amschind
Well-known member
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- #1
Short version: Ford's Engineers: 0, Me: 1.
Long Version. I have been working to fix the Powerboost Exhuast for 3 years. The chief obstacle has been the exhaust heat exchanger. For those still unfamiliar, this is a device plumbed into the exhaust pipe on Powerboosts which has 3 chief functions: leak coolant, get stuck open and overtheat the truck, and throw codes if disabled or removed. There are also reports that it gets the heater running about 2 minutes faster if you happen to live in Fairbanks (I think that the solution to that problem is "Don't live in Fairbanks", but what does a redneck from Texas like me know anyway?).
The solution was simpler than I had suspected. All you need is 18-24" of 3/8" heater hose which can clamp onto the hose barbs for the temperature sensors, effectively bypassing the circuit. You will want a reflective insulating jacket for the hose as it is quite close to the exhaust pipe; I don't know if this is strictly necessary, but it is way cheaper to waste the money upfront on the insulating jacket than to find out later that it WAS strictly necessary. The truck will still throw codes if the exhaust heat exchanger module is disconnected from its 4 wire control harness. I wasted a bunch of money and effort trying to get a dongle to attach to the Ford connector; this is entirely unnecessary.
Once you have removed the section of exhaust pipe which has the resonator and heat exchanger module on it, all you need to do is pry off the plastic cover on top of the control module. There are locking tabs which aren't really meant to be removable, so you will probably break one getting it off. The good news is that this is a cover, and you could almost certainly go back to stock if you just put some plastic washers beneath the hose fitting keeper bolts (this makes sense if you are looking at the part). 3 hex bolts hold the control module on to the rest of the fitting. It pops off once you remove the bolts, and it's quite small vs the rest of the package. If you connect the wires to this module and secure it out of the way, no more MIL. Notable, there ARE MIL codes for unexpected temperatures from the temperature sensors, so if it is the dead of winter and the truck is trying to signal the exhaust heat exchanger, it will likely throw a code when the in and out coolant temp sensors read the same. For my purpose, I just want to get the truck inspected, so that's a non-issue for me.
Now, the good part. I first tried Flowmaster high flow cats which were actually more restrictive than stock and set off the MIL. I then got the SPD kit which is awesome, but notably there is a flange on the driver's side cross pipe by the transmission which will interfere with any skid plate install. The SPD is dual 3" pipes which Y into 1 3" to mate with the stock exhaust. I did not come this far to have stock exhaust. So I carried the dual 3" pipes back to the stock muffler location where I now have a Flowmaster Big Block 50 series with dual 3" in/single 3.5" out. Unfortunatley, the exhaust shop didn't have 3.5" pipe and ignored the 3.5" turndown that I bought, so the ninja'ed a section of 3" pipe on to the very end. I'll get that fixed tomorrow after I get the pipes wrapped and the truck inspected.
There remains one piece: the stock low-flow manifolds. Full Race says they're on the way, but should be available in the December-January time frame.
The end result of all of this effort should be notably easier towing. I am headed up to Iowa to pick up a combine (an old tractor pull type....only 3000#) and then to Arkansas to grab a round baler. The round baler is a New Holland 648, which is a good 8000#. The theory is that a properly set up half ton with a good trailer and WDH can actually pull what it is rated for, and I intend to get my money's worth from this truck.
Long Version. I have been working to fix the Powerboost Exhuast for 3 years. The chief obstacle has been the exhaust heat exchanger. For those still unfamiliar, this is a device plumbed into the exhaust pipe on Powerboosts which has 3 chief functions: leak coolant, get stuck open and overtheat the truck, and throw codes if disabled or removed. There are also reports that it gets the heater running about 2 minutes faster if you happen to live in Fairbanks (I think that the solution to that problem is "Don't live in Fairbanks", but what does a redneck from Texas like me know anyway?).
The solution was simpler than I had suspected. All you need is 18-24" of 3/8" heater hose which can clamp onto the hose barbs for the temperature sensors, effectively bypassing the circuit. You will want a reflective insulating jacket for the hose as it is quite close to the exhaust pipe; I don't know if this is strictly necessary, but it is way cheaper to waste the money upfront on the insulating jacket than to find out later that it WAS strictly necessary. The truck will still throw codes if the exhaust heat exchanger module is disconnected from its 4 wire control harness. I wasted a bunch of money and effort trying to get a dongle to attach to the Ford connector; this is entirely unnecessary.
Once you have removed the section of exhaust pipe which has the resonator and heat exchanger module on it, all you need to do is pry off the plastic cover on top of the control module. There are locking tabs which aren't really meant to be removable, so you will probably break one getting it off. The good news is that this is a cover, and you could almost certainly go back to stock if you just put some plastic washers beneath the hose fitting keeper bolts (this makes sense if you are looking at the part). 3 hex bolts hold the control module on to the rest of the fitting. It pops off once you remove the bolts, and it's quite small vs the rest of the package. If you connect the wires to this module and secure it out of the way, no more MIL. Notable, there ARE MIL codes for unexpected temperatures from the temperature sensors, so if it is the dead of winter and the truck is trying to signal the exhaust heat exchanger, it will likely throw a code when the in and out coolant temp sensors read the same. For my purpose, I just want to get the truck inspected, so that's a non-issue for me.
Now, the good part. I first tried Flowmaster high flow cats which were actually more restrictive than stock and set off the MIL. I then got the SPD kit which is awesome, but notably there is a flange on the driver's side cross pipe by the transmission which will interfere with any skid plate install. The SPD is dual 3" pipes which Y into 1 3" to mate with the stock exhaust. I did not come this far to have stock exhaust. So I carried the dual 3" pipes back to the stock muffler location where I now have a Flowmaster Big Block 50 series with dual 3" in/single 3.5" out. Unfortunatley, the exhaust shop didn't have 3.5" pipe and ignored the 3.5" turndown that I bought, so the ninja'ed a section of 3" pipe on to the very end. I'll get that fixed tomorrow after I get the pipes wrapped and the truck inspected.
There remains one piece: the stock low-flow manifolds. Full Race says they're on the way, but should be available in the December-January time frame.
The end result of all of this effort should be notably easier towing. I am headed up to Iowa to pick up a combine (an old tractor pull type....only 3000#) and then to Arkansas to grab a round baler. The round baler is a New Holland 648, which is a good 8000#. The theory is that a properly set up half ton with a good trailer and WDH can actually pull what it is rated for, and I intend to get my money's worth from this truck.
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