92 7.3 tps and muffler question (new owner)

[Da Swede]

Hi all. I am a new owner of a 1992 e350 with 97,000 miles. We just did a complete inspection on her and all she needs are a few things when i was ready to do it all. I have been reading for hours and hours on all your great input and info. You guys know your stuff. If you will have me i would like to continue to learn here. We are making this vehicle into our tow vehicle/my deer hunting vehicle. The kids love it so far. So here are a few basic questions and thanks ahead of time.


This is what she needs
pass side outter tie rod-moog
shocks front and rear-monroe front kyb rear (monroe national back order so they upgraded me they said for rear)
adding a steering damper
sway bar bushings X's 4

I noticed new ball joints and other tie rods with grease fittings. If i read correctly they usually come sealed from factory. Confirm/deny?

New radius arm and bushings i noticed as well. All good things to see as it looks like she was taken care of.

Have a flashing od light. Ordered a new TPS (BWD3097) as the dealership said next friday to get motorcraft. Had no choice. So here is my question. When i read the box and went to bwd site they state that its already adjusted to spec. I have read how to test and so forth and adjust (very confusing for a non electric guy like me haha). So does that mean i just install and go? Anyone have exp with this part?

Had a code for neutral safetey switch. Ordered one of those as well. Doesnt look to difficult. Anyone know if that requires anything else besides plug and play?

My exhaust system i ordered was from walker. I kept the 2.5 in system as i read going over 3in doesnt really help. I had a few diff options as far as muffler. I love a loud truck rollin down the road but with the kids and the wife i didnt want to over do it. So i went with the heavy duty commercial grade muffler. I am having 2nd thoughts about it after reading about air flow. I would return it if someone has some input on a different product.

I took off the air filter and found a nest clogging it up. Problem is the wing nut is all fubared. Anyone know the exact size of that wing nut? I tried for an hr matching what i had laying around in the basement with no luck.

While checking the air filter i saw what i read about last week. The cdr. Crank case depression regulator i think. Maybe its valve. Sorry. Anyway i ordered one from a dealer in MINN that someone mentioned here. Cheapest place too. 3 days it was at my door step. Easy to replace and i noticed a diff right away off the line. (could be from air filter being cleaned out as well).

The last thing i need to do is test for the cavitation. My strips are in at napa so today is the day to see if she is all good. Im praying they used the additive. If not can someone please tell me what exact addidive to use with green coolant? I have read so much on it im on overload.

If this all works out as planned we will have a real work horse to tow and camp with. And i made that choice all because of this exact forum. You guys are great!


Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any and all info would be great. Thanks for having me.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

i'll tackle a couple of these.you've got some researching to do.

Have a flashing od light. Ordered a new TPS (BWD3097) as the dealership said next friday to get motorcraft. Had no choice. So here is my question. When i read the box and went to bwd site they state that its already adjusted to spec. I have read how to test and so forth and adjust (very confusing for a non electric guy like me haha). So does that mean i just install and go? Anyone have exp with this part?

Had a code for neutral safetey switch. Ordered one of those as well. Doesnt look to difficult. Anyone know if that requires anything else besides plug and play?

My exhaust system i ordered was from walker. I kept the 2.5 in system as i read going over 3in doesnt really help. I had a few diff options as far as muffler. I love a loud truck rollin down the road but with the kids and the wife i didnt want to over do it. So i went with the heavy duty commercial grade muffler. I am having 2nd thoughts about it after reading about air flow. I would return it if someone has some input on a different product.

good call on the BWD (mine had motorcraft stamped on it anyway lol.lifetime warranty @ advance auto.)
set that to revised TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 186A specs:
http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?4134-Whats-a-FIPL&p=316675&viewfull=1#post316675

the range sensor is plug and play.if it don't plug in,then that means it hasn't been updated yet.if so you'll need to re-pin it.one step at a time.just see if it plugs in.if not post here if yours doesn't have instructions.we'll help.
if it plugs in,just follow the pic posted below to line it up.


good call on the big truck muffler.an n/a engine doesn't have a lot of exhaling to do anyway.i mistakenly went with a large open type walker/dynomax before i had a turbo and it got old.....real fast.
stick with a normal muffler,or your wife and kids will push you right out of the moving truck and run you over.

still trying to figure out how to attach pics non jumbo sized here.sorry.
edit;ah ok.i got it.have to use insert line.much better........anyway.the pic you need;

You must be registered for see images attach

The last thing i need to do is test for the cavitation. My strips are in at napa so today is the day to see if she is all good. Im praying they used the additive. If not can someone please tell me what exact addidive to use with green coolant? I have read so much on it im on overload.

ahh one more for good measure.
all that mumbo jumbo about using a just the one brands strip with a matching brand sca.....ignore it.old wives tales bs that started way back and didn't ever get dropped like the bad habit it should have.marketing ploy to get you to stick with buying from just them.
truth is,they are all so close,that you'll never pick up any difference from any strip dipped in any coolant.
if you disbelieve it,call up fleetcharge they're fill you in if they still have some older folks working there to know.

