I have been looking at selling my car and getting a diesel, Mostly a 02-03 7.3L PSD. I have really be looking for reasons not to buy one but i am really not finding any. I live in Missouri so its cold in the winter but as long as i have a block heater i can leave it plugged in, in my driveway so its not too big of a deal. I also know that oil changes are quite a bit more expensive but if you are going to drive it like i am... I.E. not hauling heavy loads you can go 5000mi between oil changes. Anyone have any reasons i should not buy one? Or good reasons too buy one.
The okorder . Bill has a lot of videos on his site breaking down each engine and comparing all 3 (7.3,6.0,6.4). If you were to get a 6.0 I'd suggest changining the factory head studs to the ARP and deleting the egr. And FYI (this caught a lot of people off guard)...to change the fuel pump or turbo, and some other engine repairs, the cab has to come off. So thats makes it a more expensive repair. The 6.4 is the same way.
Your owners manual should list all necessary maintenance and the schedule for upkeep. If you do not have one invest in a repair manual for your vehicle. This will also list the needed maintenance schedules. It will also detail most repair steps to fix a problem. A short list of l maintenance that are special to diesels. A drain and change the fuel filter B change air filter at or before suggested time ( depending on how dusty it is in your area ) C Check for proper oil flow to turbocharger if there is one. D if the vehicle doesn't have an engine oil cooler install an aftermarket one ( this will prolong the life of your oil and engine.)
Moparman is right. The 7.3L is bullet proof. When I was a paramedic, we had one w/ 300K miles on it it still ran until policy dictated it needed to be replaced. However, I have always been a semi truck driver at heart started a career there later on. In 2001, I bought a Dodge Ram 2500 w/ the Cummins drove the crap out of it. From day one it never gave me problems. The straight six design is the same used in semi trucks to this day. 2 fewer cylinders and that makes for fewer moving parts. The straight six design allows for a considerable amount of torque. I would consider that as well. It could be a great alternative.
Good job at choosing to look at 7.3s. 99 is the best year for the truck but I own an 03 dually. It's a fantastic truck. No complaints. Only issues I've had is we have a fuse that keeps blowing but we just need to get a bigger one and starters will go out. But starters are a pretty cheap and easy fix. 2000+ you start getting into body rust. My 03 is pretty clean but my 2000 is half gone. Still runs great and hauls like a champ but fenders and cab corners rusted completely. We bought some bush walker fender flairs and now you can't even tell there's rust and it looks amazing! Good luck with findin a 7.3. Whatever you do do not think you can get away with gettin a 6.0. You might find better looking ones but if you plan on hauling get a 7.3 or 6.7. 6.4 king ranch f450s are really good at hauling too. That's what we use for our horse shows. We pull a 40+ foot gooseneck horse trailer around the country and that truck is never in the shop and you can't even tell it's pulling a trailer!
