I'm quickly learning, that nuthins easey with the F250's.

I need to tow my boat & tandem trailer, which is why I bought the 2004 F250 CC 4x4 7.3 PSD with R400 Auto trans & 60,000 miles on it!

I am thinking to do some mods to it to allow me to tow with it!

It took me a week of ringing around every brake specialist in town to ascertain that none of them wanted to add the vaccuum breaking system I needed to match the boat trailer setup! I got all sorts of excuses from - "it's too large to fit on our hoist" to something about no vacuum under the bonnet needing a vaccuum pump and whether the ABS module was separate from the master cyclinder and if theres a spare port on the master cylinder yada yada yada.

Ends up a crowd called Ftruck shop in the nearest major city (Perth) said they would do it! I said - fine - while your at it would you like to add a 250 litre (55 Gallon) long range fuel tank underneath in place of the 113 litre (24 Gallon) tank?

Sure they said - Bring it in Thursday!
So I did!

Thursday afternoon an hour before quit time I ring & ask hows it going?...

"ahhh...not finnished - lots of problems installing vacuum breaks - engineering & manufacturing special brackets to install all the various pumps and so on, we will need it tomorrow as well!"

Great - Missus & I are stuck in the city overnight with two kids at home 60 miles away and no one to look after them! So we got round that with a couple phone calls to friends & neighbours. Come the end of Friday afternoon when I go to pick up the F250...they still arent quite finnished the brakes, and havent yet started the long range fuel tank install!

To be fair the guy who did the brakes install was a heck of a nice guy - workin hard on his own, because they have so much work booked, and he did a really neat job, couldn't ask for better! Lovelly brackets etc all installed very neat! However he's having a heck of a time finding a small vacuum leak, on just ONE damn connection somewhere - meaning that if he leaves the fuse in for the vaccuum pump - and I don't drive the car for a week - that the leak down of vaccum will cause the pump to cycle every 5 or 10 minutes and over a long period drain the start batterys!

Anyway by now it's Friday 6 PM, everyone else has knocked off, and gone home and we agree to take her as she is, leave the fuse out so the vaccuum breaks arent operable (because I'm still rebuilding the trailer and don't need them straight away anyway!).

$3000+ for the brakes install, and it's not yet finnished! Says he will bring his dyes to work and trace the vaccuum leak - when he installs the LR fuel tank next week or so, as soon as they can fit me back in again!!

Soooo

I would like a heck of a lot of "other things" done as well...mainly to the auto trans to try and preserve her for towing work...

I am thinking:-

1. Deep Transmission Pan with cooling fins!
2. Additional Trans Oil Cooler
3. External Trans Oil Filter with Bypass
4. Trans Temp, Pyro & Boost Gauges Kit (Can't find a RH Drive A Pillar moulding online for the gauges install!) anyone know where to source one?

5. Towing Mirrors
6. Bonnet Protector
7. Wheel Arch Flares
8. Sun Visor with Clearance Lights
9. Billet Grille
10. Chrome Door Handles & Fuel Door
11. Euro LED Tail Lights

12. Aftermarket Frantz & Centrifuge Oil Filters for the 7.3 engine

13. Rare Earth Nyobium Magnet strap bands on ALL engine and Tranny Filters including OME.

I am NOT intending to chip the engine! (at this point in time!).

What I'm worried about is - with the track record so far, this company might need my truck for a whole damn month to do all this stuff, and I honestly believe I could PROBABLY do most of it myself, following the "destructions" in some of the posts on here!

My weak area's are in electricals...I'm a better plumber than I am electrician! Least you can see where water leaks!

Also - there are some mechanical / engineering type things I can't do - welding for example! (I was a Carpenter Joiner & Cabinet/Furniture maker for 20 years, so if F 250's were made of wood I'd be set!)!.

I have reasonable tools, trolley jacks, stands, air guns etc - but for example with the Pyro gauge install - I'd be a clamp guy installed thru the exhaust pipe rather than a drill and tap the exhaust manifold type guy, even tho I have tap & die sets - they are cheap chinese junk and I wouldn't risk ruining a cast manifold, but I could probabaly drill a hole in a exhaust pipe and not foul it up!

If I give my truck to these spanner twisters in Perth at the F truck shop again - I might not see it for another month with the way they work!

When we were there - every clients vehicle parked outside in their gated yard with electric security fence had 4 flat tyres! Someone had broken in at night over the weekend, by climbing a neighboring factory roof, and shinneyed down a tree growing inside the yard, to unbolt a distributor from a gasser engine outside, and while there, knifed every single offroad 4x4 tyre on every clients vehicle they could find!
I would say 20 odd tyres worth variously $350 each...

