VOODOO-1 BUILD LOG: 2003 E-350 EB 7.3 DIESEL

[VOODOO7.3]

Here is the coolant filter mount that I made. Thanks to djbonsu for sending me a pic of a very similar one. I usually overbuild things (gross understatement!), but lately I've been working with strong lightweight products like aluminum. It is all about the design and where you put the bends for strength. This one is made from fairly thin sheet stock that I had laying around. Maybe a 1/4 lb. total. It mounts in all factory bolt locations. It's been on there for maybe 6 months and works great. There are 1/2" wide strips of adhesive weatherstripping between the aluminum and the PS reservoir.

I forgot to post a pic of the Autometer gauges I added previously. I wasn't sure that I wanted pillar gauges at first. Once they were in I loved them. The triple pillar mount doesn't interfere with using the sun visor. I also darkened the bulbs with a sharpie and kept testing brightness. Bright interior lights make long night drives difficult so they are just bright enough that I can see them. I know most diesel owners go with pyrometer, transmission temp, and boost, but fuel pressure is way more important to me. I previously had a diesel rated schrader valve and adapter (from dieselOrings). That is fine for occasionally hooking up a FP gauge but difficult to test pressure under load. The van factor requires you to at least disassemble a few things to get to the bowl. I wanted to see pressure constantly so I can watch for filter restrictions, any sudden drops, etc.

I also have all kinds of gauges and configurations on a dedicated tablet with Torque Pro. I use them mostly for testing and diagnostics but they are fun to watch on solo road trips. I found a slow oil leak today coming from my Diesel Site HPX oil crossover. Tried to tighten it some but made it leak a-lot. I didn't really like how it was made from the start so I'll be ordering the solid tube stainless HPX from RiffRaff tomorrow. Made in USA too. I will let you know how I like it after it goes in!

 

[FDM2012]

I actually ordered the HPX from Riff Raff yesterday.

DieselSite actually has on the website that their HPX should be changed annually. It's not
a big job, or anything, but I prefer One and Done.

Anxious to see if I notice a difference......

 

[VOODOO7.3]

I actually ordered the HPX from Riff Raff yesterday.

DieselSite actually has on the website that their HPX should be changed annually. It's not
a big job, or anything, but I prefer One and Done.

Anxious to see if I notice a difference......

FDM2012, there is a noticeable difference after the air works itself out of the rails! So much so that after I installed the first one, I could then hear my exhaust up pipe leaks! The smoothing out of cackle was nice, but I really did it so the pressure is evened out and the ICP sensor is reading both sides! All of the manufacturers give you a torque spec for the A fitting that goes into the heads. 25 ft. lbs., if I remember correctly, but some recommend medium Loctite on the threads. Diesel Site does not, and I installed all exactly according to their vague instructions. All of the manufacturers also say "pretty tight" for the second, "B" fitting. That's the one you do NOT want to overtighten. My Dieselsite HPX was fine for 6 months, but then last week I noticed a slow oil drip. Opened it up and finally found that the head fitting ("A") on the passenger side was loose. I had to slightly loosen the B fitting first because the hose is close to the CAC boot and T-clamp. I tightened the head fitting as tight as I could get it and then did the double wrench squeeze trick with my right hand while holding the hose in the correct spot with the left. Thought I had an easy problem solved but when I went to start it, oil sprayed out of the top of the upper fitting! I grabbed the top of the line and wiggled it to check for movement, and it broke right off. Arghh! I should have gone with the Riffraff solid hose from the
start. If you install yours, make sure that the old o-ring is not left behind in the head. 2 o-rings will not seal in there. This time around, I will be cleaning the threads again, using Loctite on the head fitting threads, and tightening those down as much as I can with the 5/8" socket on a 3/8" breaker bar. For the top fitting, I'll just snug it down with a regular 9/16" wrench. As long as the lower fitting doesn't loosen, you can always tighten the top one a-little more without moving the bottom. Also note that others have said it is necessary to slightly bend the Riffraff HPX to clear the CAC boot on the van. I have a high quality tubing bender, so no big deal. You don't want that hose rubbing on anything. I noticed while ordering, that RR's is made in USA so I'm hoping it is way better than the old DS that I had. I'll post updates when completed. Cheers!

 

[FDM2012]

Rgr that. Thx for the tips!

 

[VOODOO7.3]

I'm posting these details for anyone who will be adding an oil crossover on a 7.3 diesel. I had the one from Dieselsite and honestly wasn't crazy about it. I am happy with other items I've bought from them though. They recommend changing it every year but mine lasted 6 months. As I stated earlier, I found a slow oil leak and attempted to tighten the fittings. The line broke right off. The replacement HPX from Riffraff arrived yesterday and looks a-lot beefier so I was pumped to install it! First, here's a comparison pic of the lines and fittings, RR on left and DS on right.
If you are going to work on a big International in a van, you need to have a selection of all different size (standard and metric) tools, the ingenuity to make some as needed, and maybe a colorful vocabulary too! Some that I've found really handy are some inexpensive combination wrenches that I've cut in half and rounded off the handles on. They are shorter than stubby wrenches and don't get hung up on everything under the hood. Different lengths of pipe or other box end wrenches can be slipped over the ends to add leverage around obstacles. 7/16"-11/16" Will cover most of the fuel, oil, and other connections where you can't get a full lenth wrench or crow foot wrench. You can see 2 of them in the next pic along with the RR crossover fitting. The socket is just an old 3/8" drive x 5/8" spark plug socket that I cut shorter for times like this. The hex top is often helpful.

