Hey guys, just joined the sight. I have been reading a lot of your posts and have gotten some good info. I just purchased a 01 EX. 7.3 with 63000m. My wife will be the one doing most of the driving but I will be pulling my boat which weighs about 7000lb. I was hoping to get a computer upgrade and noticed most of you like the dp products (Is this the best for my usage?). My biggest performance goal is to pull the boat without much effort. Our family has some lake property about 1.5 hrs of interstate driving almost every weekend in summer. I noticed a lot of people complaining about the way the X's handle when pulling. I am also worried about the tranny if I get a computer upgrade. However just because I have a wife and 3 kids in the truck doesn't mean I wouldnt mind roasting the tires every once in a while.
Based on my usage I was hoping you guys could recomend exactly what upgrades I should make so I dont waste time and money.
This is my first diesel so its all new to me, traded my expedition on it (was very happy with the exp except for mileage and rear end going out)
I can manage average mechanical upgrades myself so if there are special "trick" upgrades or "must do" upgrades please let me know.
I was also wondering if the truck has a tranny cooler, I did not see one, if not I would like to get one, if it has one where is it, could I add a 2nd?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
KJ

 

Welcome to FTE I am a newbie as well but here are a few things to do. The diesel is just a big air pump. Before you chip it you will need to put on a better intake (Kwik mod 6637 or equivalent), 4" exhaust to keep the EGT's down when towing and DEFINTELY guages so you can tell what is happening. I would not recomend putting a chip on with out guage so you can monitor your EGT's. I don't have an EX, but I do think it has a tranny cooler but to be safe add another one in series with that one and you should be safe. Most guys here are using the Tru Cool and here is a good site: http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=205
Maybe someone can pass on a site sponsor that has these as well for sale. I have heard guys say that after they put these on their tranny temp guages barely move. I am sure you will get more advice from other that know more than me!

 

Everything that Lushman reccomended is good. Gauges (1st and most important mod) like EGT, trans temp, and boost, air Filter, exhaust, DP Tuner flip chip (also known as Jody's chips), tru cool max trans cooler, etc... I know he listed them, but just showing agreement.

One other thing I would reccomed is a transmission valve body upgrade. The BTS (Brians Truck Shop) valve body is about the best you can get. It will keep some more life in your tranny.

 

Thanks for the reply, I was curious if the DP changes the tranny shift points. I noticed that a lot of people dont like the hypertech tuner but they reccomend not adding "shift kits" if you use the tranny tunning feature.
Hypertech also claims they dont have problems with egt's with thier programmer at any of thier power levels. Is hypertech worth looking into for easy usage (they also pull codes) or is the DP that much better?
Is the valve body easy to do?
Where can I get info on the Kwik filter? I see a lot of people talk about it but dont see how to order/make it.

 

The DP does change the shifting, and that's a huge difference between it and everything else. The tuners use line pressure to change the shifting. Jody may play with it a little, but it has more to do with shift points and TC lock.

All tuner manufacturers will claim that they don't have problems with EGTs. They couldn't sell a product if it advertised higher EGTs. Yes, Jody's chips are that much better. If pulling codes is your concern, there's better ways to do that than with a tuner.

Valve body change is easy to do. I had mine done in about 45 minutes, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I'd say 1.5 hours is a relatively safe time frame.

Run a search on the forum for the Kwik filter. You should find a ton of threads on how to do it. It's something you'll make at home. First step is to buy a napa 6637 filter from fleetfilter.com.

 

If you don't want to do the BTS valve body, at least consider the Sonnax kit which is about $45 and take about the same time to do. If you need help with the code, everybody here on FTE will be glad to help you out!

 

I'm not too woried about the code. I just want to make sure that the drivetrain lasts as long or longer than it would have if I changed nothing.
Any advice on the trailering concerns? Are these problems isolated to only a few model years? I did notice during the 1hr trip home from the dealer that when I went over large bumps in the road the X seemed to bounce a lot. I figured it was because the truck is made to haul a lot of weight and the suspension is just stiff until you load it down.
I dont want to get on the interstate with the boat and have the thing all over the road.
also, what the deal with propane injection?