wanting info on what year 7.3 van to buy and why

[MrWicked]

its been awhile since we have posted....

i am thinking about upgrading to a diesel ford van.... with 7.3 turbo / power stroke....

what year should i look for??? is there a better year??? what trans should i avoid if any???

is there a difference between the 7.3 turbo and the power stroke 7.3????

i want to hear your advice and options please

thank you

[MrWicked]

also what year or even if they did does the van power stroke come with a inner cooler????

[REF]

Not many replies but might answer your Q's.....

viewtopic.php?t=12045

[rockbender]

My years may be off a little bit... but they are close:

Ford introduced the 6.9 IDI diesel in 1983 and I believe it was offered until 1988 at which time the 7.3 IDI replaced it. A few upgrades were made to the 7.3 such as head bolt size and stronger rockers, but it essentially is a bored out 6.9. The fact that it is bored out means that it has fairly thin cylinder walls and more prone to cavitation or 'block worm' than the 6.9 was. In 1993 and 1994 a factory turbo option was provided for these engines (I'm not sure if it was available in the E-series or not). Several manufacturers (Banks, Hypermax, etc) provide aftermarket turbo kits for all of these normally aspirated engines which adds a significant amount of power and torque compared to stock.

In 1994.5, the 7.3 IDI Turbo was discontinued and the Powerstroke 7.3 was introduced. When you're looking at a rig from 1994 you need to look closely to distinguish which motor you are getting. The 7.3 Powerstroke engine was offered through 2003. There was a change or two along the way (1999-ish?) and there may be differences between the engine in the E- and F-Series. Hopefully someone with some PS knowledge can chime in or you can just google it.

The IDI engine is all mechanical and can literally run off of one wire. It does not make the power of the powerstroke or burn fuel as cleanly (iMHO), but they are known for being pretty bulletproof and simple to work on.

Hopefully that answers a little bit of your question!

[MrWicked]

thank you for the info

im more looking for more detailed info like

in the van when did they start using the POWERSTROKE ????

like the truck the new 2000 and newer i think came with inner coolers did the van do the same????

im not wanting to add a turbo to something would rather buy a deisel with turbo and inner cooler....

theres alot of info on the diesel forums but not of van stuff..

[KTMRIDER]

The 7.3 vans don't have an intercooler, that started with the 6.0. With the addition of a larger exhaust and the exhaust wrap near the turbo to past the tranny really helps keeps the EGTs down. I only hit my alarm on the Edge at 1250 degrees every so often when going up a mountain or steep grade. I don't tow so that would probably make a difference, especially on a grade.
Eric