coolride

I drive 1 mile in town, 16.5 on 65mph road then half mile in town. I do this twice daily. Get 13.5ish all the time, baby it or beat it. Mine is a short box regular cab. Next to a new toyota tacoma at work it doesn't look like a full size truck. lol
Diesel 1 ton trucks are running 18-20 mpg. Maybe that is the answer? more power, more capacity, look cooler,etc

Jbrew

Yea, I'm getting back into one and finding that the nice ones go quick, even down south. I'm doing the fly down drive it back up deal. I had one hooked last night, super clean 99 w/low miles 7.3L. It was sold by another salesman while I was talking to one on the phone lol. That was in Arizona/Nevada, look in Florida now, Floridians like to lift them that's sure lol.
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With the 4.2, 4.6L and 5.4L Petrol trucks, might as well get one with a 5four since it's versatility is unmatched as far as the V6/V8 and the economy is pretty close to the same with all 3. That's why the 5fours have a higher residual value and sought for when purchasing one of these old trucks.

coolride

Yup, the 5.4 would be my next target should I get another one of these trucks. But I may shoot for a super duty 250 diesel next time. I will be moving south soon so I will hold out until I get down there to pick up a rust free 2wd. I haven't seen a rust free truck in years. lol Here in Vermont the state gets paid from the big 3 to make vehicles rot out fast so they can keep selling new ones. I think they have custom built a chemical for ice melt to do just that, and boy does it work!! lol

ametzker

I'm just finishing up my 97' 2wd 5sp extra cab. I rebuilt the engine and eliminated the egr system along with the IMRC system so the valves stay open all the time. I took out the cats also. You can check my thread for the things I've done. Many people on here have told me that it's going to run lean and burn the pistons and all this crap but I know better. This isn't a diesel engine. All engines made before they put all this emission crap on them ran just fine. Any who I just fired the engine for the first time today and once the truck is put back together I will let you guys know the MPG. I'm aiming for 20 hwy so we will see.

Jbrew

So, how do you plan on making it run. There must be a plan with all that in mind. Think you left something out lol.

coolride

sounds like a great way to simplify the engine. Do you have to tune the PCM or add a tuner to it so it won't go nuts trying to adjust things that don't exist anymore?
It seems like the big thing I read about leaving IMRC wide open is that maybe you would lose some low end torque? I have no idea if that is fact of someones assumption.
For my truck I think a little better gearing would help, it is geared a little too fast and the spread between 3rd and 4th gear is big so you have to rev it up a bit more to have any acceleration in 4th, otherwise its a dog trying to gain speed getting on a highway.
Good luck with your project, can't wait to hear the results. It will be nice to hear of real experience instead on naysayers assuming everything. lol

ametzker

Sorry I'm not sure I understand the question. How do I plan on making it run? It runs just fine. I hear people talk about the egr gasses are used to keep the exhaust temps down but that makes very little sense to me. The exhaust temps should not be overly high in the first place. These engines aren't running super hi compression or ran super lean from the factory. In fact the factory tune is on the richer side.
I kept the pcv system in place because it's needed to help control the pressure in the engine.
The IMRC valves are butterfly valves in an extra intake port for each cylinder. The idea behind them is sound but when they malfunction they can be a pain to deal with and you will get horrible mileage if they stay shut all the time. I may lose a small amount of low end torque but I would rather it breath easy and nt worry about if the valves are working properly.
The cats were removed because they were clogged bad. The 02 sensors that control most of the air fuel mix are the sensors in front of the cats. The ones behind the cats are to basically throw a code if there is very little variation between the front and back. They only sense a heat range which changes the voltage in the 02 sensor for a range of less than 1 volt. I can put in an adjustable resistor if I really would like to control my a/f ratio.

In the end to each his own. I don't knock anybody for being different or trying something new. I like my truck and if it works better then great and if it get horrible mpg then I can change things as needed. I'm a motorsport technician by trade graduated MMI in Orlando in 2004 so I may not know it all but I've had pretty decent success with past projects. I just like having conversations with people.

Jbrew

More power to that! No naysaying here, - assuming, not me, never, -unless I say so in the very same sentence..

Good Luck with that ametzker, - make sure you post up all the good news ahead.

ametzker

Will do buddy.

coolride

Yeah, I am not questioning what you are doing. Actually interested in how your truck runs after all you've done. I am all for ditching all this junk they put on the engine, and get it back to the basics. The only reason they have this junk on the engines is so they can make the engines pass some emission standard set by politicians.
I just didn't know if the engine computer would go nuts after these changes? Here in VT the check engine light on may mean no state inspection. I have seen some ways to trick the rear O2 sensors though.