I picked up a cheap 2002 with the 7.3 and some bad injectors because I had a full set of ac code injectors. Didn't realize there was a difference. The truck needs 1&8 replaced. I am going to put in split shots and then sell the new injectors separately.

What injectors do I need for the 7.3? How do I know if I need an ae?

 

You don't need an AE. 8 pieces of AD's will be just fine.

 

something wrong with just replacing the bad ones?

I need to sell it in good conscience, but the truck is a work truck. Low miles, but still a work truck.

 

AA:'94-'97 Non-California trucks. They are all 90cc injectors and are single shots.

AB: 97 California, and all Early '99 trucks. Split shot injectors that flow 130cc of fuel.

AC: Came in high torque version of the T444E and didn't come in any Powerstroke. They have the same internals as the AB injectors with the exception of the single shot plunger and barrel and are 160cc.

AD: These are found in all late '99-'03 Powerstroke and T444Es, and are a Split Shot Injector

AE: Long lead AD injector that was used to cure a "cackle" issue, and deliver more fuel to the #8 injector.

 

OK. Thanks for the help! Two reman AD injectors on their way from Riffraff diesel.

 

I'd like to see how you arrive that the AE delivers more fuel than an AD.

 

I did not arrive at such hypotheses, nor does my post indicate such. The list is self explanatory by nomenclature only, unless indicated otherwise.


The amount of fuel injected is the same in either AD or AE.


The AE Unit injects more fuel in prior to, or a "lead-time", to an injection event.


AE is reflected in the programming strategy. You may use AD in lieu of, but not AE in place of AD - No gain - waste


As far as I know, or have ever seen, AE's are in #8 on all 99.5 and later produced 7.3L for the attempted reduction of "Cackle" based on consumer complaints.


That's all

 

Wrong.

There is ZERO difference in the calibration to accommodate the installation or presence of an AE injector. Ford's "requirement" of a reflash after their dealer-installed injector did nothing more than pad the work order with another 0.3 hours for the technician and flash the latest and greatest changes to the PCM (which amounted to about nothing).

It's easy to SEE it in the calibration as well as look at it from a logical standpoint that nothing in the 7.3L control loop can control one cylinder individually from the others. Additionally, even the misfire diagnostics remain the same between a non-AE calibration and the later ones, 49- or 50-state.

 

That sounds like a Class-Action-Law-Suit to me. If, you could prove that. The requirement to flash is part of the AE Upgrade to #8 Cylinder in the TSB. I hope I haven't been defrauding people as you infer.


Edit: Article No. 00-22-1 states the AE Lead Injector will not function correctly without the appropriate PCM Recalibration.

 

You don't realize this yet, but cleatus actually knows tuning very well, and has full access to look at every bit of each calibration that Ford has released for the 7.3L. Not only that, but the software used allows for each calibration to be overlayed on top of each other so you can directly compare each one.

There is no actual tuning change for AE injectors regarding how the truck commands the injectors to fire, timing, ICP, etc.

I also used to do tuning. I know very well how the calibrations function. Cleatus is correct here. The 7.3L PCM, and resulting calibrations, cannot command each injector with different pulse widths, different ICP, different fuel pressure, different timing, etc. All 8 injectors will fire equally under the same demands. The LL injector was a mechanical change in the injector itself in order to change the pilot injection. The PCM calibrations have zero control over pilot injection.

Furthermore, it's not a class-action lawsuit. You are completely mis-quoting the TSB in which you referenced. It states the calibration update is required in order to "prevent the #8 injector from flagging a false Cylinder Contribution Test code during future diagnostic tests."

Even more.... the work was fully covered under the Ford warranty, so the customer didn't pay for the injector or calibration update anyway.

 

There are literally HUNDREDS of 7.3L calibrations out there with what amount to ZERO changes between a vast majority of those calibrations. All it takes to render one calibration "obsolete" and make the dealer suggest (or perform without consent) a reflash to the latest PCM calibration is ONE BYTE of calibration information.....and there are MANY calibrations out there that change little more than that just to make the EPA think something changed emissions-wise. For example, changing the maximum fuel limit at a certain RPM point by (arbitrary number) 2 mg/stroke (nothing) and leaving everything else the same.

As Pocket stated, the TSB was for self-diagnostics regarding #8 cylinder and contribution tests although from the BILLIONS of those on forums talking of wanting to replace #8 injector because of a code related to that cylinder regardless of calibration, we see how well that worked out anyway.

 

One other note to this to add sauce to the goose: The AE is a Band-Aid for the real problem - fuel delivery to the last cylinder on a dead-head fuel system, when that cylinder fires immediately after the one physically in front of it. The last two cylinders to fire in the order are 6 then 8... so 8 can be starved - and an air pocket right there can make cackle. There have been a few aftermarket modifications to the fuel system to correct the original sin, making the AE injector in #8 totally unnecessary.

In your case - if you know which injectors are bad, swapping them out with rebuilt ADs before sale is a perfectly viable fix. Your conscience will be clear.

 

That's your quote. Words have meaning...that's all.