason why it caught my eye was the overall condition for the year, and it's a big old Ford beast. Still like and prefer the older trucks. 2004 and newer F-150 just really doesn't impress me. Although they look and perform good, too much cheap internal engine parts and other corners were cut big time starting that year. Didn't check-out the 1989 F-350 truck book value or see it in person. Just wanted to get a little feedback about the particular engine in it. A couple of hours away is a decent looking 1989 F-150 4x4 5.0L auto. reg. cab short bed with 62k original miles. Might look into this one further, although it likely needs a major tune-up from sitting in storage for ten years.

03 Heritage Edition

A slight positive for living in a southern state. Your vehicles don't prematurely rust-out from the copious amounts of road salt during the wintertime months.

Eric Fullerton

Been there, done that, I've lived in Ohio & PA. & honestly that was part of the reason for heading south of the Mason-Dixon line. Part of the takeoff is; driving on the same roads with folks with zero winter driving skills, when winter does hit, and though it doesn't usually last long, it always seems to show up in some form. One form we get is skating rink, a freezing rain will fall, and with no previous snow to give it texture, driving on that is all you can imagine, and a bit more. After one of those, every valley seems to be full of cars & trucks. every low lying phone pole has a vehicle wrapped around it.

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

So... not a powerstroke and not a turbo unless it was added on.
Would that be a bold faced lie or does the owner not know enough about diesel engines to tell the difference ?
Either scenario sounds like trouble.