i got my 03 7.3 a couple of months ago and just got my 5 in exhaust for it. I would like to get an intake for it next but don't know which one. Any help from you guys on what intakes are better or where to get them at a good price would be great. I am also planning on getting a chip in the near future. If anybody could tell me anything about which one or where to get that i would appreciate it. thanks

 

Do a search on the "kwik" mod. It is inexpensive, and easy to do. Also, it works great! Save your money for your chip, but plan on guages and a valve body for your trans from Brian first!
Good luck
Bill

 

okay, here is the exhaust/chip/intake rundown:

for the airfilter, go with a homeade Tymar filter, nicknamed on this forum as the "kwik filter" (because of kwikkordead, who brought it to our attention). it is huge, look in my gallery for pics of it. but, it is only $20, which is great. can be found at www.fleetfilter.com part number 46637

for chip, i would go with a DPtuner chip (www.dp-tuner.com). Jody tipton is the man who owns the company and he knows his stuff. i am eventually going to upgrade from my TS performance chip (that is a little cheaper) to the good stuff, a DP chip.

BUT, before you go adding a chip, you need to have some way to monitor them. ask anyone here, some sort of gauges are needed to watch things such as boost, exhaust temp (<-most important), and if you have an automatic, a trans temp gauge. analog a-pillar gauges are the most popular, they run around $300-400 depending on what you get and if they are pre-assembled. of course you can have fun and run the chip with no way to tell if your over the limit or not, and can easily melt down an engine on a hill. no one wants that!

 

I'd like to take exception to strokin_it's intake/exhaust/chip/gauge suggestions.

But I can't. I endorse them wholeheartedly.

However, there is another change you will HAVE to make - to fix the turbo surge that you will get, you MUST either replace your compressor wheel with a Wicked Wheel ($75), or replace the compressor housing with an ATS ported housing ($400). Otherwise, you can't use all that power because you risk ruining your turbo.

 

What exactly causes this surge and how do I recognize it? I can give up a little low end with a chip but don't feel like buying a new WW. I don't really ever tow anything, but I do haul a 4wheeler from time to time, especially during hunting season. But I certainly wouldn't want to ruin my turbo. What is the low down here?

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. I did order a three gauge pod for above the rear view mirror. If i like the looks i will get the gauges before any chip goes in. What is the tranny valve body. Where do i get it, how much does it cost, what does it do, and is it something that i can put in myself. I've never heard of this turbo surge. What exactly happens, to much power for the turbo to handle? What is this wicked wheel and where is the best place to get it. Will this save my turbo for 75 dollars it would be worth it. And is it something i can do myself. Thanks for all your info and help, and guiding me in the right direction so i don't melt down an engine.

 

They are talking about the BTS valve body from Brian's Truck Stop here are a couple threads about it: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=483269
and here is his info in post#6: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=490902
It runs $225 and looks very easy to put in (I am still waitng for mine to arrive) You will need to drop the tranny pan and unbolt the old VB and put in the BTS VB. Might as well do a fluid change at this point as well (and I am going to add a Tru-Cool tranny cooler as well at the same time) You will need to cal him as he needs info about your truck and what you will be doing with it.

On the Turbo surge, when under a large load such as towing, the turbo will actually push too much air and you will lose power. The Wicked Wheel will solve this. The cheapest place I found is the sponser of this forum: http://www.xtremediesel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=260 for $59.99. There are others out there that go by a different name but they are all made by the same company and resold for what people have told me here on FTE. I did mine myself. The hardest part is pulling the turbo out of the truck and some people try and do it in the truck. There are some great instructions either way. When you do that you will want to do the CCV mod since you will have that apart anyway.
The best improvements so far that I have done were the SS HPX and the Hutch mods and they both had a direct effect on the sound and performance of the engine. I think my opimions will change once I put the BTS valve body in with the chip from Jody at DP Tuner though

 

the turbo surge condition could easily be described by the leading edges of the compressor wheel losing their "grip" on the incoming air. the air that is being pushed out of the compressor housing can't be pushed into the engine any easier, because the engine can only take so much boost for the intake stroke on all 8 cylinders. so, the air goes out the easiest place it can, back out through the turbo inlet, where it originally came in. the problem with that is that it is VERY hard on the turboshaft. the exhaust is still going through as fast as it normally would, and it will keep trying to spin the turbo faster and faster. but at the same time, the air on the compressor side is trying to go backwards out of the centrifugal fan (compressor wheel). so, this causes the chuffa chuffa chuffa sound, plus that stress on the shaft! the shaft is only about the size of a pencil. imagine the compressor wheel spinning at around 130,000rpm, slowing down to about 50,000rpm and speeding up to 130,000 again, several times a second. that is what is hard on it, because the air going back out the inlet will slow the turbo down substantially and then the exhaust will spin it back up again.

but, anyway if you don't tow much or really get into it, you won't need to worry about a wicked wheel. get the chip, and if you are then experiencing surge, you can cure it.

 

Thanks again for all the explanations. I am new to this since this is my first diesel and you guys have been a huge help. Afew more questions about your advice. I understand the turbo surge and the wicked wheel, but what exactly does the bts valve body do. Also you said to do the ccv mod, what does this do and what and where do i get the stuff to do this. Then you said the ss hpx and hutch mods were the best mods you have done. What is the ss hpx and what and where do i get to do this and what will it do for my truck. The same with the hutch mod, what, where, and what will it do for me and my truck. Thanks again for helping me out and this really is becoming an addiction that you are helping to create a shopping list.

 

sorry to sound like an ***, but all of these have been covered several times in detail. click on the search button in the blue bar at the top of the page. even go to "advanced search" and only search this forum. youll find tons of info on every one of these. i have all of them done to mine, you can even find some posts by me, i've written on them before.

 

the AIS intake is the best ($200)! Sorry guys just had to put in my .02 again

 

Like strokin-it said, it's all here. Look through the sticky at the top of this forum's page. All of the items you just asked about are covered there.

 

Nut, looks like you're going to need more than .02 if it doesn't stop raining there soon. Might want to start on that ark.

 

sorry guys i am new here. I will try a search and see what i can come up with. Thanks for your help again.

 

Right on on Tenn!...designing the ark now...will install the PSD into it for some good water skiing!!
Nut