New Owner! SDD First Timer

Hey fellas, recently acquired a 38k/mi 2013 F-250 XLT 6.7 PS w/3.31 gears. I am green to the diesel world but not to fords or wrenching. I also have a 2008 Mustang GT on a ProCharger D1SC.

I live in Las Vegas but am a Pipefitter/aspiring welder and recently started traveling for work. After suffering the costs of a few hotels thus far, I decided I needed a more efficient way to live on the road. So it made sense, I need a travel trailer and a truck to pull it.

That said, I will be doing a lot of reading on making my SDD more efficient and durable. I want to get the max life out of the truck, not particularly the most power. My initial focus will be on fluids and learning about the DPF/DEF stuff. Any tips/pointers are greatly appreciated!

Friday, the tint and music go in the truck, then I will get some pics up!

Hey 702GT. This is the place to find what you are looking for.

Dave

Thanks! Looking forward to learning!

702GT said:

I will be doing a lot of reading on making my SDD more efficient and durable. I want to get the max life out of the truck, not particularly the most power. My initial focus will be on fluids and learning about the DPF/DEF stuff. Any tips/pointers are greatly appreciated!

Friday, the tint and music go in the truck, then I will get some pics up!

Click to expand...

If you run a fuel additive, to boost the cetane of the ULSD (crap) a bit.. yer DPF won't Regen as often (cleaner burn).. and you won't use as much DEF.

You can get DEF from FORD.. but it's Pricey. I use the Power Service brand, in the Grey jug.. from Wal-Mart.


Joe

Hello and Welcome 702GT to SDD.com, glad you found us. We have a bunch of good ole boys around here that know a few things about the trucks we all drive.
Your truck sounds great, but the gears are a little high for pulling a very large RV. Do you know what kind of RV your thinking about. Fifth-wheel or travel
trailer? Will you be living in the RV alone or is the wife going out on the road with you? Lots of things to look at when buying a new or used RV. I tell everyone
to buy used for the first two RV's, because when your ready for the 3rd one you will know your likes and dislikes. Print this out and take it with you when buying
new or used.
http://www.bitware.com/5er/PDI.htm Hope you come back often.
Doug

Yeah I know the 3.31's are tall but the truck is only going to tow 1-3% of its life. Also, I'm aiming for max 16,000lbs combined vehicle weight. I only need a trailer for work, to replace the cost of hotels. I would prefer a 5th wheel but I want light and 4 seasons. It would also be preferable to have 2 rooms seperate so a work partner could stay comfortably. It is alot to ask for in a trailer, as I've been looking at floor pans. But I have seen some that fit the bill in a 28-31', clocking 7-8,000lbs empty.

I'll do what I have to do to keep the 3.31 gears. I love the cruise/mpg it yields when not in tow. (From MT to Las Vegas i averaged 19.7mpg, stone stock, cruise control set to 80mph most of the way). In city (Las Vegas) with 110 degree weather I've been averaging 17.5mpg. I know gears would help substantially with towing and fuel economy isnt affected too badly if you keep the speed down but like I said, I'd rather not swap gears unless I get painted into a corner.


Is there a check list of all the fluid additives (coolant, fuel, oil) and all that so I can make myself a check list before I head back out on the road? The trip from MT to NV was a good shakedown but I need to make sure problems dont pop up on me 1,000 miles away from my garage that I could have ironed out before I left. The coolant additive thing makes me nervous since i live in the desert and its summer time anyway. Not to mention it's a diesel, the whole thing is a BBQ under the hood lol. And until i talk myself into ripping the EGR/DPF crap off the truck and tuning it, I'm going to be worried its gonna go nuclear on me. As far as Ford warranty goes, well, the way I see it I could leave it stock and let the motor cook under the exhaust bottleneck while my warranty ticks away to 100k/mi, at which point who knows how long it will live after that. Or I could yank the filters off so it isnt cookin to death. I have to intention of beating my truck to death, an economy tune and tow tune would be what I want. Still more reading to do before I take the hood off and start yankin stuff off. Being that I've been through a few bad FI experiences with my mustang, I know what happens to turbo motors that cook. Its never anything good.

This is very interesting project of yours, surely you will get lots of good ideas from discussions here. Welcome