New 7.3L 6-Speed owner

Hi everyone,
Just picked up a 2000 F250 Superduty with 217K on the clock. I'm excited to finally own a diesel and will have lots of questions to ask over the coming months!

My goal is to have a reliable daily driver that I can pull heavy things with, get good (decent?) fuel mileage, and also be able to occasionally go fast/smoke stuff.

At this point, I'm trying to get the basics done - change tranny fluid, oil change, buff off the old pinstripes, etc.

The truck currently has a Superchip tuner (programmer?) which I have heard mixed reviews about. It otherwise is basically stock except for towing accessories such as Timbrens and trailer brakes.

My questions:
1. I don't want to go all crazy with programmers/tuners, but I would like to upgrade. I have heard positive things about Edge products, what's the consensus here, and which is the best bang for my buck/fit for my need?

2. I read that I should stick to manual gauges bc tuners like Edge don't always read higher temps right...can someone confirm this?

3. I read somewhere, but I can't find the thread again, about LED bulbs for the reverse lights that really helped brighten it up. Can someone direct me to that post again?

4. Where is all the info on 7.3's for things like engine model code, tranny model code, etc.?

Thanks for the input!

1 throw the edge programmer away and buy a ts style or DP tuner chip. Way better quality of tune.

2 monitors that plug in and read thru the obs port are limited to what the pcm can see, so they are limited. Manual gauges, imo, are better.


3 retrosolutions has a nice set of backup bulbs that work very well. You can find their subforum in the vendors section.

4 in the west point section, you can find a lot of detailed information about these trucks/engines. Also, at the top of each forum-i.e "7.3 tech, or 7.3 aftermarket- the "stickys" answer a lot of basic pertinent questions.

Have fun, there is a lot of stuff available!

psduser1 said:

1 throw the edge programmer away and buy a ts style or DP tuner chip. Way better quality of tune.

2 monitors that plug in and read thru the obs port are limited to what the pcm can see, so they are limited. Manual gauges, imo, are better.


3 retrosolutions has a nice set of backup bulbs that work very well. You can find their subforum in the vendors section.

4 in the west point section, you can find a lot of detailed information about these trucks/engines. Also, at the top of each forum-i.e "7.3 tech, or 7.3 aftermarket- the "stickys" answer a lot of basic pertinent questions.

Have fun, there is a lot of stuff available!

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1. I'm browsing the DP chip page at the moment, I'm basically looking at either an F5 or F6 for my application, correct?

2. That makes sense, who manufactures good gauges and what are the top 3 things to monitor? 3 that come to my mind are Bpop, EGT, and Boost.

Thanks for all the info and help!

I've never run dp'so stuff personally, but I think the six is their latest and greatest.
I run isspro gauges, but they are not inexpensive. Worth every penny! Probably only need boost and egt really. I also have an aero force scan gauges to read thru the obd port .

psduser1 said:

I've never run dp'so stuff personally, but I think the six is their latest and greatest.
I run isspro gauges, but they are not inexpensive. Worth every penny! Probably only need boost and egt really. I also have an aero force scan gauges to read thru the obd port .

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A pyrometer measures exhaust temperature?

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albertjcoutts said:

A pyrometer measures exhaust temperature?

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Correct

psduser1 said:

I run isspro gauges, but they are not inexpensive. Worth every penny!

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Ill agree here. But they do take care of their people. I had a bad sender, and they sent me a replacement quickly! Even after ~6 months since sale.

With your truck being a standard. You can stick to the superchips. It's not that bad of tuning. Bill from php wrote them. Next suggestion would be a ts6 chip with php tunes from cncfab.us or ktpreformance.com.

Good customer service definitely goes a long way towards me spending extra $$

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Bluke said:

With your truck being a standard. You can stick to the superchips. It's not that bad of tuning. Bill from php wrote them. Next suggestion would be a ts6 chip with php tunes from cncfab.us or ktpreformance.com.

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I take it that half of the benefit of tuners is to change the shift timing on autos?

I think I was originally drawn to Edge (besides people referring them) was because they offered a specific fuel economy mode. I do quite a bit of highway driving ATM and would like to conserve as much fuel as reasonably possible. So, I'd be down to purchase any quality chip or tuner so long as I am getting power when I want it or economy when I don't.

