I just bough my first diesel (96 250 scab xlt, w/ 140k miles)! But I know nothing about diesels. I had a couple questions. Is it okay to tow with overdrive off at 60mph+ (my tach was sitting at 2700+), Ihave a aftermarket toggle switch and dial mounted on the underside of my dash (seems to control my idle)does anyone know what its for and how to use it.A buddy said I should drain the fuel seperator every month, but I don't know where it is(my truck didn't come with the diesel owners manual,anyone know where i can get a new one) And the last thing is how long do I let the rig idle before shutting it off. THANKS in advance for any and all help sorry the questions are so basic.Also how can I tell if my 250 is a superduty or not?
Thanks,
corey

 

F150online doesnt have much for the powerstroke guys.

A couple of forums you need to check out...

www.thedieselstop.com
www.powerstrokeforum.com

Lots of info and help on both

BTW, Ive got a '96 PSD too.

 

Easy. Your truck ISN'T a Superduty. They didn't come around until 1999. The switch under the dash you are talking about is a high idle switch. What was the truck used for before you got it? And as for the O/D, if you can run it in O/D without it popping out, then keep it in O/D. Save yourself some diesel. As for idling before shutting it off, unless you've been running it VERY hard, I'd think that maybe about 30 seconds would be more than enough.

 

Thanks,

I'll check out those forums Humboldt (nice to meet a fellow 96 psd owner). Zaairman The previous owner towed a 5th wheel. Why do I hear people say that towing in overdrive is very hard on the tranny, yet on of my co-workers tows a large 5th wheel(8500+lbs) and he never turns o/d off unless he is going up a hill (poor guy has a Chev. and needs all the power he can get), and he has never had a tranny problem?Thanks again for the help guys

 

The only time O/D is bad during towing is when it keeps popping in and out of O/D, like when the truck is under a load, as in accelerating or going up a hill.

 

Zaairman,
Thanks again for the info!

 

As stated it will not hurt anything, but will burn much more fuel. While you are putting the engine in its peak power band you are taking it out of its economy band. It is most economical around 2000rpm or so. I tow with PSD service trucks at work with a gross weight of 26,000lbs (F550s) and never pull without OD.



It does sound like an aux idle control, but if it is, the dial means it is a home brew design. It would be a power on switch with a rehostat to control the ramp up. Cheap but somewhat effective. I still prefer the control with the LCD readout of my APCM, but its more money.



It is not a bad idea to drain the fuel/water separator every month. If you remove the plastic cover on top of the engine that says Powerstroke you will see the round black plastic fuel bowl cap. If you look on the back side you will see a yellow lever. Rotate the lever towards the back of the truck and it will drain the contents of the bowl. It holds about 20oz. If you look through the passenger side wheel well past the exhaust manifold between the front 2 cylinders you'll see a small 3/8" metal pipe that just seems to stop. That is where the fuel will drain, so a section of hose should be placed on there to prevent making a mess. To get a manual order one from your local dealer. You might try Ebay as well.



If you had a set of gauges (you should anyways) they would tell you when to shut down. You should ideally be looking for 300-350* preturbo exhaust gas temps (EGTs). The temps will drop different depending on weather conditions, how hard you've been driving, and if you've been towing. It will take a little longer for your truck as you do not have an intercooler. Figure around a minute or so. More if you've been running hard. You might think about getting a gauge set (preturbo EGT, boost, and trans temp). They sell for about $300.



As stated your truck is not a Superduty. The F250s were not designated Superdutys until 99. Prior to that the Superduty line was an F450 equivalent available only in a 2wd cab/chasis 10lug axle configuration. Yours could be a Heavyduty, but it would be designated as such directly under the F250 on your badges. If it just says XL or XLT then you have a regular run of the mill F250.
corey[/QUOTE]

 

The only time you should ever lock out OD towing is if the tranny is hunting between 3rd and 4th. Usually happens while moving in traffic at slower highway speeds.

Adrianspeeder

 

Powerstroke 73,

Thanks for taking the time to answer each of my questions, I'm gonna look into getting a exhaust temp gauge. Why do you think some people are so adament about towib w/ o/d off (is it just missinformation , or are some tranny's unable to handle it)?Thanks for the info Adrianspeeder

Thanks again you guys are awsome ,
Corey

 

Towing with a halfton gas truck with an auto can cause the trans to hunt due to the light duty trans and the lower power levels. It also depends on the way the truck is set up. Big lifts and tires with stock gears and big trailers will make a trans hunt too. A properly configured truck, especially a PSD, will not have to hunt for any gears. Aside from that, just misinformation. I can pull my 7500lb load up the 2mi 7% grade on I-70 at Wheeling, WV doing 75mph and never once even shift out of OD or slow down.

 

Thanks again powerstroke 73, I feel better now. It's going to be nice having a rig that is setup to tow.

 

Yup, the halfton rigs don't have the torque of the diesel to hold OD so they are more apt to hunt out 3rd.

However even the PSD could hunt heavy towing at 50ish in traffic.

Adrianspeeder