Ford van questions. 460 vs the 7.3 idi
- Thread starter why3zx
- Start date
7.3 IDI vs 7.3 PSD
I don't own a diesel, but I've been thinking about it more lately. I've always noted that people say the "7.3" is a coveted engine for our vans... but no one usually specifies whether its the IDI or the DI PSD. In fact, I've seen people advertise both early 1990s vans (which would be the IDI - IIRC they were in place until 1994.5, with turbo in the last year or so of production) and early 2000 vans (which would be the PSD) as having the "highly coveted 7.3 diesel engine". My take was always that the more desirable one was the IDI, due to the fact that it is mechanical and reliable and easy to service, while delivering decent performance. I think the 7.3 PSD is DI and has more power, but is it as reliable? It definitely doesn't have as much power as the 6.0... but also doesn't require the bulletproofing either.
Basically, which 7.3 (or is it both) is the gold standard? Thanks, in advance, for the education!
I don't own a diesel, but I've been thinking about it more lately. I've always noted that people say the "7.3" is a coveted engine for our vans... but no one usually specifies whether its the IDI or the DI PSD. In fact, I've seen people advertise both early 1990s vans (which would be the IDI - IIRC they were in place until 1994.5, with turbo in the last year or so of production) and early 2000 vans (which would be the PSD) as having the "highly coveted 7.3 diesel engine". My take was always that the more desirable one was the IDI, due to the fact that it is mechanical and reliable and easy to service, while delivering decent performance. I think the 7.3 PSD is DI and has more power, but is it as reliable? It definitely doesn't have as much power as the 6.0... but also doesn't require the bulletproofing either.
Basically, which 7.3 (or is it both) is the gold standard? Thanks, in advance, for the education!
Mwilliamshs
Explorer
The original 7.3, the IDI, is amazingly durable and inexpensive to maintain.
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The 7.3 PSD is also amazingly durable and can be a real powerhouse.
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In 1994 light truck diesels weren't very popular at all. Farmers, construction crews, RVers etc were the only real market for them. The PSD and second-gen Dodge Ram CTD changed all that (happened in the same year) and now it seems like everybody has a diesel pickup, even if they don't own a trailer or work out of their vehicle. The 7.3 PSD is legendary for its durability and power. The invention of electronic tuners for this engine added greatly to its attraction. It was in use from 1994 to 2003 but was followed by the 6.0 which had serious problems very early in its production run and thus further added to the desirability and legend of the 7.3.
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7.3 IDI = cheap and runs forever, fairly strong with certain mods like a turbo, advanced pump timing
.
7.3 PSD = runs forever and strong, very strong with certain mods like a tuner
.
6.0 PSD = requires mods to be reliable, strong, but nothing about this thing is cheap
.
The 7.3 PSD is also amazingly durable and can be a real powerhouse.
.
In 1994 light truck diesels weren't very popular at all. Farmers, construction crews, RVers etc were the only real market for them. The PSD and second-gen Dodge Ram CTD changed all that (happened in the same year) and now it seems like everybody has a diesel pickup, even if they don't own a trailer or work out of their vehicle. The 7.3 PSD is legendary for its durability and power. The invention of electronic tuners for this engine added greatly to its attraction. It was in use from 1994 to 2003 but was followed by the 6.0 which had serious problems very early in its production run and thus further added to the desirability and legend of the 7.3.
.
7.3 IDI = cheap and runs forever, fairly strong with certain mods like a turbo, advanced pump timing
.
7.3 PSD = runs forever and strong, very strong with certain mods like a tuner
.
6.0 PSD = requires mods to be reliable, strong, but nothing about this thing is cheap