7.3 gas engine swap
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7.3 gas engine swap
I’m newer to the truck/car scene, would it be possible to swap in a 7.3 gas from an f250 into my 2013 f150 platinum? The current engines mileage is getting pretty high and I am wanting to do something a little different.
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Joined: Feb 2022
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6.2 would be a drop in. It was an option. Sold till last year in the SD.
It is probably one of the most reliable engines on the road today.
Also get more Torque than the ecoboost and the base Corvette of that year!
It is probably one of the most reliable engines on the road today.
Also get more Torque than the ecoboost and the base Corvette of that year!
Last edited by NYFordTruckMan; Jan 10, 2023 at 11:04 AM.
Beeps and Boops
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,666
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From: Iowa
I'd love to see someone do this, and with a 283,000 mile truck the thought has crossed my mind as well.
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 668
Likes: 159
I'd love to see someone do this, and with a 283,000 mile truck the thought has crossed my mind as well.
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
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Joined: Jan 2023
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Originally Posted by Laminar;[url=tel:7351802
7351802[/url]]I'd love to see someone do this, and with a 283,000 mile truck the thought has crossed my mind as well.
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2023
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Quote
Originally Posted by Laminar;[url=tel:7351802
7351802[/url]]I'd love to see someone do this, and with a 283,000 mile truck the thought has crossed my mind as well.
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
At minimum, you'd need an engine - $8k for the crate engine or about $6300 minimum on the used market.
The 7.3 will bolt up to a V8 6R80. If you have an EcoBoost, you'll need to source a V8 transmission so that it has the right bellhousing.
You'll need controls - Ford offers a controls pack for the 7.3 + 10R80 for $2650. https://accessories.ford.com/product...140-auto-trans If you're not running the 10R80, then you'll need a separate controller to run the 6R80 like the Quick 6 for $1250.
You can also go aftermarket, it'll be $2100+ depending on options. https://obrcontrolsystems.com/contro...-control-pack/ - this one requires an external transmission controller.
This doesn't solve the integration problem - your truck's modules are expecting certain info from the ECU. Without it, you're going to get warning lights and errors. Your instrument panel needs to know that oil pressure is good, what the coolant temp is, what the RPM is, etc. No word on if the Ford controls pack will communicate on the factory CANbus and provide the needed info, but probably not. With an Arduino you could read values from the ECU and then re-transmit them onto the vehicle CANbus pretending to be the original ECU, but that assumes you can hack and decode the factory CANbus system yourself.
If you're doing alllll of the work yourself, you shop for the most bargain basement deals you can find, and you value your time at $0/hr, I could see doing this for about $15k. Double that if you're taking the truck to someone else. But $30k + a trade-in F-150 gets you a 2021 F-250, so.....
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Beeps and Boops
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,666
Likes: 1,786
From: Iowa
The libraries and YouTube videos are out there. I'm using a similar setup to transfer data between the Megasquirt ECU and factory Mazda body computer in my EcoBoost-swapped RX-8. Fortunately many people have gone before me to decode the signals that the Mazda system wants to see. If this kind of thing gets you going, check out this guy's posts:
https://www.chamberofunderstanding.c...-the-comeback/
Oh, and I do have a controls engineering job, just not at Ford.
https://www.chamberofunderstanding.c...-the-comeback/
Oh, and I do have a controls engineering job, just not at Ford.
Beeps and Boops
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,666
Likes: 1,786
From: Iowa
It wouldn't be that hard, especially if you locked out VVT on the new engine. You have a MAF, you have 8 injectors, you have 8 spark plugs, you have a couple temperature sensors. Repinning the wiring harness would take the longest, otherwise you're just adjusting airflow and spark tables to get the right fueling. Give me a Red Bull and an afternoon and I'd have it running.