Going to check out this powerstroke today. What do you think?

[Insaneride]

Watch out on the FASS stuff, I have troubleshot about a dozen in the last few years that people were having 'issues' with... some thought it was computer,sensor,etc... but in the end I tracked all the problems down to 'lack of quality manufacturing' for lack of a better phrase in the FASS system blocks. So if you do put one of their systems on and within a month or two you start having fuel prime issues or just stalling after a fill up get ready to rip that sucker out of there...

Thanks for the heads up ronsi. Is there a better lift pump like air dog or would that cause the same problem? I'm concerned about my injector pump. Maybe I just need fuel pressure gauge. I've heard horror stories about lift pump going bad and then a $2,000 injector pump fix.


Moto, I like the redline fuel additive. Lowers mileage about 1 or 2 miles but is supposed to keep injectors clean. I can get kerosene from racing fuel suppliers or one store has it at the pump. If you go to hardware store, they charge extra for the can.

[ronsii]

You know... I don't know if there is a better one or not, at the time when those FASS things came online I was about a half second away from buying a couple myself and putting them on my rigs.... but luckily my buddies got the jump on me and did theirs first after dealing with theirs and a few other peoples my mind went from 'believing the hype' to 'screw that!!!!' especially once I figgured what was going on with them!! they were causing one of the main things they were supposed to prevent and that was not a good thing for the HPOP!!! I would guess that they would have 'most' of the bugs worked out by now... with all the amateur volunteer testers out there but I would definitely install a fuel pressure gauge just as a preventive measure if nothing else


Btw, I love redline but just for the rotax in my sled

[bigb]

On the 99-03 the most important fuel system mod is the Hutch mod. I did the Hutch/Harpoon in 09 and went with a Baldwin frame rail mounted filter/water separator. Also got rid of all the quick disconnects that suck air into the system. At that time I should have replaced or eliminated the pickup foot but at the time I didn't know they got brittle over time. Last year I pulled it apart again and replaced the foot which had broken off. I also replaced the Baldwin with a Racor PS-120. I like the idea of being able to see the fuel in case of problems but I had mixed thoughts about losing the water separating abilities of the Baldwin and the more restrictive micron rating of the Racor. However no issues so far and many are running the PS-120 with no issues. Since the 99-03 have frame rail mounted electric pumps you want to be careful about too much filtration on the suction side. Lastly I installed fuel pressure gauge in the cab. A clear fuel strainer and a pressure gauge can turn a couple of hours of troubleshooting into a couple of minutes when having issues on the road, you will know right away if it's a fuel delivery issue or something else.

[VPT]

Looks like you put a 4" down pipe off the turbo also?

My 95 had the flat (cobra head) pipe.... installed a 4" along with E-fuel and dual filters.... and a 6637 air filter... hollowed out CAT, dumps out right behind the cab....
sounds good when you are gettin on it.

the hollow cat acts as a resonator and helps with the "look at me I'm cool" sound moto is looking for....

I've wanted a 6 postion chip .... for about 25 years now,,,, but keep procrastinating.... One of these days...

Bellowed up pipes are NICE but spendy and a PITA to install... maybe someday when I pull the engine to replace the oil pan...

my dipstick adapter was 'classically' leaking so I cleaned it good and goobered the surrounding area with 2-part steel epoxy and knock on wood It's leak free for a few years now... but thats a piss/poor design if I ever saw it.

over the years, a couple glow plug relays, a couple sensors on the engine.... yada yada... little stuff...
But all said, it's a good truck.

Did the clutch after about 200k got rid of that dual mass flywheel... oh, a couple water pumps too... I recently added a coolant spin on filter..... after my last pump and coolant flush... the jury is still out if that helps any... fixin to cut open the filter someday...

Oil?
Rotella T 15w-40 OF COURSE.

Pyrometer and boost gauge are a good Idear also.... which I installed....

I need new shocks again soon..... last time I got Bilsteins and was NOT impressed... Any SUGGESTIONS??

As far as an Exhaust brake?
absolutely not. / bad idea.

but like most things, when you tell moto something, he don't listen.

so stay tuned.... this is gonna be a goodun.

