Congratulations David! Promotions are always a great thing, I recently had my 1 year evaluation at the new position in my company and it went very well, raises are always nice!

 

Well I just picked up the EX, ac system was a mess! It cost so much I don't even want to post it. Let's just say it shorted out much more than the compressor.

 

Those dang 6.0 compressors always blowing up!

 

Congrats on the promotion, David.

 

It's a big thing to your Ex brethren too!

Congrats David!

What all got messed up?

Stewart

 

Congrats, David! That is a big deal!

 

Just got this 2002 X a week ago. It has 180k on a 5.4 Triton. Runs perfect.

I'm a single dad with 4 kiddos. Will be occasionally towing a 6,850lb TT (WD hitch of course), small boat, or a motorcycle. Otherwise it will be my daily driver but I work from home. No need to comment on the 5.4 being weak for towing. I know this motor and have had it in other trucks. With a few mods they perform well.

Just started the following mods today, your recommendations are much appreciated!

1. K&N (drop-in)
2. Edge chip prog. (Set for heavy tow and 91 octane)
3. Purchased new rear springs "B" code American made for Superduty. Will re-use stock blocks under the new springs.
4. Bought a Superlift AAL kit for the front / new U-bolts
5. New Warn manual hubs
6. Flow master cat-back exhaust

I'm told that I will have about a 1.5" lift after I install the add-a-leafs in front, and the back end will be about equal to stock. I know about the "B mods" people are doing but I don't really want to do that. Planning on leveling the back with a slightly larger block if needed. Also thinking about putting on 3.5" blocks and then leveling the front with hangers?

Any suggestions before I get too deep into tearing this thing apart?

 

Chartneck- Welcome to FTE.

If your not big on the spring mods why not go with the RAS or Airbag setup in rear? I'm not sure how much the shackles will help when setting the load with a WD hitch on your ride besides clearance. For the rear F350 blocks come out to 3.75" which will raise at least 2" over stock.

Do you have swaybars on there?

As far as performance have you seen the SPD Y pipe?

 

Finally took the time to install my Ruff Country Drop Bracket. Picked it up off another forum last year for $40. Score! Took almost 4 hours to finagle into place. Not sure, but I think I gained another 1" of height as well. The front suspension was bound up by the original drop bracket and drag arm.

Had to take the entire front suspension apart. I knew I needed the drop bracket awhile ago, but kept putting it off. Tomorrow I am going to do a DIY Driveway Alignment. Steering Wheel is canted 90 degrees off due to the amount of suspension changed.



Here is a comparison of the old vs new. Nice welds and thick steel. And actually good instructions for a change. Pleasantly surprised by that


And here is the infamous bolt that is unreasonable hard. I weigh almost 300 lbs and the damn thing resisted my efforts for almost 10 minutes. I ended up jumped and bouncing on the breaker bar to get the darn thing loose. I think I read somewhere it's torqued 250 ft-lbs from factory?

 

Keep up the great work guys, love this thread

 

I'd check out Mike at 5 Star tuning as opposed to the Edge. Mike know the Triton Engines well and can teach them new and powerful tricks!

As for other suggestions:

-As part of Christening your 5.4, you will need some Seafoam: Sea Foam/Engine fuel and diesel treatment (SF16) | Engine Additive and Cleaner | AutoZone.com

Make sure the truck is hot and ready to fly, then make sure it's in a well ventilated area. While it's running induce seafoam into the intake via the vaccum at the master cylinder. I generally give most gas engines I work on half the bottle, then let it sit for about 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes is up, the smoke show is about to begin. You can either rev the truck in your driveway or take it out on the road and drive it like you stole it. The smoke will clear and you'll have a clean, relatively carbon free, intake manifold.

-The other part of Christening your 5.4 is cleaning up the fuel system some: Techron/20 oz. fuel system cleaner (65740A) | Fuel Additive and Cleaner | AutoZone.com

With every gas engine I'm tapped to work on, I fill up with fuel and run a heavy concentration through the tank. When people get it back, they ask me what I did to get their truck to not only run quieter, but much better. That's just one of the secrets.

-Seeing as you're familiar with the 5.4, you should also consider cleaning the IAC or Idle Air Control valve on the back on the throttle assembly. I use B12 carb cleaner and that usually gets them nice and clean with a little scrubbing Berryman/B-12 carburetor choke and throttle body cleaner (0117C) | Carburetor Cleaner | AutoZone.com

-I'd also take the time to inspect the plugs and see what kind of condition they're in, especially if the PO didn't provide any receipts. Autolite Platinum/Spark Plug (AP3923) | 2003 Lexus ES300 6 Cylinders F 3.0L SFI DOHC | AutoZone.com

 

Finally someone to befriend and cuddle with Apocalypse , And welcome fellow Minnesotan..

 

Thanks everyone. I was expecting the promotion, but not until sometime next year. I was caught completely off guard by the announcement yesterday.

Thank you again!

 

Thanks Bently,

Yes I looked at the RAS and the Airbag. I kinda lean toward the Airbag, but the RAS is very interesting. Just not sure if I will need it.

I'm still a little confused on how this will sit with the AAL in the front and the "B" springs in the back. I think based on the other threads in here, I will end up with about 1.5-2" higher in the front with the 2" X blocks on back, but pretty even with the F350 blocks. We'll see. I'm ok with an inch or so rake in the back. I just don't want to be higher in front. If those AALs ride too rough, I'll hunt down some V springs for the front.

I don't have any rear sway bars yet, but yes it will probably need them too.

Yes, I did see the SPD Y pipe mod and am curious if it really makes a difference. To me, before doing that, it makes sense to put in a high flow cat and high flow exhaust. I mean the stock Y pipe has narrower openings than the rest of the exhaust but it's hollow. From what I have read, the most restrictive point in the whole OEM exhaust system is the cat. In a perfect world I would have the money to do it ALL! Oh well...

Thanks for your suggestions, all are worth a consideration.

 

Great ideas, thank you! I usually have turned to sea foam as a first effort after it starts running rough. You are right, why wait until then. Keep it clean now!