Can you find out engine from VIN?

[CattyMoons]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

alot of it is just experience.. if you find a shop with some old timers then they will easily work on older mechanical engines.. the newer younger guys learn the modern stuff and how to troubleshoot with computers and electronics vs troubleshooting a diesel at the mechanical level.. ie setting injector timing, and bleeding lines at the pump, etc..

So befriend an old timer mechanic got it! Haha thank you!

[shortbus4x4]

PM the last eight of the vin and I'll see if it's in the system. I'm a International dealer mobile mechanic and work on buses for a living.

[rossvtaylor]

That IDI 7.3 is a great, if not super powerful, engine. We have that engine in two ambulance conversions. A few things to note...as someone above mentioned the 7.3L Powerstroke is super popular...so when you search for parts, make sure you're looking at the right one. The 1990-1993 (or so?) Ford or International 7.3L diesel, and not the 7.3L turbo Powerstroke. And...if you find it's hard to start in the morning/cold, but it starts right up when warm...check for bad glowplugs, a bad glowplug solenoid, or (since it's an old vehicle) corroded connections in that circuit which are reducing the current to the glowplugs. Some people will advise that you check voltage to the glowplugs at the connectors and that's helpful, but it's not definitive. As a wise friend told me, you can carry voltage through a hair but not current. So a partially broken wire or bad connection might deliver enough voltage, when not under the glowplug's load. But when loaded and drawing current, the voltage through that old circuit might drop. The good thing about these is they're all cheap to fix. There's also the possibility of a bad/weak low pressure oil pump causing hard starts, but that's also not a really pricey fix.

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

There's also the possibility of a bad/weak low pressure oil pump causing hard starts, but that's also not a really pricey fix.

Wrong engine. Maybe on an engine with HEUI injectors that uses oil pressure for injecting fuel. But this engine doesn't do that and I've never seen an oil pump cause hard starts on an idi.

[rossvtaylor]

Originally Posted by Booyah45828

Wrong engine. Maybe on an engine with HEUI injectors that uses oil pressure for injecting fuel. But this engine doesn't do that and I've never seen an oil pump cause hard starts on an idi.

You're exactly right...I think I did what I cautioned the OP not to do...confuse the 7.3 IDI with the later one? Apologies! We have several vehicles and I've mixed up my experiences...I've slept since then.