Don't pull the motor to do the pan.

[VPT]

Walmart has motorcraft filters for cheap. I use rotela 15-40.

Oh yeah, the bellowed up pipes are cheap to build if you know how to weld.

[ronsii]

And sometimes walmart changing the oil/filter is actually cheaper than doing the oil/filter change yourself


But don't take a vehicle to them with a quick change drain in it.... they won't touch them... company policy.

[CAVEMANN]

If you let any of the supposed discount houses change your oil, make sure they KNOW what the proper oil is to put back in! My daughter's ex let Walmart change his oil & they didn't know what the proper oil was, they tried to sell him 5 quarts of 5w30 for his 6.0 liter powerstroke, only about almost 3 gallons short and the wrong grade.

[CAVEMANN]

Thanks for the heads up ronsi. Is there a better lift pump like air dog or would that cause the same problem? I'm concerned about my injector pump. Maybe I just need fuel pressure gauge. I've heard horror stories about lift pump going bad and then a $2,000 injector pump fix.


Moto, I like the redline fuel additive. Lowers mileage about 1 or 2 miles but is supposed to keep injectors clean. I can get kerosene from racing fuel suppliers or one store has it at the pump. If you go to hardware store, they charge extra for the can.

Powerstroke has no injector pump, they are common rail system, the injectors get relatively low pressure fuel, the HPOP supplies high pressure oil to the injectors to "pop" them when signaled by the injector module. There are other sensors involved but that is the jest of it. The last HPOP I replaced was about $800.00 for the pump, The job is pretty easy if you have any mechanical ability, replace the IPR & FPR , & the high pressure oil lines while there.

[farmersammm]

Sounds like the older Cummins motors. They didn't have an injection pump. The pump only supplies fuel to the rail, and the camshaft does the work of supplying actual pressure for the injectors. A pushrod, working off the cam, "fired" the injectors. Dunno how they make them today, but the old 855's were all cam operated.

[12V71]

Sounds like the older Cummins motors. They didn't have an injection pump. The pump only supplies fuel to the rail, and the camshaft does the work of supplying actual pressure for the injectors. A pushrod, working off the cam, "fired" the injectors. Dunno how they make them today, but the old 855's were all cam operated.

The N-14's (last of the 855's) still had the cam actuated injectors, but also had electronic control that controlled the flow and timing. One of the best engines out there if you ask me. The later ISX Cummins had overhead cam operated injectors but the fuel was controlled by a set of solenoids on the side of the engine... not so good.

[John T]

Don't pull the motor to do the pan.

why not? In those pics, yer 3/4 of the way there...

One advantage to pulling the engine is, You can turn it over and make sure 100% that the gasket surface is clean.

what kind of gasket sealer you using? The official FORD stuff?

PS, search youtube for guys that torch off the cross member/change the pan and weld the member back in.... good stuff... well.. not really.

[ronsii]

If you let any of the supposed discount houses change your oil, make sure they KNOW what the proper oil is to put back in! My daughter's ex let Walmart change his oil & they didn't know what the proper oil was, they tried to sell him 5 quarts of 5w30 for his 6.0 liter powerstroke, only about almost 3 gallons short and the wrong grade.

Sounds like you got some real winners down there Up here at the walmart you tell them exactly what you want and they do the job for a couple of bux more than it would cost you to go buy the oil and filter.

I always change my own but I know people that don't want to mess with it when you can get the exact same outcome for within a couple bucks.

[farmersammm]

The Wally World oil change is a total scam (and why wouldn't ya expect me to say that)

They keep the car long enough to allow you to go in the store to spend whatever leftover money ya got in yer pocket. Clever bastards

[ronsii]

You ain't lost all your faculties yet Sammm You figured it out real quick on how they make money doing it

[farmersammm]

[bigb]

The HEUI (hydraulic electric unit injection) system used in the 6.0 and 7.3 was developed by Caterpillar. The injector sits in a fuel rail and a high pressure oil rail, the fuel rail keeps a constant but relatively low pressure supply of fuel to keep the injector full and the oil is pressurized by the high pressure oil pump. When the electric solenoid on top of the injector is actuated it lets the high pressure oil in which activates the plunger which forces the fuel into the cylinder.

