Not sure what my truck has?

[SpeedyLube202]

Well I am new to diesels and i just bought a 1997 F-250. It has gauges and a 5 inch pipe that comes out before the rear wheel. Its a 5 speed and It has 190,000 miles. It pours out black smoke when i get on it and picks up pretty good. How can i really tell what modifications this truck has? Will a pipe alone gain alot of power? I want to purchase a programmer but I am not sure what to go with? Any information would be helpful.

[95dieselsmoke]

from the sounds of it, you already have a programmer without knowing it. if your truck is POURING out black smoke, it is definately not stock. hard to say what else. possibly injectors if the black smoke is thick and dark. how much boost is your gauge reading when you get on it? i'm sure someone else on here will be able to tell you more. if not, perhaps a local diesel shop can help you out.

[SpeedyLube202]

how would i tell if it has a programmer? When i get on it the boost gauge hits 25 to 30 and it sounds like it has a blowoff valve when i let off at high rpms.

[Diesel Nick]

The black smoke tells you that you have a programer on it.. You need to go back to the guy you bought it from and ask him what he all had done to the truck...

[MacDougall]

yea, i second that, go back and ask the person you bought it from what was done to the truck so that you know.

[Turbodude]

or it could be chipped...just not a flip chip...you can pull your parking brake pedal off...its three 13mm bolts...pull that off and right there is the back of the computer you can see the prom port and if it has a black cover with writing on on it or you can clearly see that there is nothing in there then its not chipped...but if it has something in there other than that its chipped...i only seen prom chips that are shiney...gold usually so if you see something like that in there you are amped up. the way its running it sounds like its got some hefty tuning either by chip or programming.

[SpeedyLube202]

I have hurd of garret turbos before and it says it on my turbo...? Is that stock or just a remanufactured one or a performance turbo? i bought my truck from a dealership and they dont know anything that was done to the truck.

[alabamafrog]

Garret is stock and/or aftermarket performance, could be either.
30 psi and thick smoke from a 97 means at least a chip or programmer set pretty high, possibly injectors and turbo and lots of other stuff. Dealers suck, they won’t tell you nothing and if they do there is no way of knowing if it is true. Maybe you can figure out who the original owner was and ask him. What kinda egt temps you seeing?

[psdkid]

if you can only get a little puff when you drop the clutch goin into the next gear its stock. i cant get any smoke on accel though.

[redstroker_2002]

Originally Posted by SpeedyLube202

how would i tell if it has a programmer? When i get on it the boost gauge hits 25 to 30 and it sounds like it has a blowoff valve when i let off at high rpms.

do you know that guy u bought it from? you need to see what the truck really has so we can help ya make it faster!!