Been away from here for about two years---Have a question about my 01 F250 7.3 diesal. I was contemplating a Banks Stinger plus kit but have heard a lot of negative stuff most likely due to volumn they sell. There will always be unhappy customers. My mechanic said I should just have the turbo rebuilt and beefed up by a company called Turbo-Power.com.
I figured I hit up the users here on the forum to get some feedback first. NOt looking for a race truck just some more torque towing. I have a heavy toy hauler and toys---12-13k lbs. Any advice would be appreciated.
Get a hypertek programmer, it has 3 settings with 3 being most powerful. If you don't have gauges I would reccomend, especially egt. I run mine on 2 all the time and have 0 problems. You will be impressed with the extra power.
Putting a turbo back 4" exhaust, Super Chips programmer in Tow Safe mode, A Ford AIS air intake and some gauges made my '01 a great towing vehicle. A dramatic improvement over stock.
I have modded three diesel trucks for towing in the past. First two I used off the shelf tuners/chips with "canned" tunes for better towing. First was Bully Dog, second was Edge. Both made noticeable improvements.
This truck, a 7.3 with an auto was terribly slow as a day to day driver and I was scared thinking about how it was going to tow my 9500 pound trailer. I followed the simple formula. Gauges to monitor engine parameters (egt, boost, tranny temp), a 6637 air cleaner, a 4 inch stainless exhaust. Then I had a "custom" chipped burnt for my truck and my trailer. My chip was from DP tuner. I got the following tunes that are adjustable on the fly: no start, stock, hi-idle, 60 horse tow tune, decel tune, 80 horse tow tune, 60 horse economy tune, and 80 horse economy tune.
I have hot rodded every car I have ever owned and no one modification made such an improvment than this chip did to my 7.3. it is a Day and Night difference. Trans shifts so much better, some improvement in mpg, and it WILL get out its way now. As a former owner of off the shelf tunes I am a true believer in the custom tuner now.
My tunes give me amazing choices for different situations. But since I just got my Hensley, I wont be able use my decel tune like I hoped. I will still use the decel tune for towing the bobcat or kubota on our steeldeck trailer.
Get a custom tune for your needs you will not regret it. Otherwise buy a used off the shelf tuner from craigslist from somebody who is moving up to a custom tune.
Procrastinator
* This post was
edited 03/26/12 09:52pm by Procrastinator *
2003 Ford Excursion 7.3 diesel
1984 Avion 34W triple axle no slide
Husband, Wife, Son, Daughter, Olde English Bulldog and a Great Dane
Do you have a link for the DP tuner? Is it available for '97 model 7.3 trucks? I need something to control the shifting and converter lock-up on this stupid E4OD tranny. Plus, I would like to see if I can get the turbo valve to be used as an exhaust brake, like I read about recently. I wouldn't mind some more power from the engine, but not looking to go too much on that. Don't want to sacrifice reliability.
Get your tranny built for the 7.3 yes it will cost some money but your truck will feel like a new truck. And add a 6.0 tranny cooler and you won't worry about heat anymore.
SoCalDesertRider wrote: Do you have a link for the DP tuner? Is it available for '97 model 7.3 trucks? I need something to control the shifting and converter lock-up on this stupid E4OD tranny. Plus, I would like to see if I can get the turbo valve to be used as an exhaust brake, like I read about recently. I wouldn't mind some more power from the engine, but not looking to go too much on that. Don't want to sacrifice reliability.
Head over to Holtville,CA and visit with John Wood. He can fix all your issues from the transmission to tuners. He knows Ford diesel trucks and makes a living building transmissions for them. He's a nice guy and quite informative even if you don't layout several grand for a transmission. You will know what the reasonable options are when you leave. John Wood Automotive
50 HP is about all you can add with a chip or tuner. My 97 has the following items and tow my 12,500 lb 5th wheel just fine. 4 inch bully dog exhaust and downpipe. K&N intake with Napa paper filter. TS performance 6 position chip and run it on the 50 HP all the time getting 20 hand calculated mpg. Gauge pack. I am also running 4:10 rear end gearing. The TS chip also raises shift pressures and adjusts shift points some. Not sure why you need the TC lockup. Mine stays locked up pretty well thru 3 and 4th gear.
All the above are also very good suggestions. With proper Upgrades you can get all the way up to 450 HP.
1997 Ford F250 Extended Cab, 7.3 Diesel, 8 foot bed.
Reese 16K Hitch
(Moved into Shed) Hensley Arrow
Jordan Brake Controller, Hensley TruControl Gold Shelved.
Open Range 5th Wheel, Roamer RF392 BHS
If you are going to get a tuner, get a DP-tuner. Jody @ DP-tuners writes his own tunes. This is all based on performance from traveling around the country doing shows with all his equipment - which is not trivial. His tunes keep the EGT's to a minimum with the HP/Torque increases at a Max. I dont own stock in DP or have any connections, just had a 40/80/120HP tuner for about 8 years now and love it.
Jody uses SCT tuners but they are just to communicate with the loading/changing of the tune itself.
I run the 80HP tune almost all the time. I have not changed for several years and it just keeps on runnin'. You might be very pleased with the MPG gains along with the power.
Personally I think other mods do very little unless you can afford most (if not all the best) as they compliment one another. Individually they make insignificant differences. A tuner is without a doubt the quickest way to gain lots of results in HP and torque.
There are lots of tuners and tunes out there. Select what you think is best for your needs. Always watch EGT's - they can do serious damage if not careful.
If you need tranny work see either BTS (Brians Truck Service Arkansas) or a guy in Ca John Wood. They know Ford 4R100 tranny's.
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