- #312 of 391
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Fuel Milleage
by saeiden
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Mar 28, 2008 (7:27 pm)
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First off Mr.jsticher you need to go to the Ford dealer and have them diagnose your truck and then have them send the specs to a dealership near Mr. dexlhill.
jsticher, if you would do all of us a favor and keep tracking your MPG using hard numbers and a calculator (the mileage displayed by truck really is not that accurate, if yours is lucky you). If I could ask you to do a little more work I'm curious just how much better your mileage is because of the Edge Evolution. Would you be willing to run a tank on stock settings to find out? This is the only way for any of us to get a really understanding of what works, thanks.
dexhill, all I have to say is WOW! I've never heard a 7.3L getting such poor mileage.... feel for you man. I'm getting around 12MPG right now with my 1999 7.3L and I'm feeling it I can't imagine how tick off you must be. You didn't mention if you just got the truck or if you've had is a while and it has always been like this or if it just started lately. Having a 4:10 rear end like mine vs. 3:73 rear end like our buddy Mr. jsticher does make a difference but not that significant. My truck for example will never see 22MPG because of my 4:10 rear end, however I might get up to 18 by the summer with some of the mod's I'm planning (air intake, exhaust, and programmer). Sounds like you have something very wrong with you truck to be getting that kind of mileage. I would recommend getting professional help. Is you Catalytic converter plugged? Is you truck unusually loud even for a 7.3L? If so you could have injector/ regulator problems. Does your tranny slip? If so your torque converter is probably bad. A bad converter won't lock up after 45Mph and your tranny will be running continually in fluid drive. The transfer rate of power from you engine to your drive line is around the mid to upper 80% where as the converter locking up gives you 100% transfer of power.
I certainly hope you figure it out, either way it sounds like you will be spending some money to solve the problem. You can't afford not to figure this out sooner rather than later. Good luck.
saeiden
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- #313 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [jmh577]
by north52
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Mar 31, 2008 (10:17 pm)
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Replying to: jmh577 (Jan 21, 2008 9:27 am)
John, I have a '05 F-350 with Ford's 6.0 liter Powerstroke. I bought it for the primary purpose of towing our 32ft 9500lb (dry/curb weight) 5th wheel RV. This truck handles the job very well. To date, I have made no modifications to the engine or drivetrain - I don't think I ever will. An alternate chip or reprogramming etc, will most likely provide a potential increase in power, but I have arrived at the conclusion that the (small) gain is not worth the expense or potential trouble. Understanding the basic rules of physics, you will realize that almost every engine mod will correspond to a decrease in fuel mileage. It's just a simple rule of use and conservation of energy. Input more fuel (and correspondingly, air) and the result will be more power - but this has to be at the cost of lower fuel mileage. There is no free lunch. The 6.0 liter is factory rated at 325HP and 575ft,lbs. of torque - this is fully adequate for all towing conditions that I have encountered. This includes drives through the Rocky Mountains. My two cents worth - I'm sticking with the factory design and settings!
(P.S. - my best towing mileage is - at best - about 60% of my "non-towing" mileage, but this is highly variable because I do not drive on the same terrain with the trailer as without; let alone the same speed!)
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- #314 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [north52]
by jond09
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Apr 01, 2008 (7:05 pm)
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Replying to: north52 (Mar 31, 2008 10:17 pm)
Well I agree with your physics conclusion but you are leaving out a very large variable. Yes when adding more fuel and air your power will increase. But you are not only making more power, you are making you engine run much more efficiently in the process. The combination of more fuel and air(at the right time) along with allowing the gases exit faster with free flowing exhaust your engine is much more efficient. All factory diesel engine are de-tuned from the factory to meet EPA regulation. They could easily make your truck get 25-30mpg or more with the same power. But where would that leave the Goverment, Oil companies, and the EPA. Money talks and they have lots of it.
