(Note - all my experience is with the powerstroke, turbocharged and intercooled 7.3L motors)
MikeWhitney wrote:
Who's got 7.3l Ford experience who could recommend what to have done?
Change the fuel filter. It should be sitting on the top of the motor in the valley between the heads. When you're doing that, drain the fuel filter bowl of any excess water that may have accumulated. There should be a lever around the back side of the filter bowl - throw that lever 90 degrees or so towards the passenger side and it'll drain. It's useful to ziptie a length of rubber hose to the end of the drain so you can direct the spent fuel into a drain pan more easily.
If you get a fuel filter that has the bowl cap "built in," do NOT throw away the factory cap. Next filter you get might not have it built in, and then you're kind of screwed.
My 7.3 PSD was basically bulletproof. I changed the oil every 5K and the filter every 10K, running B20 biodiesel every so often just because I could, and because it cleaned out gunk in the fuel system. The 7.3 diesel is very hard to hurt.
If it starts well when it's stone cold, the glow plugs are fine.
A trans and coolant fluid change wouldn't hurt either, but those can be big, messy jobs with a lot of waste fluid. Might be better to leave those to a pro with the right equipment and the right disposal techniques for spent fluids. Also, the coolant should be tested with a test strip to check for the anti-cavitation additive...if it needs it, add it. Available at any Ford dealer for a few dollars per pint, as I recall.
thedieselstop.com is an excellent resource for all Ford diesel trucks. Highly recommended.