hi I am looking to put in a deisel eng in to my 93 f350 it currently has a 5.8 gas(no power) .This guy has an 88 e350 with a deisel eng in it is ther any way to find out if its the 7.3 or 6.? as i have heard the 7.3 is the better eng .would enybody know what are the things i would have to change for this covesion I am getting the trans with this motor.

jeff said:

hi I am looking to put in a deisel eng in to my 93 f350 it currently has a 5.8 gas(no power) .This guy has an 88 e350 with a deisel eng in it is ther any way to find out if its the 7.3 or 6.? as i have heard the 7.3 is the better eng .would enybody know what are the things i would have to change for this covesion I am getting the trans with this motor.

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The 6.9 is a pretty stout engine. What you might be confused about, is the difference between the IDI and the Powerstroke engine. Although the Powerstroke for the 9th gen trucks was the 7.3, there was ALSO a 7.3L IDI in the late 80s/early 90s, just a coincidence that they've got the same displacement. The surefire way to tell is to get the vin number and run it through here:


https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/vin_tools/default.asp

what is the diff between the power stroke and IDI ? are the completly diff engs ? whats IDI stand for? thanxs jeff

jeff said:

what is the diff between the power stroke and IDI ? are the completly diff engs ? whats IDI stand for? thanxs jeff

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Completely different engines. The IDI was manufactured by Navistar/Ford if I'm not mistaken, and the Powerstroke is manufactured by international. One of the big perks about the Powerstroke is that it's always had a turbo standard from the factory, while the IDI didn't get an option for a turbo until the last couple years of being manufactured. They're both very stout engines but the 7.3L Powerstroke has a VERY good reputation amongst Ford diesel gurus. I know several people that have turned over 1 million miles on their stock 7.3L PSD's.

IH was predecessor to the Navistar name. Same company/manufacturer in the end. Some say the 7.3 is better than the 6.9, some say otherwise, but either way, both have their good points and bad points. IDI stands for InDirect Injection, basically, it is a precombustion type motor, while the Powerstroke is direct injected. An 88 would be the IDI 7.3. They are mechanically injected, while the Powerstroke is electronically controlled. They can be a challenge to get wired, while the old IDI's can be run with just one wire to the fuel solenoid.
Since it is coming from the E series, the oil cooler is different, and the motor mounts are different, the rest can be dealt with. You will need the trans as well, the bell housings on the diesels are not common with any gas engine. The front springs will need to be beefed up, and you will have to add a little to the frame on the driver's side, as the motor mount plate goes over the hole where the oil filter sticks through right now.
To ID an IDI motor, you can visually tel quickly, the IDI has obvious injector pump and lines, while the Powerstrokes do not have any injector lines showing. The glow plug wiring is also noticeable, on a powerstroke, they are under the valve covers.

thanks jeff