I am on my 4th super duty- 1st with the 6.0
I have driven 70k miles- superchip programmer set at 40%
stock tires, all highway miles with a lot fo trailer towing( 5ooo lb trailer).

I have noticed the harder starts and white smoke just this past winter( in texas, is it really winter...)

I have to stock and original air filter, fuel filter, etc.
i use rotella 15-50 oil and change regularly.
I have read a lot about un hooking the egr- simply unplugging and living with the codes. I have also read about changing the fuel fitlers and air filters which i have not done yet( the air filter minder hasn't moved at all since i have owned this truck).
My 7.3 psd would always start and never give me any grief regardless of the weather. i went 75ooo on the last fuel filter on the last 7.3,,,the air filter was changed once but the 7.3 didn't have the large heavy duty filter that my 05 6 liter has.

I wish i could get better mileage as well. 17- 18 on my daily commute and 10 pulling the trailer. this is calculated by miles drive divided by gallons used, not any computers..
mine is a swb, cc, 4wd auto...my last 7.3 was a swb, cc, 2wd 6 spd on got 22 on the daily commute and 10 pulling the trailer.

My thouhgts...anyone want to throw some mileage and easy starting advice?
I thought about cutting the muffler and replacing with a straight pipe but i do not want loud...a grumble is ok but not loud( I am 41 years old with neighbors..)

thoughts?

 

fuel filters at 75,000, you might as well go buy a toyota bro-- you need to change them every15,000 in the 6.0 and you should be using 15-40 oil? maybe your just a troll......................................

 

Depending on how cold it is, try a 5-40 synthetic for easier cold starts.

 

17-18 mpg is great. I avg 15-16 mixed driving. Muffler delete can be done easily(see my gallery). It is not loud at all during normal driving, only when you get on it. 15w40 is normally recommended, 5w40 for colder climates.....

 

if you've really gone that many miles your injectors and fuel pump will be shot, they really hate the kind of starvation caused by a plugged filter. at that age they are plugged unfortunately they will sound just fine with enough restriction to destroy injection system. i learned the hard way.plan on spending$. if you want to extend fuel filter changes i would insist on a fuel pressure gauge so you can see problems before they happen i hear about 40 is the minimum under full load. obviously fuel press will drop under load if there is a restriction so idle fuel press doesn't mean a thing

 

typo 15w40
I have been around diesel engines and realize pressure drop will kill injectors and rob power. I am simply getting the white smoke and rough idle at start up. temps in the high thirties.
if I followed the 15000 plan I would have 250 bucks in fuel filters and 140 in air filters in a 3 year old truck. I am due and plan to change. I would bet the injectors are ok from my past experiences however a check on them might be a good idea. what about unplugging the egr?
I have got an amarillo package with a shell on it to help with drag when pulling although I don't see the shell helping!

 

dead injectors will have lower injection pressure which can affect droplet size all of which can cause poor combustion esp. when combustion chamber is still below operating temp

 

Ford's maintenance interval on the fuel filters is 15,000 miles, 10,000 in "severe service" or poor fuel quality. Ironically, Ford is the highest priced source for filters. You can cut the cost in half by buying them from International, and even further by shopping around online or taking advantage of PepBoy's specials...

The injectors on the 6.0 and the 7.3, while both called "HEUI" injectors, are two totally different animals. If I remember correctly, the 6.0's injectors run 3-4 times the injection pressure that the 7.3's did. They also have subtantially smaller nozzle holes. This means you can't run as much trash through them. This requirement for such cleaner fuel is what brings down the filter change intervals.

Which is cheaper? $250 for filters, or $3500+ for a new set of injectors?

Take the book you learned/wrote with your 7.3's, and toss it out the window. The 6.0 is a COMPLETELY different beast. It's notoriously finicky about fuel quality, and incredibly sensitive to fuel filter plugging. It's also picky about the filters themselves; don't use anything but OEM filters.

