AmboLander

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Actually, it always fires up rather quickly, but is sluggish till it warms, then is tolerable, but still slow
and bogg-ish until I get it moving. Once in 2nd gear, it seems to load down and has good power. It never misses,
and never throws a CEL.


Leaky up-pipes will def contribute to low power, regardless of RPM.

If the power seems down just off idle, check to make sure the EBPV (exhaust backpressure valve) is working correctly.

Im assuming the E-series has one. If it does, its right on the outlet of the turbo (hot side)

It may be stuck partially closed.
 

FDM2012

Adventurer
Thx, IdaSHO.



I gave the EBPV a good "once over" while I had the turbo off. It seemed to have good spring pressure and was moving freely.
I already cleaned out the pipe and changed the sensor. I will know more after I get the exhaust on and take it for a drive.
 

gtbensley

Explorer
Cleaning that damn EBPV tube and sensor on my van was one of the more frustrating things I have done on it. Something so simple turned into such a pain. How many miles does that beast have on it?
 

FDM2012

Adventurer
Mine has 172k miles on it.

It will be a couple of days before I can get to the exhaust upgrade, but I did manage to score some rims for the SRW conversion.

They are 16 x 10, with a 2'' offset. That will push the rears just to the inside edge of the box, and after removing the
front 5'' DRW spacers, they will stick out past the fenders just a bit. I like the idea of only having 33's under it for road worthiness,
but I think it NEEDS 35's. I currently have 4:10 gears in the rear, and I think the tranny would be fine with 33's, but 35's will probably
put it over the edge. Especially being so damn heavy and with pulling a small toy hauler from time to time. DID/DO not want to tear
into the rear end, but may end up having too.....

Here is an idea of what the rims will look like on it. But with BFG T/A KO2's


IMG_20160629_203812.jpg
 

FDM2012

Adventurer
Finally got the red light lenses replaced with some ABS diamond plate blanks. I coaxed a buddy into cutting them for me on his band saw.

Eventually, I will paint all diamond plate black. Eventually...........

IMG_20160630_200221.jpg

IMG_20160630_200253.jpg
 

Ozrockrat

Expedition Leader
Since you should of sorted the flow side for the turbo I would suggest you look carefully at fuel pressure as the next item for low power. Also its been a long time for me but didn't the power stroke vans have something on the turbo that restricted power until it warmed up. I know all of mine were pigs until they got hot enough. Also make sure the thermostat is the correct one for the motor. Some of the after market ones have a shaft that is too short.

While you are playing around with the up pipes etc I would also suggest wrapping them. It drops the noise and heat under the dog box.
 

FDM2012

Adventurer
Thx Oz. I will indeed wrap those pipes. (Just ordered some) Great tip. I will definitely be checking the fuel pressure. It's on my long list......... lol

Didn't know that about the van turbos. I will keep trying to find something on that. Thx
 

TXscout

Observer
A tuner will really wake that motor up. The SCT mapping is probably the best on the market for the powerstrokes. Many have used the TS performance chip or hydra, but we have seen some long-term reliability issues with chip based tuners. The SCT livewire is a great tuner/monitor (I have one on my 2005 F350), but you may find that the OEM HPOP will not be able to keep up with anything but the tow tune. A common upgrade is the T500 HPOP when your factory one goes out. It will be helpful to get the truck on the IDS software as it will pick up many legacy codes that other scanners won't. Other things to watch are the very common 1/4 tank issue whereas the pickup sock in the tank will break off and cause lack of fuel issues below 1/4 tank. It can also restrict fuel flow to the pump, which can cause premature failure and crank no start conditions. Lack of power is typically attributed to EBP sensor bias, EBP tube being clogged, boost leak or weak turbo, or injectors. It would be good to get a power balance at cold start to see how the injectors look. Hit it with HOTSHOT secret stiction eliminator your next oil change and it will really clean out the oil side of the injectors, allowing them to fire more readily. It will also add lubrication which will allow the oil to better actuate older injectors due to decreased clearance under the armature plate. The drain valve and fuel lines on the back of the motor are common failure points as well as the turbo pedestal. Overall, it is an incredible engine that can serve you for 1,000,000 miles if taken care of.
 

FDM2012

Adventurer
Thx TxScout. Yeah, I have considered the TS Knob, but will most likely go for the LiveWire. I like the videos and reviews I have seen on it. I am hopeful and somewhat confident that most of my problem is from the loose up pipes and loose intake clamps.. I will get my 4'' exhaust on in the next few days and see. I already have the 1/4 tank issue. I guess I messed it up when I dropped the tank a few weeks ago to pull the nasty *** strainers out. They were horrible....
Also, I already changed the EBP sensor and cleaned the tube and fittings. I will keep that in mind about the oil change. Right now, I am running ProLong in it, and Stanadyne in the tank.

Thx for the tips!!
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Personally, Im not a fan of exhaust/header wrap.

I've seen too many headers destroyed by it.

And considering just how difficult and expensive it it to do up pipes on these motors, there is no way Id even consider it.


There's good reason why most header companies will void a warranty if header wrap was used.
 

bknudtsen

Expedition Leader
There are a bunch of threads in the 4wd Van sub forum that detail adding insulation/sound deadening to the doghouse. In fact, if you move this thread over there, you'll benefit from a ton of experience with vans and ambo's.
 

Ozrockrat

Expedition Leader
Did you get my PM?

Also have you checked that your axle has spacers. My 98 had a hybrid d60 in the front which had a drw hub with no spacer. Chris a UJOR sourced some Dynatrac hubs for me
 

FDM2012

Adventurer
To tell you the truth, I haven't even had the wheels off of it yet. But, it does appear to have the spacers.
 

cjken

Explorer
844dadaf219571b5594af64809689b45.jpg

9dfeb9b552570cc4f475b0ea4404f2eb.jpg

Mine was not a spacer but a part of the hub.
I swapped SRW front hubs on. So I could run regular rims.
9800a3fa140edcd23ef43158a25da317.jpg
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,539
Messages
2,875,661
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top