88 F350 XLT Lariat 6.9L Turbo good vehicle?
 

Hey y'all,
Anybody have advice regarding 88 F350 XLT Lariat 6.9L turbo diesel?
This is a "Centurian" model (4 door Bronco) with 141k miles and the turbo is a later add-on.

Test drove it today. Steering was loose (steering knuckle?) and power steering and brakes seemed weak (a loose belt for pumps?)
Power windows very slow to operate (lube tracks or new motors all around?)

My main question is whether the 6.9L was a reliable and desirable engine (unlike 6.2L or 6.5L), or am I looking at something "everyone knows is junk" except me?

Any help would be appreciated.

Steve

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PS the turbo boost gage read 10 psi when I floored it. Is that reasonable for this engine? Is there any electronics involved in the injection or smog control?

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What all should I have my mechanic checkout before I buy this beast? (compression, ?)
I don't think there is any computer controls on it, is there?
Would this thing survive an EMP?
Any idea what a good price would be?

What kinds of mods would be best to build it into an offroad critter?

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Any body ever tried an HHO gas generator on one of these diesels?
Do they have catalytic converters and O2 sensors, etc?

The 6.9 is a very reliable engine and if it only has 141k miles on it it should run for a long time if maintenance right.

10 psi doesn't sound unreasonable to me. There is not many electronics on the truck and should be no smog control on it.

Compression is a good thing to check, does it have a lot of blow by, strange noises, leaks, smoke, are the glow plugs functioning right. Just have someone familiar with the 6.9 check it out but if it does have only 141k on it I cant imagine it having to many problems. There is no computer on it. I have know idea what a good price would be or what a emp is. There are no cats and no 02 sensors on it

The biggest problem with the 6.9 is that after market performance parts are almost no existent. You would have to post something in the 6.9,7.3 area to find any if there are.

2MUCH,
Thank you for your comments! I watched the dealer start it. He said they hadn't started it for more than a week and the glow plugs were weak and so he used some starter spray. On the first tries, it blew a little black smoke and then as it fired up it blew a little white smoke and then cleared up. It looked like what I would expect from what he described. I didn't see any billows of black smoke when I was driving it. That would indicate blowby or rings issues, correct?

When were the 6.9L used and why were they discontinued? Would an oversized exhaust, headers, modified intake, intercooler make any performance difference?

HHO gas is water broken down into hydrogen and oxygen - H2O to H+H+O by electrolysis using the electricity from your alternator in a little tank of water under your hood and then piped into your intake to increase the combustion efficiency. Some people swear they get double the mpg, others say there is no way to get something for nothing. I'd love to hear if anybody has tried it on their diesel.

An EMP is an ElectroMagnetic Pulse generated by a nuke detonated high in the atmosphere. Doomsdayers say its a likely scenario for terrorists or the first wave of an attack on the US. It would take out almost everything electronic in the region including power grids, communications, and electronic components of cars. Since older diesels don't have computers or electronic ignition systems, they stand a better chance of being operable in such an event.

So far it looks like an 88 F350 would be a great candidate.

I will look in the 6.9, 7.3 section for more info.
Thanks again!

they are very reliable, no aftermarket

starting fluid is a horrible thing to use on them. chances are it will need glowplugs and a new controller.

the GP controller would not survive and EMP, pretty much everything else would. the only issue is finding 12v to power the fuel solenoid and the starter.

Bud,
Thank you for your help.
What is the GP controller? Do you know if this 1988 6.9L has a mechanical fuel pump or electric?

This 4x4 F350 has a 3 spd auto tranny and the 2H, 4H, 4L transfer case. Is there a tranny with overdrive out there that could be used to upgrade it? Wouldn't that help the mpg a lot?

What kind of lockers work well with the hubs, etc? This dog is going to need some traction!

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I live in Idaho. Is there a way to get this to start in very cold weather (-20 to -40) besides block heater and antigel fuel additives? Is there something better than starter fluid? What does the starter fluid do to it?

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Bud, Do you agree that the 1988 6.9L is a solid engine? I have been told that it was underpowered but that with the addition of the turbo the power should be pretty good.

GP controller is the glow plug controller. Starter fluid is bad for them because it has to high of compression. The injection pump is a mechanical db2 pump. I can't remember the exact years they used the 6.9 they quit using it because they went to the 7.3 almost identical.

Black smoke is just fuel burning the old diesels usually blow a fair amount of it. As far as the trans it should get good fuel mileage as it is.

Starting them in that cold of whether you will need to plug it in, make sure you have good batteries and a good starter. Keep the fuel and filters clean and you will probably have to add something to the fuel. Underpowered is a relative statement it depends on what you want to do with it. If you are just driving it it will be fine if you want to pull a lot don't get in a hurry.

Hey 2Much,
What do you know about GP controller, overdrive tranny, lockers, and cold weather starting?

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Thanks, 2Much, I didn't see your reply until after I sent that.

the 6.9 with a aftermarket turbo is not to bed on power. they are reliable engine only needing 2 wires to run(12+ to injection pump, 12+ to starter) since it has a turbo on it, nobody makes headers for it then. there is one company making long tube headers but they only work with the NA engine. 10 psi is good for boost.

as for the truck i am confused. 88 should not have a 6.9 in it, 87 was the last year for the 6.9. unless the engine was swaped in to replace a 7.3. the 6.9 IDI went from 83-87. the 7.3 IDI went from 88 to 92, and the 7.3 IDI factory turboed motors were 92-94. the 7.3 is just a bored out 6.9.

as for the trans, you can swap in a latermodel e4od trans but that is gona have electronics that will need to be installed also. swaping to manual is also possible. the cab on them is the same as a pickup so pedals and stuff from a truck will work.

lockers are gona be expensive for the rear, assuming it has the sterling 10.25 rear under it, and front isnt to bad since that should be a dana 60 high pinion.

the loose steering could be a bunch of things from worn out tierod ends to worn steering box. the brakes could also be a few things from air in the lines to vacuum pump starting to go out.

where are you located?