angus

I don`t think you can go wrong with any of Valvoline`s products.. So was the Premium Blue (synthetic) $28 a gallon? I was looking at a link from wally world, and they had Mobil 1 5/40 for $26 a gallon.. just curious how competitive they are

I like Valvoline blue for conventional (Cummins certified) Then Rotella T ( only because an old automotive machinist told me 25 years ago it could`nt be beat). as for synthetics.. I don`t think you can beat Mobil 1 for price and performance. JMO. I have been running Baldwins BT7349.. Its handy to get when I buy their PF7977 fuel filter.

,,I thought I read somewhere that Smarty dyno tested their different SW levels on a stock truck?? If the stock CP3 were struggling to keep up it seems like the problem would only magnify with overstock injectors. I would think if a guy could come up with an actual 500 rwhp tune with little, or no smoke it would be pretty sweet. I figure its going to take at least an injector, and turbo upgrade to achieve that goal.

HR, There has got to be something going on there.. 210HP fueling and won`t smoke?

John, This is what really confuses me about Smarty tunes.. According to their webpage SW9 is a 210hp tune for 3rd gens. One would think this would be your setup for the drag strip, and without a very substancial turbo upgrade I would invision blocking out the sun at every stop light?? after years of hot rodding cars I have an understanding of how things work together, or end up working against each other, but I`m just having trouble understanding how these different tunes are working out for people?

John, I know there is probably no way to answer all the questions until a guy just hooks one up and starts playing with it. But, If you went with say SW 5 and POD @ 50.. then you turned the POD up to 99. What would be the noticable difference? When you say throttle sensitivity, are you saying it changes the powerband . For example one guy wants all the pwer he can get off idle vs A guy who wants to leave soft and make more power in the midrange.?

SW5 with POD @99 should equate to 90hp and then you can adjust the power level down from there.. Is that how it works?? sorry for all the questions.

All the different parameters are all greek to me. How does your stock truck respond to SW1 30hp or SW3 60hp ?? Is that actually 30-60hp in the seat of your pants or is there another parameter adjustment... PoD is a little confusing

I`m seeing the S-06 for $685, the touch for $965, and the touch w/EGT probe for $1,120.. I take it the touch w/EGT can monitor about everything but LP pressure, or trans temp? Sounds like about break even when considering the cost and time/labor of installing separate gages.

Do you think the S-06 POD would be a good investment for tinkering with mild tunes, and still have the capability to make some aggressive changes later as the budget permits?

I have a guy telling me his 3500 DRW actually performs better with his economy tune vs stock, and he gets the increase in MPG ?? Sounds too good to be true.

Thats kind of what I thought , but I hear different people talking about the "economy tune" and I`m wondering what the actual results have been? I have never hand calculated, but according to the heads up.. Highway running 55-65 MPH I can eek out 20MPG . the vast majority of my driving I think would be considered City, which generally runs around 17 average.

For all you guys that run tuners, I`m just curious what, if any MPG gains could be expected by adding a tuner to a completely stock truck? For now, I rarely tow anything worth mentioning with my 03.. At 160K I feel like I need to make some transmission upgrades before I try to load it up. I`m just wondering if the MPG gains alone would be worth the investment?

The old small & big block Chevrolets I grew up with had pipe plugs in both water jackets. So draining or flushing the system was pretty simple. I learned on this forum that my 5.9 does not have a drain in the block, so I wound up doing it the way AH64 does it by draining, and filling several cycles of distilled water through until all of the coolant is removed. I put one gallon of strait antifreeze back, and then toped it off with 50/50. Kind of a pain in the A$$ but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I also had never thought of using distilled water before until I heard it here. We have very hard water where I live, and it had never occurred to me what that does in a cooling system. Its nice to be a part of a forum where the guys know a little more than who has the coolest floor mats....Maybe i`m being a little hard on those guys?? but I don`t think so.

