What dash light?

 

Unfortunately there's not many choices for installation especially when you take into account the box is a sealed unit and there's only so much wire for the connector.

This one...


Which is set off by this sucker (Not my truck...I Google'd the picture)...

 

Did you install the filterminder on your S&B? If so, where?

I'm ordering a new intake tube today so I will have a blank canvas to install it when I swap tubes (currently installed in the tube).

I would love to just leave it off but I'm not going to push my luck with the smog guys after this last round.

 

I have a friend with the S&B on an '02 and he has no issues with the filter minder while running 180/80's and the older KC38R up to 38+ psi. I am certain he could build more boost but is currently fuel limited by conservative tuning due to valve springs. However, I do not remember where the filter minder is located. I also have the S&B on my '99 which does not have a filter minder but there is no issue with flow. So, not much help for you with either setup. Both also have the $30 pre-filter bag installed which certainly helps with filter life. I too have noticed that large debris seems to collect on the top of the filter both with the bag and without.

I recently purchased this off of CL for $275 to put in my Ex:
https://afepower.com/afe-power-51-73...-intake-system

It is 50 state legal.

It was new in the box and I like it better than the S&B for fitment and overall quality with the exception of the cheap worm gear clamps that came with the kit. The aFe filter has more surface area than the S&B filter. aFe claims over 1000 cfm for the unit. The opposite end of the filter, away from the intake tube and toward the fenderwell, is also a filtration area unlike the S&B filter. There is no collection of debris on the top of the aFe filter so I would tend to think that aFe has done a little more R&D with the main housing or the end of the filter changes the air flow in the housing and or both contribute.

The EX has 160/0's in it...it came with them. I like the low end torque provided by those injectors when empty and towing light; however, top end is lacking and EGT's are a concern when towing more than 8k with the stock turbo and 4" exhaust at 4000 ft elevation ASL and above so 80% nozzles will be added in the near future to lower FIPW. I also plan to install a KC38R-sxe sometime soon too when funds are available. The EX can currently easily build 32-35 psi without tripping the filter minder. Compressor bark has increased significantly with the aFe CAI while overall noise cruising is no different than stock. I cannot hear the turbo whistling under the hood at all. I should mention that I do have some hearing loss and the Ex is better insulated than the '99. That said, I do hear the KC38R on the '99 with 175/80's and the S&B.

Sorry that there is no apples to apples comparison above. Just trying to give you some extra info.

 

Hmmmm must be a newer 7.3 thing. I had a filterminder but no wires attached to it on either of my 99's so I assume no light? I will have to see if I can find it and install it now that I have my intake figured out. THANKS

 

The aFe looks nice but I'd like to make this one work. After the dump truck of cash I blew on the truck this past year I don't have the reserves to keep trying new things until I find something that works. I have to be a little more calculating in my decisions especially after my smog issues of late. I was considering some billet intake manifolds if I stay under budget on my driveline refresh but this may be a viable option too if I still have enough in the "toy jar" later this year.

 

Why? I used the insert rings and t-bolt clamps. RDP Plenum Reinforcing Inserts? - Ford 7.3L 99.5-03

 

I have that as well but have read where 40psi is pushing it for them and the rtv gasket (that is now 308K miles old) as I am considering a 38R. One less thing to worry about if I swap the turbo down the road.

 

Gotcha makes sense.

 

 

Well they do go under the hood to check that everything is in "stock" configuration. Aftermarket intake systems (pre turbo) aside. That being said I do believe that there are some "extra" requirements in some areas of the state.

 

The requirements in San Diego includes an underhood inspection for original-ish equiment as hydro man 17 mentioned. Most of the inspection time is under the hood (about 15 minutes with a bright LED flashlight this round). During my last inspection this year my first attempt turned into a "courtesy inspection" due to my mechanical wastegate controller. The rules specifically state that you cannot modify the air or vacuum lines (and the must be connected). I had to buy an OEM style (diaphragm) wategate controller and re-install the red/green lines (and connect them). The visual inspection and opacity check (rev the the engine and make sure and plume/hazing clears within 3 seconds) are all the call of the "trained" technician. The only cut and dried pass/fail check is the OBDII read.

