Tuner for towing on a 7.3L Powerstroke

[Kevin_O_]

Just wondering what some of you 7.3L guys are using for a tuner to improve towing performance and fuel economy?? What's good and what should i stay away from? Thanks..

[MTNHNTR]

Kevin O. wrote:
Thanks for all the info! I think I'm going to get the Edge Evolution. It comes with a temp sensor for the exhaust and mounts right on the dash so i can keep an eye on everything. Is anyone using this??

I have the Edge Evolution along with the AIS intake and a Walker big truck muffler and am very happy with it.

[larry_barnhart]

Swmpbgy1 wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:
I almost know nothing about our truck but I do know you can over heat the trannie backing up and dump the fluid on the ground because of the high rear gear ratio so if it is a 4x4 use the low range and you will be good. Check and see if the trannie has a cooler. This would be when towing and backing into a site that is up hill. Have fun

chevman

Could you please elaborate on this.....I have a 2000 Ford Excursion 7.3 and have noticed that it dumps fluid when I back into a camp site....What can be done to fix this???

Swmpbgy1

what happens is backing up under pressure as a rv site would be if it was higher than the street. the rear gear is a high ratio and it makes the engine rev up and this heats the trannie fluid very quickly. If you have a 4x4 going into 4x4 low the problem is solved.

I have talked to many and have heard fords revving very high rpm's and have seen others stop and get into 4 wheel drive low and idle into their rv site.

chevman

[cummins2014]

Swmpbgy1 wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:
I almost know nothing about our truck but I do know you can over heat the trannie backing up and dump the fluid on the ground because of the high rear gear ratio so if it is a 4x4 use the low range and you will be good. Check and see if the trannie has a cooler. This would be when towing and backing into a site that is up hill. Have fun

chevman

Could you please elaborate on this.....I have a 2000 Ford Excursion 7.3 and have noticed that it dumps fluid when I back into a camp site....What can be done to fix this???

Swmpbgy1

Here it is , owned an early 99 7.3 until this past April, nearly 16 years.

DP Tuner, or some of the other mentioned custom tunes, not super chip, or edge or the likes
AIS Intake
4" Turbo back exhaust
Gauges, ETG, Transmission, and Boost
31 row 6.0 transmission cooler, anything else is iffy on proper cooling towing heavy with a 4R100 transmission, some claim trucool etc, tried them, did not get the job like the 31 row. spend your money once on the 31 row, or fool around with something less ,and then end up with the 31 row cooler.


Has no issues with tranny or the 7.3, with the above . Had been towing a bit over 13K just shy of seven years until this past spring.

[marcsbigfoot20b]

Swmpbgy1 wrote:

Bamaman1 wrote:
If your tranny is dumping ATF going backward, or forward, you need to have your transmission completely checked out.

I just put a TruCool automatic transmission auxiliary cooler on my F250, and it was just a simple 25 minute job. At $150, it's the best insurance anyone can make to protect their $3500 transmission.

You need to take care of that 7.3 Excursion. They're no longer available and they're in very high demand in the RV world.

It only has dumped the fluid while towing if that helps.....that being said, I was in Tennessee camping when it happened. I stopped by the local Ford dealership to pick up a quart of Mercon V. While there I stopped and talked to one of the diesel mechanics and he said that he recommended one of these as a solution:

http://derale.com/products/transmission-pans/cooling-pans/1-2-npt-male-x-1-2-barb-90-degree-barb-fitting-detail

What do you think of the pan as solution?

Where did you get your TruCool?

Swmpbgy1

Skip the pan and get this 32 row trans oil cooler from Rockauto for $180 (super cheap)....you can google the write up on how to do it. It is about 4 times bigger. I just got back from a trip to the mountains yesterday and the trans temp never ever got over 160 even when doing 65 up to the top of the Mogollon rim here in AZ which is a good pull at 7500 ft. It was my first trip with the new cooler towing my 7000 lb TT. Never got a chance to test without, but towing on the highway it would get to 180 on the flats with OEM cooler. Now towing on the highway it is 140. In the city it gets up to 165 with the AC on full blast and 110 degrees outside with TT.

Not towing it does not register on the gauge on the highway.

[Swmpbgy1]

Bamaman1 wrote:
If your tranny is dumping ATF going backward, or forward, you need to have your transmission completely checked out.

