Well i'm 17. Goin to college next fall for pre-med. Major in Biology for the pre-med program.

Anyway, I have an 85 F150 i am restoring but drive to HS at the same time. Its a 4X4 long bed with a 300 and a granny 4spd with a cam an 3" exhaust. Painting it soon.

Well my problem is the crusing speed. 67@3K. harsh on fuel. bout 12mpg, @55 i get 21. 4.10's

So i am getting another truck to drive to college, keepin the 85 too.

I was thinking an 88-94 IDI with a 5spd originally, but after looking at the aftermarket support of the PSD and how cheap it is to get power out of one compared to the IDI, i think i want a PSD.

I'm not planning on getting one till next summer. But when i do i am gonna up-fit it for my liking.

I am a diesel guy at heart. Guys at school come to me for help. I'm really big on mechanical diesels. Know too much about them. scary. But i am new to the electronic ones.

The truck i want to get, 1994-97 F350(want the D60 solid), not too picky at cabs, but i like the 8ft bed. of course 5spd. How much should i be looking to pay. I'd like to find an XLT with less than 160K but i'd look at more miles. I will be lookin local.

How much will one like that go for?

Then i want to do some performance mods. lookin for around 350-400 at the crank, if its reasonable. I would like to use it in truck pulls on the weekends at the fairgrounds.

Here is what i was thinking.

EGT/Boost/Oil Temp and Pressure/Trans Temp(isnt the ZF5 a ATF tranny?) thats for guages. If i forgot anything please tell me what else.

Chips, not sure. I like the 6pos Flip chip. I like the flip chips because i can turn it down when not pullin and not have to watch the egts as much. What are good chips?

For the engine, Stage 2 injectors, shimmed regulator, Probally a differant turbo housing and turbine wheel, larger downpipe with a 5" exhaust-5" miter cut stacks, and a cold air intake. Probally do glowplugs while i'm under the valve covers.

Get a better clutch.


When i buy the truck next summer, i am gonna budget for the performance mods before i get the truck so i will buy everything all at once.


Eh.....thats alot of typing

What all is there to know about a PSD vrs a mechanical engine?

i really appreciate the info guys

thanks

DT

 

hey man if you are serious there is a serious truck for you on ebay right now.
everything you want and very cheap.....
i live in jacksonville and thats where it is. i almost bought it. and would have to part it out(dana 60 =1200, motor 2+, tanny& xfer=1200+, you get the idea)had i not have to be on the road to wa in the next couple months and my house selling mid january. the truck ends tomorrow. 3500 buy it now.(the reserve is met at 2,500 i bid!!!).."1994.5" .4x4 and 5 speed f350 dana 60 of course....


it needs a little work but hell man with a little work it could be a 9,000-13,000 dollar truck...

on the other note a truck like you want will cost anywhere between 8,000-17,000 depending on condition.
your truck sounds like it gets same mileage as the average psd.....
youd better look at a 3.55 rear end..
a zf5 is a manual tranny
with stage 2's you wont run a smaller turbo housing. you really dont want to with even anything other than stockers....
the rest of your mods sound right on including the stacks...
if i didnt have a camper shell to put on my truck to haul valuable stuff for my move i would have some on too...

hope some of this helps...
seriously take a look at that truck..
if needed i could pick it up for you and store until january 9th no later....

 

i look at ebay all the time. the only problem is right now, durring the school year i don't work. next summer after i graduate i'm working for my dad.

Thanks. I know the ZF5 is a manual, i read somewhere that it used ATF as gear oil and had a circulation pump, or is that the ZF6?

Not too worried about the mileage. I drive to school in my 85 and am getting 12, best ever was 21 stuck behind an amish tractor doin 45-50 for 50 miles.

I won't buy a truck till next summer. Already have two, my parents won't look to well on another one that will be here all the time, atleast they will let me buy another one to drive to college.

i'm paying cash, won't finance. i'm just a little unstable in the head, must be the stack on the tractor. And i'm lookin to spend 13-15k total.

I am going to look at that truck right now.

i'm not a fast driver. so i won't thrash the truck, but i do enjoy the pulls, and want to get into it.

