Calling all 7.3L E350 Owners!!

[XTRALND]

I am gearing up to possibly sell my incredibly reliable Toyota 4runner and buy a 7.3L Powerstroke E350 to 4x4 swap. Reason being, I want to build a rig to live out of full time. When looking for an E350 that fits my criteria, it is guaranteed to be at least 5 years older than my already 16 year old Toyota. A prospective E350 will also more than likely have around double the miles my 4runner currently has. Are there any reliability issues specifically with 4x4 swaps (or any other things I should know) you have come across that I should be aware of? I want to make sure that my literal home on wheels isn't in the shop every other day.

 

[shenrie]

as long as you stay away from the Javier/crow conversions you see for sale you should be good 4x4 wise other than some of the older quigleys have had issues with the locating/control arms cracking. you don’t see a ton of info about them failing, but I have read where people find them cracked and have to buy the updated ones the sell. I have the old style ones on my 03 and we take our van out most every weekend. no issues yet, but I keep an eye on them.

we keep a spare cam angle sensor in our van as that is an item I was told to keep on hand, but haven’t had to use it yet. bought the van in 2012 and other than needing orings for leaks that spring up, its been pretty issue lacking. we had a vacuum pump fail and a few sensors in the valley but nothing major. I am in need of injectors but now that it’s warmer that repair can wait until it’s cold again. I’ll be having injectors, glow plugs, and injector harnesses replaced before next winter. sounds like those are all 200k mile items and I hit that mark a year or so ago.

other than those items we’ve been very happy with our van. while we loved our toyota of 18 years we love the van way more. just be patient during your search. took us a long time to find our van and of course we found it 2500 miles away, but it’s been everything we planned on it being. good luck with your search!

 

[ujoint]

Consider a V10 to avoid the many many things that can (and ultimately will) go wrong with any of the E series diesels. The difference in MPGs isn't worth he added cost of diesel ownership/maintenance.

 

[eporter]

Consider a V10 to avoid the many many things that can (and ultimately will) go wrong with any of the E series diesels. The difference in MPGs isn't worth he added cost of diesel ownership/maintenance.

^^Best advice from a great source right here^^

7.3 “popularity tax” is huge these days. V10 is quiet and cleaner, plus you’ll find a better deal on one.

 

[iggi]

If I was going to to buy another van I'd seriously consider the V10. I've owned several diesels and honestly my E350, even with the quieter 6.0 PSD, is wearing on long drives. Even after a lot of soundproofing. Having a big diesel right next to your knee seems real cool until about 3 hours down the road.

 

[pugslyyy]

The last 7.3 rolled off the line 18 years ago, and while the engines have a deserved reputation for reliability, how reliable do you really expect a 20 year old van to really be? And do you really want to sink the $20k+ into converting something that old?

I have a 2010 6.0 4x4 which is quieter and better mannered than the 7.3, but it is still a beast. I use it for fairly heavy towing and can justify the diesel for that, but most people just don't need the hassles that go with a diesel.

 

[brianjwilson]

Agree with Chris. Get a V10. It’s quiet, smooth, reliable. WAY cheaper. Later models come with better transmission (5r110) which also makes it way easier to add transfer case. Buying a 7.3L diesel van does not make any sense unless you just have a boatload of money to completely overhaul it. Even then...? I don’t know. I wouldn’t bother.

 

[XTRALND]

Consider a V10 to avoid the many many things that can (and ultimately will) go wrong with any of the E series diesels. The difference in MPGs isn't worth he added cost of diesel ownership/maintenance.

I actually owned a 2001 v10 e350 for a grand total of 1 month before selling it. Wish I kept it... Only had 34k miles on it.

 

[XTRALND]

Agree with Chris. Get a V10. It’s quiet, smooth, reliable. WAY cheaper. Later models come with better transmission (5r110) which also makes it way easier to add transfer case. Buying a 7.3L diesel van does not make any sense unless you just have a boatload of money to completely overhaul it. Even then...? I don’t know. I wouldn’t bother.

Money is definitely not falling off trees for me so I'm liking your advice. Finding a low mile, newer v10 may turn out to be quite the task for me though.

 

[brianjwilson]

Money is definitely not falling off trees for me so I'm liking your advice. Finding a low mile, newer v10 may turn out to be quite the task for me though.

It wasn’t an easy task about 4 years ago when I bought mine either. Gotta have cash and be ready to travel immediately.
I used auto trader (and maybe searchtempest) and looked twice a day for a while.
Whatever you’re looking for, beware there (Or were) are a lot of people buying E series vans in Canada and importing them, and doing a quick spray paint job over heavy rust underneath. Minimally check car fax and see where it came from.

 

[Bbasso]

I've had an 05 V10, fantastic but soul-less.
And three 7.3.s
Neither cared about 7500lb TT behind.

If costs/expenses matter, V10.
If driving experience matters, 7.3.

If you're very mechanically inclined, V10
If you can spend instead of wrench, 7.3

But it comes down to how well cared for and maintained any used vehicle is.

Choose wisely young Padawan !

 

[CaptainBuilt]

I have a 7.3 with 400k miles. Not a single engine problem in almost 5 years of ownership.

She's not a cheap date tho.

Oil changes, 4.8 GALLONS + Filter.
Transmission flush 17 quarts.

There's always some maintenance item that needs addressed. There's a list I have going that I haven't got to yet.

Do I love my 7.3? Yes. Would I buy another. Hell no. I miss a quiet ride. They are not that.

 

[XTRALND]

I've had an 05 V10, fantastic but soul-less.
And three 7.3.s
Neither cared about 7500lb TT behind.

If costs/expenses matter, V10.
If driving experience matters, 7.3.

If you're very mechanically inclined, V10
If you can spend instead of wrench, 7.3

But it comes down to how well cared for and maintained any used vehicle is.

Choose wisely young Padawan !

Why 3? Did you have any problems with the other 2?

 

[XTRALND]

as long as you stay away from the Javier/crow conversions you see for sale you should be good 4x4 wise other than some of the older quigleys have had issues with the locating/control arms cracking. you don’t see a ton of info about them failing, but I have read where people find them cracked and have to buy the updated ones the sell. I have the old style ones on my 03 and we take our van out most every weekend. no issues yet, but I keep an eye on them.

we keep a spare cam angle sensor in our van as that is an item I was told to keep on hand, but haven’t had to use it yet. bought the van in 2012 and other than needing orings for leaks that spring up, its been pretty issue lacking. we had a vacuum pump fail and a few sensors in the valley but nothing major. I am in need of injectors but now that it’s warmer that repair can wait until it’s cold again. I’ll be having injectors, glow plugs, and injector harnesses replaced before next winter. sounds like those are all 200k mile items and I hit that mark a year or so ago.

other than those items we’ve been very happy with our van. while we loved our toyota of 18 years we love the van way more. just be patient during your search. took us a long time to find our van and of course we found it 2500 miles away, but it’s been everything we planned on it being. good luck with your search!

Its been the hardest decision to begin to mentally prepare to sell my 4runner haha. It has been nothing but a treat to travel in. Its only lacking in the space department. Is your van a 7.3 powerstroke?

 

[86scotty]

Money is definitely not falling off trees for me so I'm liking your advice. Finding a low mile, newer v10 may turn out to be quite the task for me though.

If money isn't falling off trees then why are you considering this now?

But, if you are anyway, I would definitely go with a V10. A good one is going to be hard to find but cheaper and easier to find than a 7.3l.

If money isn't falling off trees then find a really clean 5.4l which is easy to do. It will get you around just fine.