I just put a TruCool automatic transmission auxiliary cooler on my F250, and it was just a simple 25 minute job. At $150, it's the best insurance anyone can make to protect their $3500 transmission.

You need to take care of that 7.3 Excursion. They're no longer available and they're in very high demand in the RV world.

It only has dumped the fluid while towing if that helps.....that being said, I was in Tennessee camping when it happened. I stopped by the local Ford dealership to pick up a quart of Mercon V. While there I stopped and talked to one of the diesel mechanics and he said that he recommended one of these as a solution:

http://derale.com/products/transmission-pans/cooling-pans/1-2-npt-male-x-1-2-barb-90-degree-barb-fitting-detail

What do you think of the pan as solution?

Where did you get your TruCool?

Swmpbgy1

[Bamaman11]

If your tranny is dumping ATF going backward, or forward, you need to have your transmission completely checked out.

I just put a TruCool automatic transmission auxiliary cooler on my F250, and it was just a simple 25 minute job. At $150, it's the best insurance anyone can make to protect their $3500 transmission.

You need to take care of that 7.3 Excursion. They're no longer available and they're in very high demand in the RV world.

[Swmpbgy1]

larry barnhart wrote:
I almost know nothing about our truck but I do know you can over heat the trannie backing up and dump the fluid on the ground because of the high rear gear ratio so if it is a 4x4 use the low range and you will be good. Check and see if the trannie has a cooler. This would be when towing and backing into a site that is up hill. Have fun

chevman

Could you please elaborate on this.....I have a 2000 Ford Excursion 7.3 and have noticed that it dumps fluid when I back into a camp site....What can be done to fix this???

Swmpbgy1

[Bamaman11]

I just put the D-P F-5 tuner on my 7.3, and it comes with John Wood's transmission programs. I stopped with stock, 80 hp econo and 60 hp tow modes.

For 11-13K lbs., they have a +60 hp tow mode. For heavier trailers, they have a +40 hp tow mode. For lighter towing, like bass boats, they have a +80 hp tow mode and a +80 econo mode.

All in all, D-P has over 140 different transmission programs to meet anyone's needs--at sea level and at high elevations.

Tony Wildman's products are comparable.

[GrandAZ]

You might also want to check out Tony Wildman

I researched the heck out of chips back when I had my 7.3 and ended up going with Tony after all the recommendations that came from the crowd over on the Ford Truck forum. The truck became an entirely different animal after installed.

I did not read all the replies but like others have probably already said, get gauges!

You might want to also check out John Wood Automotive for your transmission.

[Kip81]

Custom tunes for dp tuner or beans is what is best for the 7.3 period. I would also do a bigger trans cooler 6L if possible but there are not cheap. If you have tranny problems and you will its just a matter of when. Get a BTS tranny its the best. Once you have pulled with a built tranny you will never want to pull without one.

[TxTiger]

I did a lot of research when I chipped mine. I was most concerned about longevity and not doing any damage to the engine. I used a chip developed by Beans Diesel Performance. They develop their tunes from scratch and are all dyno tested.

http://bdpshop.com/bdp-products/7-3-custom-chips-tuning.html

[Bamaman11]

I've been running a D-P Tuner $75 80 hp econo ECM flash for a number of years. The truck new would just chirp a tire from a dead start. Now, it'll squawl the tires off. 60-80 mph takes 4 seconds flat--a big improvement. I recently added D-P's F5 tuner with a 60 hp tow mode. Both have a John Woods transmission program that improves shifting.

On the open highway, I'm getting 20 mpg--up 2 mpg.

First comes an air intake--preferably the Ford heavy duty unit made by Donaldson ($200). Or you can replace the OEM air cleaner with a NAPA 6637 filter and a 4" piece of pipe. Second comes the Walker BTM muffler--$50 plus installation. Then the tuner. Fourth comes a set of gauges--$304 @ Amazon.

You'll have a different truck.

[Procrastinator]

I have used "canned" tunes from Edge and Superchips, but they are not even close to the difference with one of the smaller venders custom tunes. Look for DP tuner, PHP, Beans, Tony Wildman, etc. Spend your money wisely instead of twice. They are that much better.

[larry_barnhart]

I almost know nothing about our truck but I do know you can over heat the trannie backing up and dump the fluid on the ground because of the high rear gear ratio so if it is a 4x4 use the low range and you will be good. Check and see if the trannie has a cooler. This would be when towing and backing into a site that is up hill. Have fun

chevman