People always bashing on the 7.3
 

Ok everyone who reads this im not trying to start a war between makes but i read so much about people saying the 7.3 is a pos slow turd. I have people even come up to me and say i need to get a cummins, its always cummins this cummins that but i see no real problem with the 7.3 PSD, i know its not the fastest. The thing is most of these guys saying powerjoke or powerchoke or whatever they make up are compairing technology that is way more advanced(not all of them but alot). I also see alot of people who love the 7.3 and always say good things about it. I am not saying any other makes are crap, they all got pros and cons of their own. Just for example i never hear anyone bad mouthing the cummins but i do hear people doing it to the duramax(not as much as the 7.3). I can see compairing a 99 to a 00 but compairing a say a 95 to a 09 is just abserd. It goes the same with the duramax not just the cummins, it just seems to me there is more ford haters than anything. Anyone have their own opinion on this?

Remember no WARS!!!

my rust bucket is now in the body shop getting a make over.i went to the stealership 2 weeks ago and test drove a 1ton cummins,automatic.it had more get-up and go than my '97 PSD.
i have a 5speed not a slush bucket.since plan B didn't work,I am back to plan A.i don't want the fastest truck,just the best i can run.it pulls my 7k trlr without an issue.set the cruise and go all day....when i step on the gas i may take a little to get up and go but it does what i need it to do.
the mods have already started,C.A.I from Tymar.new down pipe is on it's way.when i finish the make over,i plan on a 6position chip from Dale and 6" stacks to finish my ride.

Everyone has their opinion,they are welcome to it.that's why there are so many different trucks on the road today.

well said:tu:

I think the 7.3 is the best Ferd ever made:tu: just my .02:w2:

I love my 7.3. Mines a 2002 with PMRs and I hate when people say "oh you have PMRs? Your truck is worthless then." like c'mon ... PMRs aren't THAT bad.


Sent from my iPhone

I know I love my 7.3, between me and my old man we have 4 of them of the obs. But being at diesel school everyone bashes me saying I should of went with a cummins. Now coming from a mechanics perspective, the cummins is easier to work on only because its an inline motor and V8's will always be a little harder just cause everything is compacted. But once you know what you are doing then they are easy to work on as well. but it's just what you like. I still love the old powerstrokes

I love the 7.3. My truck has been refered to as a "binder" and "13 letter sh*t spreader", who cares. I know some that love the 6.0 and 6.4, and even Ford's 6.7. The 5.9 Cummins has been going for many years (changing little for the most part) and deserves respect, hands down. Duramax has many perks and can be impressive, but I cannot overlook who makes them. The true diesel lovers I talk to may like D-max or Cummins, but always compliment the fact that I choose to work with a HUEI system diesel. It's not as easy, not as cheap, but personal satisfaction should be everyones driving force.

the 7.3 is a good engine. time has proved that. the cheapest diesel to run is the 1st gen cummins. they ride rough but are very good on wear. :hellox:

We have our own opinions. Leave it at that. I personally like my 7.3s. Pulling 18k like it's nothing and I still have more power in my back pocket. My 7.3 has never left me stranded. Its just a very reliable engine. Is it fast? Not really, but is speed all that important? Most people who like Cummins just think they are better because they read a spec Sheet somewhere

I've owned both motors.. 1 7.3 heavy duty, 1 7.3 super duty, and 1 12valve 1ton.

Stock vs stock, I dont care what ANYBODY says, the 12v is a SLOW truck. My stock '98 Jetta TDI with 90hp could run circles around that thing.

With that being said, it's typically every ford BUT a 7.3 that the cummins guys make fun of. Most know the 7.3 is a good truck/motor.

Mod for mod though, a 7.3 will be ahead of a 12v. Plus they have a much more broad power curve, compared to the cummins peaky numbers.


Remember, a 300hp powerstroke (even with powerstrokes being heavier than the cummins trucks) will keep up with a 400hp cummins.

