First I've gotta introduce myself, I've been on this forum awhile, but not over here in the powerstroke area.

My name is Stephen, and I'm a machinist, welder, and blacksmith. While I know my way around an engine somewhat, I'm definitely not a mechanic, and much more used to my older I6 engine than these big ole diesels.

Just last week I picked up a 2000 F250. It's a 7.3 PowerStroke (obviously).

It's got 448K on the odometer, but starts and runs beautifully. I had my mechanic check it over a couple days ago, and he told me that it seems solid overall. A couple small oil leaks, but nothing more than you'd expect for that mileage.

As far as he could tell the engine had never been removed, and I can't find any rebuild records in the Ford service history or CarFax, so I assume the engine has never been rebuilt. I can't tell if the transmission has been rebuilt or not, but I'd honestly be surprised if it'd made it this long without.







I grew up with my dad having a 99 F350, so I've been around the powerstroke plenty, but never done much work on it myself, and he'd never really worked on so I'm rather new to it still.


Now, onto the questions.


#1 - Gauge Cluster illumination and signal lights.

Several of these are out, so I'm going to be replacing all of them. I ordered the LED bulbs I needed, but am not sure about one thing. LED's are polarity sensitive, so if they're put in backwards then they won't work. And they subsequently need to be removed and flipped 180. How do I now if they don't illuminate though? For example, I won't know if the SES light doesn't illuminate because I can't intentionally turn it on. Only thing I can come up with is to be very sure that I install every single LED the same direction. Then if none come on I know to flip them all. But is there a way I can turn on all the lights and double check?


#2 - Code scanner and OBDII adaptor.

I realize this has been discussed alot, with people reccomending ForScan, TorquePro, etc. But my question is what the purpose is? Is all this only for when I need to scan codes, or does this let me see information about the engine whilst running? Is it it useful enough I ought to look into this, or is more for the tuning crowd? (this truck is only going to be a daily driver/occasional horse or hay hauler. Probably won't be doing any tunes, mods, etc.)


#3 - EGT Gauge and Transmission cooler.

I've seen plenty of recommendations for these add-ons across the diesel interwebs, but will they add any value for me (Once again, not heavy use. Mostly daily driving and occasionally hauling the horse trailer, etc) Or are these additions only important for those who are running their trucks harder?


#4 Severe Duty air filter?

The truck currently has an aftermarket air cleaner on it, but due to the poorly thought out positioning of it, my mechanic told me I should return it to stock. I have the stock air cleaner, and its the oval severe duty style. When purchasing these already fairly expensive filters, is there really much difference between a $50 filter and a $100 filter? I'm leaning towards the cheaper one... Really can't see the extra $50 worth of value for my purposes.



I'm sure there'll be more questions as time progresses, but I think that's it for now. Thanks ya'll!

 

My thoughts on what I can help with. Motors last forever if cared for, tranny I can't help you with but that is a long time for one or even two rebuilds to go.

Scanners can monitor many of your engine's functions while driving and will be essential in diagnosing problems.

I don't think you need EGT or tranny cooler for typical use (others may feel differently) unless that is a heavy horse trailer you are pulling.

The AIS sever duty air filter comes with high recommendations from many people. It looks similar to the OEM filter but is better. The OEM is prone to breakage and lets dirt in.

Congratulations and good luck with your truck.

 

Yeah, I don't know how many, if any, rebuilds the transmission has had, but I know the transmission on my dads F350 went out at like 150K. Either way, it seems to shift fine, and has no noticeable problems if any. We'll see as time progresses. I have a local transmission shop that can do the rebuild for something like $1500 (half of what I paid for the truck, lol) whenever it does go out.

And no, the horse trailer won't be that heavy. It'll most likely not see much more than a 5,000-6,000 LB two horse. It may occasionally go higher, but that'd be on a gooseneck hitch.

 

Welcome to Powerstroke brotherhood.
Looks like you got most of it figured, as to the air filter is it the 6637 Napa/Donaldson air filter? I'd so they are great filters, so is the Ford AIS, which looks like you have.
The tranny last long time if maintained and strap a huge cooler thru it. My obs still has the OEM tranny (look at SIG) only thing replaced was the TC a while back due to my mods.

