Rick's
Welcome to my Powerstroke Diesel Web Site
The Truck
The
truck is a 1996 Ford F250 XLT 4x4 Super Cab. I
purchased the truck in August of 2002.
My intended use for the truck was snow plowing and general hauling and towing as I do Landscaping part time.
It is powered by the Navastar (International) Powerstroke Diesel with an E40D 4 speed overdrive automatic transmission.
I have added many accessories and completed some modifications to the truck.
2 way Ham Radios
I have two
Ham Radios, an ICOM 706 MKIIG all band all mode, a Kendwood TK860 440.
GPS and Laptop
I installed a Panasonic
Toughbook laptop computer and a Garmin Street Pilot III GPS.
Both the ICOM 706 Radio and the Garmin can be operated through the laptop computer.
I can display Global positioning using the GPS or map a route. The Gramin GPS will even speak to me and alert me when I am approaching my next turn! The computer can generate Morse Code through the ICOM 706 as well as decode it.
Modifications
The modifications I have completed so far have been geared toward performance and towing improvement.
Down Pipe
The factory exhaust pipe that exits the turbo is flat and very restrictive. I replaced the factory pipe with an aftermarket round one.
Intake
I replaced the factory intake filter box with an aftermarket open element type. With the down pipe and intake change, the truck could now breath. A noticeable difference in performance and turbo whine could be felt and heard.
Exhaust
I replaced the factory 3" exhaust with a 4" open pipe, no muffler and no catalytic converter. I used a 45 deg bend and exited in front of the right rear tire. I cut the factory hangers off of the original exhaust and welded them on the new pipes. The sound difference was notable. Much deeper and the turbo whine got even louder. Click here for an audio recoding of the exhaust.
Injectors
I changed the stock injectors out and installed high performance ones from Swamps Diesel Performance www.swamp-donkey.biz
These injectors are custom modified to put out a lot more fuel than the stock ones.
Chip
In addition, I installed a re-programming chip from twildman which allows the new very big injectors to do their job, pour out the smoke and make the truck run like a stripped a$$ ape! We will see what it does this spring in quarter mile.
Intercooler
Also installed was an intercooler to help keep the exhaust gas temps under control. The cooler came off of a 99.5 year truck and the install/pipe kit came from GTS Motorsports www.gts-motorsports.com
I have done more simple modifications such as adding a 10k ohm resistor on a dash mounted switch. This fools the trucks computer into thinking that the fuel requirements are higher than they are, which allows more fuel to be added = snappier acceleration. I had my IDM (Injector Driver Module) modified to put out a higher voltage than stock. This allows the injectors to open a little soon than normal which helps to get more fuel into the engine.
I added a hot water cut off to the heater system. During the summer, I can have the shutoff activate by placing the dash selector on AC or vent. This shuts the hot water off to the heater core inside the truck. It makes the AC much more effective. In the winter, I simply plug the vacuum line to the shutoff valve.
I installed a turbo temp monitor. This device allows the truck to run when the key is shut off until the temperature of the exhaust (before the turbo) lowers to 300 deg. This will extend the life of the turbo. I have this unit on a dash mounted switch along with a green LED to show when it is armed and a red LED to show when the temp is above 300 deg.
I installed a 3 gauge pod on the A pillar that houses the Turbo boost pressure, exhaust gas temperature-pre turbo and transmission temperature. The housing was painted (dyed) to match the truck interior.
In install a self-it unit overhead self with center console. In the center console I have the switches mounted for my 4 corner strobe lights. These light can be switch to run the front and rear or just the front or just the rear. They are used when the truck is plowing snow.
I have also installed a hands free cell phone cradle, speaker and mike.
All in all, the truck is a work horse. Seems like it can pull a house over and still get 18-20 mpg! most people say why would you have a diesel? To much maintenance. They are just the uninformed! Yes the truck takes 14 quarts of oil at each change, but I can extend the changes to 5,000 miles or more with the right filter. Other than that, I am not sure what extra maintenance they are referring to! Yes it takes a little longer to warm up on cold days. It starts just as easy as a gas engine if the glow plug system is in proper working order. And most come with an engine heater so you can plug it in.
Even with the differences, a 7,500 pound truck in a 4x4 that can get an average of 18 mpg and pull a house over, that is enough for me. To compare a big block gas engine in one of these F series trucks at 8 mpg, well that should be enough for anyone to understand why! Oh ya, with proper tuning, the diesel will out run the gas big block!
Diesels do it longer harder and better!
Rick H
The Red Rocket's Pictures