Here's the RR HPX (with only one fitting loosely threaded on for test fit).

The sizes for installation are 5/8" and 11/16". I have read where other van owners say that slight bending was required to clear the boots or turbo. That was not the case for me. One end has 2 gradual bends and the other has 1. The double bent end goes on the driver's side. Installed, there was @ 1/4" clearance to the turbo compressor housing. I only needed to remove the rubber intake from the turbo. I have a turbo blanket and lots of header wrap, but you may need to remove the factory heat shield for better access. The head ("A") fittings call for 17-19 ft. lbs. but I went slightly more after oiling the o-rings. The "B" fittings have no torque specs and the directions say "make sure the nut is fully tightened to ensure no leaks". This is where a-lot of people go wrong. They try to tighten the nut until it touches the A fitting. The way to tighten these is to place a 5/8" wrench on the bottom fitting and an 11/16" on the top in a V. Then when you squeeze the wrenches like pliers, you want the nut to tighten and the A fitting to stay still. IMO it is better to under-tighten these since you can always go a-little tighter later if necessary. Here's what the tightened connection should look like. Note the space between upper and lower fitting:

I saved my oil gallery plugs in a ziplock. Next thing to do is take it out and run it for about 25-30 miles to get the air out of the lines and smooth out the idle, which is where I'm going now! See ya...

 

[djbonsu]

Great choice on the Riffraff HPx....After seeing the difference in design between riffraff and dieselsite (not to mention they recommended you change it every year...in a van?? yea right lol) I bought and installed the riffraff HPx. If you ever have to get to the intake plenum boots after install, it going to have to come out (thats the only drawback).

 

[FDM2012]

Mine just arrived late today. Installing in the AM. Fortunately, I did the plenum boots and sleeves last week!

 

[Abitibi]

What's the benefit of this?

Sent from my SGP511 using Tapatalk

 

[VOODOO7.3]

Great choice on the Riffraff HPx....After seeing the difference in design between riffraff and dieselsite (not to mention they recommended you change it every year...in a van?? yea right lol) I bought and installed the riffraff HPx. If you ever have to get to the intake plenum boots after install, it going to have to come out (thats the only drawback).

Exactly! Nothing on the Riffraff HPX says anything about changing every year. I only bought the DS HPX because guys were saying some didn't fit well on vans, and that one for OBS trucks was longer than others. The design on the RR has changed over the years though. They used to be sort of an M shape where the middle dipped down into the valley. This new one 45's up, straight across and 45's down. I could tell when I tightened the fittings on the RR. Way stronger! Now that that DS leaked all over you know I've got to degrease and clean that engine valley again! Thankfully, I already have the RR inserts, boots, and t-clamps in there!

 

[VOODOO7.3]

Mine just arrived late today. Installing in the AM. Fortunately, I did the plenum boots and sleeves last week!

FDM2012, I'm sure you will get through it just fine! I've been following your build and it is coming together nice.

 

[VOODOO7.3]

What's the benefit of this?

Sent from my SGP511 using Tapatalk

Abitibi, It's one of the last steps of the complete Hutch Mod. Forgive me if I over explain this because I know you, like others on here, have crazy skills, but there's always someone who might stumble upon this later. Hutchinaugusta and several others solved the cackle, fuel starvation of the #8 cyl., air entry to fuel lines in the Ford 7.3's over on the Ford forum. It is a good read if you're ever snowed in for 3 days! First part is what many do - remove in-tank cartridge filters, replace factory suction lines between tank and fuel pump with 3/8" Fuel Injection hose and a frame mounted 5 micron fuel filter. Quick version of part 2 is to add Riffraff's FRX or fuel lines from CNC Fab to feed the other ends of fuel rails and use higher p.s.i. spring for optimal pressure. 3rd part is to either add the oil crossover (or HPX -stands for high pressure crossover) line or replace your HPOP with Dieselsite Adrenaline HPOP. I put in a new Ford HPOP before I knew all this so went with the HPX. This connects the left oil gallery to the right. That accomplishes 2 things. 1) Your ICP sensor is on your driver's side oil gallery and therefore only reads that side. 2) Connecting both sides evens pressure and reduces spikes. The result is usually a noticeably smoother idle (less cackle). The last step is to replace the only long shot injector in Cyl. 8 with a regular one - same as the other 7. The engineers used that one long shot injector to help pass entrapped air at the end of the fuel rail. It was a band-aid solution to a problem International had previously solved by feeding fuel to the rails on the opposite end of the regulated return lines.
Honestly, the most noticeable difference is eliminating the entry of excessive air which is accomplished in the first part. That's why most people stop there. Going all the way further lengthens injector life, engine life if your pushing it hard and back of engine isn't getting the fuel or oil it needs, and generally smooths it out more. Regularly truck guys ask me, "Does that thing have a diesel in it?" After that, most of them comment on how smooth it idles and runs. Hope that helps!