How do you figure a 300hp stroke will keep up with a 400 hp Cummins when you don't know what tranny,gears, 2wd vs 4wd, etc. You make no sense at all and don't have a clue, do you? :humm:

All things even the stroke will cover a 100hp difference vs a cummins peaky numbers and power band.

:s:

That may be a record , it took 11 or 12 posts before it became a pissing match.

Back in the day I had a 97 F250 auto with 4.10 gears. I raced a 97 12 valve manual with 3.54 gear at around 60 mph to 80 I beat the dodge. What was funny about it was I had a 7X24 stock trailer on my truck and my friend d no trailer.lol

I really liked this truck but had nothing but motor trouble and at 17K Ford bought it back and I got a 99 F250 7.3 super duty with 3.73 gears. Never had any trouble motor wise but a lot of transmission problems. The 99 even with a chip never had the power of the 97. I sold the 99 to my dad and bought my first cummins in 2000. Since then the cummins has been my favorite truck. Stock power the Fords have almost always been better but put a chip on both the ford and dodge and the dodges have always pulled better with better mileage. I have to say so far the 6.7 power stroke is one hell of a puller!!

In 94 when the 7.3 powerstroke came out it was one advanced engine and the HEUI was state of the art technology that has nothing to be ashamed of.

Good post hummin cummins! And you are correct that typically, cummins get better unladen mileage.. Often competing with the lighweight duramaxes. The forda re the heaviest of the 3. But typically I've seen that under load the powerstroke will get better mileage.

I liked both my cummins and my powerstroke... I think the people that constantly badmouth the for are people who've never driven one or owned one.

Got a story here. My cousin used to be a diehard chevy fan. He used to laugh at diesels. I let him drive my turned up 5spd 1ton dually 12v once, and he was addicted. You could see it in his face. So a few wks later he tells me he's looking for a duramax, cuz its *all american* and so badass! I kindly informed him that his *all american* chevy, has a motor powered directly from japan.

He later bought a dump bed cummins 12v auto. So now chevy and ford are turds, and cummins is the best. So once day I'm visiting him and I've got my 250, anD I say "let's go for a drive and trade trucks".

After the ride, he couldn't believe how good the exhaust sounded, how much power it had, how quick it was for only having intake/exhaust.... And now he's looking to buy an '11 powerstroke lol

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Oh ya, and my cousins 12v is turned up with a built transmission too.

I've had a 95 2500 12v, and now a have a 96 250 in my opinion i would say the cummins is a better truck in gereral. I don't think anyone can argue that the 7.3 is a better than a cummins so i wont even go there but just general stuff I've never had so many problems i've had the ford for a little over a year and the problems i've had out of it are injectors glow plus/glow plug relay, ball joints, torque convertor, tranny, door hinges, window motors, locks, head light switch just quiting, and tank switch not working. The interior is just falling apart. I have also babied this truck to no end.. In the 15 years dad an myself had the 12v the only poblems out of it were tranny fuel seloniod and death wobble. I also drove the piss out of that truck and put it through hell, and never had a problem besides those. Also the dodge got better fuel milage loaded or unloaded than the ford does... So that's opionion on the two.

That's funny... Because my '97 12v had terrible build quality, horrendous interior with a dash cracked in 3 spots, had horrible brakes, got terrible mileage (worse than my auto 7.3 hauling ass thru the hills), and just overall felt weak. The truck felt like it was going to break if I used it for anything at all. My f250 has a solid feel, magnificent interior, great lsd rear end etc. And its pretty common that cummins get worse mileage than powerstrokes when pulling because the power band is so much more narrow.

:humm: That might be because you never put oil in the Cummins :hellox:

everyone has their opinions and I know alot of it is just depending on what truck someone owns they will root for their own team. all brands have their pros and cons, its really about what you want and what you like. I will say i do believe the 7.3l is the best psd no doubt and my brother and dad both have dodges and we have our little nick names like they say powerjoke or Found On Road Dead and Ill tell them they have the crummins and such but its all just fun bantering really. Its pointless when people say that their 08 cummins is sooo much better than my 97 7.3L

:nope:

A 7.3 getting better mileage then a 5.9 cummins that is the funniest thing I have ever heard. I have owned both and towed both side by side.

