Striaght pipping a Ford F-450, with a 7.3L

[Joey Mack]

Well i guess i will apologize to my buddy. I told him he was pushing his luck and needed to drag a big magnet behind him. However, he is very abusive to his trucks.  Thanks guys.  

[The Rubber Duck 006]

My 2001 F250 is Straight from the Turbo Back and it actually sounds decent cause the exhaust is long....the 7.3 sounds annoying with short exhaust...All you hear is turbo like right now!! Then you have the Annoying ever chattering Cummins that hurts your ears at an Idle....

[Freightrain]

When I took delivery of my 2000 CC DRW PSD 6 spd, I cut the muffler off right quick.  This was a pre CAT engine, so it sounded like a mini E9.  They put cats on them in 02?  They rated them at 275 HP, mine was 235 HP.

All stock beyond that.  Ran well, could pull Fancy Gap at 65 mph with my 14k lb trailer in 6th gear just fluctuating the throttle.  I really do miss that truck.

[Joey Mack]

It's kinda funny to me...  I felt firm about my opinion of what my buddy was doing to his (new to him) '97 F-450,  when all along it is ME that needs the education..   I guess I don't know as much as I thought I did when I was concerned about burnig valves..     

[The Rubber Duck 006]

23 minutes ago, Joey Mack said:

It's kinda funny to me...  I felt firm about my opinion of what my buddy was doing to his (new to him) '97 F-450,  when all along it is ME that needs the education..   I guess I don't know as much as I thought I did when I was concerned about burnig valves..     

Bout the only Gripe I would have about that truck is if had the glorious Auto Hubs like my Buddy's 1996 F250 "Heavy Duty" Had....

[Geoff Weeks]

Well, if it helps, I still think it a dumb idea!

There was a truckstop "discussion" where a pair of Bull haulers were making the claim they "needed to have straight pipes because they were always heavy and had wind drag, and me with my tractor and load ticking the scales at 168,000 lbs, over 14'6 high and wide, the outside of which was I beams all the way around (talk about drag). I asked what they thought would happen if they had single exh and a muffler? "Why, we couldn't even get on the highway"! Oh really?

 

Edited July 16 by Geoff Weeks

[The Rubber Duck 006]

I've always liked my Straight Pipes on my big trucks drove a 1995 Pete 379 That needed Straight piped I found this out one night on I-81 in Pennsylvania when the elbow clamp slipped off.....And man that kitty cat Ran grrrrreat And pulled them PA hills on cruise at 70mph and didn't even drop 1 mph at almost 90,000lbs. My 2006 Mack CHN613 was the same way....That Mack Motor Ran 100% better Straight piped and She sounded Choice!!!. Drove a 1989 Pete 379 with a 855 Cummins and a 15spd Over drive Trans and it had 8inch diameter Straight stacks on it....Sounded Choice and truck ran good but had just alil too much noise for my taste...

[tjc transport]

1 hour ago, Freightrain said:

When I took delivery of my 2000 CC DRW PSD 6 spd, I cut the muffler off right quick.  This was a pre CAT engine, so it sounded like a mini E9.  They put cats on them in 02?  They rated them at 275 HP, mine was 235 HP.

All stock beyond that.  Ran well, could pull Fancy Gap at 65 mph with my 14k lb trailer in 6th gear just fluctuating the throttle.  I really do miss that truck.

Larry, i think it was 03 with the 6.0 that got cats, unless it was a california truck.my 02 did not have a cat on it when i got it. 

i ran muffler delete on the 02, and the 44 had 3 inch pipe from turbo outlet to a t/y pipe under the cab, then 3 inch to front of bed on each side to 4 inch stacks.  thet 88 would make most big trucks tuck tail and hide when i was on it.

and letting off the throttle at 3200 down to around 1600 sounded like i had a jake set on full kill.

people could here me coming from 1/2 mile away if conditions were rite.

[The Rubber Duck 006]

2 minutes ago, tjc transport said:

Larry, i think it was 03 with the 6.0 that got cats, unless it was a california truck.my 02 did not have a cat on it when i got it. 

i ran muffler delete on the 02, and the 44 had 3 inch pipe from turbo outlet to a t/y pipe under the cab, then 3 inch to front of bed on each side to 4 inch stacks.  thet 88 would make most big trucks tuck tail and hide when i was on it.

and letting off the throttle at 3200 down to around 1600 sounded like i had a jake set on full kill.

people could here me coming from 1/2 mile away if conditions were rite.

We had a 1993 Peterbilt 379 with a Series 60 Detroit 15spd Deep Reduction Transmission.....We logged with it......She looked like she stepped out of a Jerry Reed movie with the old school black and white 2 color paint job and Gold " actual fabric" Pin stripes to separate the colors....The 3 stage Jake Sounded like a Machine Gun Goin off and they heard me hit it 2 1/2 miles away and that was with Stock Stacks!!! Miss that ol' truck!!!

