I sold my '04 6.0 about two months ago and just picked up a '95 250 7.3 yesterday. I know I cant expect the same out of the two, but the 7.3 seems kinda sluggish when getting on it, no real pick up/power(cant even burn the tires) Im not getting any kind of smoke or weird noise though. Any thoughts? The only thing I can think of is the exhaust on it, it looks to me as a garage special, about a 2inch straight pipe into a 3inch elbow into a monster 5 inch tip all with the stock air cleaner (which I havnt looked at yet and probably needs replacing) so maybe its not getting enough air? Any other thoughts? Something internal? Thanks guys

 

I'm not familiar with the 95 model; I have a 97 F350. The 95 has a turbo, doesn't it? If it doesn't, then this will mean nothing:

First off, the stock exhaust is restrictive. The downpipe flattens out by the firewall and then becomes rounder under the truck.

It should also be about 3.5 inches in diameter, NOT 2 inches.

My stock 97 wouldn't smoke the tires either. My engine is rated at 225 HP at 3000 RPM. There's a sticker on the engine stating this. Check your engine valve cover, passenger side. The sticker should be on that side.

We are talking about nine years difference here, so it's possible your expectations may be a bit too high.

Check your fuel pressure at the fuel pressure regulator (it should be in the 40 - 80 PSI range), replace the stock air filter (Napa 6637) and then the exhaust. This will set the foundation for future mods.

If your fuel pressure is low, search for "FPR Shim" for info.
Search "6637" for the air filter mod info.
Check any of the site sponsors for an exhaust system.

The main thing is, do some research. These vehicles are work horses and will last a long, long time.

How many miles on your rig?

 

I kinda thought the same thing about my '97 7.3L when I got it.
I kinda got used to it, it kicks in when you hit the power band, but it's not a rocket off the line. It tows and hauls well though. I've never done any aftermarket stuff except air filter. I've heard some good things about some of the performance tuners, I just haven't tried that yet.

 

220K on it now.......I would like to throw on a whole new exhaust system right now but after buying it the $$$ needs to be better well spent. I know it defiantly doesnt have the stock exhaust....like I said looks a little homemade to me. I just ordered an aftermarket airfilter for it....nothing fancy just an ebay special .

You mentioned a FPR shim......I havnt read about the shim but I did read to clean it, so I am going to try that and replace the fuel filters as well.......my 6.0L had 2 filters, same on the 7.3?

 

Single filter, Heater element on plate below filter, and under that (still inside the fuel bowl) is probably a thick bunch of jello like goo that should be cleaned out in the bottom of the bowl. Do a search on this, I cleaned mine out a month ago and I've been having problems ever since.

 

These trucks can come to life in a big way with a few mods. Obviously is the intake and the exhaust. The 6637 is a poor mans open intake, and you can get a good deal from Riffraff Diesel, a sponsor on this site. Next is to get rid of the factory exhaust. The down pipe is a real restrictive piece of crud. To remove it you need a sawzall to cut the top off of it, and you may need to cut the bottom too. In order to install a 3" downpipe, you will need a hammer and a block of wood to make room against the firewall. Some trucks are worse than others. The 3" down pipe is in 2 pieces. Attach it to the turbo, and to the pipe going back before you tighten the clamp uniting the 2 pieces. This will allow you to move it so it doesn't rub on anything. Then you will run a 4" out the back, either with or without a muffler.

If you've got an automatic, I would recommend at least a transgo shift kit. This is the weak link of these trucks unfortunately, and expensive to rebuild. An aftermarket torque converter would be nice, but you're looking at $500 to 800 bucks for that. Make sure you've got a good tranny cooler. Switching to synthetic tranny fluid when you do the transgo kit would be a good idea. BTW, you can drain the factory torque converter when you drain the tranny. There is a drain plug on the torque converter.

A set of gauges would be nice, and perhaps a necessity if you are going to be towing with some aggressive tunes, which brings me to the next stage. Chips. There are plenty of off the shelf stuff you can get, however, none of them will compare to the custom tunes that are available for these trucks. DP Tuner is a sponsor here. Riffraff Diesel is also a vendor for them. There is also Tony Wildman, and Power Hungary Performance, and Swamps also has tunes for these trucks. All of these folks will make a chip specifically for you and your truck, taking into account any mods that you have done, and/or plan to do. They also take into account your driving habits. I would start with the intake and exhaust. You will likely notice very little difference. Some, but not much. What those mods really do is set you up to take advantage of what the chip will do.

 

Yes, one filter. Open the drain valve on the filter housing and empty it. It will run on the ground, so you better be able to catch it or be in some gravel where it doesn't matter. I use a can of carb cleaner and rinse the inside of the housing out with the valve still open. Next, and this might be some folks problems, there is a small screen located at the top right side of the filter inside a port near the top, inside about 3/4". You can clean that with a straw on the carb cleaner and a q-tip, or you can remove the housing that holds it with a 10mm wrench. Only 2 bolts hold it on, but be careful, there are o-rings in there, and you can't run without them. These trucks won't self prime like the newer ones since they have mechanical fuel pumps. I usually fill the filter housing up with tranny fluid, leaving enough room for the filter, usually about 1 and a half inches from the top. Slide the filter in slowly or you'll get a shower.

 

While on the subject of the heater element in the housing, they are known to short out, killing your truck. I can't remember which fuse, but when this happens, unplug the heater, then replace the fuse and you'll be fine. Most don't even fix the heater when it goes bad except for those guys up in the real cold areas.

 

I just noticed that screen on mine, now that you mentioned it. I had read about it in other posts but i thought it was below the heater plate. On mine it is almost at the top, cut into the very bottom portion of the threads of the filter cap. It's late now, too dark to see how dirty it is.
What is this assembly that this screen is attached to (the one with the schrader valve?)

 

Fuel pressure regulator.

 

Don't know if the schrader valve is there, never looked for it. It's a block bolted to the fuel filter housing using 2 10mm bolts. It's easy to take apart, just be careful about the o-rings. You are looking at the right location though.

 

Any idea what the symptoms might include, if my screen to the FPR is clogged?

 

That 3/8" hole is about 3/4" deep and the screen is on the other side fitted to the FPR I recommend removing the FPR or at least puling it to the side to clean it more thoroughly as you can see the whole screen. With that screen plugged up it will throw off your fuel pressure reading at the schrader valve as well severly deminish your overall power and off the line speed.

 

From what you said you saw in the bottom of your filter bowl Id recommend checking your screen as that can definately change the performance of your truck. The most noticeable effect of a plugged screen will be low power and it will often act like is choking for fuel under load or higher RPMs. since it wont properly be sending fuel to the injectors.

 

Thanks oversize,

I'm hoping that's my problem. I'll check it tomorrow. When you say "pull it to the side" to clean it more thouroughly, what do you mean. It seems I either need to take it off or not. Are you saying that I can just take the (2) 10mm bolts out to move the FPR out of the way?