7.3L diesel advice

[akaFrankCastle]

Yes to everything you said above.

I just thought it was typical for a diesel. I knew they had to warm up more than a gas motor.

Don't think so. Some other 7.3 guys can chime in and confirm, but I think diesels in this day and age are supposed to behave better in the cold.

[Gunnibronco]

Im sure you are right. Just my misconception. Im looking forward to seeing how the truck starts and drives with new injectors. Im not looking forward to the parts bill.

[red75bronco]

Change to synthetic it will make a world of difference.

[akaFrankCastle]

Im sure you are right. Just my misconception. Im looking forward to seeing how the truck starts and drives with new injectors. Im not looking forward to the parts bill.

How many miles are on it?

I actually only wound up with 4 remans and 4 possible originals. Want to know how to tell the difference?



New o rings are not black.

The middle rings are off the reman injectors.



Here you can still a little pink on the inside of the large ring. That's probably a 200k o ring right there.

And the one on the left, that used to be orange, is quite crispy.

[akaFrankCastle]

I hope they work as well as they look now. Sorry. No before shots.



Also, if there is a hell I hope bin Laden is down there hard at work installing pink o-rings on 7.3 injectors. My thumbs are killing me.

[Gunnibronco]

Change to synthetic it will make a world of difference.

Just did earlier tonight. Will start it up cold tomorrow morning and see.

How many miles are on it?

190k. Right on schedule it seems.

Are you rebuilding them or just putting on new orings and installing them?

[akaFrankCastle]

Are you rebuilding them or just putting on new orings and installing them?

New o-rings and installing them. If they're crap they'll go in the mail as cores for Stage 1's.

Rebuilding is not possible without some specialized tools. There is a vise adapter required to hold the bottom portion and a special plate to bolt to the top for removing it. Additionally, they require something like 300ft/lbs of torque during reassembly.

You can find one or two videos out there showing the rebuild process. Enough to tell me I'm not interested in trying it. At least not right now.

[casadejohnson]

I bit the bullet and swapped my injectors for stage 1's. I was planning on holding out for a while but with a road trip on the horizon I just went for it. I was going to get full force diesel stage1's from Riff Raff but I really wanted the Hydra Chip and Clay does not sell it. I decided to get the injectors straight from Full Force along with the PHP hydra chip. Also, I had 12 cores and Full Force gave me additional credit for my extra cores, Injectors are the same $ either place and they are the same product. I can tell you the truck feels 100% different. Before Installing the chip, I ran it with the stock tune and new injectors and it was a significant improvement over my stockers with 235K on them. My only complaint with the hydra chip is it pumps out more smoke than I would like for daily driving but after talking with Full Force, they are setting me up with additional tunes that will be more friendly for the people driving next to me. The Hydra chip is a 17 position chip so I can keep my ridiculous 140HP smoke cloud tire eating tune for screwing around an still have good usable tunes such as high idle, towing tunes and DD tunes. The other nice thing about the hydra chip is that you can download the tunes or have them emailed to you. If I want to change the tunes on the chip, I can do it from a laptop computer sitting in the driver seat. I"m very interested in how its going to tow now, Improved towing was the goal with all of my modifications. If your on the fence about stock injector reman injectors vs stage 1's, I would invite you to test drive mine. I think the few extra dollars spent is $ well spent

[akaFrankCastle]

I bit the bullet and swapped my injectors for stage 1's. I was planning on holding out for a while but with a road trip on the horizon I just went for it. I was going to get full force diesel stage1's from Riff Raff but I really wanted the Hydra Chip and Clay does not sell it. I decided to get the injectors straight from Full Force along with the PHP hydra chip. Also, I had 12 cores and Full Force gave me additional credit for my extra cores, Injectors are the same $ either place and they are the same product. I can tell you the truck feels 100% different. Before Installing the chip, I ran it with the stock tune and new injectors and it was a significant improvement over my stockers with 235K on them. My only complaint with the hydra chip is it pumps out more smoke than I would like for daily driving but after talking with Full Force, they are setting me up with additional tunes that will be more friendly for the people driving next to me. The Hydra chip is a 17 position chip so I can keep my ridiculous 140HP smoke cloud tire eating tune for screwing around an still have good usable tunes such as high idle, towing tunes and DD tunes. The other nice thing about the hydra chip is that you can download the tunes or have them emailed to you. If I want to change the tunes on the chip, I can do it from a laptop computer sitting in the driver seat. I"m very interested in how its going to tow now, Improved towing was the goal with all of my modifications. If your on the fence about stock injector reman injectors vs stage 1's, I would invite you to test drive mine. I think the few extra dollars spent is $ well spent

For me, it's about money. If I can get away with a $100.00 set of injectors with $74.00 worth of o-rings for another year, awesome. Too many hungry mouths in my driveway for one of them to be eating a buffet.