 

There are many here who use their smart phones or Tablets. I'm just learning them now. Do a search for Torque Pro or Forscan. You'll be surprised at all the information. Just about anything your PCM monitors can be displayed any time anywhere.



EGT's are definitely necessary to prevent damage. Especially applicable to anyone who Tows.


The Transmission Coolers are adequate. But they're 16 or more years old. Many use the 6.0L Cooler. At a minimum you'll want one rated to tow Class III and above.

I can't speak to the LED you mentioned. However, your list is comprehensive, well thought, and I would say necessary for your intended use.

#4 Severe Duty air filter?


The original OEM Stock (if that what you have) doesn't even make a good paperweight. They crack, cave in, leak dust..... ruining components like the turbo.


I prefer the Donaldson AIS as a MINIMUM.

 

I'm sorry, I wasn't completely clear about the air cleaner.

A previous owner had taken off the complete air cleaner box, and put on an aftermarket.

My mechanic told me that the positioning of the aftermarket wasn't doing me any favors, as it was having to suck up all the hot air from right beside the engine.

I have the stock air cleaner box, and plan to reinstall it, but I have to get a filter for it before I do. From what I see, even the cheap ones are pricey ($50ish), and there's a lot of range in prices. And I don't know if it's worth paying $100 for a filter compared to the $50 one.

 

I understand what you're saying. And, I must agree with your Mechanic.


Be aware, the OEM Stock Box on these trucks took a Flat Filter. The Box's are notorious for allowing dust into the Turbo. There are some here who have Mudded theirs with a big truck filter. I'm going to let someone else provide that number as I don't know.


The Donaldson AIS is, by juts about everyone's the best for keeping the intake free of debris. They were developed for the military operating in the Deserts.


Got the attachment from the ol interweb.

 

This is the stock air cleaner box that came with the truck. From what I've seen its the severe duty version that Ford put on trucks with the tow package, etc.

 

That right there is the AIS good filter, I'm not a fan of it I rather have the 6637 just my .02

 

Here is the 6637 filter on the stock intake tube



6637 Filter Kit


IMO, you'd be better off buying a filter for the Ford AIS box that you have now, unless you wanna hear more of the turbo whine.

 

The ground in the dash should be obvious - it will be ganged together. If you can get your hands on an electrical diagram and can read the prints, you will likely suss out where all the high and low sides are.


This is for the "I own an old truck" crowd. If your engine were to refuse to start tomorrow morning, you would likely log on here and ask for help. We would then return the favor - we'd ask you for help... like "What's your Injector Control Pressure while cranking?" You won't know the value unless you have a mechanical gauge hooked up or an OBDII tool/gauge running. If you come here with "It seems to lack power", we would then share a list of PIDs to monitor and log. In turn, you would then share that log with us and we can frequently sort out what's going on in there.

When I first got into this diesel hobby, the cheapest way to get several PIDs logged at the same time on these trucks was about $400 - and that's by using a Windows laptop. Today, I've seen people slide in there for 5 bucks, given they have a smart phone or other portable device. Given how easy and cheap the hardware/apps are to acquire, all the support available on the internet, and the age of our trucks - any excuse to not get one sounds more like rationalization than reason.

The transmission temperature (and boost) will be on the OBDII port. You can not only have it on display on your portable device, you can log them and set alarms on the gauges - for less money than buying one gauge. EGT and fuel pressure are not available on the OBDII port. Given the miles and years on the truck, I suggest both of these. I'm not saying you're gunna race the truck - I'm saying exhaust/boost leaks develop and fuel tank screen clog. You really want to know when this happens. Putting my money where my mouth is - I bought two EGT gauges (one fore each manifold) and a fuel pressure gauge. While this may sound extreme, I have seen the passenger side get hot with a bad UVCH on the driver side - but the EGT gauge on the driver-side manifold showed everything was "cool".

Blue oval Ford filter is the AIS, and many here prefer those - others prefer the 6637. 6637 provides inexpensive swaps and plenty of turbo noise under the hood. AIS provides very infrequent swaps (I got double the mileage out of the AIS over the pleated filters) and it is much quieter under the hood. The AIS costs the same as the other filters, when you factor in the frequency of replacement - so then it's a matter of how loud you want it under the hood. Many have gone from the 6637 to the AIS, but I don't know anyone that went AIS to 6637. Riffraff Diesel has a good price on the AIS refills.