7.3L diesel advice

[akaFrankCastle]

Almost forgot about my latest power stroke junkyard score. I picked up a set of injectors from an 03 power stroke. I know my current injectors are single shots and the 03's are split shots but they are significantly larger than what I have now. So, are they worth swapping in? I have read mixed reviews on running split shots in an OBS. Rob, if your seeing this you probably know the answer to this one. I got them thinking they could be used as cores or I could just sell them to help finance getting something else. I also got 4 early 99 split shots ( Someone beat me to the driver side Bank ) and a spare Injection control module. I read about having work done to the injection control module to get some power gains. Any one know if that is a worth while mod? I don't want a race truck, I want to pull my 5th wheel up I-70 at a speed somewhat close to the speed limit.

If you find the 03s provide no significant advantage, let me know and we can work something out. I suspect some of my cold start issues stem from stiction inside my injectors due to poor PO PM.

[ZOSO]

Im not sure if they would be a worth while upgrade to the OBS. I know that they are on the 98 superduty's. Just keep in mind you'd need a new tune with those splitshot's. You may call someone like Clay at Riffraff and ask him if it would be worth it. I bet before long i'll be getting a set of stage 1's.

[ZOSO]

As for my truck I looked and since moab I have only put on 4k miles. It's over due for an oil change. Gotta OHM out my glowplugs again. Thin I have a UVCH problem. Now that the temps are getting colder it sure does smoke A LOT on startup. No issues starting just very smokey. Was the same symptoms when i got the truck and the UVCH was half unplugged. When I changed glowplugs I didnt know about the 50cent mod.

[casadejohnson]

As for my truck I looked and since moab I have only put on 4k miles. It's over due for an oil change. Gotta OHM out my glowplugs again. Thin I have a UVCH problem. Now that the temps are getting colder it sure does smoke A LOT on startup. No issues starting just very smokey. Was the same symptoms when i got the truck and the UVCH was half unplugged. When I changed glowplugs I didnt know about the 50cent mod.

I did my glow plugs 5-6 weeks ago. I was not sure if it was going to make a huge difference but now that its 10 degrees outside, I can tell you that it is like night and day! I plugged the truck in last night to ease this mornings start up. well, turns out you have to plug the extension cord in at both ends! Even without being plugged in, it fired right up. I need to get a timer for my block heater, what do you guys use?

[Gunnibronco]

These are used in commercial pools & spas as pump timers. I had an extra, and wired an extension cord (or 2) into the switched leg, and hardwired (or cord end) the load leg to an outlet box. Rated to 40amps 110v, more than enough for even 2 cars.

I don't like fooling with cheapo plastic switches.

http://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-T101-H ... B00002N5FN

I had 4 bad glow plugs when I bought the truck, it wouldn't start at 50-60*, without plugging in for 1 hour. I swapped my plugs this spring. It started flawlessly every morning at hunting camp. It wasn't as cold as it should have been, probably about 25* average. But it was my first test of the truck, and it did great.

[Justin]

Quick Googling says those pull 1000w, which at 120v is about 8.3 amps. Any normal wall timer will be fine-most are rated for 15A. Plug it directly into the wall, not a power strip. I've badly cooked a couple strips with 1000w aquarium heaters.

[Jesus_man]

I had a nice digital one that could be programmed (home depot), but I did end up burning it up after a few seasons.

What I'd love to see is someone smarter than me to make one that is not only time dependent, but temperature dependent as well. Have it check the temp 4 hrs before your leave. If it's 35 or above, do nothing. Below 35, start the block heater. Then check again two hours out. If it's 40 or above, leave it off. Below 40, and kick it on. I might be nice to have 4 sets of programmable set points.

4 hours seemed like it was enough time to heat up the engine in any weather.

[akaFrankCastle]

One hour is usually long enough to raise coolant temps to ~50*F, the usual max on the stock block heaters.

[Jesus_man]

Yeah, I really have no scientific evidence, but I believe I always had mine on for 4 hrs when it started to freeze consistently at night. It did start easier than if I only did 1 hr.

[ZOSO]

I had a nice digital one that could be programmed (home depot), but I did end up burning it up after a few seasons.

What I'd love to see is someone smarter than me to make one that is not only time dependent, but temperature dependent as well. Have it check the temp 4 hrs before your leave. If it's 35 or above, do nothing. Below 35, start the block heater. Then check again two hours out. If it's 40 or above, leave it off. Below 40, and kick it on. I might be nice to have 4 sets of programmable set points.

4 hours seemed like it was enough time to heat up the engine in any weather.

like this? has an outside air temp switch. if below 28* and between the hours of 2am and 8am it turns on the heater.

[Rox Crusher]

Well I hope mine starts when land tonight at 8 pm

I should look into airport parking that has an electrical outlet

[kbank6]

Used a cheap plastic one from ACE for 4 years now with no issues.

[casadejohnson]

Well I hope mine starts when land tonight at 8 pm

I should look into airport parking that has an electrical outlet

I bet that 6.7 didn't care that it was 4 degrees out and started right up.

[casadejohnson]

I had a nice digital one that could be programmed (home depot), but I did end up burning it up after a few seasons.

What I'd love to see is someone smarter than me to make one that is not only time dependent, but temperature dependent as well. Have it check the temp 4 hrs before your leave. If it's 35 or above, do nothing. Below 35, start the block heater. Then check again two hours out. If it's 40 or above, leave it off. Below 40, and kick it on. I might be nice to have 4 sets of programmable set points.

4 hours seemed like it was enough time to heat up the engine in any weather.

like this? has an outside air temp switch. if below 28* and between the hours of 2am and 8am it turns on the heater.