Now, that being said...
If these sticks don't work out, things are going to get stupid around here. In a very smokey way.
Stage 1.5s
T500 HPOP
Fuel rail crossover
HP Oil cross over
Wicked wheel V 2.0
New tunes
and 4.56 gears

I don't want to go that route. But it is a necessary route in my mind. And here's my logic.
Reman injectors don't help me in the long run because of my life and tires. Additionally, I have ginormous bumpers. AND a 44 gallon fuel tank about to go into the truck in addition to the 33 gallon main. I need more power to commute effectively. Running reman injectors will only cause/exacerbate issues down the road. i.e. my HPOP will continue to struggle to meet the demands of the injectors, my turbo will log, my rear diff, driveshaft, and output shaft on the transfer case will suffer from the gearing. You see where I am going.

The T500 is not something I need to run the sticks. But, it is something I need to run the sticks AND tow. And this is something I am interested in seeing when you tow Jeremy. Your injectors are going to be hungry. How hungry, I don't know. But I would not be surprised if your HPOP has trouble keeping up with demand. Did Ryan mention anything about high pressure oil concerns when you ordered the injectors/tuner? If you are planning a big towing trip soon, it might be worthwhile to do a test run SOON. Better to find out now than on a pass somewhere.

[ZOSO]

Yes to everything you said above.

I just thought it was typical for a diesel. I knew they had to warm up more than a gas motor.

Don't think so. Some other 7.3 guys can chime in and confirm, but I think diesels in this day and age are supposed to behave better in the cold.

Mine has done this since I bought it. It only had 89k on it then and now with 127k its still the same. Even with 5w-40 synthetic.

[Gunnibronco]

16* air temp this morning, 30* engine oil temp, synthetic oil, only one injector sounded bad for the buzz test.

Glow plugs cycled for full 2 minutes & rested for the time it took to connect & do the buzz test (probably 4 minutes total), then tried to start it. Truck didn't want to start. Cycled the glow plugs for 30 seconds & it started up easily.

The buzz test alone proves the 5-40 synthetic is worth for cold weather starts.

The rest of the week, it will be plugged in for early morning departures. I"m confident it won't have trouble starting in the afternoon. It probably won't sit ALL day. I usually return to the truck & maybe move it around lunch or early afternoon.

[casadejohnson]

For me, it's about money. If I can get away with a $100.00 set of injectors with $74.00 worth of o-rings for another year, awesome. Too many hungry mouths in my driveway for one of them to be eating a buffet.

Now, that being said...
If these sticks don't work out, things are going to get stupid around here. In a very smokey way.
Stage 1.5s
T500 HPOP
Fuel rail crossover
HP Oil cross over
Wicked wheel V 2.0
New tunes
and 4.56 gears

I don't want to go that route. But it is a necessary route in my mind. And here's my logic.
Reman injectors don't help me in the long run because of my life and tires. Additionally, I have ginormous bumpers. AND a 44 gallon fuel tank about to go into the truck in addition to the 33 gallon main. I need more power to commute effectively. Running reman injectors will only cause/exacerbate issues down the road. i.e. my HPOP will continue to struggle to meet the demands of the injectors, my turbo will log, my rear diff, driveshaft, and output shaft on the transfer case will suffer from the gearing. You see where I am going.

The T500 is not something I need to run the sticks. But, it is something I need to run the sticks AND tow. And this is something I am interested in seeing when you tow Jeremy. Your injectors are going to be hungry. How hungry, I don't know. But I would not be surprised if your HPOP has trouble keeping up with demand. Did Ryan mention anything about high pressure oil concerns when you ordered the injectors/tuner? If you are planning a big towing trip soon, it might be worthwhile to do a test run SOON. Better to find out now than on a pass somewhere.

We did talk about the HPOP. I was concerned because my OBS has a less desirable HPOP than your super duty does. Reading about it, Most of the problems that people seem to have is in the Extreme tunes. In my case, I can get it to trigger a check engine light if I hammer the crap out of it in the 140HP tune because, like you said, the HPOP does not keep up with demand . The towing tunes I have are lower HP tunes so they did not seem to think it would be a problem when towing. The advantage in a super duty is that you start with a better HPOP and that you convert ( with bigger injectors) from split shot to single shot injectors which are less demanding on the HPOP. Going to stage 1.5 like you are talking might be a whole different ball game, I have not read much about them. My first impressions are that I have all the power I could want with stage 1's. I was originally going to be putting the truck to the towing test this week going to California but the truck ended up staying home because the plans changed from just me going out to the full family plus two dogs. As a result, we came out via motorhome and will take a small load back to colorado in a small trailer. Once I get home, I'll be hooking up the 5th wheel to the truck and doing some trial towing runs.

[Jesus_man]

Yes to everything you said above.

I just thought it was typical for a diesel. I knew they had to warm up more than a gas motor.

Don't think so. Some other 7.3 guys can chime in and confirm, but I think diesels in this day and age are supposed to behave better in the cold.

Mine has done this since I bought it. It only had 89k on it then and now with 127k its still the same. Even with 5w-40 synthetic.

Mine always did this too, but if I put my foot down, it would go... I could hear the extra hissing from the EBPV and I'd usually let it warm up before trying to race any ricers... But there were times I needed to go and all I had to do was put my foot on the floor! Often times guys gutted this valve tho.