LOL! To be honest, I already have a heavy lean towards the (HOAT) G05 antifreeze my CR uses based on what I have seen personally, but I like to hear other peoples thoughts/opinions on things. And as soon as I can get my Son out of his truck long enough to let me dive under it I can figure out for myself if the block has any drain plugs. I just thought maybe someone over there might have done this procedure and have a little insight. Looks like those guys recommend leaving it alone until something happens..

For anyone looking for any info on F 150s ? You might as well stay right here.. F 150 forum is nothing but a sack of hammers. I ask two simple questions 1. can the 4.2L block be drained? 2. What type of coolant does Ford recommend for these trucks. All I get is people telling me how I should`nt flush the system because it may loosen deposits, and cause leaks.. I thought the first guy was probably just a knothead even though he had thousands of post, but now another guy has chimed in saying the same thing.. niether one answering either one of my questions??? Am I missing something here??? I don`t know if this 01 truck has the original stuff? or if its been changed fifty times?? I know it looks realively clean, and I think it needs to be flushed out and changed just for my own piece of mind. Maybe they know something I don`t...

No, I meant "EXPERIENCED" as in experienced some of the responses a guy gets on some of the other forums out there when you post a rational maintenence question. I have found a pretty good group of gearheads on the ToyotaNation forum, but navigating their site is so frustrating you can`t stand to hang around any longer than you have to. That F150 forum is probably the worst forum I have seen.. I have some doubt if there is even a wrench in the whole lot of them.

Mine did`nt make any kind of noise.. It would just periodically not come on at all, Winter or Summer. I figured out I could reach over and slap the motor, and it would run fine until the next key cycle. Maybe. I just bought a new replacement at Oreilly for $99 bucks,. Life time warranty, fan wheel included, and about 15 minutes to install. Only thing its "made in CHINA"???

I`m lucky to have an ultra busy truck stop up the interstate about 20 miles. They usually have everything under the sun there year around. I`ve been running some "Howes" lately just for precaution.

My youngest Son drives a used Ford F150 V6, 5 speed, SWB... cute little truck, and it runs really good. So I join the F 150 forum just to keep up with PM issues, and general information about these trucks. I ask a simple question as to what type of coolant Ford used in these trucks, and that I was intending to flush the system. The moderator replies, " Exactly why are you wanting to do this? If the system has been neglected for 13 years you are likely to do more harm than good. LMAO!!!

So now that winter is upon us, What is everyone`s fuel stratagy going to be for the year? Ordinarily I would`nt be too concerned, but I now have a remote unheated FW & PF installed on my truck, and not wanting to be on the butt end of a (I told you so ) joke ... I`m going to continue running the "Howes" at 128/1, and increase the 2 stroke from 200/1 to 128/1. I guess it would be wise to periodically drain and sample the remote FW?? Oklahoma winters can be 45 degrees one day to -5 the next, then back to 32 the next week. So there is no way to plan ahead.

Could all of this be simply the quality of fuel delivered in different regions?? I know alot of guys around here who drive diesel trucks, tractors, etc, and this problem is almost unheard of around here. Makes me think if you treated the fuel you bought that was supposedly already treated and you still plugged up ... The fuel may have been crap to begin with??

Does Cummins,or Jeep have a service bulletin on this subject ? I would n`t think a subject like this would be a matter of individual opinion???

I`m a little confused about this whole topic... Granted the winters here in NE Oklahoma are considerable different from those of you up north, but why can`t you just run strait # 2 ULSD with a big shot of Howe`s diesel treat?? The idea of blending fuel seems odd to me.. I`m not even sure we have #1 down here. The coldest temps I have ever seen here was -25 three years ago that lasted a couple of days. I left my truck plugged in all night, and all day at work,, strait ULSD and never experienced any problems at all. Its pretty common to be putting hay out with my tractors in the single digits for a good part of the winter, and I have never gelled, or seen cold filter plug ever.