I hv just purchased my first diesel truck so i have lots to learn, which means lots of questions...03 f250 6.0 powerstroke


who is running the bullydog and is it worth the money?? i have heard a few rumors that it doesnt work well with the early 6.0 and causes more issues than its worth any onput on this greatly appreciated...

 

I'm running the Bully Dog Triple Dog Power Pup, and have been for about 80K miles now. I run it on Extreme with smooth shifting, and I absolutely love it. I have a 2004 powerstroke with 113K miles on it. Here's my top 3 list of mods in order of importance with this motor (personal opinion):

1) EGR Delete
2) Turbo-back exhaust (anything greater than or equal to 4")
3) Tuner/Gauge combo (NOTE: DO NOT BUY A TUNER WITHOUT GAUGES. If you can't afford both at the same time, buy the gauges first. You can and will destroy this motor if you don't watch your EGT's, TT's, and Boost. Do some research...there are a lot of people with a lot of different opinions. I run the Bully Dog because it works for me, and at the time I didn't have the money to afford SCT. Most probably run SCT, and have great experiences with it. Just do your research...and take care of your truck. Maintenance is number one. Also, I run Sea Foam or Diesel Kleen every fill-up. Take care of her and she'll run forever!)

hope this helps.

 

thnx wilson.....it has 4" pipe all the way back w out cats and silverline tip, also has the pillar w exhaust temp gauge and boost gauge....the egr has been bypassed..

the triple gt is the one i am looking at, and i am also looking at the k&n cold air inake..

 

Good. Looks like you are on the right track! How's the tranny running stock? That should be a factor when deciding tuners. Also, what's your budget? Any specific reason you want to go with Bully Dog?

CAI-With the 6.0's, from the hundreds of hours i have spent on here reading, an intake with these trucks won't give you much advantage, if any (I get the feeling I might get overruled on this, but opinion will vary). This is one thing that Ford got right on the 6.0's. The intake valve is well over-designed, and in MY personal opinion, an aftermarket CAI for the 6.0's is not necessary (the 6.4 is a different story however). However they look cool, and if you can hear the air intake over the roar of your engine and exhaust, I would be surprised.

Also, I can't preach enough about fuel additives (not the cheap ones)...especially since all gas stations are required to carry ULSD now. They will keep your injectors and engine lubed and clean. It's like brushing your truck's teeth...you will prevent cavities and serious damage in the long run.

 

as far as bullydog that the name i have always heard, this is my first diesel and have had it for 4 days...dont know of any other brand..

as far as the cai i dont know that just what i hv been told, i am not wanting this to be a race truck i just want to optimize fuel mileage, and figured the cai w k&n would help even more..

tranny seems to be fine and strong , i have hammered down on it several times including the test drive, seems good...

also i will not be pulling anything heavy, just a flatbed trailer occasionally...

wilson--did you see my other post abt the steering? thats my other issue...

 

Teds, welcome to the site, congrads on the new to you truck. Some other items that are food for thought. 1. How many miles are on the truck? . 2. A very good mod is a Dieselsite coolant filter. I have had mine for 5 years/85K, flushed regularly and still had a oil cooler clog recently. I only found it when I installed 4 new gauges over mirror. ECT,EOT,fuel pressure and voltage. I have EGT,Boost and TT on pillar. I found a 40-45 degree spread on ECT/EOT. When your EGR was done, did they replace the oil cooler? As Wilson said, do your maintenance, don't skimp on cheap oil and filters and use the Diesel Kleen. I run a Diablo Predator at 40HP tow and 60 normal driving since new and have been happy with it. I also run an Air Raid CAI since new and my turbo looks great. Keep it clean and oiled. Lots of great info/advice on here and the 6.0 forum.

 

thnx....125k.........i dont know on the cooler....he looked at the turbo and said it looks good..

 

Ted, Big Red 5205 is EXACTLY right. I also have a Dieselsite coolant filter. That would be my number two on the list (sorry it slipped my mind...thanks big red!), and it's not too expensive. These trucks are notorious for failing egr coolers and oil coolers...unfortunately it's especially common in your year truck (read up on it...). However, the coolant filter setup is an easy fix if not too much damage has already been done to your oil cooler.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but the reason for the coolant filter installation, in summary, is the radiators were cast in sand or sand blasted when they were manufactured, and overtime will corrode violently due to excessive heat and people tending to use anything other than motorcraft coolant as well as tuners causing consistent engine heat (by higher than designed RPMs) over long periods of time. This corrosion leads to sand particles and rust in coolant system. Your oil cooler has a net to filter the coolant flowing through it, and ultimately becomes clogged by these particles and fails. Even with an extensive, repetitive coolant flush, unfortunately these puppies still fail, as Big Red mentioned. You need to look into all of this information. it is vital to the health of your truck.

Lastly, the turbo is the power and the punch of your truck. Running fuel additives and keeping your engine components/turbo clean and lubed as Big Red said are the key to a strong and successful 6.0 experience.

As far as the tuner is concerned, research, research, research. As Big Red said, there's so much quality information on this forum, and everyone has a different truck with different experiences and expectations. Before jumping into a tuner, I recommend first try to decided what you want/expect out of the truck and go from there with your research. It has worked for me...

Oh yeah, and congrats on the truck as well...the best/worst decision you have ever made. Best because you won't ever want anything else...worst because it's your new money pit. You will always want more...the more you read and the more knowledge you attain, the more you will want. To each his own. Good luck!

p.s...yes i responded to your steering.

 

Teds before you make any decision on a tuner you NEED to drop into the 6.0 forum and read up on custom vs. Canned tuning as the failure rates on canned tuning is much higher due to numerous factors, a custom tuning option is SCT I've been running on that for 94k of my 97k miles for 450.00i have a library of nearly 30tunes I can run! At my pleasure and if my shift points are not quite right Matt corrects them and emails me the file, if I am making too much smoke! Same thing, my truck is tuned exactly to my driving needs, you don't get that from bully dog, ect..., also keep in mind that cylinder pressure will kill a 6.0 fast and custom tuners know how to set the injection duration and pulse to make maximum power with minim pressure to prevent you from requiring a $4000.00 head stud job I'm not shilling for any tuner use who you are comfortable with, I just feel this is a very important issue and wanted you to have both sides, good luck and enjoy the new ride!
Jim...& fat Monty

 

jim thnx for that info....happened to just get off phone w friend of a friend and he basically said the same abt the 6.0 and the head studs...so now i am leery of the BD.... he said he was running an edge tuner (900) and a afe CAI (800) and 4" exhaust from the turbo...

which one are you talkin abt.....???? see here
http://www.sctflash.com/showproducts.php

 

You should be looking into places like innovative, and Spartan, Elite these guys KNOW the 6.0 and how to make it live with power that's awesome fro me a stock block, read some of the threads on the 6.0 forum call and talk to the guys at innovative and elite look at Spartans phalanx, then make an educated choice on who and what tuning, the SCT product you're looking at is their canned tune while slightly better than most, it's still a one size fits all, and the custom products must be purchased from the tuners. Hope this helps
Jim...& fat Monty

 

places like innovative, and Spartan, Elite these guys KNOW the 6.0

are these guys members here or businesses?

 

This^

You'll find the Bully Dog will probably be the last tuner they recommend for the 6.0l. (Or any Ford really) There is a reason for that and a reason Innovative and Sparten are mentioned a lot.

 

They are businesses that are dedicated to primarily the power stroke diesel performance!

 

started new thread in 6.0............... ?? tuners ??