double post

 

exactly what it is. it runs up to a small "junction" box, then to the fuse box (alt fusible link)

 

Key on pwr source = daytime running light circuit...

Exhaust cross over... why not run it after the tranny similar to the crossover you use with a header on a 3.0...

 

Hey joe I bought an excursion. I passed on the 04 6.0 because I found and 02 7.3 with 55k on it I couldn't pass up. I heard that the 7.3 was better any thoughts. thanks

 

The 7.3 in my opinion is gutless but it will live a long life. They don't get good mileage though like a 6.0 or 6.4. My friend couldnt get over 13mpg with his 2001. I read into doing some mods on a 7.3 and getting 500 hp is a pretty expensive endeavor, compared to a CAI/exhaust/tuner combo on a new truck. But with 54k miles, you'll be able to get another 200-300k out of it if your not pulling a trailer with it.

 

Its my wife's new car. So I'm not real concerned about HP hahah just want her safe and reliable

 

Thanks for the advise on the wire. It was indeed to the alternator. I extended them all around behind the engine so I can hook it up. I hooked the one I was holding in my hand up first that was in my hand. All it was was the hot wire. I hooked the battery back up and forgot to plug in the plug on the alternator. About 30 minutes later the alternator was too hot to put my hand on. I think I fried it. I can't figure out how all the wires going to it were the same as they were. I wonder if just having the one wire connected and no the other would do it. Anyhow I have the truck almost done. I don't have pics but I will try to get some up. It has been a really crazy week. We had to put my grandpa in the hospital early Thursday morning so I have been focused on that for the past few days. It's looking like he will be home and doing well Monday. Key on power I am using the old ignitor wire.
Aviator- The U.S. spec trucks don't have DRL

B-Yodaful- IMO the 7.3 is a great engine and arguably the most reliable of the 2. The 6.0 can be made bullet proof for about $1500 which by todays diesel standards isn't much. I love the 6.0 and it is an awesome engine but when they go down its generally expensive. The 7.3 requires much less maintenance and actually you should see better mileage out of it than a 6.0 and definitely a 6.4. The guy up the road from me had one as a work truck and he saw about 22 on the highway and 15-17 around town. Compared to the 6.0 they aren't as powerful but they still aren't a slouch. I had one in the shop last fall for a while. It had 360k on it and it ran like a champ! Watch the transmission if you tow much with it. Keep O/D off. The 4R100 has a weak stock torque convertor. You have a pretty rare and definitely awesome truck I know you will enjoy it.

 

My bad, I forgot to mention if you remove the DPF, and straight pipe the 6.0/6.4 they'll get better mileage, otherwise they get like 9 lol. I've never heard of 22 out of a 7.3 though, that's mighty impressive.

 

Damn Joe... sorry to hear about your grand dad... he's in my thoughts...

from what I've heard the 7.3 is the better engine from a reliability pt. of view though it is a little less powerful and a bit harder on fuel... still way better then any gas engine you might pick...

 

there is always the 12v cummins...the only big boy truck engine i'd ever purchase. It would have to have the hard-to-find nv4500 5 speed. Hence my lack of ownership. Dodges like to rattle apart though and their chassis are a bit on the light side especially compared to ford. The 12 valve cummins+ allison+ ford chassis...yea buddy!

Joe, when you get the chance, a pic of your tie-rod oil pan clearance would be a big help. No rush though. Family first. Hope your Grandfather is back at it.

 

Thanks guys for the concern about grandpa. He is back home and doing ok but is still pretty weak. I am sorry for lack of updates but this week has been insane. Between school and the farm I really haven't had time to work much. I got the truck together enough to get it out of the shop. I have to say just the little that I have driven it I am really impressed with the torque. It is so much better than the 3.0. Unfortunately this is about as far as I think I am going to be able to get for a while. I am pretty well broke as of now and the last few things I have are going to be the most expensive as well as time is nonexistent for a while. I am having trouble with the shut off solenoid. I wired the over boost valve off the car into the power for the ignitor and then hooked one side to the ip and the other to the vacuum line to the brake booster. If I unplug the line and put it back on the truck will start and run just fine and shut off but as soon as I try to re start it it will not re start until I un hook the vacuum again. It is really throwing me for a loop. My alternator is also heating up when power is put to it, which makes no sense as none of the wiring to it has changed. I can only leave it hooked up for about 15 minutes before it gets too warm to touch. Also for those of you wondering. My rear mounted radiator looks like it will work. The truck warms up to 180ish and stays there with the fan at idle. My fan controller wont work so I am awaiting summit to send me a new one. I am also going to order a large aluminum racing rad just to be sure.

Mountaingoat- I will grab some pictures for you tomorrow or the next day. I really should have made my notch deeper but it works I just have a hair's clearance.

 

That's the story with most projects Joe... you go til you run outta cash then save for awhile to get the next phase done...
good to hear your grandpa is back home... It'll take a bit for him to get back to 100% but he will... good farm food and clean air will help...

