Ford 7.3 Godzilla Engine Problems, Reliability, Specs
Meet Jake
Jake is a founder of 8020 Media and one of the lead writers at DieselIQ. He has over 10 years of experience in the automotive industry and is the proud owner of a 2002 F-350 7.3 PowerStroke. When Jake isn’t working, he’s usually wrenching on his PowerStroke, single turbo BMW, or Miata track build. Jake delivers tons of knowledge and hands-on experience and is a valuable asset for those looking to take their diesel to the next level. He is highly knowledgeable on Powerstroke and Duramax diesels.
The 7.3L Godzilla engine is a big-block V8 launched by Ford in 2020, as a replacement for the 6.8 Triton V10. The 7.3 engine is offered as an upgrade to the standard 6.2L “Boss” engine.
With multiple engine options in F250 and F350 trucks we’re going to break down everything about the 7.3 Godzilla. Covering common problems and overall reliability, factory specs, comparison against the 6.2L Boss, and performance potential we’ll give you everything you need to know about this engine.
Engine Specs
| Specs | 7.3 Godzilla |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | 6.8 Triton V10 |
| Displacement | 7.3L, 444.9 cu. in. |
| Aspiration | Naturally aspirated |
| Cylinder Bore | 4.22in / 107.2mm |
| Piston Stroke | 3.976in / 101.0mm |
| Block | Cast iron |
| Heads | Aluminum |
| Valvetrain | OHV; variable valve timing |
| Compression | 10.5:1 |
| Fueling | Multi-port fuel injection |
| Horsepower | 430hp @ 5,500rpm |
| Torque | 475lb-ft. @ 4,000rpm |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
6.2 Boss vs. 7.3 Godzilla
For approximately $2,000 you can upgrade from the base 6.2 Boss to the 7.3 Godzilla in the Ford F250 and F350.
At 385hp and 430lb-ft. of torque, the 7.3 Godzilla offers 45hp and 45lb-ft. of torque over the 6.2. The 7.3 was launched to fill the gap between the 6.2 and the turbo-diesel 6.7 Powerstroke.
These engines are generally very similar from a performance, reliability, and gas mileage perspective. Hence the relatively cheap cost of upgrading to the 7.3. Overall, the 7.3 delivers a bit more power and is also slightly more power-capable. It has a higher tow rating on the high end to the tune of about 4,500lbs.
With respect to reliability, the 7.3 Godzilla is very new and therefore has not been around long enough to provide any solid data points on reliability. The 6.2 however has been in use since 2011 and has proven to be a reliable and durable engine capable of lasting beyond 300,000 miles.
Overall: if you need the slightly higher performance and towing capabilities, the 7.3 Godzilla is the best choice. If you do not do a lot of towing and are looking for a more “proven” engine, the 6.2 Boss is a great option and saves a few bucks. Both have some significant performance potential but overall the 7.3 gas is going to offer more power potential.
7.3 Godzilla Engine Problems
The 7.3L Godzilla engine was launched in 2020 which doesn’t give us many data points with respect to “common” problems. All of these engines are still under warranty but we haven’t seen anything catastrophic with them so far. Based on the engineering of the block and internals we don’t expect any problems with major engine components.
1) Spark Plug Wiring Harness Failure
Spark plug wires connect the spark plugs to the ignition coils. The ignition coils provide electrical current to the spark plugs so that they can spark per se. Early owners of the 7.3 have noted numerous cylinder misfires which has been linked to a faulty wiring harness. Fortunately the part is a sub-$30 part, but a failed harness can cause no-start or undriveable conditions if the wiring totally fails and can no longer deliver power to the spark plugs.
Ford acknowledged the issue and stated it was a manufacturer defect. Their 3rd part manufacturer has fixed the faulty wiring issues and the new harness can be grabbed from the dealership under warranty if symptoms exist.
2) Other Isolated Issues
Outside of the known spark plug issues, there aren’t any other “common” problems we’ve run across. There have been a few owners with stuck lifters and cylinder scoring, but these appear to be isolated issues. Outside of a handful of engines that have experienced catastrophic failure the 7.3 Godzilla seems to be reliable and strong.
Overall Reliability
The Godzilla is still within its first production year which means there are going to be problems.
While there have been a handful of complete engine failures recorded, we believe these to be anomalies. We expect the 7.3 godzilla to be a strong engine capable of surpassing the 300,000 mile mark and maintaining reliability under heavy towing.
