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Random Quote: Spaulding, get your foot off the boat! - Ted Knight (Caddyshack)
Well congrats on the diesel ..... i thought i would go ahead and let you in on a secret that is in henderson north carolina ...... Spartan Diesel Technologies.... Dont go buy bully dog ... diablo sport or whatever els there is out there ...... call up spartan you may spend a little more but go ahead call them up tell them you want a full dpf delete and cat delete ... and new exaust if you wish or they can send you parts to bolt right up to your factory stuff.....(dpf = Diesel Particulate Filter) in other words a piece of Sh** that take all your fuel economy just like the cat .... they can send you one pipe to do it all !.... you will also have to order the reprogrammer which is bad A** because it has a 5 inch lcd screen that will give you anything from fuel rail pressure to your egt exhaust temp ...... and you have got to get the 210 hp tune they will let you select three tunes to load onto it you could do the 210 the tow tune and whatever els you want ......Its all absolutely amazing i get around 23 mpg on the highway crusin at 80 mph and about 17 to 18 in town .....NOT EXAGGERATING ...most will exaggerate well this is fact ... i have had it on my truck about a year and not one hiccup of a problem .... and they really do a great job with the transmission reprogramming too...... its great because you have to give them all the serials of your truck before they will even give you a tune to make sure they dont have to tweak it at all for your particular lot of trucks and specific programming ....much better than just going out and buying a box and plugging it in if you ask me ..... and these 08 diesels are much more complex than their previous cousins....well whatever you do feel free to PM me i have done allot of research on this subject and there are quite a few good programmers for these 08 trucks now but i believe that spartan really is the best and no one even comes close to their fuel burn numbers ....... just my .02
If I do the dpf and cat mods, how difficult is it to return it to stock if I have to go to the dealer for service?
The DPF will be removed, so it's kind of hard to hide the modification. I'm not sure how it would affect a Ford warranty. However, DPF's and EGR valves are a major pain in the ass on the new diesels and the only way to deal with them is to remove them.
Location: Kennett Square, Pa and Ocean City, New Jersey
Posts: 14
Ford made a lot of changes in the present diesel to be able to prove computer modification, due to the issues with the previous 6.0. It is not guaranteed but I am pretty sure they would catch it since there are also tell-tale signs of abuse in the the engine when running a chip.
I have a Spartan tuned 08 and love it. Never a problem. It took me about 4 hours to do the exhaust, cold air intake and programmer, by myself with a bad shoulder. In my driveway. To return to stock, just reverse the process. As far as ford "seeing" it, I believe, at the dealership level, they can only see when you last cleared any codes. This system reflashes the ECM/TCM. I picked up 5mpg altogether...not to mention the sick power.
What he is saying is to add a third party fuel controller to the engine computer and then add an exhaust gas temperature sensor (thermocouple) EGT to protect engine from overheating. The stock exhaust pipe is too small and particle filter adds back pressure and can lead to engine overheating.
That setup is supposed to increase power and fuel mileage, not necessarily at the same time though.
__________________ Work hard, play harder!
GW 330 Express
What he is saying is to add a third party fuel controller to the engine computer and then add an exhaust gas temperature sensor (thermocouple) EGT to protect engine from overheating. The stock exhaust pipe is too small and particle filter adds back pressure and can lead to engine overheating.
That setup is supposed to increase power and fuel mileage, not necessarily at the same time though.
Not sure what a third party fuel controller is, but the spartan system uses the drew tech dash daq device that will monitor over 300 engine parameters including EGT's without the need to install a pyrometer. I tow my 32 scarab with the 275hp race tune and as long as you are smart with it i.e. monitor vitals closley and don't use all 535rwhp while towing (right foot!!) everything seems just fine. Again, this is on the 6.4, don't know much about the other powerstrokes. Spartan also makes dpf enabled tunes up to 120hp I think, but the mileage gain is not as good. Most of their tunes have defeuling if the EGT's get too high.
Does anyone else have any experience with warranty issues after making these mods? This is the main reason I hesitate to do it.
In my opinion it's not worth it.
If your truck is just an expensive toy than I'd say go for it. But, ultimately you have to pay to play. You need to figure out for yourself if it's worth it.
I've resisted the temptation to modify my Cummins for two years. With 100K mile warranty it's crazy to risk screwing that up for more horsepower or a minimal increase in mpg. I've never once said, "dang I don't have enough power, I sure wish I had a chip".
The dealers have to prove that with out a doubt the performance part was the cause of failure of the part in question. If you think this won't be an uphill battle you're either naive or crazy.
I can tell you this fact. The dealer knows you chipped the engine or modify the ecm. When there is too much power the Diesel will blow in a very predictable manner. The manufactur sends pics out to the dealerships and your engine twists the like pic it is no warranty for you. The Dealer is also required by law to return the vehicle to factory specs. Don't think too many dealers are going to take a fine for anyone.
My bet it that the fuel savings will not cover the cost of the mod.
By no means is it underpowered. And having an 8500# truck that will out run 90% of the vehicles on the road is not some peoples cup of tea, but I sure like it!! To each his own. As for as the savings, eventually the two will meet and if you keep the truck long enough.
If your truck is just an expensive toy than I'd say go for it. But, ultimately you have to pay to play. You need to figure out for yourself if it's worth it.
I've resisted the temptation to modify my Cummins for two years. With 100K mile warranty it's crazy to risk screwing that up for more horsepower or a minimal increase in mpg. I've never once said, "dang I don't have enough power, I sure wish I had a chip".
The dealers have to prove that with out a doubt the performance part was the cause of failure of the part in question. If you think this won't be an uphill battle you're either naive or crazy.
Anyway.....just food for thought.
I tend to agree. I cannot stomach the idea of paying for a major repair out of pocket. Half the reason I bought a new truck was to avoid having to deal with mechanical issues and costs for the next few years. The mileage argument is tempting, as is the extra power. Maybe in a few years when the newness wears off and the sticker shock has passed. Thanks for all the input.
__________________ 43' Hatteras BACKSTRETCH Flagler Beach, FL
Do this!! 
, but the spartan system uses the drew tech dash daq device that will monitor over 300 engine parameters including EGT's without the need to install a pyrometer. I tow my 32 scarab with the 275hp race tune and as long as you are smart with it i.e. monitor vitals closley and don't use all 535rwhp while towing (right foot!!) everything seems just fine. Again, this is on the 6.4, don't know much about the other powerstrokes. Spartan also makes dpf enabled tunes up to 120hp I think, but the mileage gain is not as good. Most of their tunes have defeuling if the EGT's get too high. 
To each his own. As for as the savings, eventually the two will meet and if you keep the truck long enough. 