I would be interested in how you set that up. There is probably an App for that. If You could set a timer from your phone and it monitored the temp through your weather App it would be cool as hell ! Maybe tie that together with a remote start? .....If only I knew how to design I phone Apps.

[Rox Crusher]

Well I hope mine starts when land tonight at 8 pm

I should look into airport parking that has an electrical outlet

I bet that 6.7 didn't care that it was 4 degrees out and started right up.

It cranked and started right up but was stuck on high idle (1200 rpm) for a bit.

It would rev freely but when I put it in gear it would stutter a bit.

Had to let it warm up for five minutes or so before it cleared up.

[ZOSO]

I had a nice digital one that could be programmed (home depot), but I did end up burning it up after a few seasons.

What I'd love to see is someone smarter than me to make one that is not only time dependent, but temperature dependent as well. Have it check the temp 4 hrs before your leave. If it's 35 or above, do nothing. Below 35, start the block heater. Then check again two hours out. If it's 40 or above, leave it off. Below 40, and kick it on. I might be nice to have 4 sets of programmable set points.

4 hours seemed like it was enough time to heat up the engine in any weather.

like this? has an outside air temp switch. if below 28* and between the hours of 2am and 8am it turns on the heater.

I would be interested in how you set that up. There is probably an App for that. If You could set a timer from your phone and it monitored the temp through your weather App it would be cool as hell ! Maybe tie that together with a remote start? .....If only I knew how to design I phone Apps.

Mine was pretty simple since I was a controls nerd. It's all relayed so the timer and the OSA dont have the current running through it. The OSA switch is temp adjustable too. Goes from 55 down to -20. I have it set to around 28*

But I do like the app idea. I'll talk to a few people that have made apps and see what they can come up with. Just gotta find a wifi switch.

Last night I plugged my truck in. Well I either didn't have it plugged in all the way or my block heater is dead cause there was no heat out of it. True cold start at -15. She was slow to crank and was a cranky old hag but she fired up instantly and ran.

[ZOSO]

Oh BTW you guys need to look into the "marinco mod".

It keeps that ugly cord from hanging out the front. Also keeps it from swinging and breaking.

[Jesus_man]

Oh BTW you guys need to look into the "marinco mod".

It keeps that ugly cord from hanging out the front. Also keeps it from swinging and breaking.

And more importantly causing fires due to shorted wires!!

Rob - I do like your setup. That would be great. It might be cool to have at least one more temp setpoint in there in conjunction with a timer.

[Gunnibronco]

Confirmed this weekend that the cam sensor went bad. It lasted 25 days (maybe less- I hadn't tried to start the truck for a week). Keep that in mind.

[casadejohnson]

Oh BTW you guys need to look into the "marinco mod".

It keeps that ugly cord from hanging out the front. Also keeps it from swinging and breaking.

I just picked one up a week ago. My block heater stopped working when we were down in the single digits and i thought it was just the cord so I got a new one. Turned out I was wrong so I had to get a new heating element as well. The cold also revealed that the "O"rings in my oil cooler have gotten old and brittle because it leaks a little oil on the driveway for a little bit then stops leaking when it warms up. I have a spare cooler that I rebuilt this weekend so now I just have to find time to swap it in along with the new heater and plug. The only problem with the "marinco mod" on the OBS trucks is finding a good spot to mount it. I am reluctant to drill a hole in my steal bumper for it and plastic parts that would be easier to drill through are few and far between on the OBS.

[Jesus_man]

Here's a couple ideas for ya:

http://www.genosgarage.com/prodinfo.asp ... HR84ovF_TQ

[ZOSO]

My cold starts are getting a lot worse. I need some nice weather cause Im betting I have a UVCH problem again. This time I'll replace the harness and gaskets.

[BroncoCrawler]

Why not just take some resistance readings on the outside of the valve covers and make sure you have a good connection?

[ZOSO]

I plan on it when it warms up a little.

[casadejohnson]

I think the best money I have spent on my truck so far is the investment in new glow plugs. I failed to plug my block heater in last week when we hit 27 below and it still started fine. It did crank a little slower than normal but it still fired up.

[ZOSO]

Anyone deal with a coolant flush yet? Im planning to do that this spring. What coolant you run?

[Jesus_man]

I had a shop do it, and I also supplied the coolant for the last fill, but I don't recall what it was... Zerex maybe??

[akaFrankCastle]

I'll be dealing with this soon when I fix my cracked injector cup issue. Here are my notes I've taken from FTE discussions on the subject.

Heavy duty extended life coolant
International fleetrite, shell rotella elc, cat elc, chevron delo elc, peak final charge, prestone heavy duty elc, zerex extreme heavy duty
4 gallons
20 gallons distilled water
Thermostat gasket f4tz-8255-a
Thermostat f6tz-8575-ea
Thermostat housing f81z-8260-ca
Upper radiator hose f81z-8260-ca
Lower radiator hose yc32-8286-ce
Degas bottle cap f6dz-8100-a

[BroncoCrawler]

Yep see above. The biggest thing on the coolant is to get a low or no silicate coolant. Also if your truck is a late 99 build or newer then absolutely go with an ELC coolant. Any ELC coolant that meets the caterpillar EC-1 requirement is a good coolant. If your truck is an early 99 or older then they don't recommend an ELC coolant because it is not compatible with the sealant used on injector cups and will cause them to leak over time. Injector cups are no fun and are easy to mess up. I've had a run on trucks lately to come in with bad ones. My advice is clean clean clean. I bought a digital camera scope just to inspect the heads before I pressed the new cups in, and so far haven't had a truck come back yet

[Justin]

I'm always blown away by the level of technical knowledge in this club. You guys are awesome.