I'd rather 4.10's but i'll have to drive something with 3.55's to see how it goes. aslong as it will cruise at 75-80 on the interstate and pull a deckover.

thanks

DT

 

3.55's are hard on the EGT's when pulling...but it doesn't sound like you're going to be pulling that much. The concensus seems to be that 3.55's will allow for better fuel mileage...but I have 4.10's and regular get 18-19 mixed 60/40 and even 70/30 city/hwy driving.

The mods you listed will leave you with some nice power to the wheels, and still a very reliable engine. Just be careful...if you plan on going to truck pulls, you better have money to fix whatever might break.

The most important gauges are EGT*-Boost*-Oil pressure***(very, very important, the injectors are hydraulic)...I wouldn't worry too much about a tranny temp. gauge on a ZF-5 speed manual transmission.

A nice truck like you have listed, will go for anywhere from the previous range that '97F-350 listed.

Good luck, and good choice man!

 

my F150 has 4.10s and pulls like an sob.

i won't count the 3.55's as down an out yet though.

i am worried about the hydro injectors. if i loose oil pressure it will shut off, safety feature.

Aslong as it pulls 16+mpg i don't care.

I understand diesels and egts an all that. How hard is the engine to work on being electronic?

I'd like to stay away from PM rods, keep'er forged. but i think they went pm in 01?

 

your right the zf5 does take syn atf.. the zf6 has a pump/cooler.
i have a 4.10 rear....just wish it wasnt a 1 wheel peel...
i get 14-16 mpg.
pm rods oct 01 and above...obs's truck no worries in the rod department.

 

With 4:10s you can use OD alot more your not constantly shifting like you would with 3:55s and besides if you want to run a little taller tires you have the gears to pull it.

The only thing you may find is you won't get as good of mileage as you expect I would say you will get a average 15 mpg. With the price of diesel fuel being higher than gas you will be about even if you have a gasser truck.

If you are going to do alot of highway traveling you don't want the IDI ya they are good but for highway speeds the PSD is it if all you did was stop and go intercity driving the IDI would do ya.

The IDI has one benefit is its easier to fix its just like a gasser with a carburator fix it with a hammer screw driver and a pair of vise grips.

 

You won't loose that much oil pressure...unless there is something else affecting the engine itself. The lowest I've read is 35 psi-40 being the norm. That is, after warm up.

 

I am a huge believer in fixing it yourself. My truck has never been to a shop. Engineering blood runs through my vains, and for my age alot of people are supprised at my abilities.

How hard is it to work on a PSD with all the electronics?

I'm not that worried about oil pressure. I plan on driving this truck alot, 130miles a day or so.

 

not to hard to work on. just gotta learn what does what. hang out for a while. a laptop with a scantool makes it really easy also. you can view pid's for everything, buzz tests and the works.

 

got a laptop. so once you know what sensors do what it's like everything else. i remember learning about fuel injection, and it wasn't hard, but i have mechanical skils and its easy for me to learn.

I know about the CPS, keep one handy, and some fuel filters like all other diesels. I've heard about the Hpop gaskets? something i should add to the tool kit?

are the PSD's like the IDI's with the returnlines?

 

no, you can't even see the injectors, unless the VC are off. there is a pressure line from the mechanical pump to the back of the heads that feeds fuel to a fuel rail in each head, then out the front of each head there is a line that goes to a regulator, regulats the fuel to about 60 psi. its right next to the fuel filter if you get the chance to look at one.

Diesel Rod

 

nice to meet another young diesel guy (im only 18 myself). just bought a 97 f350 4x4 5spd. i love it. i did exhaust, intake and a chip and im puttin out around 320hp. plus, i get around 17mpg still. i payed 13k for it with 106mi and all the mods. i highly suggest the 7.3 dit. any other questions ill be happy to try and answer.

 

so does that make me old at 26?

i dont want to be the one to pee in your cheerios but you are not close to 320hp...

if your truck is a cali truck with splits you will be in the hi 200's... federal truck and you will be lucky for 225 at the rw.

if you get some stage 1's or bigger with the mods you already got 320 is about what you will have...

welcome to fte.

 

younging #4 then, I'm only 23.

Stock PSD injectors with a GOOD chip will put down 220 at the wheels, 260 a the flywheel.

stage two, 160-175cc injectors will get you to 320 at the wheels.

Diesel Rod