From a block and internals perspective, we don’t anticipate any major issues here given the stoutness of these components and the power we have seen them create. While we aren’t sure how reliable these engines are with significant modifications, we are confident in their ability to reliable produce some serious numbers given current testing.
7.3 Godzilla Performance Potential
At 7.3L, the Godzilla is almost underpowered with only 430hp. With that being said, the engine is capable of producing significantly more power. And it is believed to be slightly underrated from the factory. Ford is selling the 7.3 as a performance crate engine which is a pretty good sign that the block and internals are capable of significantly more power than they are producing.
The forged crank, iron block, and six-bolt mains all point towards solid power capabilities. While initial performance testing is still underway, tuners think that the 7.3 Godzilla can reach 900whp on the stock block and heads without sacrificing complete reliability.
Additionally, performance enthusiasts have already reached the 600whp mark on basic bolt-on modifications. We have seen near 800whp without forced induction but a handful of more significant upgrades. A 7.3 with forced induction has hit 1100whp on a twin-turbo setup, more impressively while still on the stock camshaft, rods, and pistons.
Overall, it appears that the stock block, heads, and internals are capable of 1000whp. While no one has been running a setup this aggressive for long enough to tell how reliable it is at these levels, there is no doubt that this is a capable engine.
Power potential: fantastic.
Towing Capacity
The numbers below do have variances as it depends on the packages, tire sizes, etc.
F250 Super Duty Towing Capacity
- 3.55 Axle Ratio: 13,000-15,000lbs tongue-pulling and 14,400-15,400lbs on a 5th wheel or gooseneck
- 4.30 Axle Ratio: 13,000-15,000lbs tongue-pulling and 17,500-19,500 on 5th wheel or gooseneck
F350 Super Duty SRW Towing Capacity
- 3.73 Axle Ratio: 13,000-15,000lbs tongue-pulling and 15,900-17,000 on a gooseneck/5th wheel
- 4.30 Axle Ratio: 13,000-15,000lbs tongue pull and 16,500-21,000lbs with a 5th wheel or gooseneck
F350 Dually Towing Capacity
- 3.73 Axle Ratio: 16,100-17,200lbs on both tongue pull and gooseneck
- 4.30 Axle Ratio: 17,000-21,000 tongue pulling and up to 21,200 on a gooseneck or 5th wheel
Fuel Economy
At 7.3L you shouldn’t expect any stellar gas mileage numbers. We are seeing gas mileage in the 8-9mpg range while towing (depending on tow weight), and around 12mpg for a mix of city and highway driving.
Towing MPG: 8-9mpg
City/Highway MPG: 12mpg
Purchased a 2021 Newmar Bay Star with this engine. And apparently it is one of the anamolies…..complete failure while driving on the interstate with 1,776 miles on the odometer. Ford Roadside assistance towed it to a dealership. Still waiting on teardown and diagnosis.
Sorry to hear about your truck, just came here to comment ‘murica at 1776.
Did they fix it or did you get a new one or something else?
good luck with that. I bought a 2011 f250 new with the new 6.7 diesel and the fuel pump took a dump. they had to replace everthing from tank to injectors. 3 months waited for parts. never buy a brand new model. wait a year for all the problems to be resolved. stick with chevy. lol
Any update?
I purchased a 2021 Baystar 3626 with. 7.3 L v8 and had a two months until an engine light came on and had a hell of a time trying to find a Ford dealer with time and space to fix this engine..
Still not fixed after 6 days and counting.
Mine was towed to a Ford dealership in July 21 when the engine blew up. 4 weeks later and it still sits in the dealership lot, nothing has been done. Nothing at all. Very frustrating.
There is a good chance your spark plug wires may have failed…https://www.irv2.com/forums/f106/important-7-3l-gas-ford-technical-service-bulletin-20-2370-plug-wires-552415.html
2020 F250 with 19000 miles, August 9th 2021 pulling 30 ft travel trailer on vacation 200 miles from home get a flashing check engine light for about 4 seconds and then it goes off. About 100 miles farther down the road get flashing light again but goes off as before, about 50 miles later light comes on and stays as well as knocking now and loosing power. Truck is towed to small dealership where it sits waiting for fords instructions on what to do!
Had to rent a truck to get travel trailer back home and that was a nightmare as well. Enterprise wanting to price gouge due to no vehicles.
2020 F250 19000 miles, engine failure 300 miles from home while on vacation pulling 32′ travel trailer. This happened August 9, 2021 still waiting for Ford to approve evaluation and decide process according to dealership.
Tech said bent valves on #8 as well as damage to crank, don’t think there needs to be anymore evaluating just complete replacement.