Owner tells me his insurance won't cover it and each clients insurer has to make good on each vehicle..and that customers hopefully won't lose their "no cliams" bonus, AND that the insurers are "pro rata" assessing every tyre and offering % of replacement cost dependant upon existing wear!

I would have thought - the reparers insurer should cover the losses since they were in his care?. Or at least make up the wear loss difference for his clients but not so!

I get the feeling they have made an "enemy" somewhere along the line - they said it's the 3rd time in recent months it's happened to them!

I just have a "bad feeling" going back there - the lengthy delay with the brakes - the expense - the not getting the LR Tank done (They couldn't have put a 2nd mechanic onto it?)...

I mean the quote to supply and install the LR fuel tank was $25oo, they woulda had over $6000 outta me for one days work that took two days, if they pulled their finger out!

Should I go back?

I'm in the middle of the boat trailer rebuild, and wanted to continue on with that - but I might be better doing the rest of the F250 jobs myself maybe, as soon as the trailer is finnished!!

Opinions?
Go back? - don't go back?
Go with ALL the listed mods? - Don't go with some, go with others?

Cheers & Thanks! next edition war & peace tomorrow!
As stated - nuthin's ever easey with F250's!

 

All that and no mention of the best mod of all.....a trailer hitch.

 

Yeah ya got me!

Already have a 2 inch solid barstock steel draw bar fitted with a 70 Mm (2 & 3/4 inch) Tow ball - as well as Load leveler / anti sway bars! It's rated to pull 4500 Kilo's (10,000 pounds) but my boat & Trailer together weigh 3500kilos' (7500 pounds) made up of 700 kilo's (1500 pounds) for the tandem trailer, and ~ 2800 kilos (6000 pounds) lightship for the boat!



My 4.2 manual turbo diesel land cruiser really struggles with this load!
I am hoping the F250 will not know it's back there!

Cheers!

 

Flywest ...
If you're "only" towing 7500 pounds (and it being a boat, much more aerodynamic than a travel trailer) then I think you would be okay with a larger trans cooler and a trans temp gauge. It's how I went for awhile (towing my 9000lbs 5th wheel camper) because I didn't have the cash for the rest.
I didn't even think about your RH drive issue and gauge pods. You could email some of these vendors in the states if they have any ideas. Otherwise a pod above the mirror may be the easiest...
Isn't it summer in your side of the world now?

 

Ha i like to read austrailian words, your verbage and how everything flows, it's just fun to read. The cost of life down there probably has to be at least twice of what it is here in the states. That is a very expensive cost for what the guy did.

For the gauges, they are angled toward the "passenger side" of your truck, which would be facing the driver, here in America. It would be harder to see as the gauges do not point straight outwards, they are on an angle. If your dash and instrument panel is the same, just on the right side, you could get a replacement bezel that fits in the left and right lower corner of the instrument cluster. Then you can get a single pod that replaces the upper-half of the plastic cowling on the steering column. That should be easy to get.

 

Kris is correct as usuall! Purchase the guage pod that mounts to your steering column and you shouldn't have a problem. Also purhcase a tranny cooler like this one: https://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=205 and you should be fine. I noticed you don't want to "chip" your truck but you might want to consider talking with Jody at DP Tuner. I have the 40HP tow mode and my tranny temp never went above 160 degrees F on my last trip out to the desert towing a Toybox in 85 degree F weather! I was able to pass others going uphill which is always nice!

 

I can set you up with everything you need never shipped parts to Australia but i sent my mustang there a few years back and that wasnt to bad. Give us a call and i will see what we can do for you.

 

My 4.2 manual turbo diesel land cruiser really struggles with this load!
I am hoping the F250 will not know it's back there!

Cheers![/QUOTE]

Flywest...your F250 will NOT know it's back there.....Once you finally get it all sorted out, you'll be happy.....

 

Thanks Indeed for the offer LI PerformanceDiesel

I've placed an order - for a Transmission Oil Bypass Filter Kit, lets see how it goes - had a little difficulty fooling your online orderingsystem with phone numbers and post codes because we have different numbers of digits - but with any luck - it will make it thru with the help of the postal pixies!

Cheers & Beers for a Happy New Years!!

 

I wish they had thoughs 4.2 manual turbo diesel land cruiser in the states...DIESEL is the only way too go!!!!

 

Truley - the Manual turbo diesel cruiser, is a magnificent vehicle for what it can do!

I have hauled my boat (7500lbs), thousands of kilometers with it - and really it is asking just too much of whats otherwise a most capable vehicle!

I bought the F250 to tow the boat, so as not to destroy the cruiser by asking too much of it!

I kept the cruiser for my eldest lad as a "backup" in case I ever have trouble hauling with the F250 - the cruiser can take over if needed!

Many moms and pops who retire and do the "12 months drive around Australia holiday thing used turbo diesel cruisers for the job!