IMO, Diesels do run better warmed up a bit. They don't like to be hot, but once the temp gauge comes off Cold, it seems to run normal then.

[akaFrankCastle]

Last night I completed the swap of the re-ringed injectors. Rather than try to start it with my frozen hands, i plugged in the block Heater and called it a night. This morning it fired on the second crank and idled as smooth as could be. Took it out on a 50 mile run to blow the air out of the lines and it performed better than before.

The true test will be tomorrow with the cold start.

[Colorado75bronc]

I assume that you don't need the torque wrench then? Sorry I had to work today till 5:40, I hadn't heard from you and I'm currently driving my brother in laws tiny Chevy spark, wasn't sure if it'd make it to your house safely.

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[akaFrankCastle]

I assume that you don't need the torque wrench then? Sorry I had to work today till 5:40, I hadn't heard from you and I'm currently driving my brother in laws tiny Chevy spark, wasn't sure if it'd make it to your house safely.

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Nope. I'm good. I whipped out the HF 1/4" drive, calculated what I needed in in/lbs for my ft/lbs requirement, tested on an injector bolt I had not removed yet.

Thanks though.

[akaFrankCastle]

Third attempt to start and it fired right up. Previous two might have been residual air in the oil rails or the position of the tuner.

I drove it yesterday and parked it around 1:30. Oil temp showed 26*F before I made the first crank attempt. No block heater last night.

I think I finally solved my cold start issue.

[Colorado75bronc]

Nice!

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[Eck]

Congrats! Should make this winter a little easier.

[akaFrankCastle]

I'm towing the 73 to Missouri next week. That will be a good test to see how much difference the injectors make.

[Eck]

I'm towing the 73 to Missouri next week. That will be a good test to see how much difference the injectors make.

What's the 73 going to be doing in Mizzou?

[akaFrankCastle]

What's the 73 going to be doing in Mizzou?

Leading the way for the other two as a part of our eventual move back to the Show Me State.

I'd toyed with the idea of moving it last and trying to get the body work done so I can sell it here. But I just don't see myself having the time to do it. And it will bring more money back in the rust belt.

[akaFrankCastle]

17* this morning and the truck fired right up after 0:30 of glow plugs.

Wish I had replaced those damn injectors years ago.

[Jesus_man]

Good work! Feels good!

[cravenbronco]

Here is one. I have a 97 7.3 and when I add a load to the truck it doesn't pull worth a crap but then I run it by its self and it runs great. I have taken it to 3 shops and they all said that it is fine no codes nor any problems. I am confused. I have a 95 with the same engine and when loaded it will pull at 55-60 mph up hill. The 97 drops down to 30 mph with same load going up the same hill.
What could be causing this problem ? Any ideas ?

[akaFrankCastle]

Here is one. I have a 97 7.3 and when I add a load to the truck it doesn't pull worth a crap but then I run it by its self and it runs great. I have taken it to 3 shops and they all said that it is fine no codes nor any problems. I am confused. I have a 95 with the same engine and when loaded it will pull at 55-60 mph up hill. The 97 drops down to 30 mph with same load going up the same hill.
What could be causing this problem ? Any ideas ?

What's your mileage on both trucks? Gauges installed?

Off the top of my head I would guess you've got a boost leak on the 97. The Super Dutys were conveniently fitted with an insulating, reflective sheet behind the block. If you keep it clean you can easily spot leaks when it starts to get sooty.

[Justin_Turner]

You probably have a manifold leaking or up pipes so you have loss of ex pressure so it's not spooling your turbo very well or your hpop is going out and dropping pressure when your trying to give er more throttle to go up the hill if you guys have any questions or work that needs done I can do it I've been working on powerstrokes for along time I have 2 97s and a 96 one 97 is a very built sled pull truck


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[cravenbronco]

Here is one. I have a 97 7.3 and when I add a load to the truck it doesn't pull worth a crap but then I run it by its self and it runs great. I have taken it to 3 shops and they all said that it is fine no codes nor any problems. I am confused. I have a 95 with the same engine and when loaded it will pull at 55-60 mph up hill. The 97 drops down to 30 mph with same load going up the same hill.
What could be causing this problem ? Any ideas ?

What's your mileage on both trucks? Gauges installed?

Off the top of my head I would guess you've got a boost leak on the 97. The Super Dutys were conveniently fitted with an insulating, reflective sheet behind the block. If you keep it clean you can easily spot leaks when it starts to get sooty.

The 95 has 120,000 and the 97 has close to 200,000 on it
I do keep my engine clean on both. I looked at the down pipe and right behind it it keeps getting black is that a loose connection ?

[akaFrankCastle]

Yes. You've likely got the leaky up pipes that Justin mentioned. Your exhaust pushing the wheel on your turbo helping to shove air into the cylinders. If your up pipes leak, it's not getting enough exhaust to help force air.

This is probably only one of a few issues you are experiencing, but a good place to start.

[ZOSO]

well my luck on a good running 7.3 I think is over. Lost what I believe is the turbo. wont know until I can tear it out and rip it apart.