Guys,
I just wanted to drop a note to say THANK YOU!! I had a recent experience with a reputable local shop that was flat out BAD, and because of this forum, I found and fixed the common issue with the under valve cover harness (UVCH) on my own for the 50 cent fix!!

The bitter sweet of it all was I was pretty much SOL last weekend, but pulled through BIG TIME for a long distance, 4horse trailering opportunity this weekend.

I'm now a powerstroke redneck freak, looking for anything else I can fix or upgrade. What else do I need to do? CPS? (its a 99.5 with ~75K) I have paying customers that depend on my rig to be dependable.

I've done the alternator (on the highway with 3 horses waiting in the trailer!!), front wheel hub assy and locking hub, brake rotors, overhead display, with a RE-ligious maintenance record. Any advice will be helpfull. Thanks again.

 

These guy's are great and have a lot of information that they are willing to give out. If you have an issue ask and someone on hedre will know how to fix it. Welcome to FTE.

 

Welcome to FTE.

Keep up the religious maintenance schedule, grab a spare CPS for your glove box, pull the lid off your air filter and inspect the intake tube going back to the turbo for any signs of dust. The seal on the lid has been known to go bad letting the turbo ingest dirt.

Many of us have switched intakes due to the is issue. Other than that, just spend some time reading here at FTE, and don't be shy about jumping in and asking questions. Those mechanics deal with lots of different motors, we're all 7.3, all the time here, so we have more insight into what makes these motors tick.

Tell us more about your truck. Any chips, tuners or modifications? Sounds like you don't really do much hauling, or even driving for that matter with only 75k on the odometer.

 

Welcome to FTE.These are some folks that will be with you thick and thin.Don't go crazy yet,start small and work up to the more expensive mods.Glad you are here

 

Thanks for the warm welcome,
I actually inhereted the truck from my wife's grandfather this past year. He was a 10gallon hat kind of guy that had the mid 80's 2wd, 6cyl, f150, MT, until he saved enough doe to buy his dream 99 4x4 PSD new. He was religious, doing his own maintenance at age ~80, and read the power stroke registry magazine like it was going out of style. Seeing what I read now, and appreciating what I know now, I tip my hat in his honor! If you've ever seen the movie Gran Torino...he was Clint Eastwood (He actually had a Torino at one time as well)

The truck is basically stock. he put on mag-hytec trans and dif covers, added pillar gages for trans, egt, and boost, and pretty much spec'd out the best towing vehicle at the time in 99 with 4.11, auto, and of course the PSD. He did his own fluid changes, with only ford OEM filters and fluids.

I have equipped it with a turn-over-ball gooseneck hitch and married it up with a 4 horse, 30ft long, 14K#, gooseneck horse trailer. (before that it was a 5K#, 2horse bumperpull) I'm not sure if he is smiling or shaking his head up above seeing the setup now.

I want to see this truck through 200K miles, but, as I mentioned above, dependability is job 1.

 

Glad to hear you got it fixed.. Why stop at 200k? That your 4sale cut off? Keeping my truck out of the salt i hope to take it to retirement. I have 80+ k now. So 10k a year for say 20 years. 280,000. I turn 60. Then i may look for something newer. But if it keeps working like it is i will keep it.. Long term thinking through. Might get laid off or fall into the toilet.. I got 14 years out of my last truck (140k f150) but the salt ate it up pretty bad.

My moto also. -> dependability job 1 and i also like " DIY "

 

You should see WAY beyond 200k.

 

I remember 200k. That was before I had to change the bottom foam seat cushion in the drivers side.

You need to be warned, that bottom foam cushion is probably only good for around 250k or so. I waited until 285k to change mine and it was too long.

Yes it really is that bad. You're going to have to learn about hog rings before you learn about honing cylinders, filing rings, and all that other stuff. It does present you with a good opportunity to install heated seats though.

 

Thanks Jeff,
My only concern is the frequency of repairs lately. I've seen the thread on the miles and understand 200K-300K-400K+ miles is possible with these setups, but really at what cost and hassle?? Straight up... my wife and I were trying to decide last Sunday between working on the truck verses trading it in for a new(er) superduty that day. I've been consistent (relying on the opinions of this forum), that at 75K, we have S-load left before trading.

 

Even if you were to blow up a tranny, that's still cheaper than a new truck by a long shot. But hey, if you want a new truck.........

Let me warn you though,I know of a new F-450 that's rolling around with a brand new motor that had less than 100k when it gave up the ghost. Just ask Weekendwarrior32 (Nick)

 

If you're running it as a serious tow rig, do the trans mods and put in an upgraded cooler. That will help the trans live as long as possible. Other things that help with towing are intake, opened up exhaust, and upgraded brakes. Tuning really wakes these up as well. Do all that stuff, and you'll keep up with the newer trucks and have more torque.

 

Where do you get a replacement foam cushion? The driver's side seat cushion already sags in one direction. Strangely enough, the side closest to the center console.

 

You can get them through Ed, but hold on to your head when you see the price! I just inquired on some a month or two ago.

 

That's where I got mine. Don't remember what I paid, but I remember it was worth it.