[JoeH]

The 7.3 PS is a fantastic motor, I'd argue 2nd in durability only to the 12v 5.9 Cummins.  I think this boy is going to be having heat induced issues more than anything else. Remember, many old Mack's run without functional puff limiters and blow decent coal when pulling.  If the trucks an automatic he'll be cooking that if he runs too much HP, then he's going to swap in some bulletproofed trans, feel that cost sting a bit, and he'll up the HP even more.  Annoying, but you sleep in the bed you make.  Let him live with the consequences.  Not sure what his employment status is, but if his name is on the side of the truck if he's self employed then it's his own name/reputation he's tarnishing if he's smoking out everyone else driving around town.

[JoeH]

Heat, head gasket and trans issues. 

[JoeH]

I also expect straight pipes will help with Exhaust Temps. Diesels you want to get rid of exhaust as quick as you can. Backpressure is undesirable. Gas engines, especially dirt bikes are where the real science on back pressure starts to play a role.

[Joey Mack]

Thanks Joeh..  works with me at the city,,, 25 years old,,,,, does small excavating work on the side, owns the truck and the equipt.,,,, manual trans,,,, he has a diesel guy so i am stepping out of the picture,,,,, we will see if this truck does good for him for a long time, i only cared because he asked me for some advice, he and our boss man were mumbling some crap about my thoughts, and insulted me as well..  thanks again guys, 

[Freightrain]

12 hours ago, tjc transport said:

Larry, i think it was 03 with the 6.0 that got cats, unless it was a california truck.my 02 did not have a cat on it when i got it. 

i ran muffler delete on the 02, and the 44 had 3 inch pipe from turbo outlet to a t/y pipe under the cab, then 3 inch to front of bed on each side to 4 inch stacks.  thet 88 would make most big trucks tuck tail and hide when i was on it.

and letting off the throttle at 3200 down to around 1600 sounded like i had a jake set on full kill.

people could here me coming from 1/2 mile away if conditions were rite.

The late 7.3 got cats(not sure if it was a CA thing? ) when it went to 275 HP.  Like I mentioned, mine was only 235.  I was almost going to order a new one but the Mack came into the picture and I sold the PSD in fall 02.

Picture from Jan 01, there were 4 of us going to West Palm Beach to race.  Luckily it was no snow around.  We did get blasted in Bristol and truck was a mess after that.

I was in high cotton back then!  New truck, new trailer.  All shiny and black!

[Full Floater]

I may be a rookie when it comes to old Macks and I find myself here asking for help and I get it!   But im very familiar with the 7.3 powerstroke and the 6.9/7.3idi.   I have several of each and run them everyday for work and for play.

The 7.3 psd is capable of mileage and engine hours that aren't seen on many other medium duty engine.   If it wants it straight piped, it won't hurt it....it sounds "good" for a while, then he'll grow up after a couple years of it.   They are a HUEI engine, which is fine....just a little different to figure out when there's problems and they do not tolerate dirty oil for long periods of time.  He's gotta keep his oil changed on time.  Keep the EGT's in check.   I could go on and on.   ECM tuning goes a LONG ways for performance.   I only run a mild tune on them....im not out to win races....cause it won't.  But a mild tune wakes it up just enough for me.  Drive accordingly.  Keep it maintained, and be happy and make money.

Yes, the 7.3psd has a handful of idiosyncrasies that can cause a fella to pull his hair out trying to figure out runability issues.   But once they are understood and the quirks are dealt with, they are very good.

[JoeH]

The manual trans will hold up much better than an automatic. My '97  dodge 2500 12v just hit 231,000 miles on the original trans.  I bought it from a CAT mechanic who was religious about changed trans fluid and adjusting bands every 20k miles.  I've plowed snow with it every winter since I've bought it at 185k miles, and it just keeps on chugging along. Motor is fantastic, hasn't needed anything other than a water pump. 

[Freightrain]

1 hour ago, Full Floater said:

I may be a rookie when it comes to old Macks and I find myself here asking for help and I get it!   But im very familiar with the 7.3 powerstroke and the 6.9/7.3idi.   I have several of each and run them everyday for work and for play.

The 7.3 psd is capable of mileage and engine hours that aren't seen on many other medium duty engine.   If it wants it straight piped, it won't hurt it....it sounds "good" for a while, then he'll grow up after a couple years of it.   They are a HUEI engine, which is fine....just a little different to figure out when there's problems and they do not tolerate dirty oil for long periods of time.  He's gotta keep his oil changed on time.  Keep the EGT's in check.   I could go on and on.   ECM tuning goes a LONG ways for performance.   I only run a mild tune on them....im not out to win races....cause it won't.  But a mild tune wakes it up just enough for me.  Drive accordingly.  Keep it maintained, and be happy and make money.

