One mod? One mod only? Exhaust. MBRP 4" turbo back with muffler

 

Don't cheap out on your intake. Getting a no-name filter from Jegs might work ok right now, but it could lead to dusting issues down the road, ruining your turbo, and if done long enough, your engine.

For the same reasons, K&N filters are frowned upon on because of dusting issues.

The AFE Big Boost is just a cleanable version of the 6637 and will pay for itself over time, but if you don't wanna go that route, the 6637 will work well.

Going from the 3.5" stock exhaust to a 4" aftermarket exhaust, along with a quality intake, work well together. They both work well to help the engine breath better and lower EGT's. Doing one without the other won't really show you much, and without gauges, you really won't be able to measure much.

Stewart

 

Totally agree. Getting your diesel to breath better will alone improve hp, lower temps, and might get you an mpg or two.

off topic here is a pic of the stock cd changer...

 

Stewart

 

The edge problems were with the juice w/attitude if I recall. I know others with the evolution2 canned tunes that have no problems with shift strategies or tranny problems. Although I have heard many times that the weak link on the 7.3 Ex is the tranny so it would not suprise me if you hear about tranny problems no matter what you do......... tunes may just accelerate the issue. When my tranny goes I will lean towards blaming the mileage (172k +) vs. the tunes.

 

Ah! Gotcha.

Still, your tunes aint canned...MUCH better!

Stewart

 

I got my 6637 from RiffRaff. It was a few minute bolt in affair. I highly recommend it instead of piecing together a kit. I am doing exhaust next. On my 7.3, I changed the fuel filter and oil and run Power Service fuel treatment at every fill up. Double check all of your intercooler boots for tightness. Check your pinion seal for leakage. Other than that, just drive the thing.
I bought a cheap used Superchips tuner from a buddy and am running it for now. I too am on the fence about exhaust. My factory muffler at 150,000 miles has soot buildup along the bottom seam where it is leaking.

 

couldn't upload a pic of the CD changer as a pm, so posted it of one of his threads. Probably did raise a few eyebrows,,, where the heck did that come from left field???

 

I just found a Banks Big Hoss, Level 5 120hp 233 lb-ft module for sale here locally? What are your thoughts on this module, I have no idea... He is asking $200, I plan on contacting Banks to see what all is involved in changing the modules catch code...

Oh and I have decided to go with RiffRaff's 6637 conversion, and if this programmer works out I will be under budget, which means EXHAUST!! Granted this all works out....

 

Banks is a bad word in the 7.3 diesel forum. You won't find many guys with any Banks stuff because the stuff available for our trucks from other sources are so much better than Banks, for less price.

Lotta marketing, lotta cost, little product.

I was at a diesel shop a couple years back, just gabbin with the owner, when the owner/mechanic of another shop walks in and asks the diesel shop owner for help replacing a small plastic part.

He handed the part to the diesel shop owner who laughed and said, what a cheap azz POS part. Looks like it's something Banks would use.

The owner/mechanic laughed and said, "Damn, how did you know?"

Not all of his stuff is crap. Banks does have a lot of good stuff out there, but man does he overcharge for it.

Save your money and do it right the first time. I understand you're on a budget (aint we all?), but save your money until you can afford custom tunes from the guys people respect.

This is all JUST my opinion. Some guys might say go for it...not me.

Stewart

 

get a Walker BTM for your exhaust and pocket the money you saved on exhaust for a tuner from Jody at DP. You will be hard pressed to get better tunes anywhere for a 7.3. The actual difference in gained drops in EGT, back-pressure and gains in MPG are immeasurable between the stock 3.5" and a complete expensive 4" turbo-back, so I'm not a big fan of spending big money on exhaust on an Ex. BTDT.
Intake-wise, I love a 6637. Some folks don't.
Golden rule- don't tune your 7.3 until it has gauges, period.

After these three upgrades, change out your front springs and mod your rears, get a Helwig rear stabilizer bar, and Landyots if you experience wrap. Otherwise get some riderite Airbags, and some Rancho adjustable, Bilstein, or Monroe Reflex shocks (here comes an argument), and you're done. If you're a tall guy, some 2wd rear window lifts might save a divot or two in your forehead. Bigger wipers, gas tank mods, regulated return..... oh boy, you asked for one mod........

 

Heck no shirtboxd, thanks man! Yea I will look into gauges asap!
Wow, no banks then I would be evicted from here. Ha ha ha

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate all of your feedback! This is exactly what I needed!

 

Alright boys gauges are on their way!!

 

jared- one other mod, and well worth it, is to change out your trans cooler for the 6.0L PSD cooler used on the '03-05 Excursion. Since you stated you're going to be towing, and considering the heat in your area of the country, I would definitely add it to your 'top 5' list. The drop in trans temps with this cooler is dramatic, to say the least.
You can find weeks worth of reading on the swap here or anywhere on the net.
Jim

 

For what it's worth, I had a chip that plugged into the pcm on my 02 ex when I bought it. The guy before me had the truck for over 2 yrs and always had it in. It gave significant boost in h.p. and I used it for a short time before going with the edge evo2. It is just sitting in a drawer collecting dust so if you want it make me a reasonable offer and you can have it. Bill over at php couldn't identify it but said there were many chip makers floating around at the time. send me a pm and I can email you a pic of the thing if your'e interrested.