You can shop around for a "friendlier" technician but they are harder and harder to find. The rules also change over the years so what may have passed last time (my wastegate controller) won't pass this time. It's not worth it to me to continue to fail with my setup until I find someone who will pass me. That gets expensive and who knows if that guy will be there when my next inspection rolls around (every 2 years). I will stick with the shop I know (and knows me) and play in their sandbox because I know how deep the will dig. I just make sure the things I do can be buried deeper than I know they will dig .

I may have run into some unexpected expenses to bring my truck up to snuff to pass CA inspection but I still have my sticks, Hydra, rebuilt turbo, AIH deleted, and no EBPV. I may have lost a battle but I won the war (this time).

 

You assume correctly. Your 99's won't have a light. They did have a filter minder, but it was simply a manual push to reset affair, with no electrical sensor or connection to an indicator light on the instrument panel.

It was not until model year 2002 that Ford chose to provide drivers with in cab indication of a restricted filter. But by then, the entire electrical system had been redesigned, and the new instrument cluster became a "smart" node on the vehicle's local network. As such, the 2002 instrument panel with the air restriction indicator light can not be retrofitted (easily or sensibly or cost effectively) to the 99-01 trucks.

I've entertained the idea of adding an LED lamp indicator and circuitry to provide that convenient in cab notification of filter restriction, which only occurs under load when underway, but for now have relied on the spring lock indicator built into the manual filter minder. Information derived after the fact of restriction isn't as instructive, but it is a whole bunch better than having no indication at all, which sounds like the darkness you are currently in, if your aftermarket filter doesn't have a provision for even a manual filter minder.

As for the wastegate actuator in smog inspection states like California.... one solid "high performance" option is to go with Banks Big Head actuator... which is a much larger diaphragm and spring, housed in a canister that looks identical to stock, except for two things:

First, the Banks Big Head is, well, Bigger. But unless the smog tech is looking back and forth between two identical 7.3L engines at the same time, it isn't really likely that the difference in size will be accurately registered in memory, especially since the yellow cadmium corrosion protection color of the metal, as well as the cylinder seam crimp, construction, and overall shape, are identical to stock (but for the size).

The second difference between the Banks Big Head and the stock wastegate actuator is that Banks puts a label on his. I peeled the label off of mine right away (while it would still be easy to peel off). Not that I needed to, because Banks spent the big bucks to have all of his 7.3L performance products (with the exception of the newer 6 Gun and Big Hoss) officially certified with the California Air Resources Board a full DECADE before Executive Orders became mandated into law for aftermarket diesel performance products. So the Banks Big Head is perfectly legal to have, and has an Executive Order. But why push the matter with the smog tech who is poking around under the hood, scared to death you are the CARB undercover "plant" who is going to take his license and ability to earn a living away for missing an aftermarket alteration? Rather than argue and wave around Executive Orders, just take the label off. Looks factory. Done.

In this manner, you will be in compliance with both the letter and the spirit of the law, since through expensive testing that Banks had to pay for, the Big Head Actuator as provided in the Power Pack and other systems it was included with, was demonstrated and proven not to increase emissions beyond what the equivalent OEM equipment emitted.

 

That is the direction I went and I passed.

I did not remove the sticker as the tech knew that Banks has a CARB EO for thier stuff. It would be easier to prove that it was a Banks actuator than a knock-off with "BANKS BIG HEAD" emblazened on it. Not only is it bigger but the air nipple for the red line is on the side instead of the center.

He made the note in his computer and entered the CARB EO number with it for the Big Head. He couldn't look it up but I had a copy with me so he could get the number off of it (D-161-69). The only issue is that the CARB EO is for a whole kit (PowerPack) which lists a "wastegate actuator". Since the Big Head is the only wastegate actuator that Banks makes it was not a hard sell.