The easiest way to think about it is to reverse anything you thought about with the 7.3.

Unplugging the EGR will set codes, and MIGHT pull your engine down into a "limp-home" mode, decreasing power. Not worth the effort, but DO make sure you keep an eye on the EGR valve itself. They're known to coke up and get nasty.

Incidentally, you may not have to change the air filter for 3-4 years unless you drive 100% on dirty, dusty roads (a possibility in TX). The stock filter holds a LOT of dirt, and flows as much or more than any aftermarket filter.

Mileage on a 6.0 4x4 is averaging 13-16, w/o a load, depending on driving style, and in some cases, fuel quality.

-blaine

 

Man, it is really hard to justify owning a diesel pick up any more.
3.25 for fuel- i am lucky to get 18 mpg on a 4wd and not complaining, just looking for ways to get better
between oil and filter changes and recommended fuel filter changes, this vehicle is getting expensive to own.
( a little tongue in cheek guys, and i do appreciate the input)
OK, I have already gone 75000 miles ( seriously) without replacing the fuel filter. I have been careful on the fuel quality and stop at qucik trip and other large stations with high diesel fuel usage hoping to get clean fuel.
I almost passed on getting the 6.0 because of the luck i had with my 7.3. However, a vendor of mine uses ford to haul light loads all over the US. he has put hundreds of thousands of miles on his 6.0 and has gone a long time between filter changes.
I will change the filters this weekend and report on what changes i see. I just printed out the procedure from this very web site.
i was hoping to lower egt and maybe gain a little economy with the muffler delete. the egr question was regarding maybe saving the engine oil quality. I am not looking for hp gains or faster spool up times. Just a lttile more economy out of my vehicle

 

unplugging the egr can set codes on some years and possibly put you in a failsafe mode. I have had good luck with pulling the egr valve and lubing the shaft with graphite spray, its stayed working 5x longer than after the dealer cleaned it. the other option is to go into the exaust and weld a plug in before the exaust enters the egr cooler, that solves any issues with exaust causing coolant to flash and pressure up the cooling system, its more work so until mine doesn't clean or summer I'm waiting

 

will using a prgrammer cause the egr to plug more rapidly?
i try to drive somewhat sane and normal but my 18 year daughter drives my truck to school during the week. I have noticed more soot around the exhaust so i am sure she is driving with a heavy foot...

 

I changed the fule filter- got one of the auto zone ones and the dang thing doesn't have the membrane so i will be getting another one fot the hcfm

i opened the drain and collected the fuel in a clear bottle- the fuel was clean with no sign of water- whew
the stock filter had a lot of pleats and the membrane was clean.
I do NOT recommend 75000 miles on the oem stuff but so far, i feel that mine was OK.

the 2nd filter and fuel in the filter canister was also clean.

I did NOt add any fuel additive but plan to on the next tank. i am 3000 miles into my last oil change and plan to add stanadyne on the next change.
I use rotella dino oil as stated above.

no noticeable difference in truck performance- still runs fine. temps have been a little warmer so no rough idle after start up.

thanks for all of the input

 

update
egr cleaned- dry soot only
replaced both fuel filters ( i have to do this again as the hcfm or whatever did not have the mebrane. I collected th fuel that came out of the drain and it was clean. the filter appears clean
unplugged the egr after cleaning- drove 225 miles pulling a trailer- no limp mode,
also, no missing or farting when lugging pulling the trailer. this has been an issue in the past so much that i push the throttle fairly hard under load to get it to shift and not lug.
I have bought a bottle of diesel clean fuel additive and have run 3 tanks fuelw with the additive, added.
see the pictures i took under more egr stuff. I can assure i am not trolling- too many things to do and not enough time to do it. trying to learn more and provide what i learn for the next guy

10 mpg pulling th 5000 pound trailer PLUS( it was loaded, see my picks)
truck does seem to run better.
going after transmissionservice next- nope- have done nothig with it either,