I have a 2020 F250 W/7.3 and now has 11,000 miles on it with mixed towing (15.000LB 5th wheel) in Colorado …….
1) not a single problem
2) pulls GREAT!!!!
3) Fuel milage is 18.5MPG bareback/hw– 8-10MPG towing in hills/mixed–about 13MPG bareback/mixed city
4) VERY fun to drive!!!!!!!!
We purchased a new 2021 E350 24′ Coachman Freelander with the 7.3L Godzilla in Dec 2020 and have only experienced 1 ABS controller issue and 1 recall (heat insulation on the engine cover, software update). Besides that it’s been awesome! It tows our pontoon boat with no problem, able to keep freeway speeds up the hill to Lake Tahoe. Most definitely pleased with it’s durability, acceleration, and power. We have about 6k miles on it and counting. Going back to the traditional pushrod big block of time’s long gone was long overdue!
Sincerely, A Godzilla fan!
I just purchased a Holiday Rambler with the 7.3 pos engine
1700 miles on the coach started my cross country trip
Got 200 miles and it fails cylinders 348 misfired
Ford wouldn’t do shit I called 20 dealerships
Either 2 months or won’t take a class A coach
Holiday rambler same no help the dealer too !
My new Jaybo Alante RV with Ford F53 chassis has one of these 7.3L V8’s and IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE! First the spark plug wire harness problem took 10-weeks to get fixed and had to have it towed 200 miles to have that done. When it came back, constant electrical problems, but no Ford dealer in all of Western Washington will do the work. Ford factory reps are useless, they are just stalling to run out the clock on warranty. Does not qualify for Lemon Laws and Ford dealers will not even let the unit on their lots, so can’t meet the 3 -failed repairs/30-days at the dealer criteria. NIGHTMARE!
Dan Andrade,
I bought a 2021 Thor Hurricane Motor Coach in March. In April, I received a recall from Ford, concerning a problem with the rear-end. After 3 months, I got my coach back and left from Huntsville, Ala., to New England. I got back to Alabama in late August, and before I got home my engine light came on. When I called the Ford dealer in Huntsville, I was told they were still backed-up with motorhomes and couldn’t look at my coach until November. I dropped it off at the dealership on Nov. 1st, and today, Dec. 27th, it still sits. They believe it’s an internal issue with the engine but still don”t have a timeline as when they can tear it down. It looks like it will be months before I get my coach back!!!
The first day I picked up my 2021 7.3L it broke down work my family in the cab while on my way to a restaurant. Truck had only 112 miles on it. Took them a week to replace the most common issue with this truck. The wiring harness. 2 months later my truck has the engine light on. Come to find out it’s one of the several knock sensors. Still waiting on Ford to get the truck in.
New 2021 Thor Miramar with approximately 4000 miles when the engine light began to flash indicating an engine misfire in Indiana enroute to Michigan. Consulted a friend that is an engineer for ford and he informed me of a known manufacturing issues with the wire harness. After contacting Ford and visiting 3 different dealership with negative results. I was forced to inspect the issue with the advice from a small town auto store owner and the help of a friend. We discovered major wiring damage caused by the intallaton of the metal boot on the wire during manufacturing. We temporarily repaired the damage wire by removing the damage wire cover, replacing it with the cover from a different plug wire and wrapped it with exhaust tape. She ran like a charm to get us back to California where the dealership replaced the wiring Harness. Thousands of arcing voltage and raw fuel dump make for a serious situation.
I bought a 2023 Thor in Georgia on a trip to Alaska. Five miles down road breaks are spongy and there is a hell of a vibration coming out of hydro booster line to steering box, took to a repair center they didn’t fix the problem after two days. Kept heading for Alaska called close to 30 ford dealers and not a one would take a look. Got as far as Idaho and had issues with rv ,so I turned and took it back to Thor in Elkhart. Now I am back in New York with rv in barn with no help. Ford called and said a dealer will look at it in two month, then have it for 6. This is total BS. If I preformed like this when I was working I would have been fired. People built these parts they have to know how they work and if they don’t go back to R&D and fix it. It not rocket science.
Hi James , I had similar problem with my 2022 Tiffin Alegro. On top of vibration I had burning rubber smell while driving on highway . Pulled over to inspect belts , brakes ,tires etc. Found nothing wrong and decided to get of highway before somebody hits me. To my surprise rv drove like nothing ever happened for next 200mil. Back on my rv spot I inspected engine, suspension and brakes and found nothing wrong or evidence of burning rubber. vibration from hydro boost line and Ps belt slipping is very good possibility. So my question is if you had your rv fixed and what was a problem.
