Ford F250. 6.9L vs. 7.3 PSD?

Im getting close to buying an F250, anyone have input on the 6.9L (1987) vs. powerstroke (1994)?? Cavitation issues with the 7.3's? Much appreciated!! keep on [8D]

Zac, a great place to information is www.thedieselstop.com Keith

Be very careful... I have several friends who have put A LOT of $$ in both of those model trucks. Purchase price is tempting on 6.9's but you quickly run into 'lost-cause' if you need to put a few thousand $$ in engine. ALWAYS buy from one-owner (not dealers) who have taken meticulous care, and know the history, as well as potential lurking issues. Ask lots of questions, and feel real comfortable with the seller's story, or walk away. No sense of inheriting a pile of trouble, life is too short, diesels too plentiful...

We`ve owned an `87 F250 diesel for about seven years now. It is not a daily driver but a work truck that sees about 5K miles of use per year. There have been no major problems with this 7.3 non-turbo model. But the next truck will be powered by a Cummins.

I have an '86 F350 and a 94.5 F350 Powerstroke and I run BD in both. Vast difference in power but both engines like the fuel. Cavitation is not a huge issue in the powerstrokes because the compression is lower than the idi engines.

I have a 1991 x-cab F250; 2wd w/7.3L non-turbo diesel. I bought 3.5 yrs ago w/142k and it now has 182k+. I have had excellent life with this truck. It has dual tanks and I ran for about 1.5 yrs on veg.oil/kerosene blend. It runs great on that too. This is a very strong running truck and has great power. It averages 19+mpg on highway even pulling trailer in hills. I don't know about the fuel lines and pump components with the biodiesel, but I think this is a great motor at 182k.

Having owned a variety of Powerstrokes over the past 15 years, I would suggest getting one with a turbo. The later model the better. You are way better off borrowing - if you must - and getting a good, documented vehicle, rather than trying to save money on a beater. I have had exceptional luck with the PSD's - like 1 injector pump went and they fixed it free out of warranty. I know others who have had some issues, but it was always because they didn't do their homework on the truck. I have 20,000+ flawless, blissful miles on my B100 in a 7.3 Excursion. Good luck. C.W.

cDub, FYI, all Powerstrokes have turbos, many pre-'95 Ford diesels do not have turbos but they are not Powerstrokes. Also, Powerstrokes do not have injection pumps, high fuel pressure is developed in the injectors themselves.

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Originally posted by zac rouse
Im getting close to buying an F250, anyone have input on the 6.9L (1987) vs. powerstroke (1994)?? Cavitation issues with the 7.3's? Much appreciated!! keep on [8D]

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Hey Zac, This is Phil Long from American Renewable Energy. I talked to you a few times about Bio-Diesel when you came to our office to talk to David Dwyer about possible work prospects. A.R.E. just bought a F250 7.3 diesel truck we would like to run on bio-diesel. Could you please contact me by e-mail or phone. (847) 424-0288