Yes, the 7.3psd has a handful of idiosyncrasies that can cause a fella to pull his hair out trying to figure out runability issues.   But once they are understood and the quirks are dealt with, they are very good.

The 99 F450 I ordered for work is still running well.  330k miles.  It had valve cover harnesses replaced(common run issues).  I keep up on oil changes, because of HUEI.  Had a clutch replaced due to bad driver(I warned the boss at the time, but who was I to say).

 

The early pre power strokes were gutless.  Couldn't make enough power to hurt anything or pass anything on the highway.  We had a 7.3 truck previous to the 99 PSD.  Like an old Mack, slow and steady wins the race.

[The Rubber Duck 006]

5 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

Thanks Joeh..  works with me at the city,,, 25 years old,,,,, does small excavating work on the side, owns the truck and the equipt.,,,, manual trans,,,, he has a diesel guy so i am stepping out of the picture,,,,, we will see if this truck does good for him for a long time, i only cared because he asked me for some advice, he and our boss man were mumbling some crap about my thoughts, and insulted me as well..  thanks again guys, 

I hate it when people act like Children and have to insult Advice....

[The Heinz]

I know my buddy's 7.3 I mentioned needs the glow plug relay replaced, it refuses to cold start below 55° and seems to start hard in the morning when above 55°. No engine light (bulb works), but I haven't been able to confirm by checking the relay itself yet. I'm 90% sure the relay is the cause, I clued in when I turned the key on back in the winter and noticed the Wait to Start light went out as quick as it does any other time. From my time with the same engine just under the T444E badge in church buses, I feel the controller would cycle the plugs longer than that. 

[Joey Mack]

Its ok Duck.. even though im twice his age, he is up the boss' butt..  and im a Yankee, in the south so....  Really no biggie, just typical..  hope the new job is going good..

[Geoff Weeks]

23 minutes ago, The Heinz said:

I know my buddy's 7.3 I mentioned needs the glow plug relay replaced, it refuses to cold start below 55° and seems to start hard in the morning when above 55°. No engine light (bulb works), but I haven't been able to confirm by checking the relay itself yet. I'm 90% sure the relay is the cause, I clued in when I turned the key on back in the winter and noticed the Wait to Start light went out as quick as it does any other time. From my time with the same engine just under the T444E badge in church buses, I feel the controller would cycle the plugs longer than that. 

CHeck each glow plug individually, before going for the relay or controller.  bad plugs (opens) effects how the controller reacts.  Not saying your wrong, but check 1st.

[tjc transport]

my 88  IDI has had a banks turbo on it since new. was put on three weeks after i got it. it is a completely different animal after the turbo. keeps up with and sometimes passes stock 94-97 powerstrokes.

flywheel left the building around 200k miles. the automatic i put in now has almost 300k miles on it. gets fluid service every 30k miles.

at the last job we had around ford pickups, about equal numbers 7.3 and 6.0. one 6.4.  all 4X4 with auto trans. they all had over 400k miles on them, with the 7.3's pushing closer to 600k miles. all were factory stock except one 6.0 truck that had a computer die 120 miles from home shop. was towed to local ford dealer and had a new computer installed. the 6.4 was a different story. the crank snapped at 45k miles. ford denied warranty because they did not do service on it. bought a short block, changed it and got rid of it. 

[The Rubber Duck 006]

4 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

Its ok Duck.. even though im twice his age, he is up the boss' butt..  and im a Yankee, in the south so....  Really no biggie, just typical..  hope the new job is going good..

Yeah I understand. New Job is going Wonderful I'll be actually running a FEED Truck myself Tomorrow....Been riding with a driver Yesterday then he let me drive and kinda run the show myself today and It was grrrrreat Feedin' them Piggies 🐷 

[JoeH]

4 hours ago, The Rubber Duck 006 said:

Yeah I understand. New Job is going Wonderful I'll be actually running a FEED Truck myself Tomorrow....Been riding with a driver Yesterday then he let me drive and kinda run the show myself today and It was grrrrreat Feedin' them Piggies 🐷 

Do you still have the 88 IDI? We have a '91 IDI.  Fuel pump is a PoS.  You have to dump a cup of water on the back of the fuel pump to get it to start when hot.  We had a shop put a rebuilt pump on it less than 10,000 miles ago, and allegedly it's a thing that the housings wear out and you can't do anything about it.  Cold water shrinks the housing to help it start....

[The Rubber Duck 006]

15 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Do you still have the 88 IDI? We have a '91 IDI.  Fuel pump is a PoS.  You have to dump a cup of water on the back of the fuel pump to get it to start when hot.  We had a shop put a rebuilt pump on it less than 10,000 miles ago, and allegedly it's a thing that the housings wear out and you can't do anything about it.  Cold water shrinks the housing to help it start....

I have a 2001 Ford F250 XL Super Duty 7.3 Powerstroke Turbo Diesel