Chris.
ME AGAIN! MY THOR MOTOR COACH STILL SITS AT DEALERSHIP IN HUNTSVILLE SINCE NOV. 1ST.. I WAS TOLD THERE ARE STILL 7 COACH’S AHEAD OF ME BEFORE THEY CAN TAKE MINE IN. THEY DID REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS BUT ENGINE IS STILL MISFIREING.. I BOUGHT THE COACH IN APRIL 2019 . I HAD IT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS AND FORD HAS HAD IT SEVEN MONTHS.!!! WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
Not good, no good mechanics anymore, and everything is throw away, I took a zero turn in for a motor skip with 25hrs, dealer said it needed a new carb and labor 350. I said no way took it home pulled carb off ran wires thur jets and it runs fine . I think I will go back to work and charge 500 pr. Hr. And fix people’s stuff right. Any body else what a job.?
Complete engine failure in first year. Transmission failure second. Year. I’m driving my 2014 with 320,000 original engine and Transmission since my “new ” truck has been off the road for months. Not impressed at all with this truck.
I have a E350 with 7.3L Godzilla engine. I just heard from the Ford Dealership that engine is in need of replacement. It started making a whine like a pulley so i took it to the dealership. 3 weeks later they informed me the oil filter was full of metal and the engine has had catastrophic failure. It has 72,000 miles on it. It has been in service for only 10-1/2 months. I am so pissed at Ford for they will not do anything because it is out of warranty. But they will sell me a new motor with 3 year and unlimited mileage warranty. It make no sense i can buy a motor and they will warranty for unlimited mileage and the original brand new engine only has 60K mile warranty.
may 2020 f250 crew 7.3 bad ass TRUCK !!!! wish it had a bigger gas tank like my 2003 f250 5.4 with a 38 gl tank!
2021 f250. Front main leak at 35000 miles and blown engine at 45000 miles. That’s just with the motor. 2 complete front ends, replaced seat rails and still moves when I’m curves. , 5 gas caps, motom for screen doesn’t work so can’t listen to radio. Ford can’t fix most of these problems because there is no code. Cheap made with cheap parts
2020 F250 Tremor with 46000 miles and the engine started making a chirping sound ( no warning lights ) and seemed to be running fine. The dealership just told me that 2 cylinders weren’t getting oil and that they were replacing the engine. Kind of sad about it but sure am glad it happened under the 50000 miles mark. I thought this engine was suppose to be tough? These comments above really make me question my Ford loyalty.
Jeff – you have the first year of the 7.3 Godzilla so there are bound to be problems and issues that are usually subsequently fixed in newer years. Fortunately you ran into issues still under warranty. We do expect the 7.3 to be a beast of an engine, but as mentioned, first year engines always have their problems.
We just purchased a 2022 f-550 for our dealership with a rollback bed on it with the 7.3 Godzilla engine, I’m hoping we can aviod some of these issues by being proactive on maintainence. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!
Run the wheels off, and hope you got a good one, if not it will set like the rest, and you won’t be happy like the rest. And no help from ford. Good luck
We have a 2022 Thor Quantum motorhome equipped with the Godzilla 7.3L on a E-450 chassis. So far so good, I like the performance of this engine and will report back here again after we get some more use on it.
At 6700 miles missing on cylinders 5 and 8. on my 2022 Tiffin motorhome. Have to take it 45 miles away to a dealer to fix since the local ford dealer will not work on motorhomes. with such a simple wire fix Have to wait 2 weeks to get it in for changing the wiring. Ford should have a recall with as many failures as they are having.
I have a 2021 Coachmen Mirada with the 7.3 V8. At around 3k miles had an engine light saying misfire on cyl 3. Was hours away from any Ford Dealership. Had to limp to nearest location that had a ignition wire for that engine. Thank God that was all it needed since it fixed the problem and we were able to continue on for 1500 more miles to get home. No problems since. Due to reports of this issue and difficulty in finding this part I may carry extra wires on hand in future.
2021 Coach House 271XLFR Class C with the Godzilla engine. The owner of Coach House delayed ordering Ford E-450 chassis until the 7.3L was available due to so much trouble with the V-10’s. I am glad he did, this engine is super strong. I have 21,000 lbs GCWR with this unit. And the OCCC is 2,541 lbs with the Godzilla under the hood. On a drive from Albuquerque to Boise, Idaho, I averaged 12.78 MPG (not towing a car).