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The problem with superchips, banks and those other off the shelf tuners etc on autos is the trans tuning. They don't account for the added pressures created which can and will cause problems. The 4r is a weak transmission in stock form and its not if but when will it go out.

I just have the standard TS switch tuner on my 7.3/6 speed truck and like the tunes. Great added power and they are fairly cheap to purchase as well.

As far as gauges I have a CTS2 monitor in my truck. This allows for monitoring of boost, pyro(with the add on egt sender), coolant and oil temps, ICP, etc. Way more options for gauges that you could possibly fit onto your a pillar and it looks good as well. An added bonus is the ability to check and clear engine codes, There are a few vendors here that sell them and they are compatible in pricing to a full set of isspros, and pillar.




These are the reverse lights you are looking for as well.

http://powerstrokearmy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70329

So the Insight is just a monitor to see what's going on? And then you got an actual EGT sender so that you can accurately measure your exhaust temps?

Thanks for the input & that link too

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Insight still uses a pyro probe you have to install. Additionally, if your into making more power then stock, they will only read the MAP boost pressure which is limited in range.

albertjcoutts said:

I take it that half of the benefit of tuners is to change the shift timing on autos?

I think I was originally drawn to Edge (besides people referring them) was because they offered a specific fuel economy mode. I do quite a bit of highway driving ATM and would like to conserve as much fuel as reasonably possible. So, I'd be down to purchase any quality chip or tuner so long as I am getting power when I want it or economy when I don't.

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A lot of the tuning goes into transmission shifting. I havent had a lot of tunes for an auto, but I have tried three companies over the years in my old truck. If you have an auto, Jody from DP tuner had the transmission in a place nobody else could seem to touch. Just as close to perfect as an automatic could be if you ask me.

That being said, custom tunes are by far better and can be made more DD friendly than the edge. I tried an edge a friend of mine had back in the day, and 80 was the preferable setting for DD, though if I remember correctly, the pedal was a bit touchy for delicate situations in 4low, but still manageable. Custom tunes the guys can make your pedal as soft or as aggressive as you want. I like a soft start that ramps into full power. But still useable in 4low.

So, help me understand. Since I have a manual tranny, I can get away with using an off the shelf tuner, especially since I'm not looking for huge gains & custom everything. Or, I could buy gauges/Insight & a separate tuner, and still basically pay about the same at the end of the day.

What motivation do I have to not just buy something such as and Evolution CTS 2 & call it a day?

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mikeeg02 said:

A lot of the tuning goes into transmission shifting. I havent had a lot of tunes for an auto, but I have tried three companies over the years in my old truck. If you have an auto, Jody from DP tuner had the transmission in a place nobody else could seem to touch. Just as close to perfect as an automatic could be if you ask me.

That being said, custom tunes are by far better and can be made more DD friendly than the edge. I tried an edge a friend of mine had back in the day, and 80 was the preferable setting for DD, though if I remember correctly, the pedal was a bit touchy for delicate situations in 4low, but still manageable. Custom tunes the guys can make your pedal as soft or as aggressive as you want. I like a soft start that ramps into full power. But still useable in 4low.

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That being said, why couldn't I put a tuner back into stock for said sticky situations?

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Personally, I like old fashioned gauges that ALWAYS work. Never a software glitch. I put a CTS 2 in my friends, dads truck. Occaisionally it doesnt shut off with the key, and when you start it you have to go into settings and then back out so that the live data works. Of course its a dodge, so I cant say for sure if its a dodge thing, but I have heard similar from other people. I dont want a touch screen. I want to know my EGT's, fuel pressure, etc.

If you have the edge, run it until you want something better.

albertjcoutts said:

That being said, why couldn't I put a tuner back into stock for said sticky situations?

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With the edge, its a programmer. So youll be sitting along side the road, reading and writing your pcm. ~5 minutes

mikeeg02 said:

With the edge, its a programmer. So youll be sitting along side the road, reading and writing your pcm. ~5 minutes

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Thank you, that helps clarify a lot of things.

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To change the topic a bit, what should I be doing for regular maintenance?

Feel free to direct me to a thread if there's one that completely addresses this?

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