Upgrades and Aftermarket - 99 & up 7.3L EngineUpgrading or adding OEM or aftermarket equipment to your 1999-Up Super Duty or Excursion with 7.3L Power Stroke diesel engine. Please confine discussion of topics in this forum to those items that are specific to the 7.3L Power Stroke engine.
Hi my name is Drew and I'm thinking about buying my first diesel. Ive loved fords since day 1 and I was wondering what to do first and whats the cheapest way to get the best mpg. I was thinking about air intake, exhaust and maybe a edge programmer with juice and can a programmer put a lot of things under stress on any stock parts like the transmission and such?
Yes A Programmer Can Put Stress On Your Tranny,i Said Can,but Really Its Your Right Foot That Will Do The Most Damage.id Look Into A Chip From Bts(call Cale At Bts)or Dp Tuner.you Can Switch Programs On The Fly.
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2002 f250 lariat 7.3 200k(motor has 170k)
original 4r100 tranny....200k and counting
knock on wood......
tony wildman chip......
stock,economy,daily,towing,extreme,smoke.
red elc good for 150k
4r100 1-2 2-3 3-4sonnax accumulator valves,.427 sonnax line pressure mod valve
4.125"yes thats 4 1/8" diy tymar intake(size matters...lol)
AIH delete,ccv delete,zoodad mod,
4" exhaust no muff
built my own leafs for 4.0 of lift!!!!!!
18" xd bronze revolvers with 325 nittos to wrap them
isspro pyro and boost guages on pillar mount....
Hi my name is Drew and I'm thinking about buying my first diesel. Ive loved fords since day 1 and I was wondering what to do first and whats the cheapest way to get the best mpg. I was thinking about air intake, exhaust and maybe a edge programmer with juice and can a programmer put a lot of things under stress on any stock parts like the transmission and such?
Chips are great no doubt, but probably not where you want to start. everyone has their own priority list so am sure you will here different but mine was based on longevity, cost, mileage, and performance in that order.
1) Gauges - Get a pyro and trans gauge. Trannys are the weak link once you start modding these trucks and unless you know what your temps are it is too easy to ruin things.
2) Fuel fixes - HPX and Hutch mod. Hpx addresses the #8 injector starvation issue as #6 and #8 are on the same fuel rail and fire in sequence. Hutch mod minimizes air bubbles due to tank return location. Air bubbles are not good in fuel.
3) Intake/ Exhaust mods - Stock filter box is known to be restrictive and many have problems with the seal thereby drafting dust into turbo. Look into tymar or 6637 intake systems for cheap fixes. 4" turbo back exhaust mod not only helps you run cooler but with the intake mod gets 1-2 mpg gains and nice "seat of the pants" effect.
4) Tranny cooler and Valve body - Trannys are the weak link once you start pulling passes or pushing hard. Your gauges will let you know if you are doing so. I dropped 30 to 40 dergees when towing by adding an aftermarket cooler. Valve body mod will help to minimize clutch wear.
5) Chip - Now you are ready and will get the safest usage out of your chip upgrade and best performance and economy.
6) Turbo upgrades - More power
7) Injector upgrades - More, more, more!
8) Repair bills - Oops, Tooooo much !
Opening up the intake and exhaust to help the truck breathe will help out quite a bit. Once the airflow is addressed get the fuel delivery taken care of with a programmer or custom chip. These mods will help the engine out quite a bit and improve mileage as well as power. Let me know if theres anything I can help with.
Yep.
Gauges
EXHAUST (At least delete the muffler and make it a straight pipe)
Intake
Fuel (I list this separately because the "Dead head" Fuel system on our Fords really benefit from in tank tank fuel pickup mods/aftermarket fuel pump/regulated return fuel system. See ITP diesel performance.)
chip (Edge is NOT transmission friendly, Bullydog is crap. Remember this, and you will thank me later.) Theres so much more guidance that can be offered if you search the threads, but too much to post here. 7.3s rock.
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"Blizzard" The big white bio-burning 03 7.3 4x4. 6637, straight piped stock exhaust, and a "New" secret blend of Haul a$$ing mods and upgrades. Suffice to say, its not the fastest, but it quite possibly is one of the quickest.
thanks guys. whats the best bang for your buck when it comes to chips and programmers?
