Hey all. This site is awesome. I recently bought my first diesel, a 96 F250 7.3 Powerstroke turbo 4x4. I've wanted this truck for some time and now I have one. I little older than I would have liked, but I'll take it. It has 265k on it, but runs strong. However, when first starting it in the morning, you have to completely let it get to running temp or the turbo absolutely will NOT spool up and the truck won't even get out of it's own way. Once she's warm, it's off to the races. Any ideas what it could be? Is my turbo shot, or maybe bad bearings?

Also, I'm getting about 13 mpg hwy with it, and that's about what I hoped for. But I read somewhere that guys are getting nearly 20 mpg with this engine. Is that true? And if so, how do I get that?

thanks!  

So nobody has a response???  

well im not sure on the turbo not spooling up maybe it aint getting its oil its needs or something im not sure. 265k thats quite a bit cant exspect it to be perfect with that many miles. 20mpg well that can be fixed after you put about 5000 grand into mods for that motor. and after that you will love it even more and you will get the mpg you need. and 5000 if you drive alot but get 7 mpg better will pay its self off in no time. umm. i woulda just baught a 99-now and you coulda got almost 20 mpg stock with her. both my 6.0Ls and my 6.4L get 20 pluse. the 6.4 gets about 24 stock and the 6.0L get about 21 with a chip on one and a chip and air filter and 5 inch exhasust  and gauges on the other (thats my puller) and it weighs almost 10000 lbs with all the diesel tanks and tools i got in the back.  to fix a turbo is pretty d a m n exspensive so hopefully it aint goin out. just a minor problem. u said it gets warm then its fine???? im guessin that it aint gettin the oil she needs or maybe when whoever owned it before hauled it they dident put duct tape over the exhaust. that could be to. i would call whoever owned it before and ask them if they hauled it on a trailer and if they did ask if they put tape over the exhasust when they did. casue if they dident there is your problem. when you dont put tape over the exhust when you haul it the turbo spins from the wind and it spins with no oil. trust me i know these things. my buddys turbo went out in his truck when he did that. in the end he said it was almost 2500 for the turbo and 500 for labor for someone to put it in. if it aint either of those i dont know what it is. hope you find out, and it aint nothing big..... when you find out tell me please..... cya l8tr    

I didn't think 265k was all that bad for a diesel. I've heard of many going 400k. If it is the turbo, I'll just replace it with a new aftermarket high performance one. With all the miles I tow a boat each year, it won't take long to get back my money in gas savings. I figure the first thing to do is a K&N kit, a chip/programmer, and a cat back exhaust. I'll see what I get from there. I also need to do some body work to it. I like he old 7.3's a lot. Even if I had to, it would be worth it to rebuild it vs what it would cost me for a new 6.0.
I'm going to dig into it and I'll let everyone know.
I can't find a Haynes or Chilton manual for this thing though. Does such a beast even exist?  

hey im just trying to help....... yah but im sure i dident think you would want to put that much into a turbo. i know i wouldent. i would of just baught one that had way less miles and no problems for about 15000 or so but im sure u gave what 8 or 9 grand for yours. woulda came out with about the same money in the end. and woulda got a lil more comfort and newer but if thats what you wanted to do you should be glad you did.  

Nope, that's the beauty of it. I got it for only $4k out the door and on the road. I looked long and hard for a deal that good. It also has some minor cosmetic stuff, (was a work truck) but I don't mind that as long as the drivetrain is strong and it is.
I'm tempted to get an everyday beater 4 banger for mileage and start a top notch upgrade project on this truck with my boy. I'm thinking that with about $5k-$6k, I could have one sweet ride. I'll do all the work myself of course. That's half the fun. I've always worked on gas engines though, these diesels are new to me. That's why I want to get a Haynes or Chilton's manual for it. Just cuts down on the learning curve.  

oic thats pretty good price for that pickup. if the tranie is good. i just test drove a 96 for my son and it shitfted like crap into 2nd gear and onlt 135000 miles on it. other then that it is a good truck....  

That was the other big sell for me, it's a standard. No burnt up tranny to worry about and I can dictate my own shift points. But it still has what appears to be a Ford/Motorcraft aftermarket programmer in it for towing. I don't get that since it's a std. It has up and down arrows, one button that says RPM's, one says charge protect. Even the local dealers don't know what it's for. My buddy has one back home with almost 300k on it and it's still going strong.
I really want a manual for it though so I know how to rip that engine down and rebuild it from the ground up if I need to.  

hmm never herd of or seen something like that b-4 thats weird????? well best of luck to you if you have to rebuild it.               my dad has a 1994 ford f350 only 2 wheel drive but its a dually. there is no computer so you cant chip or program it. but you can do something to the carburetor he said like turn a screw and it will give it more power or something. and he did that about 5 years ago. well about 3 years ago a cylinder went out of it. now it has sit in my shop for 3 years now. casue my mom was driving and "lugging" the motor casue she dont know when to shift a manual. is this a easy fix for my dad and me or will we need to pull everything apart and rebuild it. i would appereciate any feedback on this i need to fix it and get it out of here.   does anyone know how long it might take to do it if we work all day every day. i have thought about offering him 4 grand for it when we are done. casue it is a darn good puller for its year. it has 135000 miles on it and i thought 4 grand would be a fare offer to him. do you think i would be smart to do that. like i said it was a darn darn good pickup before that happened   well i will tlak to yah l8tr  

well ok to answer your question. your turbo won't spool becuase of what is called a exhuast backpressure valve that was installed to load the engine when cold to help with warm up. they malfunction and cause you problem. the best way to deal with it is to unplug to electrical side of it. right under the turbo intake tubing there is a 2 wire connector bolted to the turbo unplug it and never look back.

the box with RPM and arrow buttons is an aux. idle controller. it is a high idle box. with the tranny out of gear and the parking brake set you can use it to raise the idle.

also don't install a K+N filter. they suck way to much dirt and will dust your turbo and destroy your cylinders.  

also if you really want to learn about powerstokes here are two sites you can check out

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/index.php

http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/  

ok thanks  

Beggs,
I tried unplugging the sensor you mentioned, it made no difference. I stopped by a Ford powerstroke trailer at a big outdoor show last weekend and they said it's likely the waste gate. Not sure how to manipulate that, but I'll look into it. Also, why would a K&N allow dirt in? They filter better than a paper filter. I used one on all my gas engines and they did great. Why are they even offered if they'll damage the engine?  

you might ahve the worng plug. your truck doesn't have a waste gate so that can't be it. The connector you are after is bolt right to the side of the turbo very close to the intake tubing.

K+N don't filter better than paper. they flow more air but they don't filter better. Sorry I have seen it first hand on 2 destroyed powerstrokes with K+N's and talked to many other with the same experience. they work ok for gassers but turbo diesel consume a ton more air than gassers. Follow the two links I post above and you can ask there. we will be glad to show you filters test, dusted turbo's and junk motors who have fallen victim to K+N's.  

So is there a brand of mass air flow, oil bathed filter that is OK and better than paper. In this mag, they all get advertised for diesel motors. Somebody must make one that allows better airflow without letting in dirt or debris.