New 7.3 Owner More Questions

[akmikek]

I bought a 99 F250 CrewCab 4X4 a few months ago but havent been able to drive it due to bieng deployed. Since ive been back i have noticed that i might get 11 MPG's around town. Is that normal or am i doing something wrong? The person i bought it from claimed to get average 17. I understand that winter fuel gets less MPG's but 11? I always drive under 2k RPM's and only drive about 15 miles to work with 2 stop signs. I don't really know to much about the truck but i would like to learn because i love to drive it. It has a 6 speed manual, large exhaust, aftermarket turbo with wastegate? It also has a DP tuner with 5 settings and i have tried #2 and #3 and they get about the same economy. The tires are a little bigger than stock i think and i dont think it is lifted much. It has aftermarket EGT gauge and turbo boost gauge. The air cleaner is also the big 6637? It does blow some white smoke when i first start it in the morning when its cold but it stops shortly after. Is there anything i can do to get it closer to 15-17 MPG without spending tons of money? Any information i can get on general 7.3L ownership/Maintenance and driving would be greatly appreciated.

[zolson]

do you let it warm up before driving? ive heard alot of people say that if you let your diesel warm up itll get better fuel economy because once its warm it is more efficient. just going from what i have heard.

[akmikek]

I generally let it warm up for about 5 Minutes then go slow the first 1/4 mile until I hit the paved road.

[Schnot]

I get crap for mileage around town too. I don't really know why though. I try and drive it easy but still only end up around 12. Down the interstate at 70mph I get around 19.5.


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[7.3Lariat]

There could be a number of reasons. I would first check for leaks in the exhaust side(mostly the up pipes) then look at the intercooler pipes and make sure the boots are good. Do you know if it was recalibrated with the bigger tires? Also unless you are filling it up to the same point each time you are not going to get accurate numbers for fuel consumed. By same point I mean until you can see the fuel. If you just go until the pump clicks the numbers will always be incorrect.

[akmikek]

I will take a look at the exhaust and the intercooler boots, i just recently had the intake off to repair the steering box so maybe i didn't put it back together tightly. I am not sure if the truck has been recalibrated for the tires, i am not even sure what stock is. The tires that are on there are 285 75/R16 BFG TA. I just looked at the intercooler ( I assume that is the tubes that go to the turbo) and noticed that the small hose that goes to the bottom of the large tube that is connected to the air filter was half off. I put a hose clamp on that and reconnected it. I looked at all of the exhaust and didnt see any noticible leaks. When i had the 6637 air filter off i did notice that there was what looked like some oil in the bottom of the rubber pipe that is directly attached to the air filter. How bad is that?

[7.3Lariat]

265 is the stock size on the upper trim models 235 on the lower ones. The place to look for leaks is on the up-pipes in between the motor and firewall. Easiest might be to take a flashlight and get underneath and look straight up. The oil is normal due to the crank case vent tube that connects to the intake tube. You will probably find oil in the pipe to the intercooler as well. You might also check for anything leaking in the engine valley.

[akmikek]

I didn't see any leaks in the exhaust although they seem hard to find since the truck is so loud ( no complaints) I do not know what type the injectors are, i want to say the previous owner said single shot? Whatever that means.

[7.3Lariat]

I mean looking for the tell tale soot you will see around the exhaust leaks. If they are single shot they are aftermarket. DPTuner might be able to tell you if that tuner was retuned for them if they are in fact singles. What kind of egts are you seeing?

[PowerStrokeBren]

Turbo pedestal o rings are a common place on the 7.3 for leaks.Mine have been leaking a loooong time,then it will run down by the tranny looking like your main seal is leaking but more then likely its not.