Hawklegs

Since I am a 1st time Ford owner, thought i'd get some of yall's expert opinions. I bought a 2000 F250 7.3 TD. The guy before me put on 4" exhaust, Hypertech Programmer and 3 gauges - exhaust, turbo boost, and tranny temp. I'm not familiar with the guages. At what point is tranny temp too hot, and at what point am I pushing the boost? Also how long do you let the glow plugs cool down before turning off the engine? I was told this is a good idea to prolong the life of the plugs????
I have not towed yet as I am not positive what it will handle. Thanks for all and any input.

 

360ci

Congrats on the purchase! First off, the guages are a good add on as the previous owner has modified it. A chip alone can add over 100hp on the diesel. Trans temp should never exceed 215F. It's best if you can keep it in the 200F or lower range at all times. Towing trailers will increase the temp. If you have the programmer it will help immensely as there should be a few settings on it for 'performance towing', as well as all out performance. The difference is that the towing setting only puts out half the output the full performance setting does saving wear on the engine. Power = heat, so the more power the more heat you have. Heat is the enemy! I wouldn't worry too much about the boost, as long as the temperatures stay in the specified range on the gauge.

As far the glow plugs go, those are only to help you start the vehicle in colder weather. You're probably all too familiar with the 'do not start' light on the dash when you turn the key to 'run', and when the light shuts off the glow plugs have warmed the air charge in front of the cylinders so you can then start the engine. The thing you want to worry about is the turbo itself. Most heavy duty trucks come equipped with oil cooled turbos. What this means is that before you shut the truck off, run it for a minute or two to circulate oil through the hot turbo to help cool it down. If you just park the truck and shut it off after running a lot of boost, the high temperature can lead to bearing failure in the turbo.

Once you do tow, you'll be able to tow almost anything with the 7.3!

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'99 Taurus 3.0L 2V Vulcan 145hp; 107,820m
'00 Durango R/T 360ci 300hp (modded); 90,651m
'06 Pontiac G6 GT 3.5L 220hp; 14,224m

Amsoil in all vehicles!