I have a 2022 Tiffin Open Road with the Godzilla engine and 5500 miles. Periodically the engine smothers down and loses power. I get a message “Brake Applied – Power Reduced”. Have no clue of the cause. Can’t get in to the Ford Service Center until January.
Dave – this happens whenever the gas pedal is being pressed down at the same time as the brake pedal. If you drive with two feet this could very well be the cause. If not, it could be a problem with the brake booster. The brake booster can get sticky which can cause it to not fully release when you take your foot off the brake which would then cause this message when you touch the gas.
Ultimately, it’s not going to be a problem with the 7.3 Godzilla itself but likely some issue with the pedals or a sensor related to them.
It’s because of brake pedal config. I’ve seen that alarm too! Finally figured out it’s when you have your foot on the gas and brake at the same time.
I have an engineer friend at FoMoCo who grew up with me. He warned me that MI5/MI6 had one of these 7.3s installed into the chest of Queen Elizabeth II to try to get another 483,000 km outta the ol’ bird. Long story short, she died. Ford still hasn’t sent a card of condolence! The palace, however, did receive notification that their early model queen is currently worth double her trade-in value due to the high public demand for her which dealers aren’t able to meet.
2021 F250 Lariat Tremor w/ 7.3L Godzilla ( & 4.30 axle ratio ). ~11,000 hard towing miles and no issues so far. As expected fuel mileage is terrible. 10 to 12 mpg city, 14-15 mpg highway, 7 to 8 mpg towing 10,000 lb. bumper pull travel trailer. No complaints other than it needs a larger fuel tank for towing. Whipple supercharger going on it shortly. Will report back with forced induction towing reliability results.
2022 F250 Lariat w/ 7.3L Godzilla w/30 axle ratio, absolutely love it!
I have a 2020 F350 Lariat dually, now with 75K+ miles on the 7.3 Godzilla. Mobil 1 Full synthetic since day 1, every 5K miles. All other fluids/filters PM’d regularly. She’ll pull a time zone when needed, although not at the 6.7L torque level. Truck was an order out during C-19 and took 6 months to get. Trans issues caused two overhauls within 10K miles of new, due to supply chain temp workers. Zero issues since. MPG ranges from 8 to 13.4, loaded to light. I’ll order another when it’s time, it’s been that good. Go for the Lariat model line and add the upgrades for creature comforts without the insane base cost increase. Absolutely horrible OEM aluminum wheel design for putting air in rear inner tires. No OEM or aftermarket solutions of any kind, to get around wheel interference to the line-of-site of the stem, unless I go with $75 TPS stems that have more flex. So…. guess what the dealer service team gets to do seasonally? Larger aluminum wheels with bigger hand ports in the near future. Otherwise, an awesome truck.
A farmer, I have a 2022 F-350 with the Godzilla 7.3L gas engine. I love it. I just wanted to say that the mileage numbers I get for unloaded travel are significantly better than the ones reported here by the author. I get about 16 mpg highway and 10 to 13 in town. Towing reduces these dramatically but I tow only a few times a year so it’s no big deal. Very pleased with towing power, it’s not much weaker than diesel and way less cost for fuel.
I have a 2000 f 150 single cab short narrow bed , I like this pu, 220000 mi4.2 V6 auto. Coming home the other day running 70 mph it kicked down from 4th to 1st, the V6 must be stout on the bottom end, transmission not so much. I have a couple of 7.3 power strokes sitting around I would like to put 1 in it, yes I know about beefing up suspension for the weight. But this 7.3 gas motor also has my attention. The 7.3 gas I do not have. The powerstroke would be better on fuel, build a Dana 60 for rear end and be good to go I think.
I have just purchased a new RV with ford 7.3 V8, our first trip out, with less than 1800 miles, we got a check engine light which would flash at times. We contact ford roadside assistance, and they told us that it needed to towed. The closes dealer that would work on it was 200 miles away. After getting the run around and ford not lining up a tow truck when they told us they would. They finally got it towed to the dealership. The dealer diagnosed the issue as a cylinder misfire. In the process of repairing, it the dealer tried to replace the entire wiring harness, but ford would only allow them to replace the 1 coil pack. We picked it up the next day with the service manager telling us that we could have future problems because he was not able to go deeper into it as per ford. We got 35 miles down the road and the light came on again. Called the dealer and he told us to bring it back to the dealership. So the RV is back at the dealership with no estimate of time for the repair. We were stuck for a week living in hotels and rental cars, but finally had to go home. With our brand-new RV sitting at a dealer 14 hours away.