 

[Da Swede]

Will do and thanks! The only other question i have is what diesel additive do you use? Again i have read 10000 pages on this kind of stuff but i would like to know what u pros use. Same with the additive for the coolant. Brand name plz and thanks. This is my 1st venture into the diesel world and im loving it. Just want to do it right. Cost is no issue.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

this is what i do for coolant maintenance.

Fleet Charge w/ Napa Filter Head #4019 & Penray Need Release Coolant Filter #NF2088

no need to frig with test strips or adding liquid sca's.this filter simply does the work for me as the coolant calls for it.all i have to do is hit up ebay and buy a filter every 15 months.

http://penray.com/products/need-release-filters/

You must be registered for see images attach

(black filter next to the fuel filter area.)

i don't use any of the diesel additives.i used to,but fuel costs so much i don't bother anymore.
it's supposed to meet lubricity demands of these modern diesels greatly more sensitive than our old school db2's.im simply not worried about it.
cheaper to just reman my ip every 100k (ideally we should anyway) than it is to buy the additive.

 

[Da Swede]

Thanks for the link. I am going to go test the coolant system now to see what im dealing with. I will report back soon.

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. We can only allow you here if you pay a monthly fee to the GMM hand model.... Just playing with you about a fee to play here. About the tps being preset.. Nope... It has to be adjusteded when you install it. Watch how it unwinds from the injection pump throttle shaft tab. Just make sure its installed on those lugs or it may break when you ask for wide open throttle later on. That switch has three wires feeding it. The center wire is where you want to see the designed voltage or .96 for a very soft shift or 1.2 volts for a harder shift. All these voltages are done with the key tuned on but engine off. Usually best on a warmed up engine too so the fast idle and internal advance has shut down. But if you want to do it cold I can tell you which wires to lift from the pump and fast idle solenoid. Please read the Hall of Shame before buying from anyone... Way too many creeps taking your money out there. We try to help you spend money wisely..

 

[Da Swede]

Thanks to the pouring rain i couldnt replace tps or safety switch. But i did test the coolant. And if i read it correctly it told me to add 2 pints of additive for 8 gal of coolant. It was the 1st indicator (white). PH is 8 (bottle said normal). Coolant is good till 40 below.


So with that being said what type of additive should i add? I dont have a coolant filter. I saw your pic and that is a nice set up. Mine didnt come with one i guess. Unless that is an aftermarket set up you have. I saw the where you got the filter. If it is aftermarket where did you get the housing?

Should i flush the system of just add an additive?


Thanks again.

 

[Da Swede]

Welcome to the forum. We can only allow you here if you pay a monthly fee to the GMM hand model.... Just playing with you about a fee to play here. About the tps being preset.. Nope... It has to be adjusteded when you install it. Watch how it unwinds from the injection pump throttle shaft tab. Just make sure its installed on those lugs or it may break when you ask for wide open throttle later on. That switch has three wires feeding it. The center wire is where you want to see the designed voltage or .96 for a very soft shift or 1.2 volts for a harder shift. All these voltages are done with the key tuned on but engine off. Usually best on a warmed up engine too so the fast idle and internal advance has shut down. But if you want to do it cold I can tell you which wires to lift from the pump and fast idle solenoid. Please read the Hall of Shame before buying from anyone... Way too many creeps taking your money out there. We try to help you spend money wisely..

Hey man i am a big fan of your topics and info. I have been reading alot of what u type the last month or so.


Here is another question. So i use a block heater all the time. I just leave it plugged in. When i tested coolant today the bottle said test at above 50 degrees. Well its about 40 something and i was a tad worried. THen i popped the cap and i felt it. It was like bath water temp wise. I never thought a block heater would work so well it would heat the coolant at the top of radiator. That was crazy. So is the engine considered warm just by using block heater?

Thanks for the exact detail on the tps. My dad is an electrical engineer and i printed out what you said as well as the link above and im gonna ask him to do it for me. I am just ADD when it comes to stuff like that. Mechanical i love.


Im at almost 100,000 miles and im looking for a mentor for advice about doing injectors and an injection pump as maint. I had money set aside because i thought i was gonna really have to rebuild this van. But its really in good shape. I bought it for the engine so thats a bonus. Lil help maybe?

