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Old 12-14-2006, 06:41 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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7.3 diesel a nightmare?

On another forum I was told that the 7.3 in the International skoolies was plagued with problems ranging from overheating to throwing rods.

Greg from Florida School Bus indicated in his post that he has had nothing but problems with the 7.3 and avoids them. He advise dthat although they may seem just fine at the bus barn they develop major problems as soon as you try driving them at highway speeds for a few hours.

Has anyone had bad experiences or heard similar stories about the 7.3 having problems?

I was thinking about his post and it seems the problems he describes are all related to sustained high RPM. In other words driving the engine far harder than it's ever been driven in it's life.

Larry

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Old 12-14-2006, 07:02 PM   #2
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Ford/Int 7.3 diesel engines

This group of engines is great in the right hands. There are NO... read NO
bad diesel engines. Bad anything is soon gone from the market place. In my opinion, the only real bad ford product is the trans of all kinds. The EOD4
is not a good trans in nearly any application. The best cure is to replace the Frod trans with an Allison AT545, or AT540. These trans are not expensive but very tough.
To make a 7.3 last and make HP, follow the engine manual or consult a shop specializing in that engine. Yep, I have a F-350 long cab, dually. Great pulling truck. Frank
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Old 12-14-2006, 08:30 PM   #3
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Year: 1992
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One problem I have noticed on the t444e (7.3) set up is the radiator is only half the size the older ones were. Now what I mean by this for those who don't know is, looking in though the grill you will see half of it is the radiator and the other half is the air intake cooler for the turbo.

On the international 7.3 that I have it has a full size radiator. And on my 2001 ford it too has a full size radiator in it.

As for driving at full speed. I have drivin a more than a few of those t444e's with either my foot to the floor or the cruise set as if my foot was to the floor on trips that would go for 2 to 3 hours straight to drop off a group at a camp for the weekend and then turn around and come back. And each time I would always pick the internationals over the frieghtliners that have the cats in them. Reason being the internationals have cruise control and the new frieghtliners don't and the frightliners are also gutless compared to a t444e. (I also pull my ez-edge powerchip from my ford to give them a little extra kick)
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Old 12-15-2006, 06:42 PM   #4
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Considering everything I have read and the comments both here and other forums about the 7.3 I think I will go ahead with a bid on the bus.

It seems most of the reported problems are related to sustained high RPM. Considering how I would drive and where I don't see this as a problem.

Larry
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Old 12-15-2006, 07:17 PM   #5
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Your chip doesn't affect the transmission at all? I would assume your Ford has an electronic tranny (4R100 maybe?) and depending on the year of the bus you're driving, wouldn't it possibly have an electronic
Allison? I really am just curious. Obviously if it works, it works.
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Old 12-15-2006, 07:43 PM   #6
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The only plug the chip goes into is the icp senser. It is a unplug icp then plug in chip to icp and other end to factory harness. Not this doesn't change anything in the transmission, in fact it actually seems to help the transmission shift better with the extra house power.

Another thing is it only give the motor a little extra kick and it does not allow it to exceed the computers set rev limiter, so no extra speed is gained. It does help big time on the inclines which allow it to keep its top speed easier.

I believe the buses that I tend to use the chip on are 1999 to 2001 models.
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Old 12-23-2006, 08:36 AM   #7
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The three T444E buses at work (one 1997, two 1999's) all have non-electronic AT545 Allisons...I don't thing the 444 ever got the computerized transmissions.
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Old 12-24-2006, 02:13 PM   #8
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When did the AT545 finally get replaced by the 2000 series? Was it for the 2003 model year? When did the VT365 come out? Was it out for MDT's before it became the Powerjoke?
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Old 12-25-2006, 12:27 AM   #9
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I'm looking at a bus that is a 1993 International with a 7.3L diesel engine! If I buy it, I'll be driving it to Oklahoma City...... from New York!!! Are you telling me that on a 1,600 mile road trip with my 7.3, that I could possibly expect problems from running at high RPM's for extended periods of time? What kind of problems? Sorry to whore this thread, but I am curious what kinds of problems I could have? Thanks!
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Old 12-25-2006, 12:58 AM   #10
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I think it has a lot to do with proper maintanance as to why some don't have a problem and others give up more quickly.
The biggest one I have heard aboutis cavitation in the cylinders or something to where a certain aditive is added but I can not remeber the name of it.

I did however drive mine home 600 miles with my truck in tow behind it without even buring any oil with my foot on the floor (shhhh, I used the idle control for cruise) doing 55 at 3000 rpms. It currently has 5.57 gears in it and it will get changed but that is a matter of time.
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Old 02-19-2007, 10:18 AM   #11
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the 1988 int 7.3 diesel I have just had my first trouble with my radiator but I am having new core put in it this week . I have logged 100 hours of no problem driving , alternator couple of air brake lines going bad . I keep regular maintenance and have left the foot chock governor in so top speed is 58 mph or so . I have pulled trailers and been on several 1000 mile trips with nothing but fun . I have about 5 k in total with the conversion and it sure feels nice to park it next to 500 k prevosts . http://www.citrusguide.com/tropical3/
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