I put 30,000 miles in a month and a half hauling hay 17 1600 pound bales on a 34 foot flatbed. The Ford consistantly got 2mpg less then the Dodge.

The Dodge made just over 20,000 miles. In less then a month I went threw a set of tires on the dodge. And for the Ford Now I am not joking on my first load the transmission went out, two weeks later it went out again :argh:

In 2006 I bought some hay and it was a 130 mile one way haul and the guy I bought it from a good friend wanted to use his truck to haul some to. He had a 03 7.3 with a 6 speed manual. And I was using a 06 Dodge with a 6 speed. My trailer was 2 feet longer but we had the same number of bales on. Pump to pump I beat him just a tick over 2mpg.

Not trying to bash the 7.3 just laying down the facts that I have observed.

I wasn't so much referring to the 7.3 getting great mileage.. Anything after the 7.3 got better mileage.

Fyi my 2wd 12v 5spd cummins typically got 14-16 mpg... My auto 7.3 with a lift and knobby 35s gets 18-22mpg unloaded.

We got better mileage with the 7.3 then the 6.0 And I would have to say the 6.7 is better then the 7.3

Never had a 6.4 have a few friends that have them and they are fuel hogs unless deleted.

Typically the 6.0s and up get much better mileage than the 7.3... Of course that all depends. My super duty got 21mpg in the city...

I have only owned a 97 F-250 4x4 Powerstroke with 4.10 gears. It does have a tune on it. I bought the truck for $900 with the 5 spd transmission sitting in the bed. A flywheel/clutch kit, new glowplug relay, new glow plugs, and fluid change, and I'm getting 19 mpg and lovin' my diesel. It pulls HARD and I have fun. It seems very reliable even with 320k on the clock. Ive had fords, chevy, and dodge, and found build quality on the fords to be a bit better over-all as far as trucks go. I would love to put a 4BT in my 94 Bronco, but would do a PSD in a heardbeat if I found another steal like I got with my 250. There are lemons in each brand and engines, however, I have to say that I lucked out and avoided a lemon this time :D

How many diesels have you owned ?:humm:

Exactly. My fords have all had better build quality and feel to them than the dodges. The ONLY thing I like about dodges are the cummins are a crisp motor with the most amazing exhaust ever, and the seats are VERY comfortable.

5:tu:

hahah tiremann9669 and 85 305 you guys are hilarious..especially where 85 305 is selling that truck he has..i get on all the time just waiting to see what tiremann9669 says next :pca1:

Ya he's quite the barell of laughs eh?

$900, You did dam good.

I'm the barrel of laughs eh, $10,200 for a bondo'd up 97 :spit::lol88:

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Glad I could give you a chuckle :c:

well in my opinion there are so many cummins fans now because all the kids in high school get cummins and make them smoke and think they are super cool. put a stack on it make it smoke and your cool. i also like when people call my truck a cummins. i say no you are completely wrong. i have a 97 7.3. best motor ever made. then you have the poepel that dady bought their car/ truck and say my truck is slow or your trucks a turd so i say but its a paid for turd! or when the the cool football player in the subaru wrx says lets race trying to make fun of me so i open my tool box and say put a strap on and see who wins:tttt: all fun and games in the high school world

the problem, high school kids might talk a big game but they won't nut up and race you or anything. well most of the time

Yes you are very right. Everyone at school has go fast cars but it's pretty bad I win with a 7.3 because they are scared to go over the speed limit haha:td:

Ford my favorite truck out right, I dont mind the 7.3L Strokers but where I live they just hate the cold, Ive driven the 7.3 ID, Strokers. OBS and the 2002, and 6.0L have not even botherd with anything past 6.0L because the one on our ranch sucks. So I have a cummins, I didnt buy a truck to go race every one in town, mine works, and it works hard, SO I chose cummins, there simple, reliable, and they plain out can run, so can every other diesel engine. If I didnt buy my dodge Id have a ford right now, but 7.3L are a thorn in my side, mainly because the fuel system runs off oil pressure and hate cold days... If you were to put a 6.7L Cummins and and 6.7L Ford in front of me to buy Id but the cummins for several reasons one its a Cummins, Two that engine been around awhile not in Dodge but in other applications. 3 I can still work on the damn thing my self and I can still see more than half the engine.. But the 7.3L still a good engine. This is my list of the best diesels. Cummins, Perkins, Cat, Powerstoke, Detroit,
HATE!!!!!------>Duramax.<----- HATE!!!!!!

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Put a strap on and see who wins!!! Exactly!!! I a cummins fan, I didnt buy my truck for smoke, or beacause there cool. But the best engine ever made is a Perkins my friend lol!

Well we agree on 2 things.... Diesels are work trucks for a reason AND anything is better than a duranax ;)

In my opinion, the list goes Cat, detroit, cummins, everything else. But in terms of medium duty work trucks, these international motors can move some loads (just pulled a 4k load thru the hills going 70 easy), and ford makes a damn good work truck.

Chebby sucks and so does the duracrap.

so much fail in this I don't know where to start. so for a custom ground fuel plate, a set of gov springs and tune the pump a stock 95 12v will put 362hp to the rear wheels. So that would be $300 whats $300 get a 7.3 up to? Have you ever seen a dyno graph of a properly tuned cummins? They have a nice broad curve of usable power. I am still trying to figure out how 300hp ford beats 400hp cummins.. the math doesn't work. I have a buddy with a nice 97 f350 and the 12v puts out more power gets better mileage. Now I do agree a 7.3 is a good motor but dollar for dollar a 12v gets you more. my uncle has a completely box stock 96 dodge with california emissions intake and a cat it's a 2500 4x4 he gets 19mpg highway and 16 in town. I want to see a box stock 7.3 get that.

i have a 97 stock..and when i say stock i mean GRANDPA stock crewcab 4x4 flatbed witht the auto...i get 20 on the highway and last time i checked i got 17 in the city. so it can be done

So much fail in MY post? On the contrary, my friend.

First of all. A 95 12v is only pushing 160hp stock.. To the CRANK. That comes out to about 127whp. No, a little more fuel and a few more rpms aren't going to give you over 250crank hp lol :lol: On a side note, I've seen some 12v trucks, including a 95, with even INJECTORS that didn't touch one number higher than 330hp on a dyno. A 7.3 with a good tune, exhaust/dp, and intake will be right about 300whp. Stage 1 injectors is right about 360whp. Stage II injectors is right about 400-420whp.

Second, focus more on reading comprehension than 'failing' somebodies post. I said mod for mod, not dollar for dollar.

As far as mileage, my BONE stock 7.3, cat and all, with a 6" lift and 33" cooper stt tires would get 16-18mpg city driving. If I was on the farm, my truck would get 15-16mpg with lots od idling. Now with 35" tires but exhaust/dp/intake, I typically get 16mpg city but 22ish on the highway. Once I get my truck tuned and get a swamps idm, I'll be closer to 18-19mpg city.

As far as a 300hp beating a 400hp cummins, it happnes. The reason is because a cummins is a i6 motor, designed to have lots of OFF IDLE tq. Whereas a powerstroke, that's a v8, doesn't have as much nut off the line,but you can rev them and they keep on making power.

What does this mean? This means that in order for a 6cyl cummins to keep a set load moving up a hill, he needs to keep downshifting to stay in the dinky powerband (read: very low rpm's). Whereas a powerstroke can stay in gear because hi-rpm's is where these trucks make power.

We also have the talk of egt's. 12v cummins start cooking up egt's veryyy easily. I've read of guys with fuel mods maxing out egt's UNLOADED when messing around. Read thee forums and you'll see moit guys with modded 7.3s won't max out egt's even while towing.