[rexcormack]

Maybe it's just me but my 2000 7.3 that I bought brand new has never been modified in any way.
It still has all of the factory original parts including the radiator hoses.
255,000 miles and runs like it did when it was new.
I was disappointed recently when I did it's regular 5000 mile oil change and it had used 1/2 quart since the previous change!
Checked the fuel mileage yesterday. 17.9 in mixed driving and very light hauling!
When you start modifying stuff is when you start having problems!

[ronsii]

Rexcormack, absolutely nothing wrong with a stock setup I know the designers and engineers spent gobs of time and money to make it work perfectly. I got my first 7.3 used and it had a hard life before I got it unfortunately ... so I figured the warranty was done anyways have always been a cutting edge kind of person too, although in hindsight I look at all the coin I dropped on stuff recommended by selfproclaimed 'diesel experts' and I could have bought a couple new trucks with it LOL!!!

[bigb]

Maybe it's just me but my 2000 7.3 that I bought brand new has never been modified in any way.
It still has all of the factory original parts including the radiator hoses.
255,000 miles and runs like it did when it was new.
I was disappointed recently when I did it's regular 5000 mile oil change and it had used 1/2 quart since the previous change!
Checked the fuel mileage yesterday. 17.9 in mixed driving and very light hauling!
When you start modifying stuff is when you start having problems!

My 02 is the same, the only things I have added mechanically are longevity improvements like gauges and extra filtration etc. New factory Lariat wheels, new mirrors and a stereo. Engine is 100% stock. I don't really want a tuner, damn few factory tuned 7.3s have ever blown up, can't say that for the aftermarket tuned ones. These were really great trucks and I feel it's a shame so many good ones are now getting sold to youngsters that are only interested in hot rodding them to death. Most don't even bother with an EGT gauge before they slap a canned tune on it and try to see how much smoke they can make.

[CAVEMANN]

Sounds like you got some real winners down there Up here at the walmart you tell them exactly what you want and they do the job for a couple of bux more than it would cost you to go buy the oil and filter.

I always change my own but I know people that don't want to mess with it when you can get the exact same outcome for within a couple bucks.

I don't really care how bad they are, they don't touch my truck, The guy this happened to was a total scumbag, got an awesome granddaughter from his relationship with my daughter, but at some point he decided it was ok to hit her, wrong thing to do and a good thing I wasn't there to see it. He's a construction welder and has blessed at least 3 other women with children that he doesn't support, just like our daughter. He gets in relationships with gals & them having no knowledge & LIES when questioned about ANYTHING, it all came back to bite him in the AZZ. He left an old Linde 200 amp welder here when he split, it became mine and was sold to cover the glasses bill he had at my wife's office. He told my daughter he wanted to make arrangements to pick up welder, she said "that's my dad's welder" & told him to take a hike.

[CAVEMANN]

We had a pair of 2001 E350 FORD AMBOS that had the 7.3, one got an engine after it dropped a valve, the other one went well over 600,000, that's what it had when I retired and it ran for several more years. That unit got a set of injectors, HPOP, FPR, IPR, NEW VALVE COVER GASKETS, UNDER THE COVER INJECTOR HARNESSES & GLOW PLUGS to fix a hard/no start problem when cold. I don't think 800k would be an unreasonable expectation from those Navistar engines.

[motolife313]

Well I think the Exhaust makes the truck drive a lot better and seems to have a lot more power. Hot pretty hard from 2500-2700. Seemed like it wasn’t out of steam ether. Kinda close to the tire. Hits the outside corner of the tire, I checked on it after about 15 miles. The tire was little warmer on the outside corner of tire but not hot. Not really much loader, maybe 15% louder. im planning on chopping off the other exhaust component up further towards the engine

[farmersammm]

Geez man, you're trashing a perfectly good truck

[mla2ofus]

I'm not gonna inquire about why you choked down the end of the exhaust!
Mike

[John T]

well i think the exhaust makes the truck drive a lot better and seems to have a lot more power. .

......
fail