Cincinnati diesel tuner

[mrgrimm]

I have an 02 7.3 and live around the Cincinnati area. I was wondering if any members with 7.3's know of any local shops that specialize in diesel truck performance and tuning. I have had my truck for a few months now and want more out of it without sacrificing reliability. There is a wealth of aftermarket options for turbo diesels and I am still trying to find pros and cons for different mods. A nice shop around here with knowledgeable techs (and a history of customer test vehicles) would help me out a lot. Let me know if you know...thanks

[najaf4life]

what are looking to really know about your truck? alot of people on here know more than enough to help you any way you can think about just start asking away

[mrgrimm]

Budget is tight for me, and I want to be able to rely on my truck for dd duty for at least 10 more years...shouldn't be out of the question on an 02 4x4 7.3 AT with 133,000...should it? I have a little over 2 years exp. auto tech. so I know all about service intervals for all fluids and parts and know what to expect from my driving habits on other parts of the truck. Assuming all the basic maint. is performed, typically at a certain mileage you can expect certain parts to fail...nearing 150,000 I wonder if I should start saving for a major repair that may be common on these trucks around this time. Here is a list of some things...
-Bought the truck used and have put 8,000 mi. on it
-Removed front sway bar(links were shot and $$ to replace wasn't worth it)
-Installed Warn hubs to replace siezed OEM hubs
-Installed new grease fittings everywhere, appear to be replacement ball joints and everything it tight up front! (BJ boots shot out water when I greased them!)
-Installed generic aluminized full 4in. exhaust w/ straight through muffler
-Trans flush, coolant flush, air filter, fuel filter, Rotella 15-40
-285 75 16 mt's
-Replaced missing OEM steering stabilizer with another OEM unit
-Replaced cam sensor, still iffy on a possible wiring problem in the truck, but 99% of the time starts and runs fine.

I know I need to drain/fill transfer case and probably drop the pan and replace filter in the tranny as well.

Here is where I have some problems, rear pinion seal is leaking and under hard acceleration I feel a vibe, pinion bearings? Can a torque converter shutter a little under load, maybe thats the vibe? Shifting isn't the best while towing (about 8000lbs.), sometimes shifts hard so I was thinking maybe a transmission controller, but I can get that function out of some tuners/chips for a little bit more and mess with engine management controls, too. The rearend of the truck enevitably will need rebuilt one day soon (I'm sick of adding $15 qt. lube every other week) and I know a good old school way to get a truck going is with a set of 4:10 or 4:56 gears, probably over $1000 front and rear for gears and install though but prolly worth it?

I would love to throw it all together at one time, but is impossible, so I must take steps, and I do not know which way to go right now.

-Wildman chip is luring me, but worried about tranny and possible other headaches arising from pcm or other sensors and such that chips might affect. Also, if you remove the chip does the truck go back into stock mode?

-Edge Evolution seems easy and perfect for someone like me that wants a little extra power but at $500 only offers three settings. I do like the fact that gauges are built in and can read and clear DTC's, along with being able to remove in minutes and be back to stock form. Not having on the fly adj. though would probably piss me off after a while.

-Edge Juice? A little too pricey with the monitor but seems pretty sweet.

-What about just starting off with the Edge EZ module, then stacking later on If I feel?

-Afe intake? I kind of like the factory sealed unit and I don't see how much you could really gain with any type of filter under the hood unless you have ram-air or a straight peice of pipe diectly into the turbo.

-OR forget about messing with the motor at all and focus some $$ towards torque converter upgrade, deep pan, 4:10 or 4:56 gears with rear locker?

-Dp tuner seems a little overkill for me I don't really plan on ever changing to aftermarket performance injectors, oil systems, or fuel systems for effeciency and longevity reasons along with ease and cost of OEM replacement.

I know that is long, but it barely even scratches the surface of all I want to know about these trucks, it's my first diesel and a hell of a truck that I want to continue to be proud of for a long time, chime in with suggestions or advice I really appreciate it!

[Dusty's Diesel]

I think I would start w/ your tranny, the shifting hard and the shutter doesn't sound good. You throw more power to it and you are going to be sitting on the side of the road. Does your overdrive off switch ever flash or the check engine light, when it is shifting weird?? Also I have alot of customers who like the edge evo really well and also the stage 2 afe intake.

[cchase]

Up alittle north of you, about 2 hours or so is a friend of mine who has a diesel shop, knows alot about 7.3s, PM me if you want more information

[mrgrimm]

Dusty, the check engine light or o/d light never does anything strange pertaining to the tranny.

I was also wondering if while driving through town or city if it is a good idea to turn o/d off...it seems like when o/d is off the truck doesn't do so much useless shifting and it downshifts when you let off the accelerator letting the engine and transmission act almost like a brake, I kind of like it. Doesn't hurt anything does it?

[Dusty's Diesel]

Originally Posted by mrgrimm

Dusty, the check engine light or o/d light never does anything strange pertaining to the tranny.

I was also wondering if while driving through town or city if it is a good idea to turn o/d off...it seems like when o/d is off the truck doesn't do so much useless shifting and it downshifts when you let off the accelerator letting the engine and transmission act almost like a brake, I kind of like it. Doesn't hurt anything does it?

It shouldn't hurt anything, I run mine in tow/ haul quite a bit.