<!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> <!-- In 1st Post Ad --> Hello everyone I just bought myself a 1999 f250 powerstroke with a six speed manual transmission. I was just wondering what I should do first to it? I've been looking at some chips and the dp tuner f5 chip seems to be the best. I was also looking at buying a DIY gauge kit from a website called Sinister Diesel, LLC I will be using the truck to pull a fith wheel cattle trailer and my fith wheel dump trailer I use to haul seed corn that I sell. ANY sort of advice is greatly appriciated thanks again

 

First off welcome to FTE its awesome here and theres alot of good people with much advice and knowledge to share.

Is the truck all stock or does it have a upgraded exhaust. IMO i would first go with a full four inch exhaust system on the truck. After that the gauges would be a good idea since your looking to two with your truck.

 

yes the truck is completely stock at the moment, im guessing that the exhaust upgrade would be to keep the temperature down? And is the chip not that important? this is also my first diesel just fyi to everyone

 

Well im kinda a newbie too i have had my truck about 4 months but do alot of reading on here and have picked up alot of information. Correct me if im wrong but yes the exhaust being bigger lets engine breathe better and keep down temps. The gauges are good to monitor whats going on under the hood like these important temperatures cause if you overheat one of these engines that could basically be the end of it. The chip is important but only after you have done the correct preparation of the truck for the chip. They can be helpful when it comes to power and mpg gains but they can be harmful if the truck isnt set up to handle the extra heat and such.
Im sure some others will chime in here in a little while with much more helpful information but thats just my .02

 

Chip is not important but makes a hell of a difference. First thing to do is to get her breathing. Air in and air out. A air in take like the 6637, AFE, S&B and the like.
Riffraff Diesel: Intake Kits / Filters

And exhaust 4" turbo back
Riffraff Diesel: Stainless Single Exhaust

Gauges a swell so can monitor whats going on in there

Riffraff Diesel: RDP Triple Gauge Kit

With those you are set. You can leave it as is or mod ya little heart out. Give Clay at Riffraff a call he can sort all ya needs out.

 

To quick for me Joe.

 

Thanks so much for the info it is really aprriciated

 

i would start off with maintenance items, flush the cooling system, engine oil change, fuel filters, axles, tranny, transfer case. check belts and hoses, u joints, ball joints, hubs. this will give you a starting point for future maintenance, help you get to know your truck and possible fix any problems before they become a problem.

 

All great advice. One thing you have that I don't is the manual tranny. From the factory they have more power.

 

I would also look at replacing the factory intake, as they are prone to leaking, letting in dirt which shortens the life of both the turbo and engine. Clay (riffraff diesel) sells an inexpensive 6637 intake which works great. I have noticed that it does have a drone that might be annoying while towing, so a different set up like an AFE might be desired. K&N setups are not recommended with our trucks.

 

I prefer the S&B over the AFE personally.

 

Yeah, start with an exhaust and filter... I have a 4" no-name exhaust that's just as good as any other exhaust out there. I'm gonna put a 6637 on there come next service (it's a dozer filter I think, but fits just right and is the best alternative to high $$$ systems. I just did a regulated return and a high-pressure crossover. Both when put together make a WORLD of difference. I'm running and old Superchips tuner due to lack of funds for a DP-Tuner, but that's what I do if I had the money. I would like to get gauges as well... I like the ISSPro gauges the best because you can get gauges from the that match the factory scheme and don't cost TOO much. Most people get a boost gauge (turbo pressure), transmission oil temperature gauge, and pyrometer (exhaust temperature). Since my truck is getting older, I want to add a fuel pressure gauge INSIDE (yeah, I have one on the regulator for my regulated return, but you can't see it while driving and if I hadn't popped the hood, I would've never known my pump is crapping out) and I want to have an engine oil pressure gauge as well. If I ever get onboard air, there'll be a gauge for that too. You also need to figure out if you have an early or late '99... they're TOTALLY different and will affect the way you order mods. If it's a late '99, then you can get a wicked wheel to cure "turbo surge". A wicked wheel is an early '99 turbo wheel and it's known for it's big rig whistle. A few other things are the foil delete (on late '99 on up) which is basically removing the foil from the intercooler tubes on the motor. This makes it whistle a little louder. I'm also in the process of doing the in-tank mods which help to eliminate the problematic "air in the lines" that these trucks are known for. It also helps with putting the last few gallons in the tank as well... instead of standing there for 10 minutes trying to get the last few gallons in the tank, it'll allow you to fill it up to the last gallon and then you can decide if you want to put the last one in, or take off! I'm looking into adjusting the wastegate rod on my turbo right now so that the wastegate will allow to turbo to build up more boots before "blowing off" the excess... just keep reading and you'll learn alot. Call Clay (from Riffraff Diesel) if you need advice or performance parts, call Ed (Parts Guy Ed) if you need OEM parts, and call Bob (guzzle) if you need O-rings... also check out Bob's website for detailed info on some of the mods listed above as well as a few others...

Riffraff Diesel

Guzzle's O-rings

Parts Guy Ed

Also, look into checking out the back pressure sensor tube if you're having bad mileage and also look into degreasing your intercooler tubes and boots so that you can try to make sure you have as tight of a seal as possible... basically, NO BOOST LEAKS!!! If you have lock actuators that aren't working, check out the lock fix (I have a thread about it here with some detailed pictures). If you're having cold start problems, check out your glow plug system (I also have a thread about that as well... go here). I also did what's called the "cold A/C mod" or "ranger vavle mod"... it's a vacuum-operated valve off a Ranger that bypasses the heater core whenever "OFF" or "MAX A/C" are selected. Just "T" into the white vacuum line under the passenger's-side of the dash. Since the A/C evaporator and the heater core are so close together in the "air box", even with the heater core flap closed, it'll still heat the air... this mod dropped my A/C temperatures about 10 degrees! There's a ton more I could list, but I think I've posted enough to get you started. Anything I missed, guys?

 

S&B over AFE? air filters?


OEM BABY!


AIS

 

Oh wow... that's the first time I ever saw someone advocate OEM junk! HAHA!!! I'm still waiting to find that money tree, Ed, so I can buy my clearance light set!

 

wow by far the best forum ive ever seen!! so much great advice thanks so much everyone! How can i tell if i have a late 99 or early 99??