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- #315 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [north52]
by steergazer
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Apr 02, 2008 (6:03 am)
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Replying to: north52 (Mar 31, 2008 10:17 pm)
Your calculations are wrong unfortunately. I upgraded my dodge (06-5.9l) with a cold air intake and free flo exhaust and went from 23-17mpg but I believe that was due in large part to the fact that I installed 20" tires/wheels. I bought the workhorse module and am back up to 28mpg. The module is different than a chip because it actually peaks your stock computer settings to give max performance without the dumping of fuel as a chip does. Thus, no black smoke cloud. It doesn't give quite the power of some chips out there but is more than sufficient to compliment the stock power of the dodge. Think of it in terms of less fuel pedal to do the same job as before. I'm a believer!
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- #316 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [steergazer]
by jond09
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Apr 03, 2008 (5:05 pm)
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Replying to: steergazer (Apr 02, 2008 6:03 am)
I also have a 06 5.9. 6"lift 38"tires and my calculations are not wrong because they are based on the combination of all the things you are describing. That is how you make power and allow your motor to run more efficiently. Doing one without the other you will never see the true benefits as with all together. And exactly as you describe you will make things less efficient. By adding a cold air intake and exhaust you are getting more air and getting the air out faster but without more fuel it does you no good. It will lower your EGT's and you might see a very small power increase but nothing like when adding more fuel along with this things. This goes back to the basic of any motor gas or diesel. I would bet that in some way the module is effecting your fuel. It might not be "dumping" fuel but it has to be getting more. Maybe the length of the injecter pulse or just more fuel out of it. Or both at the same time. I have an intake, exhaust and a chip and even with 38" tires I am still getting better fuel mileage than when it was stock. Yes I can blow black smoke if I want to but with it on a lower setting it doesn't smoke and gets better fuel mileage than stock. But even the lowest setting is still adding fuel
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- #317 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [jond09]
by steergazer
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Apr 04, 2008 (8:04 am)
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Replying to: jond09 (Apr 03, 2008 5:05 pm)
Yes the module adds fuel, but in proper proportion to the amount of air it's getting. It doesn't give the engine more than it can burn, thus, no black cloud. I know a chip gives more power but the module peaks the stock computer to run at max efficiency so you are less likely to wreck drivetrain components. I would love a chip but as my truck is still under warranty, I opted for the module as it is undetectable. I was told by the dealer as soon as I bought it that a chip would void the warranty. I may have replied to the wrong guy as well!lol There was a ford guy saying that chips made fuel mileage worse. Mine gave me 11mpg better.
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- #318 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [steergazer]
by jond09
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Apr 05, 2008 (7:58 pm)
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Replying to: steergazer (Apr 04, 2008 8:04 am)
I think we are on the same page now about how everything works. What module do you have? Is it a downloader, like superchips? I have an edge juice with moniter. But also something to think about is that its illegal for a dealer to not warranty your vehicle just because you have a modification. It has to be a direct effect or cause of the problem for them to not warranty it. They are going to tell you lots of stuff thats not true because they ultimately don't want to pay for anything they don't have too.
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- #319 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [jond09]
by gord
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Apr 06, 2008 (11:35 am)
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Replying to: jond09 (Apr 05, 2008 7:58 pm)
Did you ever get the name of the module that steergazer had installed?
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- #320 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [gord]
by jond09
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Apr 06, 2008 (11:50 am)
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Replying to: gord (Apr 06, 2008 11:35 am)
No not yet. I want to know because he said he got 11mpg increase which is extremely hard to believe. Maybe he's going off the digital read out and not actually mpg.
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- #321 of 391
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Re: Fifth Wheel Pulling Mileage [gord]
by jim314
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Apr 06, 2008 (2:29 pm)
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Replying to: gord (Apr 06, 2008 11:35 am)
Was it steergazer who installed the workhorse module http://www.workhorsemodule.com/ ?
I see that the website says that the Workhorse Module can be uninstalled before servicing and "leaves no fingerprints." Hummmm. . . If you have to make a warranty claim, does the manufacturer ask you whether you have installed any aftermarket chip? If you did have a chip in it, what do you say?
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