Hello all, first off I am new here so hey ya'll! Well I just purchased a 2002 F250 7.3l diesel with about 134000 miles on it. Its a really clean truck. Now I am being sent to school to work on caterpillar machinery and as of now all I have worked on are bulldozers and such, so I am new to these trucks... I just wanted to get some input on cheap upgrades that are a must? intake maybe, new exhaust from turbo back, I dunno, thats why I'm asking the pros! And anything I should look at to detect pre-mature failure> Maybe save me a few bucks... anywho, seems like a good bunch a guys on here who know there stuff, so any advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Mike

 

Mike, welcome! You will be an expert on the 7.3 in no time with help of others on here. I would first look at your turbo's intake side impellar and make sure it isn't "dusted". Then I would ditch the stock intake and filter and do the 6637 mod and exhaust. Sky is the linit from there!

 

Welcome to FTE. Your gonna like it around here. Powerstrokejunkie wrote thread on the common mods and the order they should be done in but I dont have a link. Maybe someone can throw it up for you. I personaly would start by changing all your fluids unless you have some king of record that shows when the were done. Since you have some knowledge of diesels it wont take you long to get up to speed. Do some reading on here, its the best way to learn. Dont be afraid of asking questions either, you wont get your head bit off around here.

Where are you located?

 

Here you go Mike, check these out!

http://www.roadsidehelpnetwork.info/...s/Page1344.htm

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...mmon-mods.html

And welcome aboard, you are going to find endless information around here. We'll keep you coming back for more!

 

Mike,

Welcome to .

I see you are in Nebraska. When researching the info and threads don't overlook any of the cold weather stuff just because it happens to be July right now. We always get a rash of cold start problem posts when the cold weather hits.

 

Excellant point Robin! Reps sent!

 

No doubt on all these posts! I purchased my truck about 6 months ago and at this point I almost feel as if I know more about my truck then the mechanics do and there have been many times that these folks on here have helped diagnos things for people when the mechanic thought that all the injectors were toast, speaking of which.... Oh, nm, was thinking of making a toasted egg sandwich....

Anyhow stick around bud, welcome to the site and don't be afraid to ask a question, the folks here don't critisize questions already asked.

In regards to your truck......
Maintain your oil. Oil is critical on these trucks since the injectors are dependant on the oil to spit fuel. New injectors will run 1 to 3K depending on what you get and who does them.
The mods have already been posted, do them, they help tons
In cold areas a lot of people run 5-40 Syn, mostly Rotella, here's a list of oils and how many people replied with what kind of oil they used to the thread I made....

When it comes to maintenance be sure to keep a CPS on hand. They are known to cause problems, act up and sometimes suddenly fail. They are about 25 bucks, throw one in the glove box.
The donut seals on the up pipes are also known to fail and this will reduce fuel economy and boost due to lack of exhaust through the turbo.

Other then that just stick around, you'll learn tons by reading and asking questions and I just can't think of what else to post atm.

 

Welcome to FTE Mike. Like the others have said there is a wealth of knowledge here that will blow your mind. Some of wich put the stealerships to shame. Feel free to ask question and in no time you will become very knowledgeable on your 7.3.

 

Welcome to FTE, read those links to the Roadside Help Network (and think about joining when you qualify) and all will be well with your truck. If not, there are plenty of people here with a ton of knowledge to help you make it so. Stay away from the dealership as much as you can. We have guy's on here that can get you any Ford parts for less than your dealership will sell them to you for anyway.

 

Nice Chart Viss, reps sent.