Hello everyone,
I am a new 7.3 owner. I just bought my dads 2002 350 with 108k. Truck is in good shape, took it in and had some leaks fixed as well as up pipes (which I read are a pain in the $$$ so I didn't want to do it). Truck is bone stock except for an intake. I would like to chip/program it but want something that would make it run a little better and not so chocked down from the factory. I am going to put a 4'' exhaust and a bigger trans cooler as well. What chip/programmer would be best for me. I am not looking for 500hp or anything even close just an extra 30 or so to make the truck run a little better. Mileage isn't a big deal to me because its a truck and not my 4 cylinder Toyota so I don't expect it to get great mileage. Just want it to not feel so chocked down. I only drive it for truck things Hunting,fishing,dirt bike riding, camping. I only tow a 8k trailer and this thing will be mine for a very long time so I would like it to last.

Thank you ahead of time!!!!

 

 

 

 

Friends don't let friends buy anything other than a Hydra. So, if it were my money, I'd go with a Hydra for all the right reasons: the Hydra is not proprietary hardware, meaning that there are at least 8 reputable commercial tuners writing tunes for it. 1023 Diesel, SDK Performance (free updates for a year), JeliBuilt Performance, Gearhead Performance (free updates for life regardless of where you buy parts), Swamps Diesel, PHP (Power Hungry Performance), Tony Willdman, just to name a few and also in the order that I would make calls. The first three have a stellar reputation for customer satisfaction and Gearhead is on the mend since they put Kenton in the rearview. The remainder on the list have decent tunes and if you stay with stock injectors the tunes for the Hydra are free through PHP unless something has changed. Tunes can be emailed for the Hydra so that all you have to do is load them on the chip yourself.

If you go with DP, well, you have DP, and if Jody can't get it tuned the way you want it then he'll tell you that you need injectors or a HPOP or a turbo or a regulated return or a shift kit for your transmission or all of them and then if he still can't get the tunes corrected, you are stuck with DP's hardware. I learned the hard way as have many others. If I still had the F5 that my cousin GAVE me, I would happily GIVE it to you just as long as you understood the reason behind it being free.

Many things have changed in the past 5 to 10 years and some folks haven't kept up with the learning curve.

I am getting ready to purchase a 3rd Hydra: this time for the Excursion. DP never even entered the thought process for a picosecond.

 

 

You left out the part where he says "You need live tuning", and the truck and he need to get together on your dime.

 

So! Very! True! Ah, the memories of events that I wish I had avoided and didn't have. Some have been more expensive than others.

Thank you for catching my HUGE omission. Ya know, I find it amazing that most tuners can darned near nail everything the first time in the first set of tunes via email having neither seen nor ridden in the truck: Cody and Matt come to mind, while one or two others just can't seem to get it right short of expensive live tuning on nearly stock setups even after a customer has spent many thousands of dollars with them. I wonder if some tuners have more success on trucks that are located thousands of miles away....you know, a proximity kinda thing?

 

This^

It's tuning Gospel. Pretty amazing the best tuning is upon us after all these years with our dinos as old as they are. Such great support to the 7.3 platform still.

 

Question, I just ordered the Hydra. does it program through the OBDII port or is it a drop in chip like the 6 position. Looks like a drop in from the pics.


Found video!!

 

It plugs directly into the PCM.

 

It sounds like the truck needed an ICP sensor and the shop prescribed and performed an injector replacement to me. That would be pretty much the norm. It is almost always best to wade through it and fix it yourself with these things.

 

The Hydra is the most convenient way to go. As mentioned multiple vendors provide products and it is easy to program in your driveway. All you need is a laptop and internet connection and you're good to go (the Hydra software needs to validate your Hydra serial number with the main server before you can add/delete/move tuning files).

jhl3 has as great list for you to start with. In addition to the customer service each tuner approaches things differently. I recommend calling/e-mailing/Facebooking (for you young-ins) and telling them what you want. What one person likes another one may not. I have tunes from two on that list and they are very different. See what they offer and choose the one that best fits your needs.

With a stock truck you will have a wider selection as that is the baseline to work with. Every tuner should have something that works in that configuration so all you'll have to do is pick the one that does it the way you like. It may not be as cost effective but you might want to get one type of tune from a couple of different tuners to see which one fits your style.

If you are dying to spend your money now my recommendation would be to buy a Hydra and use the free PHP library to have something now to try out (at no additional cost). You can decide what you like/don't like about them to give you something to talk about with other tuners.

The library is not as expansive as it looks since there are a limited number of tunes of each type (e.g. 40Hp Tow) that will work with your PCM code (e.g. QLJ5). On that subject you will want to pull your PCM to get the code from it (the code is on a sticker on the PCM connector that sticks into the firewall and can be seen in the engine compartment).

The first time I read my PCM code I used an inspection mirror. Luckily I had to pull my PCM before I sent off the information because the code was not what I read in the mirror.

The PCM is the black box above your parking brake pedal. You will need a 10mm socket to unbolt the connector in the engine compartment (on the firewall directly behind the intake filter box and next to the brake master cylinder) and three small screws (6 or 7mm maybe?) that hold the PCM "black box" to the bracket above the parking brake pedal. Once the connector is off and the screws are out you can pull/wiggle the box out. Now you can get your PCM data (write it down for later so you don't have to pull the PCM again).

Just my .02. Hope this helps.

 

"The library is not as expansive as it looks since there are a limited number of tunes of each type (e.g. 40Hp Tow) that will work with your PCM code (e.g. QLJ5)."