 

Did you remove the ECU? Did you plug the alda line on the overboost sensor? My shut off solenoid doesn't do anything whether is plugged or open to the atmosphere. I'm thinkin it's broke, maybe yours is too? That's all I can think of.

 

For the shutoff, you can press the brakes and it will drain the vaccum or you need some kind of valve that has a vent to atmosphere when power it applied. I changed my shutoff vsv to a toyota one that works correctly and mine shuts off immediately.

 

Are you going to remove your rack travel limiter aka Full Load limiter, from your injection pump? I figure I'd do it while the pumps off the engine and I'm painting it. But the IP adjustment thread is by Forced Induction so I'm not sure if I should trust it.

 

All injection pumps have different settings. DON'T remove your rack limiter as it plays an important role in your fuel curve. I put a theory guide on my build on pirate, you can read it a hundred times and it might make sense. My suggestion is don't mess with the pump until you have a good running engine. It will make it easier to troubleshoot problems that way. FI's instructions shouldn't be followed.

 

Aviator- It sure is and I am glad I got this far and am going to keep going. Pop is slowly getting better. I got him out of the house for a bit today to drive the tractor while I loaded firewood.

89lc- Thank you for the information. I went out and tried it and it worked. I am going to take one of the solenoids I found from the 3.0 and use it as it appears to vent to the atmosphere and I will see where that gets me.

Joe- I stil have all of the ecu and wiring harness for now. I will cut it out when I know what I am going to need for sure. My under hood is a wiring mess at the moment. As far as playing with the pump. I am not going to touch mine until my engine is broken in and I know what its doing. I would leave it at the very least until you have it running again and are sure everything is right. It is one less thing to go eliminate during troubleshooting. I really feel that removing the rack limiter is a bad idea. You can adjust it though. These pumps aren't like the stanadyne pumps were you just pop a plate off and crank a screw in. There are several adjustments that have to be made to make it work right. I can't remember off the top of my head but I have it written down in the shop. I ran into the guys form DPE in Savannah MO at the western farm show and they seemed like nice guys. I mentioned to them the Mercedes pumps and one of them seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about it. They might be worth calling but its a crapshoot. I have removed my ALDA and it seemed to make the engine much more snappy. When I start playing with the pump I'll be sure to let you know.

I am going to try to get some updated pictures soon but by the time I have gotten home every night it has been dark and the truck isn't in the shop at the moment.

 

Wow, glad I asked! Guess I'll just remove the ALDA and call it good. Thanks guys! And if all else fails Joe, you can run a pull-cable to kill the engine. I plan on running one for emergencies.

 

Joe I am not sure how the pull cable will work with the way the throttle is set up. What are your plans with it?

I finally had some time to get the truck back in the shop today. I took my alternator in and I guess it is shot.I will know for sure later on in the week
Here is a picture of the wiring harness I made for the alternator wiring.
This is the starter solenoid that runs my glow plugs. I used the key on power from the clock wires to activate it via the push button in the cab.

You can see the VSV in this picture. I did as 89lc stated and used the ignitor power wire. Take note if you are going to use the overboost valve from the car you must step on the brakes before turning the key back on to vent the vacuum. I am going to use another solenoid off the 3.0 that vents to the atmosphere.

The throttle linkage was made from the old fuel pump bracket. Grandpa came up with that idea.

He also made the adapter to bolt the cable to the stop lever. He made it out of a brass fitting left over from my boost gauge. Single handedly one of the coolest things I've ever seen anyone do.

Here is the distance between the core support and the engine.... not much wiggle room.

I silver soldered my old power steering ends to standard fittings and then used hydraulic hose to make the high pressure line.

You can also see the oilcooler mounting location in this pic. I haven't secured the lines yet but that's where its going.

Mountaingoat here is the oil pan clearance. My engine could go up even more yet. It only has about 1/2 inch clearance. The coolant is from bleeding the air out of the system earlier. If you need any more pictures I'd be glad to get them for you.

This is how I mounted my extra gauges and glow plug switch. Overall I am very happy with how the interior turned out.


I made a fan shroud for my rad out of marine grade plywood and it worked surprisingly well, but I am going to get a bigger rad. I believe I am going to follow Truckman1966's route and get a gm k20 rad.

I have a bunch of little stuff yet to do but its getting there. I am waiting to get my alternator and then Im going to get an estimate on the exhaust. I am so excited to get it on the road. I have driven it a bit around here and boy is it sweet! It really makes the work worth it. If anyone has any questions fire away!

 

I might suggest increasing the gauge of wire on your glow plug solenoid from the battery to the solenoid just because I used a 14 gauge wire and it melted, and the stock Merc solenoid box had a pretty beefy wire goin to it.

I can't tell if my shutoff solenoid is bad or if I have it hooked up incorrectly. I saw a picture on another thread that looked like a hose went from the tranny control thing to the shutoff solenoid. I'm curious as to how yours is hooked up on the engine itself.

Also wondering if you kept the stock hard fuel lines? I'm thinking about moving them to the driver's side for a straight shot to the IP, and I'm not sure running the exhaust next to them would be the wisest, although it'd keep it warm in the winter