Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives 08 ford super duty

opinions good or bad

I'd wait.........

Manufacturers use the customers for R&D & the first year models have more than their share of issues. The '03 6.0l Powerstrokes are a case in point. So were the early Duramax's. Not only true for the domestic makers, the europeans car makers are known for the same thing.......

badger

Don't forget to add the '03 Cummins, the first year for Dodge to use common-rail, had lots of bugs too.

I'd definitely wait and let others work out the bugs on the Ford. However, there is a lot to like about a 6.4 liter, twin-turboed, common-rail diesel engine.

Bugs or not, I would buy an extended warranty. To work on the engine, the front clip of the truck has to be removed. Everything is quick disconnect, but it is not a job for the average Joe.

A couple of things that would give me cause for concern. One the recent software flash that powers down the truck if the regen process goes foul. The aluminum fuel pump that is located in an area below the turbos. This is a high heat area that may cause big problems. Another is the removal of the turbos. They come off in a big unit.

I like the looks of the truck, but it is a very complicated truck.

I just got one a couple weeks ago. Only 1800 or so miles, so no real opinion yet.

Initial observations are that I like it VERY much. The new diesel motor is a completely different animal than the older 7.3 that I had before. It is quieter on the highway than the 2005 Expedition I traded in.

It has tons of power, and keeps getting better the more I drive it.

Fuel mileage is sort of disappointing so far. Only about 14 or 15 on the freeway and 11.5 to 12 around town. My old 7.3 got far better than that. It may get better though.

I am pretty happy so far, and have no complaints yet. I figure that with a 100,000 mile warranty, there is little risk for me. I never keep them that long anyway.

if your getting 14-15mpg thats good buddy of mine has one he's getting 9.5

Ouch!

just talked to a buddy who has the same truck. He put some sort of aftermarket air intake on his and swears that he is getting 19 to 20 on the freeway now.

Not sure if I believe him or not, but we are going to check out a new ranch next week, i will make him drive and see if he is FOS.

Do NOT put an aftermarket intake on a turbo diesel. here is the only real objective test I know of comparing aftermarket air filters to factory paper. This test was for the DMax, but it should apply to other TDs as well:

http://www.duramax-diesel.com/spicer/index.htm

Blaine, do you think that test would be apply or give similar results for gas engines and filter use? I am curious as I just put a K&N cold air intake on my '05 Chevy 6.0L, maybe that was a bad idea?

Apparently they have to overfuel to heat the cat up when they start to get clogged- thing is, they get too hot- they started quite a few fires with them red-hot cats so far and I do mean red-hot. Not sure I would buy an '08 anything diesel right now.

A 100,000 mile warranty only means that you will get someone else to pay for all your misery while it is in the shop! My buddy has an '05 PS with the 6.0. It has over 50 days of down time in shop at the dealers [all over the state] He has replaced all of the injectors more than once. One day it runs great, the next day it smokes like a barroom ashtray.

My 2000 PS has never had a wrench turned to it under warranty and I just turned 104K on it this week. I guess I got one of the good ones! I still don't get good mileage though- about 14-15 on the highway unless I drive 55 then I get 19. I get 13 in town.

I think a turbo or supercharger makes the K&N an especially bad idea. There is a reason the big diesel rigs run paper, especially when in dusty conditions. I no longer run anything but stock paper on any of my rigs. If I ever got back to drag racing then I'd run a K&N or similar, because the only other option is to run no filter at all.

I think we are all holding on to an old idea. Many years ago when we all ran carbs, the stock paper air filter in the stock housing was restrictive when we hot rodded those engines. Performance minded hot-rodders quickly found that we needed a LOT of air filtration surface to meet the airflow demands of a high revving engine. So there is no doubt a 12" x 2.5" paper filter in a single snorkel housing is way more restrictive than a 14" x 4" K&N in an open element housing.

The factories seems to have figured out the airflow issue, especially since the mid to late 90s. The paper elements offered on the factory engines flow very well. The AC Delco paper element on my 2002 DMax measures 11.75 x 9.75 and has 2" deep pleats. If my math is right, that is 572 sq inches of filtering area. The old standard 12" x 2.5" round with 1" deep pleats has 208 sq inches of filtering area. The high performance 14 x 4" with 1" deep pleats has 308 sq in of filtering area. I am assuming there is no gap between the pleats. I am finding the area, then adding in the size of the pleats if they were unfolded. I am also assuming the pleats on the round filters are 1" deep. I don't have one on hand to measure.