Even today...15 years after it was built, they are hard to find (many more were built in auto trans config but the 5 speed overdrive manual is a tough find) , and today they still command secoind hand prices downunder in the high 20K low 30K range with over 100,000 miles on them for ones that haven't been abused!

The newest cruiser due out for you guys in 2007 and us in 2008 is purported to be even better!

You can see pics and details of the new yet to be released twin turbo intercooled 4.4 litre V8 Diesel Cruiser putting out 268 Hp and 600Nm of torque at this link to my forums!

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Fly_West/...?showtopic=294



Undergoing secret testing in Oman back in August this year!

Cheers!

 

hmmm.... pyro goes into the turbo inlet pipe just before the turbo, not a manifold. It's accesible from underneath but added secutity can be had by removing the entire pipe... then theres no worries about shavings getting into the turbo.

I've heard different arguments about tranny cooling... BD told me not to add an aux cooler becasue it could 'overcool' your tranny and be bad. I have a hard time swallowing that. My tranny is often 0F or below when I start, an additional cooler can't be worse than that. Overheating can though... They ship they're tranny's with a oversize pan though.

The anti-pan guys say all an oversize pan does for you is hold more hold fluid, and once it gets hot it just takes longer to cool down.

Personally, I like the big pans and cooler, I'd run both as well.

For gauges, maybe a dash mount would work... one that mounted on top of the dash. I think the pillar mounts obstruct the view anyways. All the dash ones block is your view of the hood.

As far as going back to a buisness, I obviously can't give you any experience with that shop, but I can share that I try to follow my gut, if I have the not-so-fuzzy feeling I steer the other way. Usually if I have a bad feeling about something then do it anyways it turns out bad. Guess you'll have to learn your own instincts.

 

hmmm... how much is 600nM in ft/lbs? my physics conversion on the fly is a bit rusty...
268hp and TT is reasonable though!

 

200 Kilowatts!

I think the problem we would have downunder is the diorect opposite to what you might have in Alaska! Where keeping the block warm and temps up high enough to start and run is theproblem - down here often enough the problem is keeping things cool in our summer heat when towing!!

It's not uncommon to get temps of 43 (109.4f) or even 45 (113f) Degrees Celcius, thats shade temp - add the fact your driving along a black bitumen road where the heats absorbed over the course of the day and reflected back up off the road and operating temps approaching 50 - 60 degrees C (122f - 140f) become possible!

Most car radiators - under pressure boil water at about 120F (48.9C)....so you can see that we commonly TOW heavey things like Caravans and boats in temps approaching the maximum heat tolerance of these vehicles - where cooling systems failures are the norm.

We do indeed operate at the exact opposite of the scale to what you experience with extreme cold!

We are operating at the extremes for which these things are designed to operate - the fcat they CAN operate at BOTH extremes is testament to the design brief the engineers start out with!

For example I've never seen in my life a vehicle here with a block heater to plug in and keep the block warm for early morning starts! No one inports them - there would be no point - that feature would never get used!

So - while larger capacity Tranny Pan and Cooler might be superflous in Alaska , due to not allowing the fluids to heat up to normal operating temps quickly enough, - if they were to allow us to shed heat quicker in extreme temps - then they might be a lifesaver!

Thats my take on it....

Anyone have any real world data from somewhere that gets HOT (Texas?) on the temp reductions associated with deep pans and larger oil coolers for Auto trans and if they work when towing - to keep fluid temps below 165f (73C)??

I know that down here - in ther heat, often the turbo and air conditioning HP demand and small radiators designed more for european needs, are what tips the scales on imported ehicles in terms of being able to cope with our heat when towing!

We are a desert nation & even tho we live oon the coastal fringe - there are a great many places where the desert meeets the sea, so when we "drive north" for some remote fishing spots - we essentially tow in desert conditions, not unlike those the troops experience in Iraq to give you some idea!

Thankfully there are no mountains as such here, pretty much it's flat going the length and breadth of this pizza!

Cheers!

 

I understand and agree with everything but that statement. Plain water boils @ 212f (100C) and pressure increases the boiling boint, right? Mixture with glycol and lubricants affects it, but I forgot which way. IIRC it lowers the thermal capacity (bad), prevents freezup (good here, not important there), protects against corrosion and lubricates moving bits (also good), but I don't think it cuts the boiling point in half.... does it?

Anyways, theres been several people that have added the trucool 4739 (maybe the # is wrong) and/or the 6.0 cooler and posted before and after tranny temps, all had good results. Curious as to which tranny cooler the '04 7.3 has... little bitty one like mine or the massive ones the '04 ones here got? Probably the same inadequate ones we got.

If you do a pan I've been very impressed with the mag-hytech unit, looks and fits nice, finned for cooling and adds 7 quarts capacity.