Anybody want to help me decide if I should delete the EBPV on my 2002 7.3 powerstroke?

 

Mine would stick closed randomly. I deleted it and never looked back. It’s also good to do as you’ll replace the pedestal orings and such to prevent future oil leaks.

Only you will know what’s best for your needs. It kind of opens a can of worms though having it torn apart that far.. as I found with mine. Having the turbo out is a good time to upgrade the wheel also turbo up pipes might be due for replacement if they’re oem. Cac boots may be due for replacement as well while you have them off so give them a good visual inspection. Just money and time right? Oh and that clamp on the back of the turbo is the hardest part… holy smokes it’s a pain to remove.

Andrew

 

I don't miss mine and I suspect it's colder here than it is there.

 

Mine was leaking when I tore into the system to rebuild and upgrade the OEM turbo. I deleted it with a delete pedestal from Clay at Riffraff. No regrets...

I live in northeast GA though and have very little use for the accelerated warm up that some of my fellow northern FTE'rs may have. I saw no use in the EBPV as an exhaust brake because I have a ZF6 and have zero problems controlling speed during a descent on a grade while towing heavy. Also, commercially available decel tunes were not available in the PHP Hydra at the time as they are now through DP Tuner.

I later sold the delete pedestal to another FTE'r local to me who is currently running it on a farm truck and has nothing but good things to say.

As for warming up the engine... They come equipped from the factory with block heaters and a high idle during cold temperatures. In addition, I can command a high idle with the Hydra.

Yes, the EBPV does tremendously accelerate this warm up cycle, so it is a personal choice to keep it or toss it. If you decide to keep it, rebuild the system with a kit from a reputable supplier like Bob at Diesel-O-Rings.

Good luck to you with your decision and the right one will come to you in due time. It doesn't matter what a bunch of old fogies on the interwebs say, do what is right for your application and gives you the most peace.

 

I’ve deleted lots of them, but they are seldom helpful here in the south and tend to fail/leak.

There’s no way I would buy a deleted pedestal or exhaust adapter. DIY delete is economical and easy.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...lete-pics.html

 

Back when I did mine it was considered a performance upgrade. I don’t really believe there’s much to gain there for the average user though. I saw no difference.

For me it’s more about reducing a potential leak point. If it’s not leaking maybe leave it as quicker warmup may mean better fuel economy. But on the other hand, how much fuel mileage is lost when it closes while running down the road?

 

Couldn't live without it. Seriously.

 

If you don't get below zero F it's more hassle than it's worth. If you do it's nice for helping maintain heat at idle and warmup.

 

If the system is failing, I recommend you spend your time and money on a very simple delete pedestal. If the system is working and it doesn't bother you, why mess with it?

Other components of the ebpv system include the exhaust back pressure line(which rusts badly and goes to the passenger exhaust manifold,) the back pressure sensor, the turbo pedestal/actuator, the back pressure valve on the turbo, and the wire plug on the pedestal that breaks ever so easily.

Things to do when you have your turbo off: replace your up-pipes to baffled ones if you haven't already, reseal the pedestal with four fresh o-rings, clean the valley out fastidiously, inspect the wiring to your IPR and ICP sensor for exposed copper or melted sheathing, inspect/replace your charge air boots(these get old and tired from oil and heat,)

I have a video that covers my delete process on Youtube, you can find it by searching Easy Eddy's 7.3 Turbo Removal and Replacement.

 

You guys are great! Thanks! I have a better idea on what I want to do now like up pipes, down pipes, turbo upgrade, EBPV delete, oil rail seals and possibly Adrenalin HPOP. Agressive HUH?

 

There's nothing wrong with the stock HPOP output unless you're going to be upgrading your injectors and putting in a tuner. I would recommend against spending your hard earned money to modify a perfectly good stock setup. This was a very reliable piece of engineering as it came off the line.

However, if you're going for better performance, the adrenalin is a very popular choice.

 

I agree with Eddy, unless your HPOP is weak, you are not likely to see a benefit from the Adrenaline while using stock injectors.

I disagree with spending $$ on EBPV delete because DIY delete costs about $5 and doesn’t require a dummy plug to prevent codes.

Bellowed up-pipes are smart because basically all stock up-pipes leak by now and they WILL leak after you R&R the turbo.

Changing the turbo compressor wheel to a Riffraff 4+4 wheel is also a solid mod.

Changing the stock down pipe or stock exhaust tubing is also not beneficial to performance. You can delete the stock muffler (straight pipe) the stock exhaust and see most of the benefit people claim from larger diameter tubing. IMHO, this is the best sound also. Stock is also SS and will outlast the truck in most climates.

 

‘While you’re in there’ consider removing the clamps on fuel lines from filter to heads before they rub through the lines. SS braided hoses from Riffraff are solid upgrade for reliability.

Upgrading to JIC HPOP lines from Riffraff is also a recommended upgrade.

No matter what, rebuild the water drain valve on fuel bowl with the upgraded ‘blue’ o-rings.

Plenum inserts, t-bolt clamps to replace the worm clamps and Riffraff CAC boots are other good options.

 

To add counterpoint to the majority response, and echo Cody's lone vote, I would keep the EBPV.

Despite being in warm sunny California, I can hear the EBPV working during the winter.

Over the weekend I was using the winch to clear some overgrown trees, and in the mornings set the APCM to Charge Protect, which elevates the idle to run the alternators at higher speeds during winch use. and sure enough, the EBPV closed partially to warm up the engine.

I want all the engineering I paid for with the price of the truck, and found it strange that people would add electric over vacuum actuated butterfly valves in the exhuast from BD Power, Pac Brake and Banks... to serve as exhaust brakes... while deleting the already built in butterfly valve that came with the truck that is less complex, more reliable, and more robust, being hydraulically actuated.

I haven't used mine as an exhaust brake (yet), but there is a well respected tuner who hangs out on FTE who knows how to make that happen with no additional parts. And over the years, there have been several different "black box" add on accessories that have come and gone which have also leveraged the built in hydraulically actuaged butterfly valve as an exhaust brake.

I have yet to read of anyone presenting proof that the elimination of the EPBV in isolation has netted any measurable gain in performance. Even the Banks Power Elbow flow test results are in combination with a 4" down pipe, thus a 4" exhaust... not a mere removal of the EBPV and substitution of a Power Elbow in isolation, all other aspects being equal. Furthermore, even a flow bench test verified increase in flow rate potential... does not directly translate into performance gain in isolation.

 

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