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I've searched but couldn't find a consensus (HA!)- I have plenty of 6.0 experience but not much 7.3
I am flying back east to help my daughter drive her 2002 7.3 4x4 across country towing a gooseneck living quarters horse trailer. Truck is basically stock. I would like to put a monitor in it to watch as we drive so I know what may need work when I get home. If possible combining a programmer to tune it would be nice also. What are my options? Price is a concern as she doesn't really care about any of this so no point in going overboard (I have three diesels to maintain).............
TL;DR - Best combined engine monitor/programmer for the $$?........
Edge insight is a pretty nice set up. My buddy just got one in his cummins and it looks great. They have one that is gauges only, and they have another one for about 100 bucks more that is gauges and a programmer.
The PHP Hydra with gearhead tunes is highly recommended around here it doesn't come with any gauges but you would be better off with Torquepro, Forscan or autoenginuity and using your phone or a tablet to monitor whatever parameters you want.
With Forescan the gauge size is not adjustable and the gauges are too small to see while you're driving. I have Forescan and can work it, don't know much about Torque Pro but I believe that the gauges are large enough that you can read them while driving.
I forgot about torque pro. That was one of the best five bucks I've spent on my phone! The gauges are adjustable and you can have multiple pages to swipe between. Or you can make them small and keep 6 on one page. There is all kinds of info out there for torque pro. I used it to diagnose a random misfire on my v10 excursion that wouldn't set a code. Torque pro is able to send commands to the PCM, and I was able to view the mode$06 misfire monitor and run other tests to find out where it was all on my phone.
Price is a concern as she doesn't really care about any of this so no point in going overboard (I have three diesels to maintain).............
Originally Posted by Tracktor
Best combined engine monitor/programmer for the $$?........
It depends on what you're looking for. It is hard enough to pick from the sea of tunes/programming/monitors/gages. You will get as many different recommendations as there are combinations. Trying to balance cost, ease of installation/use, and monitoring capability is not an easy one (especially for a truck that isn't yours). There are plenty of options out there and they appeal to different customers.
With cost and time being a concern (an "all-in-one package") Edge might be your best bet as afmedic mentioned. It is convenient and fairly easy to install (especially if you get the dash pod for it). There are plenty of aftermarket diesel sites that sell various programmers. You can see what fits the bill as far as what you are looking for and then look up reviews or post back in this forum for any comments.
The only drawback is that the 7.3L does not have an EGT probe/monitor. You will have to install one if you want to read this parameter.
With Forescan the gauge size is not adjustable and the gauges are too small to see while you're driving. I have Forescan and can work it, don't know much about Torque Pro but I believe that the gauges are large enough that you can read them while driving.
yep plenty big f you want. Torque pro on $80 tablet.
If you're just going to keep an eye on it for one trip across the country, and she's not interested in fiddling with it, then leave it stock performance-wise (i.e. no PHP/Hydra tunes!) As soon as you exceed the stock power levels, you risk having to replace the transmission. If you want to keep expenses down, keep the engine stock.
For just monitoring, it's tough to beat Torque pro or Forscan. They are both powerful and versatile.
Interceptor scan gauge might need your needs. I have the same setup installed on my 97 and 99 and it works well. You can monitor most sensor parameters and with an automatic transmission the TFT also. You don't need to do any power wiring, just plug it into the OBDII port and some basic programming. You can lay it on the dash or anywhere needed. Unplug it and you have a great diagnostic tool to help your Ford friends in the future.
All the above posts are great options though. Picture below is from my 97 but have the same setup on the 99. The lower gauge is the Interceptor and the one above is the digital PYRO.
Good luck on the trip, sounds like a fun adventure ...
