So i have a 2002 F250 with a 7.3 and ZF-6 Transmission, i recently did my injectors and after doing my injectors i now have a harder time starting my truck. Ive driven the truck over 500 miles so theres no air in the high pressure oil, but one of my two batteries is low on cranking amps. The drivers side is at 1000-1100 CA at 40 degrees outside, and the passenger side is at 700 CA. I went to ford and they said oh we cant give you a warranty because its not that low even though its rated at 850 CCA and its not even cold out, pisses me off and i wont be buying batteries from them again. Is there a reason why the battery is low? I hooked up a snapon jumper when i first started the truck with the injectors, but i put it on the drivers side battery.

Secondly, i am looking for a new turbo, i basically narrowed it down to a D66 and KC38r, I have 180/30 injectors, a 5 inch exhaust, 6637 intake and Brian Jelich custom tunes, I use my truck to daily drive and to tow a tracker pro v-16 boat and trailer. Idk if a KC is overkill and if i should get a 1.0 A/R exhaust housing or .84 A/R since not many people have the same truck as i do i dont have much input on what works. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

I am not sure about the batteries. Maybe you should just get them both fully charged up and go from there.

For the turbo, I think the KC38r will be light years ahead of the D66 based on everything I've read on the forums (a lot). IIRC, the D66 is used mainly by OBS and E99 guys that cannot get most of the other drop ins to fit. I do not have experience with the D66, but I do have a KC38r 366 (the new one based off the sxe turbos) with 238/80, but also 37" tires with 3.73 gearing, and it lights almost instantly. I love this turbo so far and I think it would be your best bet for drop-in or rebuild, especially vs. the D66. I initially was going to go with 180/30 and a .84 housing, but ended up with my setup and the 1.0 housing. I think the KC38r would be a perfect upgrade for your setup.

 

The passenger side battery is always the first one to go. You could switch them around but I'd change them both. You could go to a different ford dealer. You should always put in 950 or bigger batteries in your truck. The starter really pulls off that side the most I guess is why they always go first. Had this happen in the mountains of wyoming one year in my hunting camp. Another time my glow plug relay, so this dose happen. Ford is not your friend on these old trucks.

 

Yeah i know the KC38r is way better than a 66mm journal bearing conversion. Just thinking about how ones gonna cost me ~500$ to build and the other ones 1500 before i sell my turbo. But i kinda want the warranty, so im wavering between the two

 

Other ford dealers 25 miles away and yeah i have 850 CCA batteries and i tried to explain to them i need all 850 CCAs but they said oh well 700 should still be enough to start your truck up. The idiots also left a ratchet and socket in my engine bay from when they took the battery out to test it, thats the reason why i dont let dealerships touch my truck.

 

If you have a ZF6 (which you do) the .84 A/R on the KC38R is highly recommended.

I was dead set on getting the new version of the KC38R with the .84, but now looking at a T4/Borg Warner 364.5 kit.

Again, because of the way the ZF6 shifts, you will be much happier with the .84 housing.

 

Oh man its literally 1/2 and 1/2 between the two A/Rs, Charlie said 1.0, Brian Jelich said .84, idk anymore but Sous i was reading your clutch chatter thread and i have a similar issue, only thing is im not willing to buy a new clutch yet as this ones only 3 years old with 40k on it. How much did traction bars help in comparison to the real fix, cause im about to make my own cause im tired of this.

 

The traction bars helped a lot really. When I was not towing heavy (5th wheel in signature) there was no chatter at all. I was like sweet, must have been axle wrap and the OUO bars fixed it! The next time I towed, it started to show its ugly face again. It was really, really bad in reverse though when backing the trailer. As you read, I am surprised the truck didn't break in half.

Now that I have the SB HD clutch and the traction bars, there is zero hesitation when taking off from a stop, even with the trailer in tow.

Strange that you say Charlie told you 1.0. He has always told me .84 for the ZF6, especially with stock injectors like I have. Maybe he told you 1.0 because of the 180/30's.

 

Yeah i might go with the .84A/R, the heaviest I tow is a 2500lb boat and trailer, I just dont want to get stuck with a laggy turbo nor a turbo that doesnt reduce my EGTs.

 

What are your goals ? What is the problem that you are trying to fix? That would help try to narrow down what you can do. I have upgraded my stock turbo twice. First was a spturboost 5/5 billet wheel and 360 rebuild to eliminate surge. Later I went to a banks 1.0 exhaust housing to lower egt's and reduce ebp. Both helped but now I'm looking for more .. . .

 

That was the same thoughts I had/have. This is now why I am considering a T4/BW 364.5 kit. Yes, it is $750 more than the KC38R, but you can sell your parts you take off like the turbo, pedestal and up-pipes. That brings the price down to a comparable level. But, the BW turbo is a really great platform and design. There are a couple of recent threads going on now discussing the advantages of both.

 

Battery: The most common problem is poor connection to one or both battery cables on each battery. Check both grounds to the engine block while you're looking at the connections to the battery terminals. I found my driver side ground was making poor connection to the engine block, so I revamped the ground connections on both batteries. I also installed a new factory positive battery cable because the old one was falling apart everywhere. It's amazing how much oomph the starter has when you have good connections.

 

I agree with Sous, it is strange that Charlie told you 1.0. He told me to get a .84 housing with 180/30. The same setup you are talking about.

 

When I was trying to size my new turbo one thing I was asked was what elevation I typically use the truck at. I did not think to consider that. That may be the reason for two different suggestions. Also don't forget rear end gear ratio.

 

Perhaps those should be considerations, although when I spoke to Charlie on the phone and over email, he never asked about my location or gear ratio. He was insistent that a ZF6 truck would be a lot better of with the .84 housing. Maybe things have changed though since I stopped heading in the direction of the KC as of late.