what is the average stock egt temps?
mine idles at about 300 degrees F after warmed up
around town is about 5-600 F
and WOT unloaded ive hit a little over 1000 on the flat and 11-1200 F going up a hill
does this sound about right?

 

That sounds exactly like what I get. The only engine mod that I have so far is guages.

 

Thats fine. Egt's vary depending on the conditions ( ie load , air temp, speed, rpm)
Stock with a big trailer up a fair grade will push pretty high. Just watch and stay out of the "red zone"

 

how high is to high?

 

1250* is the upper limit. If you keep it 1200* or less you won't have any trouble. Mine runs between 500 and 750 for most driving. I have a stock exhaust with the muffler removed and pulling 5K on a 3 mile 5% grade only get to about 1100* at 65mph. Since removing the muffler with the motor being stock I haven't hit 1200*, it's amazing how restictive it was.

 

I have an '02 7.3L F350 that I recently purchased that is completely stock with no guages. I have a 6K Travel Trailer that I plan on pulling about 6 times between Spring & Fall each year. 80% of the 175 mile journey is on straight, flat roadway at 50+ MPH.

Since it was stock with no chip, I expected that the Engineering Design of the Truck would protect me from any potential Turbo, Transmission, EGT Temp problems while towing. Now, by what others have posted above, I'm not sure.

My F350 has an Automatic Transmission. If EGT Temps are a problem, how do we keep the Temps down while driving? The Transmission will shift on it's own. Should we back off on the throttle when ascending hills? As a first time Diesel owner, I am not familiar with the correct driving style/habit to keep the EGTs at safe levels, when towing/hauling.

 

i could get over 1200 with my truck when i t was stock and pulling my trailer

 

Neither could I. I don't think you have anything to worry about (as far as EGT go) if the truck is stock. NOW the transmission temps are another thing. This is what you need to watch closely.
Joe

 

FWIW, my cousin is an engineer at Navistar and I asked him the same thing when I first got a chip. He told me two things, adamantly, that I stick to. One is if the chip lets you set a max EGT set it at 1200 because over that you risk goofing up things that are expensive to fix. The second is never use anything but a synthetic oil. His opinion was that if you were using non synthetic you might as well be using sand.

That said, when I got the chip, hitting that 1200 and getting defueled was a very regular, and exasperating, occurance. My effective top speed loaded was no more than 60mph. I could drive around town fine but with the trailer I was 900 or 1000 just at 45mph. We talked a little more about problem solving. I considered a boost cooler just because of the cooling factor, but having something else to refill . . . I punted for now.

What I did do was swap out the intercooler for a Banks, and the turbo for the Ball Bearing Garret. Now I don't know which one to attribute any changes to since they went in the same day but the difference is noteworthy. I idle below 300, and most numbers look like the OP's - driving around in the 500's, interstate with trailer if its an even grade 700, a little rise maybe 900, pretty hard to break 1100 now. I can do it, but I have to try.

 

twelvealpha that was interesting about the synthetic. i have a predetor,which does not defuel as far as i know,wish it did. i wouldn't pull anything now without gauges. i believe a set of gauges should be oem,but that's another story. our oem intercoolers just aren't big enough.

 

thats about wat i get

 

own 03 7.3 PSD W/ 4in turbo back exhaust, and intake, pulled my 14000lb Montana today about 10 highway miles mostly flat, cruising at 60 mph, egts were 700 to 750 degs. only reached 800 when i accelerated from a stop to high way speed. just FYI so you can see what a few mods can do.

 

I have a 4" down pipe and a 5" eaxhaust and driving around town it doesn't go above 450F and the highest I have ever noticed is about 800F getting on the interstate up hill.