Engine replacement

[scagmanf350]

My work truck (truck in sig and pic) I purchased sight unseen (I know I know what an idiot) but through my friend in AZ. He thought the truck was good but for whatever reason he didn't notice how much this truck smoked (blue). At the time I thought it was just injectors or something along those lines. I quickly realized it wasn't and the truck has considerable blow by. I regret ever getting mixed up with this thing. I got the truck for what I thought was a steal but you get what you pay for.
The truck has been acting up as of late (pretty sure it has a miss or o-ring issue or something else) and I already replaced one injector #8 last fall. It idles rough, smokes (blue), has limited power, and has hesitation in some shifts. All and all im at a loss no matter what I do. The body/chassis and interior are great and I think it will hold up well for another 5-10 years. It is mainly for my construction business and I would rather not replace it unless its a nearly new truck but i can't swing a new truck right now. Like I said this thing is for work and is not my daily driver. I would like it to be reliable and have considerable power to tow and haul when I need it to do so. I also like that I own it out right but when is it time to cut and run?
What I would like to do is replace/rebuild the motor and trans and be done with it. I don't want to replace every little gasket and sensor only to come to the conclusion that the rest of the componenents need to be replaced. I'm looking at remanufactured engines and rebuild kits but I did come across an 03 7.3 with 107k with trans for $3250. It is from a wrecked ambulance. I prob can negotiate the price down some. It's at a shop not too far away from where I live outside of Chicago. I'm going to take a very close look at it and I know a diesel mechanic i may pay to look it over and maybe eventually do the swap out.
My question is, is this bad idea? Is putting 03 motor in a 99 going to present any issues? Ambulances are driven hard so that is a worry. Is this another example of you get what you pay for? Is this too risky? The next engine option for me is $6500 without addressing the trans. I'm just exploring options and trying to cut costs. Wondering what the powerstroke community thinks of ideas, dilemmas, and delusions. Thanks.

[Dfennen]

Ambulances are definitely driven hard, but their maintenance is probably impeccable.

[scagmanf350]

Bump..............

[steve's red stroker]

If you're leaving it stock it should be fine to do the swap, you do have differences in e-series and f-series but are external (oil cooler, oil fill tube) that I can think of off the top of my head, I'd rebuild yours that's in it if you plan on keeping it, if you were closer I'd look at it for yah

[Turbostang500]

If you have a friend that is a good mechanic, see if he can run a compression test on your engine.

I didn't think your last thread would lead to this thread!!! lol

[scagmanf350]

Originally Posted by Turbostang500

If you have a friend that is a good mechanic, see if he can run a compression test on your engine.

I didn't think your last thread would lead to this thread!!! lol

Yeah I'm just playing with some ideas. Trying to find some time to open it up and test a million diffenent things that it could be. I came across that engine. Seriously contemplating it. I was driving today and the motor cut out around 55 and thank god I had enough space between me and the guy in front of me to pull off. I'm parking the truck for now. I'll try and get to it later next week. I'm so busy with work right now and this is the last thing I need but oh well. Like I said these are just ideas for now. I just want the break downs to end.

[Turbostang500]

Ok.
just makin sure your not jumping into drastic ideas without doing much testing.

Maybe if your willing to spend that much, you should just consider a reputable shop to take a look at it.
I'm sure someone on here could recommend a guy close to chicago.

[scagmanf350]

I got two I'm getting quotes from. I might drop truck off one of them for a full diagnostic, if I can make it. I've read literally a thousand threads now I just need a mechanic to do all of the proper testing. I figure that's worth the money.

[Turbostang500]

Yes it is. That will likely save you some time and money later on.

[Schnot]

I am a transporter by trade and also a volunteer at an ambulance company. I have always gone with Jasper engines and transmissions in the occasions that I needed one. They can be a little pricy depending on your budget but the thing that sells it for me is the 3 year unlimited mileage warranty that you get with it. And every time I have had an issue with their stuff, Which is rare, their customer service is impeccable. I install them myself so that saves me on the labor.

As for ambulance service, I would try and question as to where it came from. I have all of my guys trained how to take care of our trucks and drive them sensibly. The paid service a few towns over beat the hell out of their trucks because they just dont take pride in their company like a volunteer organization does. We have two trucks, ones a 94 and the other is a 97. Both Automatics and both with about 110k on the clock. They run like a top. All companies legally have to service their trucks at certain intervals so that should solve most issues.

That said, start with some more diagnostics before you start thinking about dropping big bucks on new motor.

But figure this, if you have a new motor and trans its basically a brand new truck that if you care for should last 500,000.