 

[RLDSL]

On that exhaust, you really do get less restriction with a larger pipe. Have you eve noticed the size of exhaust pipes under school buses? They make them that big for a reason, because it is illegal to have ANY exhaust leaks that might find their way up into the passenger compartment on those things, so they make darn sure by completely eliminating back pressure. I used to work on a whole fleet of buses with these things in them and most of them had 5" pipes ( the real long ones had bigger pipes)

a 4 in exhaust on your truck with the longest straight big truck muffler that you can fit in there to quiet it down is a great combination Lots of insulation on those things to dampen ithe noise down but no restriction. A bunch of those performance mufflers are nothing more than a set of baffles with no insulation and can get abusively loud

 

[Desertrig]

I went out and bought some napacool after reading about cavitation, but I'm limited by my locale. I'd inspect the fipl/tach harness for any rubbing. I'd look at where the wires go into the connectors at the transmission as mine had lots of bare copper like pics I've seen up here. I also found a remarkable amount of corrosion in the trans harness to main harness connectors under the master cylinder which another member spent a lot of money to find. I also bought an actron code scanner at autozone for 30$ that told me my VSS was the cause of my OD light. Good luck sounds like your going to have a reliable truck!

 

[tbirdfiend281]

On that exhaust, you really do get less restriction with a larger pipe. Have you eve noticed the size of exhaust pipes under school buses? They make them that big for a reason, because it is illegal to have ANY exhaust leaks that might find their way up into the passenger compartment on those things, so they make darn sure by completely eliminating back pressure. I used to work on a whole fleet of buses with these things in them and most of them had 5" pipes ( the real long ones had bigger pipes)

a 4 in exhaust on your truck with the longest straight big truck muffler that you can fit in there to quiet it down is a great combination Lots of insulation on those things to dampen ithe noise down but no restriction. A bunch of those performance mufflers are nothing more than a set of baffles with no insulation and can get abusively loud

What kind of buses did your fleet have?

 

[tbirdfiend281]

Hey man i am a big fan of your topics and info. I have been reading alot of what u type the last month or so.


Here is another question. So i use a block heater all the time. I just leave it plugged in. When i tested coolant today the bottle said test at above 50 degrees. Well its about 40 something and i was a tad worried. THen i popped the cap and i felt it. It was like bath water temp wise. I never thought a block heater would work so well it would heat the coolant at the top of radiator. That was crazy. So is the engine considered warm just by using block heater?

Thanks for the exact detail on the tps. My dad is an electrical engineer and i printed out what you said as well as the link above and im gonna ask him to do it for me. I am just ADD when it comes to stuff like that. Mechanical i love.


Im at almost 100,000 miles and im looking for a mentor for advice about doing injectors and an injection pump as maint. I had money set aside because i thought i was gonna really have to rebuild this van. But its really in good shape. I bought it for the engine so thats a bonus. Lil help maybe?

cooling system block heaters are super effective. My truck has no glow plugs at all, but doesn't need them, as when shes home she has the block heater, and is usually good to restart if within a 3 hour range or having been run before.

Heavy equipment and big rigs use special coolant that requires no additive. I know they can get expensive, but you may want to look into different kinds of that stuff. There is a few different kinds, so it may give you more information then you would like to handle at one time. You may try and look into the coolant international currently uses on there emissions diesel trucks these

 

[Da Swede]

Thanks. One more question. Gauges......Im used to having a tac. I know its not a real big deal but really like it in my other vehicles. What does it take to install one? If i am going that far i might as well get one for the exhaust temp as well? I read a few things about it. Looks like you tap right into the manifold area. If that is true i have a van. The doghouse area has a perfect line right to it. Anyone hook one up before? How important is a trans temp gauge?

 

[RLDSL]

If yours was never fitted with a tach, you can get an aftermarket tach that clamps onto an injector line to pickup a pulse signal or you could find a injector pump mount with a tach sender at a boneyard and find a tach that accepts the same signal leval ( probably harder than getting an aftermarket ) Exhaust temp ( pyrometer) is very good to have and not hard to install, get a good one. ( if short on cash, real nice ones can be found at big truck wrecking yards, get the complete sender wire and all and do not cut the wire, it cannot be spliced )

As far as trans temp, if its a slushbox, that could be critical , if its a manual, not quite as important, manual tranys rarely overheat, but slushboxes can overheat and belch all their fluid at the drop of a hat. ' Get the gauge and change fluid religiously ( preferably to a quality synthetic ) a deep pan and external cooler is a worth while investment if you are doing any kind of towing

 

[tbirdfiend281]

IMO, depends on your transmission. If you have a c6 then it's not to critical, e4od I say big time yes.

Deep pans and such are worth it for both though, so I 2nd that. If you properly maintain your fluid you usually don't have to worry to much, but if you tow a lot I recommend it for both trans' .