 

[VOODOO7.3]

Ha! No worries man, just glad I can help out a fellow enthusiast! After changing my IDM all is well but I noticed I'm de-fueling at WOT (I rarely do that but I noticed it when I had to) somehow and need to sort that matter out along with a coolant flush before winter rolls in. Slowly but surely perfecting this beast!

Hey dj, I didn't see this post until now. Specifically what do you mean by de-fueling? What is your FP looking like at WOT? With the exception of you having a tuner, we have both taken a similar, long, and expensive path dialing these babies in! The unselfish reason I am asking is because if there's any way I can help - I will! The selfish reason is because I am also driving by gauges in WOT. I want to see 60-63 psi FP -ideal FP right? And then not far below 47-50 under load? My engine is really running great. Sounds good and hauls fast! But on long uphill grades or heavily loaded, I'm seeing it drop more than I want it to on the new AM gauge. I think it would drop as low as 40 if I didn't back off throttle. Are you able to test fuel pressure under load? If so, what is it? Since the tank delamination issues, the only part of the entire fuel system I haven't replaced is the pump. I know that the factory Bosch pumps are insanely reliable and capable of handling over 450 hp set-ups. That's why I left it in but now that I have a mounted FP gauge I'm wondering if there could be slight blockage at pump entry or if that pump might be getting tired, or if there's still some trapped air in or behind my gauge sensor. I didn't put the sensor in the port until last weekend because of that fun location on the lower pass. side of bowl! With the FRX, neither one of us really has to worry about the fuel starvation causing scoring # 7 & 8 cylinders, like it could on stock engines. I just want to know it'll hit 110 mph if I need it to! I'd like to hear your input on these!

 

[FDM2012]

What spring are you guys running to get your higher fuel pressure?

I currently have 58-60psi at idle, and under hard acceleration, I am at 50-52psi. I have done all of Bill Hewitts fuel mods.

Considering the FRX.....

 

[djbonsu]

Hey dj, I didn't see this post until now. Specifically what do you mean by de-fueling? What is your FP looking like at WOT? With the exception of you having a tuner, we have both taken a similar, long, and expensive path dialing these babies in! The unselfish reason I am asking is because if there's any way I can help - I will! The selfish reason is because I am also driving by gauges in WOT. I want to see 60-63 psi FP -ideal FP right? And then not far below 47-50 under load? My engine is really running great. Sounds good and hauls fast! But on long uphill grades or heavily loaded, I'm seeing it drop more than I want it to on the new AM gauge. I think it would drop as low as 40 if I didn't back off throttle. Are you able to test fuel pressure under load? If so, what is it? Since the tank delamination issues, the only part of the entire fuel system I haven't replaced is the pump. I know that the factory Bosch pumps are insanely reliable and capable of handling over 450 hp set-ups. That's why I left it in but now that I have a mounted FP gauge I'm wondering if there could be slight blockage at pump entry or if that pump might be getting tired, or if there's still some trapped air in or behind my gauge sensor. I didn't put the sensor in the port until last weekend because of that fun location on the lower pass. side of bowl! With the FRX, neither one of us really has to worry about the fuel starvation causing scoring # 7 & 8 cylinders, like it could on stock engines. I just want to know it'll hit 110 mph if I need it to! I'd like to hear your input on these!

My fuel pressure gauge sits under the hood but I can unmount it and let it ride on the wiper to see it at WOT/under load. At idle I am right at 68-70 psi. I did do some tests under load and at WOT but I cant remembe those numbers. Ill check it out today/tomorrow for you while cruising around.

What spring are you guys running to get your higher fuel pressure?

I currently have 58-60psi at idle, and under hard acceleration, I am at 50-52psi. I have done all of Bill Hewitts fuel mods.

Considering the FRX.....

I used the gold spring that came with the FRx and that should give you 62-65 PSI. Im sitting at 68 PSI at idle. Nothing to worry about there. I dont know what I was seeing w/o the FRx as I didnt have a fuel pressure gauge before the install.

 

[VOODOO7.3]

My fuel pressure gauge sits under the hood but I can unmount it and let it ride on the wiper to see it at WOT/under load. At idle I am right at 68-70 psi. I did do some tests under load and at WOT but I cant remembe those numbers. Ill check it out today/tomorrow for you while cruising around.

Wow! Thanks Buddy! I used the black (middle) spring which should keep it 60-63. It seems to be around 60 at idle, but I'm going to try to either bleed air on gauge sender or wait a while for air to get removed. Curious to see what your WOT results are!