I was thinking an edge programmer with juice?
Edge Attitude with Juice? No. It adds horses, but it's certainly not the best bang for the buck.
Four ways to add tune(s).
1. If you can get by with only one tune, then have the PCM flashed with the tune of your choice. I would probably choose 60-tow as my only tune.
2. Add a module, such as the Edge Juice. I don't know much about those, but they are expensive when you add the Attitude digital gauges.
3. Programmer/tuner, such as the Edge Evolution or the SCT X3. They come with three tunes, plus they will save your stock tune for use if you need to take the truck in to a dealer for a checkup. The Edge has set tunes. The SCT X3 can be loaded with custom tunes of your choice. Advantage is it plugs into the OBD-II port under the dash, so any idiot can use it without any installation. Disadvantage is it requires a coupla minutes to change tunes. Works fine for me, because I usually leave mine in 60-tow for either towing or unloaded.
4. A "chip". On the 7.3L, you can plug in a microcomputer chip with different tunes than stock. Most common today is a multi-position chip with two or three or more tunes. A DP-Tuner F5 or F6 chip can have all the different tunes you are willing to pay for at $45 to $75 per tune. Plus you need a way to select the tune you're running. So there are switches of various kinds that allow you to change tunes "on the fly". Disadvantage is it requires installation and wiring to set it up. You must clean the electrical contacts on the PCM and the chip until they are squeeky clean. Advantage in addition to shift-on-the-fly is you can buy only one or two tunes to start, then add more tunes as you find nickles in pig tracks. The "manual" F5 chip requires you to send the chip back to the dealer to have them add tunes, The "automagic" F6 chip lets you download the new tunes from the internet, so you won't be without your chip while the mailman does his thing.
Cost effective? Probably the F-5 chip with two or three tunes. The chip is $200, plus $45 to $75 for each tune. Maybe 60-tow, 80-economy, and one stock tune. (You must either switch to a stock tune, or remove the chip, any time you turn the truck over to a dealer's tech for diagnosis.) Add the option of the shift-on-the-fly button, and you're looking at around $350 for the parts for a chip with two tunes. Plus you have to do the install. But you could begin with only one tune for about $250, then add the other tunes and the SOTF button as you found the money. Click here: DP-Tuner options for 7.3L PowerStroke
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My Sierra Blanca in the sig pic was a great pickup for 11.5 years. I sold it last year. Replacement is a 2012 F-150 EcoBoost SuperCrew Lariat.
If you get a truck with an automatic, one upgrade that might save you some transmission wear and tear is a B&M Shift Improver. It costs about 45 bucks and takes 20 minutes to install, connecting two wires. It electronically adjusts the hydraulic pressure in the transmission and makes it shift firmer which saves a lot of wear, especially on the E4OD which was programmed for relatively soft shifting. It has 3 settings, OFF-1-2. Setting 1 is for normal driving, setting 2 is for towing. I've been running one in my '93 F250 for about 4 years and I've always been very pleased with it. I'll be putting one in my '95 F350 very soon.
One thing you don't want to do with the shift improver is leave it on setting 2 for normal, daily driving. They include a paper in the kit which explains that it ramps the pressure too high for that kind of driving and can cause problems. It's really meant for short, heavy towing. Setting 1 is even good for light to moderate towing, e.g., a smaller trailer with lawn mowers, motorcycles, etc.
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1995 F350 Super Crew Cab Dually
7.3 Powerstroke, E4OD, 4:10 rear (I think)
No engine mods yet!
alright ill put it all out on the table (stay away from a diesel). reason being you will end up with a disease called (P.M.S) Powerstroke Mod Syndrome. It will cost you thousands and thousands. here is a link that will let you know if you have the signs of P.M.S but in all reality your truck will leave you grinning from ear to ear. TheDieselStop.Com - www.thedieselstop.com
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build date 3/14/99 f350 7.3, bully dog 6 position chip, 4 inch straight pipe (turbo all the way back, pyro guage, trans temp and boost guage....
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