When you add in that the DMax paper air filter was good for 500 RWHP, filtered better, hed three times the dirt before plugging up, and only flowed worse than K&N, AFE, etc., when they were clean, I find little advantage to an aftermarket filter.

i dont use k&n filter but the part i live in, has a huge natural gas boom and all the ford trucks are running k&n's on their turbo diesels and not having problems.

One of the diesel magazines ran a test on aftermarket air filters on a stock Dodge with a Cummins. All of the high dollar aftermarket filters dynoed within 1 hp of the stock filter. I have heard that people are getting good results with the new Amsoil drop in air filter replacements, but it is hard to beat stock paper filters.

Of course, this thread is supposed to be about the new Super Duties. I see very few on the road in Houston, and have read that the production line was shut down due to a disagreement between Ford and Navistar, but that production has recently restarted. A very nice looking but very expensive truck.

Ford has not had good luck with it's diesels over the last few years. Hopefully they've got it sorted out with the new 6.4 liter diesel but I'm not betting on it. In my opinion Ford has some quality problems right now. I'm not confident enough that they've overcome them to be their test mule on a $50K truck. Let someone else be their guinea pig.

Blaine- the 7.3 PS has inadequate airflow for any kind of mod at all. The 6.0 has a great factory filter. In fact, there have been hundreds of 7.3s that have been ruined by the original Fram replacements as they would be sucked into the intake!!! After Fram paid for a few motors, they reinforced them to withstand the airflow forces!

I run a straight cylindrical paper filter that is normally fitted on a bigger truck- It clamps directly to the 4" intake at the place where the factory airbox used to. I use a little RTV on the pipe and then clamp it in place- No place for dirt to slip through.

Ford issued a Service Bulletin on all 99-03 7.3's that you should indeed install an after market air intake kit, citing their OEM unit was horribly insufficient as engineered.

7.3 Severe Duty Air Induction System Kit:
Finally after five and a half years, Ford has released a larger air filter assembly for the 7.3 F-Series and Excursions. This replacement housing utilizes a Donaldson PowerCore air filter element similar to what is stock on the 6.0. The 7.3 AIS Severe Duty Kit is intended to provide increased filter surface area and filter change intervals when operating in high dirt/dust environments. If you have an early 99 built before 12/17/98, and still have the original air box opening into the fender, you will also need the clean air hose, P/N XC3Z-9B659-AA, that runs from the air box to the collar above the valve cover. Unfortunately, Ford is not installing these under warranty.
7.3 AIS Severe Duty Kit Brochure
Info on the PowerCore air filter can be viewed at Donaldson.com (Requires Adobe Acrobat).
May be a more desireable alternative to the previous fixes:
Revised Air Cleaner and Filter, 99-2001 F-series/Excursions built before 11-25-00:
This new air cleaner assembly is to correct lack of power concerns caused by a collapsed air filter element. The element now has a 3" pleat, and the air cleaner cover has a post to keep the element in position. May be used to replace any air cleaner from model/year 99 up to 11-25-00, at which time it became production. TSB #01-9-5, 03-21-42.
Air Cleaner Assembly: 1C3Z-9600-AA; includes element FA-1710
Trucks built prior to 12-7-98 should use the air cleaner from TSB# 99-6-4 as the above kit is not complete for those trucks. It will come with the FA1710 filter.
Supersedes: TSB# 99-6-4, Air cleaner kit: XC3Z-9K635-AA
TSB#98-16-11, Air cleaner F81Z-9600-BA

My 99 F250 7.3 has 196,000 miles and gets 21-22 mpg on the highway, 13-15 pulling my travel trailer and 17 in town. I have yet to experience any major maintenance problems. With its K&N Air Intake, 4" Banks Monster Exhaust & 51 horse Hypertech program it exceeds all of my expectations. Fortunately, mine came with no catalytic converter.

All I do is change its oil regular & put diesel in it & drive it.

I call it The Magic Carpet.

They aren't really telling owners to use an aftermarket system. The TSB is telling 7.3 owners who drive in dusty conditions to use an intake similar to the 6.0 PSD. That is not remotely similar to telling guys to get a K&N or Amsoil or AFE or Uni.

I don't know how well the stock paper 6.0 PSD air filter works, but my money says it filters a lot better than the K&N.

I am hearing they are working on returning to the 7.3 in 09 or 10, I had a 6.0 for 6 months and dumped it, test drove the 08 ford, and figured the ford truck was nicer, but I decided the motor was more important and went back to the cummins better motor and much better on fuel mileage

BMD thats what i did as well!