Who’s still using a 7.3 diesel truck
Who’s still using a 7.3 diesel for there TC? How long have you had it? What TC do you have? What’s are some of the must haves to keep it chugging along happily with TC on top? Cheers
Forum Discussion
I knew very little about TC’s when I bought my truck I knew that TC’s were heavy and that often times suspension adds were required on lighter trucks. I found a great deal on my 2000 F350 and purchased it fast without further research on TC’s.
Once I had the truck I began to worry about safety because my rig is lifted and has larger tires. That’s why I joined RV net; I got a lot of pushback about my setup being dangerous. So far I’ve logged 4.5 hours of driving with a Lance 865, lightly loaded. I only have an oral description to compare the way my rig handles versus on a stock 3/4 ton GMC and it seems like my truck handles great based on the prior TC owner’s oral description.
My suspension mods to my F350 are:
4” lift leveling kit (prior owner advertised 6”) Air bags, 6 leaf 3600# rear springs, rear sway bar,
Drive train mods:
LSDifferential with 4:10 gears; shift kit and heat sink on automatic trans.
7.3 Engine mods are:
Banks chip; Banks waste gate; Banks 4” exhaust with a Banks muffler; K&N air filter; after market Red hat(?) steering gear
Gauges:
Boost gauge; trans temperature; exhaust gas temperature
I think all of these items are overkill for a 2000 lbs Lance 865, but the prior truck owner towed a large fifth wheel with this rig. It’s reassuring going over steep passes knowing my 3 extra gauge measurements, particularly, the exhaust gas temperatures. Hopefully, that gauge will prolong the life of the engine.
I have some bone growth in my ear canals as well as the tiny bones ion my inner ear from surfing cold water most of my life and the hearing damage from engine noise adds a lot of insult to this condition, I had not thought about this problem. I think in my engine it’s the turbocharger, at low boost it’s a tolerable noise level. Above 7psi it sounds like I’m working on the tarmac at an airport without ear muffs. I’ll experiment with putting some insulation over the air filter and along the firewall and post if there is any difference.
Once I had the truck I began to worry about safety because my rig is lifted and has larger tires. That’s why I joined RV net; I got a lot of pushback about my setup being dangerous. So far I’ve logged 4.5 hours of driving with a Lance 865, lightly loaded. I only have an oral description to compare the way my rig handles versus on a stock 3/4 ton GMC and it seems like my truck handles great based on the prior TC owner’s oral description.
My suspension mods to my F350 are:
4” lift leveling kit (prior owner advertised 6”) Air bags, 6 leaf 3600# rear springs, rear sway bar,
Drive train mods:
LSDifferential with 4:10 gears; shift kit and heat sink on automatic trans.
7.3 Engine mods are:
Banks chip; Banks waste gate; Banks 4” exhaust with a Banks muffler; K&N air filter; after market Red hat(?) steering gear
Gauges:
Boost gauge; trans temperature; exhaust gas temperature
I think all of these items are overkill for a 2000 lbs Lance 865, but the prior truck owner towed a large fifth wheel with this rig. It’s reassuring going over steep passes knowing my 3 extra gauge measurements, particularly, the exhaust gas temperatures. Hopefully, that gauge will prolong the life of the engine.
I have some bone growth in my ear canals as well as the tiny bones ion my inner ear from surfing cold water most of my life and the hearing damage from engine noise adds a lot of insult to this condition, I had not thought about this problem. I think in my engine it’s the turbocharger, at low boost it’s a tolerable noise level. Above 7psi it sounds like I’m working on the tarmac at an airport without ear muffs. I’ll experiment with putting some insulation over the air filter and along the firewall and post if there is any difference.
