Heretical thoughts coming... read at your own risk.

I'm looking at modest upgrades or mods primarily to help fuel mileage, longevity, and reliability. I've got plenty of power for my applications... light towing (2 klb boat), home center runs, and mostly highway miles with high-volume, low-weight loads of whitewater kayaks and paddlers. Stock power is more than adequate for these uses.

Vehicle is a 97 F-350 4x4, crew cab, long bed, E4OD, single rear wheel. 205 K on vehicle and engine, ~33 K on Jasper remanufactured E4OD. NAPA 6637 air filter in place of stock. Going through mid-life replacements on components: CPS, injector controller electronics, power steering and vacuum pumps, steering gearbox, front spring shackles, front calipers, most brake lines, rear cylinder rebuild, and a couple of U-joints. I'm told the ball joints and steering linkages are OK. The stock exhaust system is in good shape.

I did get ARB air lockers on both ends, since some of the access roads and parking areas I use for kayaking aren't exactly interstates. Getting stuck 10 miles off pavement in the boonies of northern West Virginia late on a cold rainy Sunday in February isn't the way to end a day.

So what are likely things I might want to do? I'm reasonably handy with a wrench and have access to an adequate lift and air tools, but prefer to avoid things beyond a long afternoon with common tools. Welding, heavy metalwork, and precision measurement/fitup are things I want to avoid.

I'm figuring a downpipe is first on the list. Does it make sense to augment the the dash oil pressure, water temperature, and volt gages? Anything to help the transmission? My goal is to put together a reasonable plan and slowly start working down it.

Thoughts?

 

I would either get new dp and cut out cat or just put on new exhaust system both are very easy to do and will help with the mileage. As of what to do for the tranny dont know maybe c00n will come in and give you some good pointers. I would bet a main answer would be "THE CURE"

 

If you want to help the transmission put a larger transmission cooler on your truck.

 

More air in.
More air out.
More trans cooling.

Thats good for starters.
The more thing

Bill

 

Yep a down pipe is a great start as well as gutting the cat. Does WV have vehicle inspections?

Also like the others said. Tranny cooling is important. A tranny temp gauge is also a big help to keep an eye on things. As for the factory gauges. The volt meter is pretty good. the Coolant temp and oil pressure are another story. The coolant temp while it does move with different temps it is far from great. Who know what the temps really are. The oil pressure gauge is pretty much a warning light with a needle. I have added both coolant temp and oil pressure gauges that are accurate.

 

hey paddler, what part of wv are you in? bet youre in fayetteville area, cause thats where i am.

 

Well, the job's in DC, the house in Columbia, MD (between DC and Baltimore), and the truck spends a lot of time in MD and PA. Even though Maryland doesn't have annual inspections, or emissions inspections on diesels, I'm thinking that it shouldn't look to an officer that I pulled the cat... so either an empty carcass or a new exhaust with no delete pipe if I do anything downstream of the downpipe.

Gages and some wiring aren't a big deal... so long as the sensors go into existing fittings. Not sure I want to drill-and-tap expensive components... too much possibility for a screw-up.

Add-on transmission oil cooler shouldn't be a problem. Any problem with over-cooling on some of the simpler in-line units?

Most of my time in WV is in the Potomac headwaters or the Cheat basin... Petersburg, Parsons, Keyser. Rafted the New and Gauley once each, but my kayaking skills aren't nearly ready for those yet.

 

paddler, sorry didnt notice the northern part of youre post, the way you talked about kayaking and off-roading sounded like may area. lot of that around here. anyway if you ever get down this way give me a hollar.

 

Hey tjbeggs I was wondering what kind of oil guage your running and where to get it and where it hooks up, because I would like a better idea of what pressure my engine is running at.