[majek5]

How much does the ficm recal. do for the truck? Also, what do I need to look out for, or do to keep her runnin like she should? BTW, kinda bittersweet since I still love my 97 and can't keep both. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

[Power Hungry]

This may sound like a cheap answer, but where you end up really depends on where you start. Without any history on the truck or calibration information, I'd be guessing at best. If you can, see if you can get a tech to hook up and get all the diagnostic info on the truck including ECM, TCM and FICM strategies. The ECM will begin VXCFxxx, the TCM will begin TQCxxxx, and the FICM will begin AMZ2xxxx or ARZ2xxxx. From there, I can offer a clearer picture of whether any programming mods will be beneficial.

As for maintenance... oil cooler, EGR system, and cooling system are all areas of concern. Keep an eye on temps and look for coolant "burps" from the degas bottle. I'm sure others will be chiming in here shortly with tips.

Jeremy? Brad? Suggestions?

Take care and congratulations!

[majek5]

What is the cause of "burps", and how does one watch for them?

[php6]

the burbs bill speak of is when coolant comes from the degas bottle...trust me when i say you will know when this happens, as coolant will come from the degas bottle and leave crust all over the degas bottle..as for some pm maintaince a egr delete is a must and while i was there go ahead and change the heat exchanger for the oil cooler.these two items are the main causes of the truck over heating..like bill said find out what stats you are running now to see if updating or rolling back your strats will help any...feel free to call me or drop a email if you have any questions.

[Jeremy]

If your in a state that does not do diesel emissions testing then delete baby delete. However if you are then you may want to look at an aftermarket EGR cooler. Digital gauges are a must, You have to watch the variance between the EOT and ECT. If they start to get more than 15F deg apart you have a oil cooler taking a dump, once it starts to go then the EGR cooler goes.

Try not to get to aggressive of the programmer(which varies a lot by who its from) as they can pop the head gaskets. If they end up going out you then studs are a must have when you replace them, not a required upgrade, but a good upgrade.

Keep good fuel and fuel filters in it, it will help to keep the injectors alive. They are very temperamental, and the cleaner the fuel stays the better your chances.

I noticed in your oasis report that the STC fitting has not been replaced on it yet. If you can get the dealer to replace it with the updated one, do it because IMHO 8-10 of them will fail. If it does fail you'll be walking.