Quote:
Originally Posted by Sevier
Hey folks!
What is a 7.3 Diesel engine? I've tried researching it, and it seems they are on the really old buses (and thats where I'm seeing it in listings also), perhaps the pre-DT466 engine? Any good? Should it be paired with any particular transmission?
Thanks everyone!
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7.3 is a Navistar engine, used in its medium-duty offerings and supplied to Ford for some of their light-duty / medium-duty truck applications. It came in two versions - an IDI and the PowerStroke (not to be confused with its successor - the 6.0 PowerJoke). Some later Navistar versions of this were dubbed the T444 / T444E, as it is 444 CID.
Good engine if maintained well, better with a turbo, but not a powerhouse. As for transmission, depends on the application. I prefer and recommend manuals myself, but they are getting harder to find these days.
Most Ford minibuses will have the AOD or AOD-E, possibly the 4R75W, depending on year model. Larger buses, I would try for the MT643 or 2000. You almost never see these with the better transmissions, but they are out there. The AT545 is the base offering, not a terrible transmission but it does have its limitations. Most will do fine for low-speed without a lot of highway and mountains, but have been known to fail. If either are in your plans, I would suggest the MT643 or 2000 Allison. It's possible a few may have been built with MD3060s, but I've not seen one.